EATS Linear Speed (Acceleration) Training

EATS Linear Speed (Acceleration) Training

In athletics what separates the different levels of competition are Size and Speed. “Speed Kills”, this is evident in watching a running back hit the hole and break through the secondary in route to a touchdown. Now it doesn’t hurt to be blessed with good genes but fortunately speed is a quality that can be improved through training. “If you want to be fast, you have to run fast.” As simple and as straight forward as that quote appears, it is very true. Sprinting as fast as possible in a straight line is a learned skill; no different than hitting a baseball or throwing a football. In order to improve upon an athlete’s ability of running “as fast as they can” you must design the speed training segment of the workout to allow them to do just that. This means you should allow ample recovery in between sprints to ensure 100% effort each rep. You need to reinforce perfect sprint mechanics and not allow poor mechanics to be continued. Addressing sprint mechanics; body lean, arm swing, knee drive, stride length and frequency, etc. is invaluable when trying to improve an athlete’s straight ahead speed. Efficient form will lead to increase speed. Various over speed and resisted sprint training tools are also available and can be very beneficial to an athlete’s speed training. It is important to note that it is not the speed training tool but the coach and how he uses the tools that can have the biggest impact on the athlete’s improvements. When determining how much time you want to dedicate to this type of training, it is important to look at the whole picture; will the athlete use these same running mechanics during their sport? Unless the athlete is a track athlete; the answer is probably “no.” Remember, only 2% of most conventional sports involve excessive straight ahead sprinting. However, if we are preparing an athlete for the combines then we will dedicate more time to improving this quality.

Improving Acceleration: The 3 main ways to improve an athlete’s acceleration are

1) Increasing the strength and explosiveness of his hips and core

2) Increasing stride length

3) Increasing stride frequency

A sound performance training program consisting of full body strength, mobility, plyometrics, and core training will be of great benefit in improving the strength and explosiveness of the hips and core and will translate into improved speed and acceleration.

Drill: Wall Drill Stretch: Fall forward onto a wall holding yourself in the acceleration position (45° body lean). Raise and hold one Knee in the knee drive position. The core is tight and the back leg is fully extended. From here push the pelvis forward getting a good stretch in the hip flexors. Be sure to keep the back foot flat. Perform 5 reps and repeat on the other side

Drill: Wall Drill: Knee Drive Freeze: From the same position as the Wall Drill Stretch, forcefully drive the raised leg back to a fully extended position while driving the back leg up to the knee drive position. Freeze and hold this position then repeat on the other side. Perform 5 reps each side.

Drill: Wall Drill: 3 Count Knee Drive: The start position is the same as the first 2 wall drills. Now instead of freezing after each drive perform 3 drives and freeze. Repeat for 5 rotations.

Drill: Sprinter Sit Ups: Lie on your back with legs extended and toes flexed up to the knees. Keep arms flexed 90° at your side. Come up into a sit up position while driving your right knee to your chest and bring your left hand to your eye socket. Repeat for 10-20 reps and perform on the other side.

Drill: Push Up Knee Drives: Get into a push up position. While keeping your core braced drive your knee to your chest and freeze. Push it back to the start position and then drive the other knee up. Repeat for 10-20 reps each side.

Increasing stride length and frequency will be addressed during speed training workouts and depend greatly on proper sprint mechanics.

Sprint Mechanics:

Body Lean: All a sprint is, is a controlled forward fall. When accelerating it is important to keep your core tight and maintain about a 45° body lean “Acceleration Position”. To illustrate this start off jogging and then start to lean forward a little. You will notice that you automatically speed up.

Drill: Tall & Fall Sprint: This is the start position we like to use for most of our sprinting drills and is a great way to get athletes used to being in the acceleration position. The athlete should get into a staggered stance with their push off leg up front and back to lined up behind the front heal. Arms should be flexed 90° and in the socket to pocket position.

Arm Swing: A forceful arm swing will help you to open up your stride and increase your stride length. The arm swing also opposes the opposite knee drive and helps to keep the core tight maintaining shoulder and spine alignment. The hands need to be relaxed, the wrists should be locked and the fingers should be extended out, not clenched. Elbows should be bent 90° and shouldersshould be relaxed to allow the arms to swing freely. A common mistake is to run tight with fists clenched and shoulders shrugged up to the ears. We use the coaching cue “socket to pocket” when referring to proper arm swing. The athlete’s arms should swing so that the fingers of one hand come up to eye socket level while the other fingers are in line with the athlete’s hip pocket. It is also important to swing the arms quickly. The faster your arms swing the faster your legs will drive thus increasing stride frequency.

