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:
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.
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.
Continuous Shooting Drills: Players shoot continuously for a set period, forcing them to maintain high levels of performance even when fatigued.
Soccer:
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.
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.
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:
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.
Interval Throwing: Players practice long throws and sprints intermittently, working on both their arm strength and aerobic fitness.
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.
