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We’ve taken questions that we get the most and answered them in a slightly different format and revealed our top 10 speed training myths.
Speed Training for Acceleration
By Patrick Beith
Speed is a product of stride length (the distance your hips travel in a stride) and stride frequency (the number of steps you take in a given time period).
Speed Training Drills are an excellent method for improving running form, technique and power output. However, it always amazes me when people go online to…
Every coach should have a handful of speed training exercises that they use with their athletes to help develop specific components of speed development.
Every coach wants to experience faster speeds, but that does not mean they are doing effective speed training workouts at their practices.
The arms play a significant, yet overlooked, role in sprinting and speed development.
Sleds Training for Acceleration
By Bruce Kelly
Sled training is a good tool for enhancing acceleration and by that I mean the first 5-10 meters of a race. After that I feel it loses some of it’s effectiveness as it may alter mechanics and cause some one not to start to stand up to reach their upright sprinting posture.
Sleds Training for Acceleration – Part II
By Bruce Kelly
Acceleration development using sleds. One way to think of sled training is as a functional single leg press. You can put your athletes into functional positions(i.e. standing and moving) and strengthen them especially their lower bodies and core.
Secrets to Running Faster
By Barry Ross
Since publishing Underground Secrets To Faster Running, I’m frequently asked why there seems to be minimal information regarding on-track sprint training workouts in a book about running faster.
Interview with Chris Bostwick – USATF III, Miami University (Ohio)
Chris Bostwick is another of the elite young coaches that we love to pick the brain of here at Complete Track and Field. The progress that Chris’s athletes make under his watchful eye are truly impressive. Having earned his USATF Level III certification in the sprints, hurdles and relays.
Sprinters Speed & Power Day Sample Workout
By Patrick Beith
Example of a speed workout for sprinters.
Speed is a skill. The ability to take advantage of the potential of one’s body, and do so consistently, is a highly technical skill. As coaches and athletes we often allude to this concept when talking about speed development, but…
Warm It Up
By Patrick Beith
There still seems to be many questions on what an effective warm up is and how it should all be put together. I want to share with you what we use at Athletes’ Acceleration.
Why You Need to Develop Speed Reserve
Developing a ‘speed reserve’ through a well designed speed development program is essential to success in any sport where combating fatigue is a requirement for success.
Running Drills for Acceleration
By Patrick Beith
Being able to accelerate quickly and powerfully is probably the most important skill that needs to be improved in all athletes. Athletes in every sport need to be able to run as fast as possible as quickly as possible.
Speed – Gravity’s Effect on Performance
By Karl Frank
Ever wonder what effect gravity has on our body’s ability to produce maximum speed? Since gravity is a universal force that is always upon us it must be considered in regard to how it affects human movement.
Speed Training – Back to the Basics
By Barry Ross
The top sellers of books, seminars and speed camps rely on information based on image analysis for their training. Most of the information is inaccurate. What’s frightening is that virtually no locomotion expert would agree with the basis of what is being passed off as “technique training” for faster running.
Stride Length and Stride Frequency
Under the umbrella of speed development as a whole, improvements in stride length (SL) and stride frequency (SF) are often tagged as the key to short and long term gains in speed, regardless of sport.
The 4 Stages of Skill Acquisition – Part 1
We live in fast paced society full of impatient people who want results right now. Lately I’ve seen quite a few colleagues continue to try and stress the fact that when it comes to athletic development in general and more specifically speed development (ultimately they are both the same) we must take a long term approach if your interest is truly to maximize the performance of your athletes, team and program.
The 4 Stages of Skill Acquisition – Part 2
Use these stages as a guideline for developing your athletes. Be patient, but set high standards for execution. You will see some incredible improvements.If you aren’t 100% sure how to teach your athletes how to run explosively and efficiently then you’re probably leading them down the wrong path.
8 Things You Should Know About Speed Training
By Jim Herrick
One of the most critical aspects of any training program for an athlete is how they approach developing speed. There are many misconceptions out there that may be interfering with how to best approach improving this vital sport skill.
Speed Training Steps
By Brad Lokey
When we are dealing with speed training it seems there are only two ways of trying to get that result that are really looked at; stride length achieved through overload, resistance and plyometric training and stride frequency achieved through overspeed training.
Speed Training for Combat Athletes
By Jason Ferruggia
If you have been making conditioning the focus of your training while hardly giving speed work a second thought, it’s time for a change. Prioritize speed training for the next few months and watch the difference it can make in your performance.
Athletic Warm Up
By Adarian Barr
Warm up to achieve optimum performance Everyday, athletes are given instructions by coaches to warm-up before practice or before the game. Athletes do a variety of activities to warm-up such as jogging; walking, stretching, performing drills, socializing, or some may do nothing.
Coaching Away An Athletes Speed
By Lee Taft
It has often been said that athletes are born with speed and that it can’t be taught. Although I disagree with this statement, it is funny how the same people who make this statement coach their athletes to not be speedy with the methods they use.
Deceleration Training to Avoid Injuries and Improve Performance – Part 1
By Lee Taft
Speed can change how a team runs its offense or designs its defense. What exactly am I speaking of when I say deceleration? Do I mean stopping, changing directions or slowing down? Yes! That is exactly what I mean. Most fans watching competition may not even notice the deceleration that takes place
Deceleration Training to Avoid Injuries and Improve Performance – Part 2
By Lee Taft
There is definitely a need to teach proper deceleration technique to avoid injuries and improve performance. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding on how deceleration angles need to be applied to be both safe and to improve performance.
Effortless Speed, Agility and Quickness
By Lee Taft
A close look at what it really takes to improve your reaction time, speed, agility and quickness. Without understanding this concept of training, all the speed and agility drills in the world won’t make you any quicker!
When Can I Fit Agility Training into My Program
By Lee Taft
Most sport coaches are so excited to practice the newest offense or defense or implement new drills they discovered. But many of them bypass one of the most important elements of making a good team- improving team speed, agility, and quickness.
Teaching the Lateral Shuffle
By Craig White
It is possible to have a good training program, but that doesn’t make one a good strength and conditioning coach. The common problem I have observed during agility training is that athletes will anticipate the movements in a reaction agility drill. Competition has compromised the drill and reinforced sloppy movement mechanics.
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