Drill: Arm Swing Partner Drill: Stand witha partner behind you holding his hands up. Position yourself with a slight body lean and arms bent 90°. On “go” start pumping your arms “socket to pocket” hitting your partner’s hands with your elbows. Be sure to not allow your arms to cross the midline of your body.

Leg Movement: Since sprinting mostly involves the legs proper mechanics is crucial to improving speed and acceleration. Ankle Position and Foot Strike are extremely important components of proper leg motion while sprinting. The ankle needs to be rigid (Toes flexed toward the knees) so that force can be applied into the ground during acceleration. Athletes are coached to stay on their “power pads” (balls of their feet) but must not point the toes and take the ankle out of the locked position. During acceleration the foot should strike the ground slightly behind the center of gravity of the athlete. This will allow all the force to be applied into the ground at an angle that will propel the athlete forward. Remember for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you drive into the ground the ground drives back into you in the opposite direction. Another key component of the leg movement is Knee Drive. Proper knee drive will play a large role in increasing stride length. During each step of a sprint the ankle, knee and hip all need to be flexed and punched in front of the body, then forcefully driven back slightly behind the body propelling the athlete forward. Most athletes don’t get enough height during the knee drive and some even cross over the mid line of their body while sprinting. A lot of the time weak and tight hips, along with a weak core are the cause of this. (See Wall Drills, Sprinter Sit Up, and Push Up Knee Drive) From the Acceleration Position the front knee should drive forcefully in line with the same side chest keeping the foot flexed toward the toes. The back leg should extend fully pushing at an angle and propelling the athlete forward

Drill: Dead Leg Ladder Drill: Start on one side of a ladder with your right leg up in the knee drive position and the left leg locked straight. Drive the right leg down hard into the box then reload back into the drive position propelling yourself forward to the next box. Continue until you reach the end of the ladder. Repeat next with the left leg.

Drill: Incline Sprint: This is a great way to teach the athlete to open up their stride and improve their stride length. The athlete will start in the “tall & fall” position and fall into the acceleration position sprinting up the incline. The athlete should focus on punching the knees high, fully extending the back leg driving it into the ground, and pumping the arms hard from “Socket to Pocket”. This can be done on a hill, treadmill or stadium.

Once an athlete understands the mechanics required to be a good sprinter you can incorporate more advanced plyometricexercises as wells as Resisted and Over Speed Sprinting Drills.

Resisted Sprint Training: Adding resistanceto sprint training is a great way to coach the athlete to drive into the ground and also improve their turnover. There is a variety of ways to add resistance to sprinting drills. Some of the drills we like to use for our resisted sprint training involve sleds, parachutes, bands, SPARQ Launchers and partners.

Drill: Partner Resisted Sprint: For this drill athletes will partner up. The sprinter will fall into the hands of the holder and get into the acceleration position (45° Degrees) with 1 knee flexed and the arms “socket to pocket”. On “Go” the sprinter will start driving into the partner in place focusing on perfect mechanics. Once this drill is mastered it can be progressed into Resisted for distance (10 yds) and then Resisted for 10yds with a loose 10yd sprint.

Drill: Partner Band Resisted Sprint: This is also a partner drill. The sprinter will have a resistance band around his waist and his partner will be behind him holding the band. The sprinter will get into the “Tall & Fall” position and fall into the acceleration position. From there the sprinter will work on driving into the ground and picking up the turnover of his stride in place. Once this drill is mastered it can be progressed into Resisted for distance (10 yds – 20 yds)

Drill: Partner SPARQ Launcher Resisted Sprint: This drill is very similar to the band resisted sprint except now we will be using the SPARQ Launcher. This is a tool that allows the partner to resist the sprinter and then pull the release trigger to allow the sprinter to run free. We will do resisted Sprints from the stationary position, over a distance of 10yds and then resisted for 10yds followed by a 10yd free sprint.

Over Speed Training: Over Speed training is a technique which involves pulling an athlete during a sprint in an effort to cause them to increase both their stride length and frequency and forcing them to sprint faster than they could on their own. By continually training an athlete this way you progressively overload their neuromuscular system and eventually teach the athlete to sprint faster.

Drill: Bungee Over Speed Training: This is another partner drill where both athletes are attached to a bungee cord. The athletes line up about 10yds apart so that the bungee is tight. Both get into the “tall & fall” position. The drill begins when the athlete in front starts his sprint. The athlete up front is pulling the athlete in the back and is sprinting 10yds. The athlete in the back is being shot out like a slingshot and is sprinting 20yds. Because the bungee is pulling the athlete in the back, he is training at a speed that is slightly faster than what he can run on his own.

EATS Staff: Colin Quay