Sample Endurance Drills

Football:

• 400-Yard Shuttle Run: This drill requires players to sprint 400 yards in increments of 25 yards. The goal is to increase the player's endurance while also improving their agility and speed.

• Gassers: This drill involves players running from one sideline to the other on a football field and back, aiming to do this in less than a minute. This helps improve cardiovascular endurance and overall stamina.

• Two-A-Day Practices: These are intense workout sessions, typically held in the preseason, where players participate in two practices in one day, which enhances overall endurance.

Basketball:

1. Ladder Drills: Players sprint to different lines on the basketball court and back to the baseline, progressively moving further away with each sprint. This helps improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

2. 17s: In this drill, players run from one sideline to the other 17 times in a row as quickly as possible, improving their stamina and speed.

3. Continuous Shooting Drills: Players shoot continuously for a set period, forcing them to maintain high levels of performance even when fatigued.

Soccer:

1. Interval Running: Players sprint the length of the field, then jog back, repeating this several times. This simulates the stop-and-go nature of soccer and builds endurance.

2. The Box-to-Box Drill: Players run from one penalty box to the other, resting briefly, then running back. This drill develops long-distance running stamina, mimicking the conditions of a match.

3. Circuit Training: This includes a combination of aerobic and strength exercises performed one after the other with little to no rest in between, enhancing overall fitness and endurance.

Baseball:

1. Foul Pole to Foul Pole Sprints: Players sprint from one foul pole to the other along the outfield fence. This improves both speed and stamina.

2. Interval Throwing: Players practice long throws and sprints intermittently, working on both their arm strength and aerobic fitness.

3. Burpee Drill: Players perform a series of burpees, then sprint to a specified distance. This high-intensity drill enhances overall stamina and agility.

Tennis:

• Line-to-Line Drill: Players sprint to each line on the court and back to the baseline, progressively moving further away with each sprint. This improves cardiovascular endurance and agility.

• Endless Rally Drill: Players continuously rally the ball over the net without aiming to score. This drill helps increase stamina and also improves consistency and control in strokes.

• Figure 8s: Players run in a figure-8 pattern around the tennis net posts, which enhances overall endurance and agility.

Swimming:

• Ladder Sets: Swimmers progressively increase the distance of each swim (e.g., 50m, 100m, 150m, 200m, and then back down), focusing on maintaining a steady pace. This builds endurance and helps manage pacing.

• Long Distance Swimming: Training with long-distance swims without breaks builds stamina and aids in technique refinement.

• Interval Training: Swimmers complete a set distance within a specific time frame, rest for a set time, and repeat. This type of training can significantly boost cardiovascular endurance.

Track and Field:

• Fartlek Training: Athletes alternate between moderate to hard efforts over a set amount of time or distance. This helps build stamina and speed.

• Long Runs: Simply going for a long-distance run at a steady pace can help build endurance and aerobic capacity.

• Intervals: Runners sprint a certain distance or for a set time, then recover for a certain amount of time, repeating this cycle multiple times. This enhances aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

Boxing:

• Heavy Bag Intervals: Boxers punch the heavy bag at a high intensity for a set period, rest for a short interval, and repeat. This builds both muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

• Sparring Rounds: Extended periods of sparring can increase a boxer's stamina, as it closely simulates the conditions of a match.

• Skipping Rope: This is a traditional boxing drill that improves cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and footwork.

Rugby:

• Shuttle Runs: Players run back and forth between two points a set distance apart, progressively increasing the distance each time. This enhances speed, agility, and endurance.

• Tackle Bag Rounds: Continuous tackling of bags without pause for an extended period builds both cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

• "Up-Downs": Players sprint a short distance, drop to the ground, get up as quickly as possible, and sprint again. This drill enhances cardiovascular fitness and mimics the fast-paced, up-and-down nature of a rugby match.