Speed can be taught. If you have a slow athlete and you combine proper speed training with strength and power training, you can create a very fast athlete, no matter their current ability level. The earlier you start, the better.
Speed training is not just sprinting. Speed training is a combination of technical speed, plyometric and power training, and strengthening the lower body, core, and even upper body muscles. Speed training is also, naturally, consistent, low volume sprinting in a rested state.
What is NOT speed training? This is the most important for many coaches and parents who think they are improving their athlete’s speed. Conditioning work is not speed training. Suicides up and down the field or court is conditioning, not speed. Running a mile or more is counterproductive to developing max speed. Anything where the athlete is tired and not moving at their maximum speed is not only not making them faster, but is likely making them slower. Train accordingly.
Our linear speed training sessions consist of two separate topics: Acceleration and Top Speed. Acceleration is what we are focusing on here. It is the first 10-15 yards of a sprint, which is most of what is done on all sports fields. It requires that an athlete can apply the maximum amount of force into the ground to achieve their fastest speed in the shortest distance possible.
6 Technical Points of Speed Training
There are six things we are looking for when an athlete is working on improving their acceleration from a technique standpoint:
• 45° body angle. This includes the shins. Head neutral and eyes forward and out.
• Proper arm action. Arms are at 90°, hands are open and relaxed, and the majority of the movement comes from the shoulder.
• Hips and quads forward. The knees should not come up when you sprint, but rather think of the quads driving straight forward. The hips should maintain a forward position as well.
• Low heel recovery. In the first few steps of acceleration, the foot should stay low to the ground and “trim the grass.”
• Back leg extension. Many athletes don’t fully extend during a sprint, and lose maximum use of their glutes and hamstrings, the muscles most responsible for speed. The back leg should almost be straight during the acceleration phase.
• Ankle dorsiflexion. Keeping the ankles flexed creates a loaded-spring action when sprinting.
Strength For Speed
The strength portion of speed training will be featured in another upcoming blog, but to get a rough idea of what we are looking for in our training:
Double leg and single leg strength exercises: Deadlifts, squats, lunges, rear-elevated split squats, single leg deadlifts, step ups, etc. Low reps, relatively heavy weight, moved with control and speed. The younger the athlete, the more this changes, but for pre-teen athletes, body control on these exercises is key.
Core stiffness: Planks, side planks, farmers and suitcase carries, dead bugs. NOT endless sit-ups.
Upper body: Chin-ups are a holy grail for upper body speed training. They work the muscles most responsible for strong arm action. If an athlete can do 10-15 chin-ups, they are definitely fast. Working up to that number can take years, but it will pay off when the time is right!
All of these drills should be programmed properly based on an athlete’s current ability level.
Speed Training Drills To Train At Home:
Arm Action
The arm action drill will produce more power during sprinting.
There are 4 main points to arm action:
1. Arms are at 90°.
2. Arms move from the front of your chin to the back of your pocket.
3. Posture is tall and fingers are spread
4. Elbows stay closer to the body and your hands do not cross the midline of the body.
Wall Drives
Wall drives should be done with a focus on the body angle, quad drive, and back leg extension. Each rep should be fast and explosive. No more than 4-5 switches on each version of the wall drive.
Ankle Dorsiflexion
All of these drills can be done in short bursts. Five reps on the more strength style movements and five seconds on the pogos. 1-2 sets of each.
Sprints
Sprints should be done for a small amount of reps with rest in between each one. Think 3-8 sprints at full speed, with 2-3 minutes between each one. The distance can be anywhere between 15-40 yards, with a preference towards the low end of 15-25 yards.
What Doesn’t Get Measured Doesn’t Get Improved
All athletes that train with us have their speed measured and recorded regularly. If an athlete is going to sprint on their own, get a stopwatch or anything that can measure their speed, and essentially, their effort on each sprint. If the athlete is slower, often it is simply because they are not resting enough in between sprints. Other times, their technique may have been off. In that case, it’s great to record the sprints as well to see where breakdowns may occur.
As always, if you are looking for high level professional training for your athlete, contact us here and schedule a 1:1 performance evaluation!
