acceleration

What effect does very heavy sled towing have on sprint performance?

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Sprint-resisted training involves towing a sled of a given load for the purposes of developing increased force production and stride length. Sprint-assisted training involves the athlete receiving assistance during the sprint, enabling a greater stride rate and higher velocity than can be performed without the assistance. The optimal load for sprint-resisted training has been debated …

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The most effective way to improve sprint speed

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The majority of sprints that occur during a competition are typically very short and are often interrupted with decelerations, cutting and changes of direction when the athlete must react to the chaotic nature of the game. However, break-away linear sprinting speed, when it is required, can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of a …

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Squatting with bands acutely improves short-sprint speed

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Complex training is a popular method of developing explosive ability in athletes. Briefly, complex training involves pairing a heavy strength movement with an unloaded explosive movement using the same muscle groups. An example would be to pair heavy back squats with box jumps. The rationale behind this training methodology is to take advantage of post-activation …

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Increased squat strength improves sprint speed in pro soccer players

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Soccer requires a variety of physical qualities that athletes must develop in order to be competitive and successful at the highest levels. These qualities include but are not limited to: strength, power, acceleration, reactive ability, agility, and endurance. Short sprints over 20 meters are often made to contend for a free ball, to intercept a …

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Resisted Sprint Training: Heavy vs. Light Loads

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The topic of resisted sprint training for the purposes of enhancing sprint speed continues to be a hot topic in strength and conditioning circles. A widely accepted general rule has been to avoid resisted loads of greater than 10% body weight. Heavier loads may alter sprint mechanics and result in less dynamic correspondence to non-resisted …

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Which is faster, the “false step” or “forward step”?

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Observe a young athlete accelerate from a standing still position. In my experience, the vast majority of these athletes will “false step” to initiate the movement. The false step involves a quick step in the opposite direction of which they wish to accelerate before the first forward step. The false step takes advantage of the …

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Do Changes in Squat Strength Correspond with Changes in Sprint Time?

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Since most team sports consist of intermittent, short distance sprints with rapid changes of direction, the ability to accelerate tends to be more important than maximum velocity speed. It is quite rare that an athlete reaches maximum velocity during a competition without any interruption caused by a deceleration or direction change. Therefore, our efforts in …

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Do you follow the “10% rule”?

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Resisted sprinting is an effective training modality for improving acceleration speed. A common way of adding resistance to a sprint is to have the athlete tow a weighted sled while they accelerate. However, there is great debate over optimal levels of resistance. A commonly used rule of thumb has been to avoid using loads in …

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