Speed Training
The Need for Speed!!!
Copyright (c) 2008 Jason Zaretzky
What Every Athlete needs to apply to their training in order To enhance their sport specific speed
I’ve got the need…The NEED FOR SPEED!!! And you should too. Every athlete needs to realize that they should always be searching for new ways to improve their speed. That’s because in sport speed kills.
You can never be fast enough. However, it’s not just how fast you can run from point A to point B. You have to be able to be as fast as possible while moving in various directions, starting and stopping constantly. After all, what sport do you know of where change of direction doesn’t happen? Not Many.
So let’s cut right to the chase…
Here are the top ways to enhance your sport specific speed for any sport:
1.) Be specific – to the demands of what type of speed you need in order to excel at your respective sport. For example, the type of speed needed for a football defensive lineman is totally different than the speed needed for a midfielder in lacrosse, or a forward in basketball. So your speed training must reflect the demands of your specific sport.
2.) You won’t get faster by simply running around a track – A major misconception to speed training has been to just run like a maniac around a track and expect to get faster. The problem here is that you may need other methods of training such as stretching, strength training, core training, balance and/or stability training in order for you to get faster.
Maybe it’s a lack of flexibility that’s slowing you down
3.) Stop training like a body builder – Instead of training on that hamstring curl machine, try some multi-muscle movements like Olympic lifts (snatch / Cleans), squats, and dead-lifts. Not only are these exercises better than any kind of isolation based exercise (hamstring curls and leg extensions), they actually strengthen your leg muscles (and entire body) and train them to work together as a unit. While you’re at it incorporate some single leg exercises such as lunges, and single leg deadlifts. By doing so you will further mimic your body’s running actions.
Add some cleans to your sports training program for some serious improvements in speed & power
4.) Find your weak links, and correct muscle imbalances – You are only as strong as your weakest link, and muscle imbalances will always lead to weak links in your body. Take 2 to athletes that are the same speed. Athlete 1 has poor hip flexibility and weak abdominals, while athlete 2 has weak hamstring muscles, and tight quads. If all these athletes did was work on hip flexibility and core strength, Athlete 1 may get faster, while athlete 2 may actually decrease performance. So getting faster isn’t a one size fits all approach – you need to focus on the individual first.
If you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing!!!
There you have it, 4 easy ways to immediately increase your speed through proper training and smart programming. The only thing left to do is ‘Just Do It’!
Yeah, Yeah, I know what you’re saying, “But how do I know what my weak links are, and what the best exercises for me to do?”
The easiest way is to seek the advice of a highly qualified professional who has experience assessing and training athletes. Visit, our website, and sign up for our free email newsletter. It provides the information regarding sports performance enhancement, and info about all programs run out of OPTC.
About the Author
Jason Zaretzky is Owner and Program Director of Optimal Performance Training Center, a Sports training facility located in Rockland County NY. He specializes in Athletic performance training for athlete ranging from the pee-wee to the professional. To learn mor about Jason and Optimal Performance visit http://www.rocklandsportstraining.com
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Wooden Handle Speed Training Jump Skipping Rope Yellow $8.13 |
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Stroops All Legs Speed Builder Strength Training Bands $35.00 |
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NEW!! Small 40″ Speed Run Parachute Training Resistance $29.99 |
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Duch Shaped Wooden Handle Yellow Orange Speed Training Skipping Rope 2M $6.82 |
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Everlast Personal Round Timer $13.99 Work out like a pro with the Everlast(r) Personal Ring Timer. This easy-to-use, conveniently sized timer can be strapped around your arm or stand alone. Workout times can be adjusted for either 2 or 3 minutes and from 1-12 rounds with 30-60 second rest periods in between rounds. Built-in vibration and ring gong features alert you of the end of each round. Ideal for boxing workouts or other types o… |
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Nike Show-X1.E Sunglasses – EV0618 The shield lens Nike Show-X1 sunglasses deliver grip, stability and comfort. They feature interchangeable lenses, adjustable temples and Nike Max Lens Technology for precise views at all angles. Ideal for baseball and training, they are also functional for winter sport, golf, tennis and cycling. The adjustable ventilated nose for stability and reduced fogging make them a great choice for athletes…. |
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Pocket Team Timer $29.95 Designed by a high school track and X-country coach, the software supports timing and recording of multiple contestants participating in track and cross country events. Features include:* Entrants can be created and modified on the device AND on your desktop PC Meets,events and entrants can be set up and ready on race day. *Last minute race day changes can be made. *Any number of runners are allow… |
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John Petrucci – Rock Discipline $31.39 Rock Discipline is an epic DVD on the art of the modern rock guitar. After a valuable segment on warming up, John Petrucci covers developing speed and accuracy, chromatic exercises, playing with dynamics, connecting scale fragments to form long solo lines, and much, much more. DVD special features include backstage with John, G3 tour footage, hilarious bloopers on the set, interactive tour of John… |
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Paul Gilbert: Intense Rock, Vol. 1 and 2 $16.64 Intense Rock takes you step by step through the techniques that will enable you to play terrifying licks. In this exciting presentation, Paul Gilbert teaches you his personal exercises and sequences for incredibly fast and clean alternate picking, 3-note-per-string scales, sweep picking and string skipping…. |
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Speed Zone 200 Bpm: Super Fast Workout Music Mix for Advanced Runners Incl. Barefoot and Minimalist Running, Marathon Training $8.99 … |
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Baseball World’s Defensive Drill Video (A Proven Baseball Training Program) $45.00 A proven training program that dramatically improves arm strength, running speed, practice organization, infield and outfield skills, and quickness and agility. Developed by Pro Scout and Instructor Tom Emanski. Based on the same drills featured at Baseball World’s Training Center in Orlando, Florida. Baseball World’s school trained teams have won back to back to back AAU National Championship tou… |
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Vinnie Moore: Advanced Lead Guitar Techniques VINNIE MOORE “Advanced Lead Guitar Techniques” features: Left & right hand exercises for speed and accuracy, theory, substitution scales, playing scales in seconds, thirds, etc., advanced “pivoting” licks & exercises, the classical violin-like technique, arpeggio “sweeps,” building triplet patterns, advanced chromatic exercises and more (60 min.)… |
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iFit.com Interactive Video Workout: Hawaii – Level 1 $97.82 Treadmill Workout – 35 minutes. Maximum Speed: 4.2 mph ; Peak Incline: 5.0%. Discover the latest in fitness technology with the iFit.com Adventure Series. Your workouts will be run from unique exercise videos that will automatically adjust the speed and incline of your iFit.com – compatible treadmill to ensure a great workout every time. Enjoy motivation and instruction from a certified personal t… |
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