Ever watch world class sprinters run? Ever see any over-weight ones? Ever see ones that are not muscular? Notice the sprinter that comes in last, does he look over-weight and not muscular. Do you think he or she trains hard to finish last? What’s the deal here? Genetics? Didn’t pick their parents wisely?
In football, the saying goes «speed kills». As coaches, we can make them stronger, but how do we make them faster. We want our athletes to become successful in whatever sport they choose, (hopefully more than one sport on the high school level), how do we help them improve their training to facilitate this improvement. Professional coaches can draft their players. College coaches can recruit their athletes. High school coaches «pray for their players». So, let’s «coach em up»!
Every parent wants the best for their child. My wife and I do! We will help them and coach them through life and whatever they choose to do with that life. Some young guys and gals enter into the world of athletics. Athletics sometimes consumes the parents more so than the young ones playing the game. Some parents do whatever it takes to help their children achieve success. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m a coach, a long-time coach. I love to win, that’s why they keep score isn’t it? So, how do we help those we coach improve athletic performance? Teach them to run!! Follow a well-designed sprint program. Start now, get a coach (maybe me if you live in Tampa) that actually teach their players how to run.
You want to get fast, practice running fast! Earth shattering isn’t it? To increase your daughter or son’s athletic performance; minimize the amount of body fat the athlete carries. Same applies for recreational athletes. A leaner body will perform better and faster. Please don’t have them do steady/state aerobic exercise to minimize body fat. You will only maximize loss of muscle tissue. No treadmills, stationary bikes, long distance running. To get fast, practice running fast!!
Being able to accelerate and run fast is probably one of the most valuable skills for any young athlete to have. Some young athletes possess the natural ability to run fast so speed development doesn’t seem to be as important as it is with a player who lacks that ability. The truth is that both naturally fast and slow athletes can improve speed through proper training. It is very important, however, to recognize that running speed is not the only type of speed essential for developing athleticism. Other types of speed, such as foot quickness and hand speed can be paramount in athletics.
Regardless of the type of speed we must recognize that speed is based on power. As a basic foundation of athletic training, we need to increase maximal strength in conjunction with training speed mechanics. It is that limited time element, where an athlete must generate as much force as possible that is one of the critical components of speed development. If you don’t apply power with proper running mechanics, your daughter or son will not run faster. What many coaches don’t understand is that running is a skill that can be improved just like throwing a football or baseball.
Being blessed with tremendous linear speed is great for 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter runners. Working and training specifically for sprinting is just that…specific. For athletes involved in other sports, speed is also extremely important and must be included in training. Because of the ever-changing nature of the movement within the a sport, all things «speed» must be addressed. What an athlete does during any play and more importantly how he or she moves is dictated by the situation. You must respond, react and usually change direction either based on a specific play or based on how your opponent responds to that play. This requires the ability to accelerate, decelerate and change direction at critical points during the play. In any case, speed and agility must be trained.
Developing athleticism is of utmost importance. Train like an athlete, not a body builder, power lifter, Olympic lifter. Even if you are a «weekend warrior», or an aspiring young athlete, or like me «a washed- up meathead», be an athlete. To be fast, practice running fast! For old guys like me, when I sprint, I start slow and taper off. I actually stole that quote from the great strength coach and track coach Dan John, but it definitely applies to me.
To find out more on this subject please visit www.strength-training-coach.com. I would love to help you become the best athlete you can be.
Strength and Honor
Coach Ross
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