Running drills look deceptively simple, but they give you a chance to practise individual parts of your running movement in a controlled way. Used alongside regular running, they can help develop coordination, mobility and an awareness of your form before those movements are put back together at normal running pace.
That can become particularly useful as your training gets longer. Fatigue makes it harder to maintain relaxed, controlled movement — and repeatedly practising individual movement patterns can make familiar habits easier to return to when you are tired. If you are training for your first runDisney 5K, drills can also be a useful way to introduce running movement without making every training session about covering more distance.
What running drills actually do
Running drills exaggerate or isolate elements of running movement, giving you an opportunity to practise rhythm, posture, foot placement and coordination away from the demands of a full training run. Rather than running continuously, you perform a single movement — a particular leg action, a rhythm pattern, a lateral step — repeatedly over a short distance.
Drills can also form part of a progressive warm-up before a harder session. World Athletics guidance on effective warm-ups similarly recommends moving gradually towards activities that prepare the body for the demands of the session to follow.
Why running form can become harder to maintain as you tire
The longer you run, the more fatigue can affect the way you move. You may notice your posture changing, your stride becoming less controlled or your usual rhythm becoming harder to maintain. As Princess Half Marathon training builds and long runs get progressively longer, staying relaxed and coordinated can become increasingly challenging as fatigue accumulates.
Drills cannot prevent fatigue, but repeatedly practising controlled movement can help make those patterns more familiar. Research into running technique and running economy suggests that biomechanics contribute to how efficiently runners use energy, while also noting that there is no single optimal technique that works for every runner.
The aim with drills is not to prescribe one perfect running style. It is to develop awareness and coordination so that when you are tired, you have something to return to.
Five running drills to practise
The five drills below are general exercises that can be added to a warm-up or technique routine. Each focuses on a different aspect of running movement. None requires equipment, and each can be completed in a short space.
1. High knees
High knees exaggerate the knee-drive phase of running and challenge rhythm, posture and coordination. Drive each knee towards hip height in a quick, controlled rhythm, keeping your torso upright and your arms actively working. Stay tall and avoid leaning backwards as the knees rise. 2 × 20 metres is a useful starting point.
2. Butt kicks
Butt kicks practise quick leg recovery and coordination as the heel travels towards the back of the body. Jog slowly while focusing on a quick, light heel recovery. Keep the movement controlled. 2 × 20 metres.
3. A-skips
A-skips combine knee lift, rhythm and an active return of the foot towards the ground. Skip forward with an exaggerated knee drive, focusing on coordination between your arms and legs and staying tall through the movement. 2 × 20 metres.
4. Carioca
Carioca introduces lateral and rotational movement that you do not encounter in straightforward running. Move sideways, alternating crossing one foot in front of and then behind the other. It can be useful for coordination and hip mobility as part of a dynamic warm-up. 2 × 20 metres in each direction.
5. Strides
Strides are short, controlled periods of faster running rather than a technical drill in the same sense as A-skips or high knees. They give you an opportunity to run smoothly at a quicker pace without turning the session into an all-out sprint. A typical approach is 4–6 relaxed strides of around 80–100 metres, gradually accelerating to a quick but controlled effort before easing back down. Take full recovery between each one.
When should you do running drills?
Drills usually work well after a few minutes of easy movement and before the main part of a run, particularly when the session contains faster running or a harder effort. You do not need a long routine: a handful of movements performed with good control can take around 10 minutes and still leave you well prepared for what follows.
When the session is a straightforward easy run, a shorter warm-up without drills is equally valid. Drills add the most value before sessions where you are practising faster movement or returning to running after a rest day.
How drills fit into Glass Slipper Run training
The five exercises above are general running drills that you can use as part of a warm-up or technique routine. Glass Slipper Run training plans also include three types of structured drill-focused sessions as part of the midweek schedule — cadence drills, acceleration-glider drills and hill workouts — alongside easy runs, progressive long runs and Magic Mile benchmarks.
Cadence drills
Cadence drills focus on your step rate — the number of steps you take per minute. Many runners, especially those who are newer to running, naturally settle into a slower cadence with a longer, heavier stride. A higher cadence tends to mean a shorter, lighter contact with the ground and less braking force with each step.
In a cadence drill session, you pay deliberate attention to your turnover rate and try to maintain or slightly increase it throughout the run. Glass Slipper Run tracks your cadence in steps per minute when you log a drill session, so you can see how it changes across the training plan. The goal is not to force an artificial stride, but to gradually build familiarity with a quicker, lighter rhythm.
Acceleration-glider drills
Acceleration-glider drills teach you to run smoothly at a quicker pace without forcing the effort. The pattern is simple: over roughly 50–80 metres, gradually build your speed from easy jogging up to a quick, controlled effort — then instead of braking or decelerating sharply, let the pace gently "glide" back down naturally, maintaining your form as the speed fades.
The value is in the glide phase. Most runners tense up when running faster, which wastes energy. The glider teaches relaxed running at speed — staying tall, keeping the arms loose, and not fighting the movement. Over time, this translates to more efficient running across the rest of your training.
Hill workouts
Hill sessions build leg strength and power without the joint impact of flat speed work. Running uphill recruits the glutes and calf muscles more heavily than flat running, and the reduced speed means the forces through your legs are lower than a sprint on flat ground. Hill efforts in the training plan are kept short and controlled — not a test of how fast you can run uphill, but a way to build strength across the training week.
These three session types appear throughout the 19-week Princess Half Marathon training plan and are designed to give you regular opportunities to work on specific aspects of running movement without adding unnecessary volume to the programme. Our guide to Zone 2 training for runners explains why the easier aerobic sessions in that same plan play such an important role, and how different sessions serve different purposes within a training week.
Why consistency matters more than one perfect drill session
Like most aspects of running, drills are unlikely to transform your form after a single session. Their value comes from repeating controlled movements regularly and combining them with the running, strength work and recovery that make up the rest of your programme.
Think of drills as practice, not a shortcut. The goal is to become more comfortable and coordinated in the movements you use when you run — and to have those movement patterns more available to you when fatigue makes everything feel harder.
Ready to put your training into practice? Glass Slipper Run combines structured drill sessions with easy runs, progressive long runs and pace benchmarks to build towards race weekend. Explore our free runDisney training plans and choose the distance you are training for.