Field Sports + Speed Training

Intensity and rest: Many people get speed training wrong and turn it into conditioning. There are a few principles you must adhere to if you are training to improve speed. The first is making sure you have enough rest between reps to maintain velocity and quality. If you are trying to train speed, the reps must be mechanically efficient and fast! This is why proper rest is so important. Lining up and running a ton of sprints with short rest is not training maximum speed. As fatigue accumulates, outputs will get lower and lower. Imagine lifting an extremely heavy weight for one rep, re-racking it, and then trying to do it 10 seconds later. Good luck! Your sprints need that same level of max intent! Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent. Endless reps with low force, low velocity, and poor mechanical technique will become ingrained and teach bad habits.

Volume and frequency: Vladimir Issurin detailed in his book on block periodization, the residual training effect of maximal speed is roughly 5 days. The residual training effect is the retention of specific adaptations or motor abilities after the cessation of training. For reference, aerobic endurance and maximal strength can last 30 days. Because of this, speed needs to be trained often, because of this we train speed 2-3x per week. Volume will be based on the individual, their sport, and their level of preparedness. The sweet spot for most field/team sport athletes is around 200-400 yards of total volume. Some sports or positions require a higher volume than others

Mechanics: We believe in using a constraint external focus approach on creating positive mechanical changes. We will use resisted sprints and drills to drive positive mechanical changes for acceleration mechanics and overspeed and other drills to create positive changes in top-speed mechanics. Yes, many elite sprinters share similar mechanics and shapes – high frontside lift, arm action, etc. However, simply trying to mimic the professionals is not always an effective strategy. The skill set and physical development of the elites likely exceed the biomotor capacity of the athletes trying to copy them. When you see an elite sprinter, you see relatively high knee lift or frontside lift. However, this is not simply a reflection of a coach telling them, “Knees up!” The amount of force you produce, the direction of that force, your flexibility, etc. are all factors that influence the height of your knee. The same goes for stride length or stride frequency. These are biproducts of speed! Remember, fast people put a lot of force into the ground, which the ground then delivers back to them. A fast athlete is almost using the ground as a springboard, which increases flight time, and displays itself as “stride length.” If you tell a slower, less qualified athlete to “increase your stride,” you’ll likely just cause overstriding and do more harm than good. Make sure that the cue fits the specific athlete and what they need.

There is most certainly a genetic component to speed, whether it’s a higher proportion of fast twitch fibers, favorable anthropometrics, or even specific genotypes. However, everyone has the capacity to enhance their own speed. In what might seem like an obvious, common-sense statement – sprinting will improve your speed. Sprinting is a skill, which is why practicing the skill will help you to improve it.