You’ve heard it before. Speed Kills. It is the ultimate tool for sports teams, and the pinnacle achievement in athletic development. Even in the NFL combine, the 40-yard dash is the most hyped-up event. Just ask Keith Marshall, who was awarded $50,000 from Adidas for running a blistering time of 4.31 seconds. While it is true that some people are genetically faster than others, athletes can maximize their potential with these training tips.
In simple terms, we can split speed training into two categories. The first is linear speed, which is how fast an athlete can run in a straight line. The second is agility. Agility is the ability to change direction, which involves explosive deceleration and acceleration. In sport, agility is usually reactive. Both are highly desirable in most sports, and they share some common training qualities.
- Run Fast, Recover Fully- This one seems like a no-brainer, but is extremely important as a coach or parent to emphasize. Studies have shown that the neuromuscular pathways an athlete uses to run 95-100% top speed can be completely different than the pathways used to run 85-90%. That is to say, if an athlete does not train full speed, the athlete will not increase his/her top speed. In order to maintain maximal force development, it takes at least 2-3 minutes (depending on the drill) to recover between bouts. Remember, the goal is speed training, not conditioning. Coaching Tip: while training a specific drill, record the time of each athlete’s first sprint. If their times start to decrease by 5% or more, stop immediately.
- Move Well– The simplest way to get faster is by learning proper running technique. Whether learning proper form with an upright sprint or the foot placement of a Pro agility shuttle, of is important to make sure it is done properly.
- Arm Drive– elbows should maintain a ~90-degree angle and movement is initiated at the shoulder. Keeping the arms close to the body, and tracking them forward and backward, the hands travel from the cheek (at the top) to the hip (at the bottom).
- Foot Placement– while planting, the ball of the foot drives into the ground directly under the athlete’s center of gravity and slightly extended. The heel should never touch the ground while sprinting. Feet and knees should both be tracking forward.
- Relax– focus on relaxing the face muscles, shoulders, and fingers. Tensing up while sprinting tends to decrease stride length.
*It is important to note that without proper mobility, it is impossible to perform many speed and agility drills. Poor range of motion affects foot placement, ground contact times, and braking forces. Full range of motion should be a top priority in any athletic programming.
- Get Strong- Speed is the result of an athletes stride length and stride frequency. Increasing stride length and/or stride frequency (but not at the cost of the other) will make an athlete faster. While technique, mobility, and proper drills can help these, they are eventually mastered and will no longer have a positive training effect. Increased strength gives the athlete the ability to develop more force. When strength training, it is important to train the Stretch Shortening Cycle, that is, the muscle/tendon’s spring-like ability to explosively and immediately contract a lengthened and loaded muscle. Another bonus to strength training is that it “teaches” the athlete to recruit more Type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers. Studies have shown that there are no muscle fiber differences in bodybuilders vs untrained individuals, but there is, however, an increased amount of Type II muscle fibers in strength and power athletes. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of proper strength training. More to come on that in next month’s issue. This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding strength training and how it correlates with a more explosive, faster athlete.
Keep your eyes open next month for Speed Training 101, Part 2, where we will discuss the application of these methods, with some drills and techniques we use here at Edge Performance.
Edge Performance Speed and Agility classes are MWF 4:00-4:40 and T Th 5:30-6:10 and are open for all ages. To sign up, visit facebook.com/edgevaldosta or shoot us an email at edgevaldosta@gmail.com.
Edge Performance Editorial
Speed Training 101: Part 1
Austin Grant CSCS
