W-Drill — Timed: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
W-Drill — Timed is a timed cone sprint performed by running the full W-Drill zigzag pattern for a recorded time against a stopwatch, testing whether the same diagonal cuts and explosive plants hold up once a clock decides the goal. It’s dosed by timed attempts, and the pattern itself doesn’t change from the standard version, only the pressure of running it against a recorded number.
Equipment Needed
W-Drill — Timed needs five Training Cones, set out in the same W-shaped zigzag pattern the standard drill uses, along with a stopwatch or timing gates to record the attempt.
Why W-Drill — Timed Matters
Chasing a fast time through four diagonal cuts calls on the outer hip (gluteus medius) and inner thigh (adductors) to redirect the body sharply at every cone, while the glutes (gluteus maximus) and front of the thigh (quadriceps, rectus femoris) drive the explosive push off the outside foot into each new diagonal. The side of the waist (obliques) braces the trunk through all four changes of direction, and the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) decelerates the body into each plant. The calf (gastrocnemius) manages the rapid ground contacts throughout, and the hip flexors (iliopsoas) drive the legs through every segment. The shin (tibialis anterior) keeps the feet responsive under the added pressure of a running clock. Agility is the main demand, as in the standard W-Drill, with speed just behind.
When to Do It
This version fits best once the standard W-Drill pattern already holds together with clean, explosive plants at all four cones, since chasing a time before that technique is solid tends to reward sprinting the first leg hard and fading over the rest instead of pacing the whole pattern evenly. It also works well as an assessment piece, since a recorded time gives a concrete number to track against over weeks and months.
Anyone with a current ankle, knee or hip issue should be especially cautious here, since the added pressure of a running clock makes it easy to rush a plant past what the joints can safely absorb.
Getting Ready
A few minutes of easy jogging followed by a couple of build-up sprint strides and a walkthrough pass of the full W-shape at a controlled pace confirms the technique is ready before the clock starts. A practice attempt or two, deliberately holding the same pace across all four diagonals, previews the pacing challenge this version is built around.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Stand at the first cone, facing diagonally toward the second, ready to explode forward the instant the clock starts.
2. The first cut. Sprint to the second cone and plant explosively on the outside foot, driving into the next diagonal at the same effort as the first.
3. The middle cuts. Repeat the diagonal sprint-and-plant sequence through the third and fourth cones, holding the same pace the first two carried.
4. The finish. Sprint through the fifth cone to stop the clock, carrying full speed through the line instead of easing up before it.
How Many, How Often
W-Drill — Timed is dosed by timed attempts, with full rest between each one so the clock reflects a fresh effort every time.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to running the full pattern against a clock | W-Drill, 2 to 3 timed attempts, resting fully between each and treating the time purely as a baseline reading for now. |
| Intermediate | Times stay consistent across repeated attempts | 3 to 4 timed attempts, with a full rest between each one. |
| Advanced | Going for a personal best on fresh legs | 3 to 4 maximal attempts, resting long enough between each that fatigue never explains a slower time. |
Holding the same effort across all four diagonal cuts matters more here than sprinting the first one as hard as possible, since even pacing, not a fast start, is what separates a total time that holds up from one that only looks fast early.
Modifications and Variations
W-Drill — Timed has one direct relative: the standard, untimed version.
For less difficulty, W-Drill removes the running clock and asks for the identical zigzag pattern executed for clean technique, without the added pressure of a recorded time.
Progression path: the explosive outside-foot plant at each of the four cones gets proven clean and repeatable at a controlled pace first; this timed version then tests whether that same technique, paced evenly, holds up once the incentive shifts toward raw speed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Sprinting the first diagonal hard and fading over the rest. Treating the first leg as the moment to make up time leaves nothing left for the remaining three cuts, and a fast opening followed by a slow finish usually posts a worse total time than an evenly paced attempt. Holding a consistent effort across all four diagonals protects both the time and the technique.
