COLLINGWOOD'S Taylor Adams has used a sprint coach during the off-season in a bid to improve his power and speed.
After spending six weeks of rest and recovery, Adams worked with sprint coach Bohdan Babijczuk two or three times a week during October on the efficiency of his running technique as he looks to add another element to his game.
Babijczuk, who has long been associated with football, particularly at Hawthorn, spent time with Adams at De La Salle College in Waverley on refining his movement efficiency so that he can improve his pace away from the contest.
"I'm trying to make my running as efficient as possible," Adams told AFL.com.au on the club's training camp at Falls Creek.
"I've never really done anything like that before, and I saw it as room for improvement."
Magpies high performance manager Bill Davoren said it was an area Adams and the club identified that needed improvement.
"His anaerobic power is his next step," Davoren said.
"He's been doing that work in the off-season. He's in pretty good nick but the biggest thing is we'll just have to carefully manage him over the course of the pre-season."
Adams said he was now at the point of his career where he thrived on hard work, eager to keep getting better as a player.
He said he discovered the required mindset after being traded to Collingwood from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2013.
"Moving into my third pre-season, after moving to the Pies, I knew what was coming and I had a real drive and want to meet those expectations at my new club," Adams said.
"It was contagious. I wanted to keep beating my times."
Davoren compared Adams' work ethic to Western Bulldogs champion Matthew Boyd.
Davoren was the Bulldogs' high performance manager from 2009 and 2012 and worked with Boyd extensively during his time at the club.
"I noticed him (Adams) from day one," Davoren said.
"He's got the same focus and determination, drive to succeed as Boydy, and I hold Taylor very much in that same ilk."
Adams said he was keen to be part of a powerhouse midfield alongside mainstays Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Steele Sidebottom, and the fresh injection of talent in Adam Treloar and James Aish.
"I'm motivated to take it to the next level. Ideally you want to keep trending in an upward direction, and it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I want to get to," Adams said.