Has anyone tried a running parachute while doing sprints. Any ideas on it helping lower run times?

I have done many many forms of sprint training including this.
Careful with these chutes though. On windy days they will go all over the places while sprinting and will more than likely get tangled in your legs and trip you. It has happened many times to me.

My track coach was a world class sprinter and the head track coach at UTA (university of texas at arlington). I can tell you from personal experience, and from him making us do it, that it WILL increase your speed to a certain point. But what we would do is run with it bunch up in our hand and then throw it out behind us, all while trying to sprint as fast as you can for a certain distance. Continue the sprint after it is deployed.

We also had this one device that you put a belt around you and on the other end it was anchored and had a piston type device to provide the resistance. Using it over and over without letting it cool would cause the apparatus to burn up due to resistance, so we would squirt it with water after each use. You pretty much felt like you were running in place, but your legs were pumping as fast as you could.

Another similar device used, was essentially 2 pieces of rope (for lack of a better term) that were attached with heavy duty velcro. On one end you had it around your waste, the other your partner held onto and tried to provide resistance while slowly running behind you while you went all out in front. Then he would cut you lose by ripping the velcro appart and you would shoot off towards your set distance.

Foot quickness drills such as ladders and tires are also good to develope the explosive speed you need for sprints.

We did what we called "Skip A" and "Skip B" too. Skip A was just a high knee, but not a running high knee. You skip. Get it? Skip B you start the same way as a high knee, but at the appex you would snap your leg out infront of you, and drive your toe to the ground, pulling it down back directly under your hips as fast as you could.

We also did the (from what I have seen) now common hurtle drills.

Sprint set distances in increments such as sprint 4x100meters, 3x200, meters 2x300 meters, and 1x400 meters (this is already posted on other Workouts on this site)


I'll let you know that I am not a professional coach or have a degree in this, but I have had the opportunity to receive training from people who are professionals and have degrees. I got my legit (electronic) 40 time down to 4.45 on grass during a football combine wearing bulky football cleats. Track times in track shoes would have been faster.

Do the shuttle drill. Very similar to basketball suicides. My shuttle in cleats on grass was a 4.21ish. That was with hand touching the line. Not foot like most cheaters out there.

I wish I could remember all the stuff I used to do. But when I see post like this, it jogs the memory. I know i'm leaving out a bunch of drills but I just can't remember them.


So after throwing all my thoughts down as they came into my head, that drill will definitely not hurt to increase your sprinting. If you have the money, do it.

Edit: oh, and PLYOMETRICS. They hurt so good and are very important. Such as box jumps, jumping rope, all that good stuff. There are way too many ways to do these to name. Do some googling.

dcvl's advice is all very sound for increasing top end speed and quickness, so if that is your goal then go for it...

However, it says PJ hopeful in your profile; so if you want to lower your run times on distances encountered in the pipeline and the PAST, a parachute is going to be a waste of $$. Running with a parachute, doing shuttle sprints, ladder drills, etc. are obviously not the most effective training methods to lower your times on distances over a mile.

Train hard, train smart.

Ever see a 5k runner or 10k runner use the parachute?
I never have. Remember, you need to be good at all the events of the PAST and you get evaluated on the 3 mile and above, not on sprints. Your training time is limited so don't spend much of it on sprints.
I was a terrible sprinter in the Pipeline(and still am) but it was not a detriment. I had good endurance and that came in very handy. I could have used a lot more explosive strength and upper body stregth but the parachute wouldn't be the best way to do that, either.

I did mean to put a disclaimer saying that distance and endurance training should be his primary goal. Flexibility as well.

Thanks for all the info guys, i was more looking at running sprints short term to lower my 1.5 mi time for the PAST. Im running about 11:30 right now which sucks. Everything else is at PAST Standards or above. 500m in 7:30. 65 Push, 8 Pull, 60 sit. I've always been a good in the water. but running was never my thing.

I don't believe a parachute will help with a 1.5 mile. Are you dying after a 1.5 mile run at 11:30? Winded or muscles aching or both? I'd say get on a treadmill and run at 8.6 mph so you get the feel of what a 7 min mile is. It's actually a 6:58. I usually run for 20 minutes or so once a week when doing that to train my legs for the pace. I'd say run no less 10 minutes since that would be about what you would hit your 1.5 mile in if you were running at that pace. Try that out and post how it works.

Your not training for the NFL, its all about endurance. Sprints help with stuff like Indian runs, hills and stuff. Overall ide focus on running long distance after doing cals and swims, in that order, spend your money on jet fins, a mask/googles and booties.

DCVL has some good advice here. There is a lot you can do to lower your run time. In the pipeline, we usually would hit the track for interval sprints once a week (FT portion of AST). We would also run an LSD (long slow distance) once a week.

Mix it up with intervals, hills if you can, LSD, fast 4-5 miler, etc....

Keep pushing your self, and your times will come down.