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SPEED IS A SKILL AND CAN BE TAUGHT
BY COACHES THAT KNOW HOW
by Rob Weatherly
With sports becoming more and more popular among youth, and getting an athletic scholarship to play in college more and more challenging, athletes are looking for ways to enhance their abilities and stand out above the rest. For many individuals, the one aspect that determines their status as an athlete is speed.
Some athletes are born with the ability to run very fast while others are not. This ability is a pre-determined genetic factor that we have little control over. However, with a little education, every athlete possesses the ability to become faster.
The three main factors of speed are force, time and direction. The goal of sprinting is for the athlete to apply as much force as possible, in a short amount of time, and in the proper direction. It is a belief that getting stronger by spending more time in the weight room will enhance speed. This is only particularly true. Many athletes have the ability to apply as much force into the ground as our recent 100 meter Gold Medalist Justin Gatlin. However, the distinction lies in the direction of the force and the amount of time it takes to apply that force. With improper technique, not only is the force misdirected, it takes a longer time to produce, which means overall power and speed is diminished.
Teaching these limiting factors of time and direction are where coaches come into play. Sprint mechanics is a very in-depth and scientific subject matter. Studying Exercise Physiology and the biomechanics of the human body, coaches will go through years of learning the concepts and the science behind speed. They will study the factors that determine an individual's optimal stride, length and stride frequency as well as determining which muscles should be used at what time during the stride. They also learn the art of teaching these concepts and sprint techniques to athletes in order to elicit their true genetic potential.
Speed, not unlike other athletic skills like throwing a ball properly, swinging a club, and kicking or passing a soccer ball, can be taught. Using knowledge about the science of speed, coaches have developed drills that if taught and practiced correctly, will help to create proper movement patterns of the legs, arms, and torso. This will ultimately decrease the time in which force is applied to the ground and guide the force in the proper direction, as well as increase the overall force production.
Overall force production will be enhanced by performing optimal sprint mechanics, but with proper strength and power development through the use of weights and other forms of resistance training, athletes can enhance this even more. Training in the weight room is also a very scientific matter and can be extremely beneficial if done correctly, but can also be devastating if done incorrectly. With the right coach, athletes will learn to use their muscle groups in ways that mimic the same neurological patterns and timing used while running with the newly learned techniques. This is the main focus of Velocity Sports Performance.
Rob Weatherly is the Sports Performance Director at Velocity Sports Performance. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is a member of the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and the USAW (United States of America Weightlifting Association).
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