Sprinting is a key component for many individual and team sports. Therefore, to enhance sprint performance, various training methods are widely used by coaches and practitioners, including maximum sprint speed and resisted sprint training. Resisted sprinting with sled towing is a method that has recently received considerable attention from the sport science community. However, to date, no consensus exists regarding its acute and chronic effects in team sport athletes. This narrative review aimed to (a) review and analyze the mechanics of sprinting under unresisted and resisted conditions with a specific focus on team sport disciplines; (b) provide a thorough and applied discussion on the importance of considering acute and chronic effects of sled loading on technique, electromyographic activity, and force production, as well as on the role of muscle architecture and neural factors in sled training; (c) analyze the effects of increasing sled loads during acceleration and maximum velocity phases on contact and flight phases, while concomitantly examining kinetic, kinematic, and neuromuscular aspects, because all these factors affect each other and cannot be properly understood in isolation.

This study assessed the performance effects of a novel short-term and highly accessible training protocol based on maximal shuttle runs in the field.

This infographic summarizes how varying sled-loads increase different characteristics of sprint performance in male high school athletes.

This excerpt from Developing Speed describes an agility drill that aims to develop acceleration and defensive positioning.

This article examines using the sled as a dynamic correspondence exercise for increasing on-ice acceleration.

This infographic highlights the use of an individualized load-velocity method to prescribe sled-push loads in young athletes.

Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity, so this phase of sprinting is critical for changing directions as rapidly and efficiently as possible. Optimal technique for linear sprinting in the acceleration phase involves four factors that maximize stride length and frequency.

This infographic breaks down training on different surfaces and how they affect performance outcomes.

Is the squat or hip thrust a better exercise for increasing jump and sprint performance? The results of this study support the force vector theory.

This infographic takes a look at resisted sled training and the benefits it may have on sprint performance. It also offers insight into when and how to utilize resisted sled training.