I try to get on the inside by slipping a jab/straight and then dashing in but the thing is, my step ins are as explosive as a dud. I was just thinking of doing lots and lots of sprints, mainly wind sprints. Would this be an efficient way to go about achieving an explosive dash.
practise stepping in, technique, work on balance. Short distance dashes can't hurt. Lunges squats core stability. skipping does help a lot.
Jump rope is a great recommendation. Otherwise, I think I read it on here.. but I like the plan of running a full stretch and sprint/jogging between each electric pole. If I used a treadmill, I just cranked up the speed when I had enough wind and ran full blast til I couldn't keep up, then went back down to jogging. I'd run to and from the gym, following the pole method.
I agree with Jokers Wild mostly. However, I don't see the rationale of jumping rope for this. ASIDE from practicing the movement(this is the most important thing) here is my thought. If your goal is to step in explosively, train explosively. Olympic weightlifters beat sprinters in 5-10 meter sprints. Not saying you have to do olympic lifts though. If your goal is to step in as quickly as possible, aside from the motor patterns of the movement itself, you must train your body to be explosive. There is a very strong correlation between well programmed strength routines and speed/explosiveness. Hope this helps.
There are probably better ways to achieve explosive power in your legs but for an overall conditioning of the muscles to achieve the power, I would think that jump rope would help quite a bit. It helps me feel lighter on my feet, making it easier to move my body forward and still have control/balance. But like Jokers and von said, straight-up practicing the movements with explosiveness is the best way to go.
Conditioning and power are two different things. Jumping rope will not help with forward explosive movement as it's not really explosive in itself.
Sprints - kangaroo hop type jumps - If you were to use a jump rope Id recommend double jumps , triple if your capable of actually doing them
