Standing a stout 5-foot-7, Maurice Jones-Drew has a low center of gravity and powerful lower half, which makes him especially difficult for defenders to drag down to the ground.

But Jones-Drew’s tree-trunk legs aren’t his greatest asset. Watch highlights of the 2011 NFL rushing leader, and it’s clear that his agility, footwork and change of direction skills are second to none.

It’s not so much that Jones-Drew makes defenders miss. It’s his ability to accelerate from a deep, low-cutting position that is so special.

His off-season trainer, Pete Bommarito says, “Running backs need to have the uncanny ability to get into those deep, rotated positions, especially when they come into a sharp-angle cut or a jump cut, which is similar to Maurice’s style.”

To enhance his acceleration, Jones-Drew performs a series of Hurdle Mobility drills, starting with the A-Skip-External Hip Rotation pattern.

To perform the drill:

• Place five hurdles in line and adjust their height to just below your waist.
• Face forward with the hurdles to your left.
• Perform an A-Skip with your left leg, strike your foot to the ground and immediately perform an External Hip Rotation, lifting your leg over the hurdle.
• Repeat the pattern for each hurdle.
• Perform the series with your right leg.

Sets/Reps: 2×5 each leg