Sprinting - How Can I Run Faster?
In the majority of field sports, the victor is usually the athlete who can get from A to B in the shortest time possible. Being able to get to the ball before your opponent, getting into position quicker, making a 40 yard defensive run to win back possession, all critical moments in a game. These are the moments that can decide whether you're on the winning or losing side, I know which side I'd prefer to be on. Understanding how different factors can affect your overall speed is crucial for developing an effective training programme.
The second most important thing to understand is that there are vast difference between elite level sprinters and field sports athletes. Think about the amount of times that you will reach top end speeds? The likelihood is that you probably won't, and if you do, it will probably be because someone made a mistake on the pitch and you're bustin' your ass to try and recover for them. Everybody remember the time Cristiano Ronaldo raced a Spanish sprinter and was quicker than him around slalom poles? Is Ronaldo quicker than the sprinter? No he's not. But is he more efficient at accelerating, decelerating quickly and then accelerating again? Absolutely yes, and it's what makes him one of the best athletes in the world. Anyways, the point is, that instead of looking at top end speed improvement, the majority of your focus should be in the acceleration phase of sprinting. Everything less than 40m should become your sole focus. Anything outside of that would be a waste of precious training time to produce meaningful improvements in your specific sport. Accelerating, decelerating and changing direction is what will determine your success in your chosen sport. Not becoming a world class elite sprinter.
Now that that little introduction is out of the way, we can get into the meat of the dish. What factors affect our ability to accelerate quickly, what can we affect and what can't we?
The second most important thing to understand is that there are vast difference between elite level sprinters and field sports athletes. Think about the amount of times that you will reach top end speeds? The likelihood is that you probably won't, and if you do, it will probably be because someone made a mistake on the pitch and you're bustin' your ass to try and recover for them. Everybody remember the time Cristiano Ronaldo raced a Spanish sprinter and was quicker than him around slalom poles? Is Ronaldo quicker than the sprinter? No he's not. But is he more efficient at accelerating, decelerating quickly and then accelerating again? Absolutely yes, and it's what makes him one of the best athletes in the world. Anyways, the point is, that instead of looking at top end speed improvement, the majority of your focus should be in the acceleration phase of sprinting. Everything less than 40m should become your sole focus. Anything outside of that would be a waste of precious training time to produce meaningful improvements in your specific sport. Accelerating, decelerating and changing direction is what will determine your success in your chosen sport. Not becoming a world class elite sprinter.
Now that that little introduction is out of the way, we can get into the meat of the dish. What factors affect our ability to accelerate quickly, what can we affect and what can't we?
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