Letting the plants get shorter and sloppier as the legs tire. A rushed, incomplete plant late in the pattern trades a clean direction change for a faster-feeling but slower and riskier cut. Committing fully to the outside-foot plant at every cone, not just the early ones, keeps the whole line sharp.
Chasing a faster time before fully resting between attempts. A time posted on fatigued legs doesn’t reflect fresh-legs speed and risks reinforcing uneven pacing under fatigue. Resting long enough that each attempt starts from a fully fresh state keeps every recorded time meaningful.
After Your Set
Running the full zigzag at maximal effort loads the hips and trunk more than a controlled-pace pass does, so a few minutes of easy movement is worth taking before stretching. Standing side-on to a wall, crossing the far leg behind the near one and leaning the hips toward the wall, releases the outer hip (gluteus medius) that redirected the body through all four diagonal cuts. Lying on the back with knees bent and dropping both knees gently to one side while the shoulders stay flat releases the side of the waist (obliques) that braced the trunk through all four diagonal cuts.
Going Deeper
Nothing about the diagonal cuts themselves changes for this version; what changes is the incentive sitting underneath a pattern that was already fully learned. Once the explosive plant-and-cut technique at all four cones is fully automatic, running it against a clock reveals whether that technique holds its pace evenly under pressure, which a purely technique-focused pass at a controlled speed can’t test on its own.
Progress here tends to come from holding the middle two cuts at the same intensity as the first, which matters because the pattern carries more total direction changes than most cone drills: a runner who keeps the third and fourth cuts as sharp as the first often sees a faster overall time even without the opening burst changing at all. Deliberately timing each individual leg on its own, alongside the full pattern, tends to reveal exactly where the pace is dropping.
Someone moving to this version for the first time generally needs several timed attempts before the number stabilizes, since an early attempt or two often reflects an uneven, front-loaded pacing strategy more than an accurate reflection of ability across the full pattern.
How to Know You’re Improving
- The total time trends downward across sessions when the legs start out fully fresh
- All four diagonal cuts look equally sharp from the first cone through the last
- Every plant stays full and explosive even on the final two cones
- The finish through the fifth cone holds the exact same speed the middle cuts carried
An evenly paced time across all four diagonals is the marker of progress here, more so than any single fast opening.
Muscles Worked
- Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, holding full effort across all five cones when a time is recorded)
- Rectus Femoris (a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee, braking as late as the clock allows at each point)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, driving out of the turn without a wasted step)
- Gastrocnemius (a calf muscle, keeping contact times short through the whole sequence)
- Gluteus Medius (a smaller glute muscle at the side of the hip, holding the hip through turns taken at race pace)
- Iliopsoas (the deep hip flexor, repositioning the knee quickly as each diagonal arrives)
- Obliques (the muscles along the sides of the waist, turning the trunk early so the line is not lost)
- Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, gathering the legs fast between the four cuts)
- Tibialis Anterior (a muscle along the front of the shin, loading the forefoot for a timed plant)
FAQ
Why does this version emphasize even pacing instead of a fast start? Because the W pattern has more total direction changes than most cone drills, so a fast first leg that fades over the remaining three cuts typically posts a worse total time than a steady effort held across all four (see How Many, How Often above).
Is this the same drill as the standard W-Drill, just faster? The pattern and the technique are identical; only the presence of a running clock changes, which shifts the goal from clean execution alone to clean execution held at pace across every diagonal (see Modifications and Variations above).
Why does power matter more here than on the standard W-Drill? Running against a clock changes the incentive from clean cuts alone to clean cuts produced as explosively as possible, and that shift is enough to raise the power demand over the standard pace (see Why It Matters above).
Should I try to post a fast time on every single attempt? Not on every one. Resting fully between attempts and treating early attempts purely as pacing checks builds toward a fast, evenly run time far better than chasing a number on fatigued legs does (see Common Mistakes to Avoid above).
A harder variation of W-Drill, alongside W-Drill — Reactive.