We all know that you can not substitute speed in any sport. We also know that the fastest athletes get picked first for the match, the team, and the playground games. The question is can we develop speed and how?
It’s crucial to define speed first in sport or an event. Spectators can describe an athlete as fast or quick based on their ability to move quickly from point A to B. In contrast, others rate the athlete as fast on how they respond to the environment to make the right decision at the correct time.
The above two perspectives give us two distinct differences: speed can be defined as having the ability to cover a distance in a certain amount of time. In contrast, sport speed is defined as the ability to react to a specific stimulus and move appropriately to achieve the desired outcome demanded by the environment.
However, developing effective movement requires athletes to improve their physical ability to start and stop, change direction, and run at different speed variations. These movements are vital for overall sports performance and reducing potential injuries. In a nutshell, with good biomechanics, you can get faster and stronger while reducing injuries.
Reactive training teaches you to contract muscles surrounding a joint quickly, stabilize various joints in conjunction, and reinforce proper landing mechanics to increase your ability to produce force; therefore, speed can be developed if the evaluation of the limiting factors is assessed and improved or conditioned accordingly.
The factors to improve are but not limited to:
- increased movement speed (running, swimming, etc.)
- more power (jumping, hitting, lifting, etc.)
- energy conservation through economy of movement
- elimination of muscle imbalances
- reducing wear and tear on joints and ligaments
- improving sport-specific form and technique
- improving coordination, balance, and proprioception to help you become a better athlete
- improving communication between your brain and legs to help you become more efficient
- strengthening both the muscles and joints needed for powerful, fast running
All of these factors, if worked upon, can translate into improved running mechanics and speed. When you run more efficiently with greater strength, you will run faster for longer.
The second aspect to consider when looking at improving speed is improving our response to the environment. This is called agility: “a rapid, whole-body change of direction and speed in response to a stimulus.”
Agility might be the most misunderstood concept in the performance world as our profession lacks a thorough understanding of its meaning and application. To be fair, agility has been misunderstood and wrongly defined for a long time. Even today, there isn’t a clear-cut definition for coaches. Dr. Sophia Nimphius is a Professor of Human Performance, lecturing in Biomechanics and Research Methods at Edith Cowan University School of Medical and Health Sciences and an agility researcher; agility produces a motor response despite the position in which athletes find themselves. Skill within the sport is rarely clean and pretty, but athletes still have to move. They need doses of venom to prepare for the realities of the sport.
In summary, great agility does not mean you’re always the fastest to react but that you’re able to respond to the right stimulus, at the right time, at the right speed. Remember, the best solution is not always the first or fastest response; it’s the appropriate response.
Pieter – SCG
“Improving Athletes Through Coaches”