How to Run Suicides in Agility Training Exercises

Suicides (also called Blood and Guts or Ladders) focus on fast-twitch muscle fibers and explosive movements. Speed is a big part of a suicide-agility training exercise. You can undertake suicides alone (you against the stopwatch) or as part of a team exercise (the slowest person has to do another suicide). If using suicides as a team training mechanism, the coach may require that all team members complete the suicides in under a certain amount of time.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Stand at one end of a basketball court, soccer field or volleyball court behind the out-of-bounds line. Terminology referenced here is specific to a basketball court.

2. Listen for the whistle or other signal to begin running the suicides. Sprint as fast as you can to the free throw line on your side of the court.

3. Touch the free throw line with your hand. Abruptly switch directions and return to the out-of-bounds line where you started, making sure to bend down and touch the line.

4. Sprint toward the half court line. Touch this line, switch directions and return to the out of bounds line, again bending down to touch the line.

5. Run toward the free throw line on the opposite side of the court. Touch that line with your hand and return to and touch the out-of-bounds line.

6. Finish the suicide by running as fast as you can to the out-of-bounds line on the opposite side of the court. Touch the line and run back to your original starting point.

Tips & Warnings

• Set up a suicide training court on an unmarked stretch of grass or asphalt by strategically placing cones at specific intervals. If you wish to work on endurance, place the cones further apart. If you wish to work on agility, put the cones closer together.