How We Train the “Knee Behind Butt” Pattern

In the first post, we broke down why the “knee behind butt” pattern, true hip extension, is a non-negotiable for speed and performance.

Now let’s pull back the curtain on how we actually train it inside Skolfield Sports Performance.  Maybe you can get a few takeaways here to assimilate it into your own training.

This is where theory turns into programming.

How We Build a Speed Session at Skolfield

When we design a speed session at Skolfield Sports Performance, we don’t just randomly throw drills on the turf.

Every session is built around six pieces:

1. Theme
2. Objective
3. Pattern
4. Strategies
5. Details
6. Tertiary work

Let’s use an example we actually run:
acceleration,  those first 4–6 steps out of a start.

1. Theme: What Skill Are We Training Today?

The theme is the main skill or quality for the day.

Example:

Theme: Acceleration

We’re not just “running sprints.” We’re specifically training the first few steps, where athletes need to project their body forward and cover ground fast.

2. Objective: What Are We Trying to Achieve?

The objective is the practical outcome we want from the session.

For  acceleration at Skolfield Performance, the objective is simple:

Project the center of mass as far and as fast as possible in a horizontal direction.

We want our athletes to push the ground away and drive themselves forward, not just spin their wheels in place.  Whereas many athlete just turn their legs over we want intentional action in a forward direction and it needs to explosive

3. Pattern: What Movement Actually Drives the Outcome?

This is where the “knee behind butt” pattern comes in.

Pattern: Hip extension – driving the knee behind the butt.

For early acceleration, that backward drive of the leg behind the hip is what launches the athlete forward. If that pattern is weak, slow, or poorly coordinated, everything else collapses.

At Skolfield Sports Performance, we build the speed component  around getting that pattern to improve.

4. Strategies: How Do We Get the Athlete to Do It Right?

Once we know the pattern, we choose strategies, simple cues or drills that help athletes execute properly.

Two of our main strategies for acceleration:

1. “Drive the thighs forward” / “Push the ground back”
   Different words, same idea: create strong backward push and forward drive with the legs.
2. “Stay on top”
   Maintain a forward torso lean and keep the hips driving through, instead of popping straight up too early.

From there, we’ll occasionally tweak secondary details:

• Head position
• Eye direction
• Arm action
• Ankle and foot stiffness

But we never lose sight of the main play: powerful hip extension with the knee driving behind the butt.

5. Details: What Does the Session Actually Look Like?

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Here’s an example of a session we’d run at Skolfield Sports Performance for initial acceleration and hip extension:

• Drill:
  • 10 yard timed resisted accelerations
• Sets:
  • 3-4 total sets depending on athlete level and time of year

The resisted sprints teach the athlete to feel and produce force through the “knee behind butt” pattern.

Throughout the session, our coaches are watching for the five qualities:

• Force – Are they actually driving forward?
• Velocity – Are they moving with real intent or just going through the motions?  Hence why we time all of our reps.
• Range – Are they getting the leg far enough behind them to generate power?
• Control – Is the technique holding up, or are they flailing?
• Repeatability – Can they hit quality reps again and again?

6. Tertiary Work: The Extras That Support the Pattern

Beyond the main session, we often add tertiary work, secondary drills or patterns that support hip extension.

For example:

• Spinal engine / trunk rotation work during warm-ups
• Pre-session patterning or mobility work to help them own the positions we’re chasing prior to going live.
• Velocity based strength or plyometric exercise in the weight room that reinforce the same mechanics

The key at Skolfield Performance is this:
We don’t randomly bolt on drills. Everything we add has to support the same core pattern we’re trying to improve.

Why Many Athletes Struggle With Hip Extension

A lot of athletes come into our facility having already “lifted weights” or “done speed work” somewhere else.

But they still:

• Struggle to accelerate
• Look choppy when they run
• Break down mechanically late in games

When we assess them, here’s what we often see:

• They’ve spent years getting stronger in patterns that don’t actually produce a real “knee behind butt” position.
• Squats and deadlifts? Useful, but they don’t automatically fix sprint mechanics.
• Mobility work? Great, but more range without control and force usually just gives them sloppier, slower positions.

Most of the time, the real issue isn’t:

• “Tight hip flexors”
• Or “not flexible enough”

It’s that they don’t have the specific force and velocity capacity in the hip extension pattern itself.

That’s exactly what our training systems at Skolfield are built to fix.

How This Shows Up in Games

When an athlete improves their “knee behind butt” pattern with us, you’ll see it in real situations:

• They separate on a breakaway.
• They close space faster on defense.
• They win more 50/50 balls or puck races.
• Late in the game, when others are gassed, their stride still looks strong and crisp.

That’s not an accident.
That’s what happens when you design training around the actual patterns that drive performance, not just what looks good on social media or in the weight room.

The Bottom Line for Parents and Athletes

At Skolfield Sports Performance, our speed and strength systems are built around one simple reality:

If you improve the “knee behind butt” pattern, fast, far, and often you get a faster, more dangerous athlete.

We:

• Assess how well an athlete can extend the hip
• Identify whether the limiting factor is force, velocity, range, control, or repeatability
• Build training with clear themes, objectives, patterns, and strategies
• Use drills, resisted sprints, unresisted sprints, and support work that all aim at the same target

If you want your athlete to not just be “strong” but to actually move better, accelerate harder, and perform at game speed, this is the level of detail their training needs.

And this is exactly what we do every day at Skolfield Sports Performance.

Now you have a choice…

You can keep grinding through generic workouts and “speed sessions” that don’t actually target the patterns that matter, no clear theme, no real objective, and no focus on how well you drive your knee behind your butt on every step. You can keep guessing at what to do next and hoping it shows up in games…

…Or you can step into a system where every session has a purpose. At Skolfield Sports Performance, we assess your hip extension, identify whether you’re missing force, velocity, range, control, or repeatability, and then build training that actually fixes it. The result: better acceleration, more top-end speed, improved durability, and more confidence when the game is on the line.

Which do you prefer?

Shoot us an email at [email protected]. Our sports performance training starts with a personalized evaluation and a clear plan built around your movement patterns and your sport.

Discover how our training systems can help you move better, run faster, and perform at a higher level. For more information and to get started, visit www.skolfieldperformance.com or click HERE.