Single Leg Lateral Box Jump

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The single leg lateral box jump is one of the best drills for building frontal plane power, single-leg explosiveness, and the hip stability that protects your knees during cutting and change of direction. In this guide, Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym breaks down how to perform the exercise in both lateral and medial directions, how to program it for in-season athletes, and why it’s a powerful tool for wrestlers and combat sport athletes. Learn the coaching cues, landing mechanics, and progressions that make this single-leg plyometric drill so effective.

Hip Turn To Sprint and Back

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Master the hip turn to sprint and back, an advanced reactive change of direction drill that combines the hip turn, linear sprint mechanics, and a return redirect into one explosive sequence. Learn the proper athletic stance, coaching cues, common mistakes, and exact set and rep programming to build change of direction speed for combat sports, field, and court athletes. A complete coaching breakdown of one of the most transferable speed and agility drills you can run.

Hip Turn (In-Place)

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Master the in-place hip turn, a foundational change of direction drill that teaches athletes to dissociate the hips from the upper body for faster, more balanced lateral movement. This no-equipment agility exercise builds the athletic stance, hip control, and lateral push mechanics essential for defense and reactive change of direction. Learn the setup, technique, common mistakes, and programming from THIRST Gym’s Brandon Smitley.

The Science of Reactive Strength: Plyometrics That Actually Transfer to Sport Performance

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Most plyometric training doesn’t transfer to sport performance because coaches confuse explosive strength with reactive strength — two qualities that demand entirely different programming. This in-depth guide breaks down all three phases of the stretch-shortening cycle, explains how to use the reactive strength index (RSI) to monitor contact time and readiness, and identifies the five programming mistakes that kill transfer. You’ll also get a specificity spectrum for exercise selection, a full 16-week plyometric periodization template, and sport-specific applications for sprinters, soccer players, and basketball athletes.

Off-Set KB Drop And Catch Lateral Lunge To Slantboard

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The offset kettlebell drop and catch lateral lunge to slant board is a deceleration drill that teaches athletes to put on the brakes, yield into the hip, and stop cleanly before redirecting. Ideal for bigger, tighter athletes who struggle with lateral movement, this slant board exercise builds change-of-direction control, hip mobility, and single-leg stability. Learn the full setup, coaching cues, common mistakes, and programming from Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Off-Set KB Drop And Catch Lateral Lunge

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Learn the offset kettlebell drop and catch lateral lunge, a powerful deceleration and change-of-direction exercise that teaches athletes how to plant, brake, and stop efficiently. Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym in Terre Haute, Indiana breaks down the biomechanics, coaching cues, common mistakes, and programming for wrestlers, combat athletes, and anyone looking to move more athletically. A must-know drill for building resilient, injury-resistant change of direction.

Toe Taps To Lateral Push Out

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Toe taps to lateral push out is a reactive agility drill that builds ankle stiffness, frontal-plane control, and the split-second decision-making athletes need to change direction under pressure. Using nothing more than a low box and a timer beep, this drill turns a rehearsed pattern into true open-skill agility for wrestlers, court and field athletes, and advanced high schoolers. Learn the biomechanics, progressions, common mistakes, and programming from Brandon Smitley at THIRST Gym in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Lateral Power Shuffle

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The lateral power shuffle is one of the most effective drills for developing explosive side-to-side speed, agility, and change of direction for athletes in nearly every sport. In this exercise breakdown, Brandon Smitley of THIRST Gym walks through the mechanics, common coaching mistakes, programming recommendations, and how to progress this drill from closed reps to reactive, sport-specific application. Whether you coach wrestlers, football players, MMA fighters, or general fitness clients, this is a foundational lateral movement drill every athlete should master.

Sprint To Stick

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The sprint to stick exercise is a fundamental deceleration training drill that teaches athletes proper stopping mechanics, enhances change of direction ability, and reduces injury risk. This simple yet effective agility drill develops the eccentric strength and neuromuscular control necessary for superior athletic performance across all sports. Master the art of braking to improve reactive agility, defensive positioning, and explosive reacceleration in competitive environments.