Speed-Are we born with it or can it be developed?
Article written by Eoin Clarkin, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Kilmacud Crokes and UCD AFC.
- Current Masters student in Performance Science
- Director of Advanced Athlete Development
Whether it is Paul Mannion skinning his marker to score the winning point vs Mayo in the All Ireland Final or Cristiano Ronaldo terrorising defender after defender with his raw athleticism and quality, the ability to express speed is one of the most important traits in elite level sport.
That hundredth of a second, that inch, that half step, these are the margins that separate good from great and winning from losing. With the modern game now faster than ever before, speed is a key attribute in winning and maintaining possession in team sports
In this short article, we will focus on developing speed through different methods of training. There are numerous training methods that have been proven to improve speed in athletes. To keep things simple, we will look at three training methods:
1) Resistance Training 2) Plyometrics 3) Resistance Sprinting
- 1) A study concluded that around a 23% increase in maximal squat strength was needed to achieve reductions in sprint times of around 2%.
- 2) Another study on plyometrics concluded that 80+ jumps per session with 3 sessions every fortnight improved sprinting ability in both trained and untrained individuals.
- 3) A further study conducted on resisted accelerations showed that loads of 30% of body weight achieved greatest reductions in speed over 5metres and 10metres. Loads of 10% of bodyweight was also successful. Examples: Sled/Prowler sprints, resisted band sprints.
Other methods such as Ballistic training, resistance sprinting and coaching technique have been known to also improve speed performance. Some key questions have been covered below relating to speed and training.
Are we born fast?
Many of us wonder how much our genetics play a role in speed development. So can we improve our speed or is it simply out of our control?
‘If you plan on being a world-class sprinter, you better chooses your parents wisely’ – Scott Trappe , a professor of exercise science at Ball State University said half-jokingly
Genetics definitely plays a part in speed development. Factors such as muscle fibre break down, body shape and size all play their role in our potential to run fast. While you can’t “turn a cart horse in to a race horse”, you can make anyone faster. Plyometrics, resistance training and resistance sprinting are a few methods that will work if programmed and supervised by a professional.
Other training methods to consider:
It is important to note that team sports players are not track athletes and the game they play is multidirectional. Agility, sports specific movements, reaction, nutrition, body composition and tactical awareness are also key to developing our players. We as coaches must observe our players and the physical demands of their game and implement a variety of training methods to improve their game specific speed.
Tactical awareness can give you a head start. Twice named European footballer of the year and German International Franz Beckenbauer (never renowned for his speed) was asked the question ‘How do you get from A to B so fast?’ to which he replied ‘because I never start from A’. I think this quote sums up perfectly that his tactical awareness to be one step ahead of the opposition made up for his lack of natural athleticism.
Training the young/ inexperienced GAA player:
When working with younger/inexperienced athletes we should not become too performance results orientated. We must focus on the long term athletic development pathway. ‘A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to young athletes, otherwise we will risk the health and safety of the individual. This will cause problems further down the line.
Enhancing fundamental movement competency, strengthening stabiliser muscles and correcting muscular imbalances along with injury prevention should be top of every coaches list.
So was Professor Scotte Trappe right when he said ‘If you plan on being a world-class sprinter, you better chooses your parents wisely’?
The jury is still out on this one I’m afraid, World class sprinters seem to share similar genetic traits such as body shape/size and muscle fibre makeup but how much of it is determined by training or activity and how much they are born with is a subject of much controversy in the scientific community.
However one thing is for sure, every single one of us can improve our speed! Strength development, plyometrics, resisted sprints and running mechanics are a good starting point for younger athletes. Just remember that hundredth of a second, that inch, that 2%, these are the margins that separate good from great and the Dubs bringing home ‘Sam’ October 1st.
For more information on our speed training and 12 week youth performance programmes, please contact us via our website @ www.
References:
- Cronin et al 2007 2) Saez de Villarreal 2012b 3) Kawamori et al, 2013
