To quote a classic 80’s movie “I feel the need, the need for speed”. We all want to have 4.4 speed and be able to make ankle breaking cuts. Speed is always cool; it is never out of style, and if you don’t got it, you know it and you sure as hell want it.
It seems as if some people were born with rockets for feet, while others were given two cinderblocks instead.
Fear not my cinderblock-wielding friends,friends, there is hope for you yet.
There are ways to take your speed from a cold molasses state to that of a hot stick of butter. Let me explain.
Start With Strength
People usually think of strength as big, bulky, and slow. If done correctly it is a beautiful thing, it is quick, powerful, and graceful. Click here: Emmitt Smith – Dancing With The Stars. I rest my case.
If you are slow, you first need to get stronger and then you will get faster. Strength is the foundation of all things good in the world of sports. If you want to be fast, you need strong muscles to power your body.
A great way to look at strength is by using the analogy of a glass. The glass represents Max Strength. The bigger the glass, the stronger you are, and the more water you can put into the glass, Stick with me here – I’ll explain.
Lets look at two athletes. Athlete A. has a 6oz glass with 4oz of water in it. Athlete B. has a 4oz glass that’s full to the top with 4oz of water.
At this point, both athlete are very similar in athletic ability. The big difference is that athlete A. has more capacity, e.g. potential; due to a larger base of strength (a.k.a. a bigger glass).
Let’s say Athlete A. does some strength training in the offseason and his glass gets bigger and it’s now 8oz. Following his strength training Athlete A. decides to focus on power and speed training, and this gets him up to 7oz of water in his glass, giving him a competitive advantage over Athlete B. Remember they both started at 4 oz of water, even though Athlete A’s glass was bigger. He was not using his full capacity yet.
Be Explosive
The next step in developing speed, after developing some strength, is gaining power.
The quickest way to tell if you are explosive or not is to do a vertical jump test. If you are jumping higher then 30 inches, there is a good change you are naturally an explosive person. If you are in the 20’s then there is a good change you need to work on learning how to develop power, before moving on.
The quickest and easiest way to go about doing this is by learning how to use your hips and use them with force.
Jumping Variations
You may have noticed but the people that run the fastest usually also jump the highest. Running and jumping are very similar in that they both require you to put lots of force into the ground to propel you, hence using your hips effectively.
That’s why it is useful for you to incorporate jumping variations into your workouts.
Box Jumps
Broad Jumps
Heiden
Working at 70 to 85 Percent of 1 Rep Max
Another way to develop the strength needed to increase your speed is through doing power movementsthat will teach you how to develop force. Movements like the Clean and Push Press are great to use, but other exercises like the Squat, Deadlift, and Kettlebell Swing will develop power when performed quickly.
A Squat done at 70 to 85 percent of your 1RM is very effective.
Learn Movements
The first half of this article has been all about factors that affect speed but I have not directly talked about running.
Running can be broken down into four phases: Posture, Backside Leg Mechanics, Front Side Leg Mechanics, and Ground Contact.
The best way to work on these phases is to break down the movements by doing drills either before you sprint or in your warm up.
Arm Action Drills (Posture)
Fast Claw Drill (Backs Side Leg Mechanics)
A Skips (Front Side Leg Mechanics)
Step Over Drills (Ground Contact)
Move Fast
Sounds simple but when it comes time to do sprint work, you better move fast. Sprint work is not conditioning, ample rest is required to be able to move at your fastest. If rest is not taken then your speed session will quickly turn into conditioning session, great for developing endurance or endurance-speed but not so much for speed.
To develop speed, sprints should be kept short with lots of rest. Sprint that are 10yd, 15yds are great for speed training. A good rule for resting with sprints is to rest three to four times longer then what it took you to complete the sprint.
Closing
First become strong and powerful, after that work on your mechanics. and then put everything together and sprint.
