What is speed training?

Speed training is more than just running as fast as you can. Often when athletes go to a track to work on “speed” they are actually working on their ability to run as fast as they currently can for longer periods of time as opposed to actually doing something that will improve their top end speed. What does that mean you ask? Well, a typical sprinter workout will consist of several 200m repeats, 100m repeats and several 10-20m repeats and some start work. This workout is actually going to work on his/her abilities to run at his/her current top speed for longer periods of time (not slowing down at end of sprints) but not actually improve the top speed reached. I use an analogy of the runner as a race care. You have this race car and drive it around the track, you can press the gas pedal down as much as you want it won’t go any faster then it currently is going. Now, take that race car and work on the engine, wheels, the type of fuel being used, the way the gas flows, etc… then take that same race car out on the track and press the gas pedal as hard as you want and now if you did things correctly then the car will actually go faster than before. The typical way to work on speed is jus to keep pressing that pedal down to make it go faster but soon that pedal is on the floor and no more speed is there. If you work on things and you press the pedal to the floor the car is now going faster.

I am not trying to say that track coaches and track workouts are not good nor am I saying that they are not important to running fast, because they are. With the limited amount of time and resources available to the local track coaches and so many athletes to work with the coach is doing his/her best to get that athlete to finish line as fast as possible. So, if you are looking to get a “tune up” and try to get that car going faster, come see what Velocity Sports Performance can do for you and your speed.

Can you make me jump higher, Coach?

Over the past 6 weeks, I have had the opportunity to work with two very high level volleyball teams. In speaking with their coach prior to starting our training their coach stated that she needed her girls to jump higher. The teams were their 18-1 (the best) and 16-2 teams at a local volleyball club and the minimum reach that many college coaches want is 9' 6" and the average for the 18-1 team of about 9'4" and only one player at 9'6". The training for these groups of girls were going to focus on improving strength and power as I noticed many lacked some basic strength. A secondary goal was to reduce the likelihood of knee injury through learning proper jumping and landing mechanics, and proper muscle recruitment patterns.

The traditional thoughts on improving vertical is to do a lot of plyometric training:

• Box Jumps
• Hurdle Jumps
• Bounding

I took a different approach and went into our weight area to improve remedial strength:

• Hang Cleans high pulls
• Hang Cleans
• Front Squats
• Back Squats

I wanted to improve the girl's leg strength as well as teach them the proper way to recruit muscles for jumping. Most female athletes go quads, hamstrings, glutes, then calves. The better pattern is glutes, hamstring, quads, then calves thus utilizing our larger muscle groups first resulting in an increase power output while minimizing the risk to an ACL tear via an overactive quadriceps muscle (every time your quad contracts it stretches and stresses the ACL).

My auxiliary training then incorporated a lot of plyometric type training:

• Vertimax
• Hurdle hops (single leg)
• Single leg box squats
• Approach jumps

Over a four week period (8 sessions) we saw an average increase in approach reach of 1.5" for the 18-1 team and 2" for the 16-2 team with one girl on each team even had a 3" improvement! I still have to talk to many volleyball moms and dads as to why their girls are lifting to help them jump and many don't totally understand but slowly I am winning them over. With this type of result there really isn't much room for argument.

Welcome

this is my 1st attempt at blogging. Have read and followed many blogs and wanted to get some of my thoughts out there for others to read and help me develop as a speed and performance specialist So check back often and lets see where this thing leads us!

Coach Bus
Velocity Sports Performance
San Diego, CA
salsop@velocitysp.com