Have you ever seen world class sprinters run? Have you ever seen someone overweight? Have you ever seen ones that are not muscular? Look at the sprinter who comes last, he looks overweight and not muscular. Do you think he or she trains hard to finish last? What’s the deal here? Genetics? Didn’t they choose their parents wisely?
In football, the saying goes “speed kills”. As trainers, we can make them stronger, but how do we make them faster? We want our athletes to be successful in whatever sport they choose (hopefully more than one sport at the high school level), how do we help them improve their training to facilitate this improvement? Professional coaches can recruit their players. College coaches can recruit their athletes. High school coaches “pray for their players.” So, let’s “train” them!
Every parent wants the best for their child. My wife and I do! We will help and train you through life and what you choose to do with that life. Some young boys and girls enter the world of athletics. Athletics is sometimes more consuming for parents than it is for youngsters who play. Some parents do whatever it takes to help their children succeed. The good, the bad and the ugly. I am a coach, a coach for a long time. I love to win, that’s why they keep score, right? So how do we help those we train 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) to teach your players how to run.
You want to be fast, practice running fast! Shocking, isn’t it? To increase the sports performance of your daughter or son; minimize the amount of body fat the athlete carries. The same applies to recreational athletes. A slimmer body will perform better and faster. Please do not make them do constant/state aerobic exercise to minimize body fat. You will only maximize the loss of muscle tissue. No treadmills, stationary bikes, long distance runs. To be fast, practice running fast!!
Being able to accelerate and run fast is probably one of the most valuable skills for any young athlete. Some young athletes have the natural ability to run fast, so developing speed 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. However, it is very important to recognize that running speed is not the only type of speed essential to developing athleticism. Other types of speed, such as foot speed and hand speed, can be paramount in athletics.
Regardless of the type of speed we must recognize that speed is based on power. As the basic foundation of athletic training, we need to increase maximal strength along with the mechanics of training speed. It is that time-limited 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 son or daughter won’t 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.
Getting hurt with tremendous linear speed is great for 100, 200 and 400 meter runners. Working and training specifically for sprinting is just that… specific. For athletes who play other sports, speed is also extremely important and should be included in training. Due to the ever-changing nature of movement within a sport, all things “speed” need to be addressed. What an athlete does during any given game and, more importantly, how they move is dictated by the situation. He must respond, react, and generally change direction, either based on a specific play or how his opponent responds to that play. This requires the ability to speed up, slow down and change direction at critical points during the game. In any case, speed and agility should be trained.
Developing athletics is of paramount importance. He trains like an athlete, not like a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, an Olympic lifter. Even if you’re a “weekend warrior,” or an aspiring young athlete, or like me, “a washed-up asshole,” be an athlete. To be fast, practice running fast! For old men like me, when I run, I start slow and stop. I actually stole that quote from the great strength coach and track and field coach Dan John, but it definitely applies to me.
For more information on this topic, visit www.strength-training-coach.com. I would love to help you become the best athlete you can be.
strength and honor
Coach Ross