To eliminate the static error, overshoot, and vibration of the series elastic actuator (SEA) position control, the resonance ratio control (RRC) algorithm is improved based on L1 adaptive control(L1AC)method. Based on the analysis of the factors affecting the control performance of SEA, the algorithm schema is proposed, the stability is proved, and the main control parameters are analyzed. The algorithm schema is further improved with gravity compensation, and the predicted error and reference error is reduced to guarantee transient performance. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is validated by simulation and platform experiments. The simulation and experiment results show that the algorithm has good adaptability, can improve transient control performance, and can handle effectively the static error, overshoot, and vibration. In addition, when a link-side collision occurs, the algorithm automatically reduces the link speed and limits the motor current, thus protecting the humans and SEA itself, due to the low pass filter characterization of L1AC to disturbance.