Butt Kicks

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powerspeedsprint-drillform-drillheel-recoverywarm-up

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Exercise demo

In one line

A running drill that snaps the heels up toward the glutes with a quick cadence — grooves fast heel recovery and "stepping over" the opposite knee.

Detail

Butt kicks is a sprint-form and warm-up drill in which the athlete runs (in place or slowly forward) flicking the heels quickly up toward the glutes, emphasizing a fast, compact heel recovery behind/under the body. In sprinting, a quick heel recovery shortens the lever of the recovery leg so the knee can swing through faster — butt kicks rehearse that action.

Technique: stay tall and braced; cycle the heels up by folding at the knee with the heel traveling under/just behind the hips (the recovery should "step over the opposite knee"), not by swinging the whole leg backward behind the body. Keep contacts quick and light on the balls of the feet, with a sharp opposite-arm action. Emphasize speed of recovery rather than reaching the heel as high as possible.

It complements high knees (front-side knee drive) and A-skips (downward strike) in a sprint-form series, and is an effective dynamic warm-up for the hamstrings and lower legs.

Key facts

Running drill flicking the heels up toward the glutes with quick cadence.
Grooves fast, compact heel recovery ("step over the opposite knee").
Fold at the knee with the heel under/just behind the hips — not swinging the leg back.
Tall posture, quick light contacts; good dynamic warm-up.

Connections

High Knees — complementary front-side knee-drive drill.
A-Skip — adds the downward strike.
Running / Sprint Form — reinforces efficient heel recovery.
Sprint Mechanics — faster recovery aids stride frequency.
Hamstrings — knee flexors performing the heel snap.

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked

Established exercise-science consensus; NSCA Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning. Pages: (general consensus).

Exercise guides

High Knees

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Explore related topics

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings A-Skip High Knees Running / Sprint Form Sprint Mechanics

Atlas Connections

Hamstrings

Three 2-joint muscles — biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus — that flex the knee (primary) and extend the hip (secondary); knee-flexion ROM 125°.

A-SkipClosely related

A marching/skipping drill that grooves high knee drive, a dorsiflexed foot, and a downward "punch" strike under the hips — the foundational sprint-form drill.

High KneesClosely related

A fast running-in-place/forward drill driving the knees high with quick ground contacts — builds knee drive, stride frequency, posture, and serves as a warm-up.

Running / Sprint FormClosely related

Efficient sprint form is tall and braced with high front-side knee drive, dorsiflexed feet, ground contact under the hips, and a powerful shoulder-driven arm swing.

Sprint MechanicsClosely related

Sprinting has two distinct phases — acceleration (driving from low and leaning) and maximum velocity (tall, cyclical, reactive) — each with its own posture and force-application pattern.