I don’t really believe in coincidences, so when ’step over,
drive down’ was brought up on 3 separate occasions this week
I knew I shouldn’t ignore it.

But in each instance it was brought up, the people mentioning
it had gotten some basic information wrong.

So let’s talk about this term so we can all get a better
understanding of it’s role in helping our athletes to run
faster.

First, ’step over, drive down’ is not a ‘training theory’.

It is a coaching cue that I picked up while at a track and field
coaching conference. The truth is I can’t remember whether I
first heard it while attending USATF Level II school or from
John Smith at the New England Track and Field clinic.

Either way, it’s a great *cue* for teaching athletes they need
to focus on stepping over the opposite knee and driving the foot
down into the ground.

Want some other cues for teaching good running mechanics?

Here are a couple that I like, but not nearly as much as
’step over,drive down’:

- Run through tall grass
- Run through knee high water

Like I said, they’re decent, but not great.

Now in terms of what ’step over, drive down’ does or doesn’t
do from a scientific stand point, I could go off on a big rant
about force curves, vectors, ground force calculations based
on limb speed, horizontal vs. vertical forces and many other
$6 words out of some of the text books and journals sitting
on the shelves of my training library, but I won’t.

Because my opinion is still going to be the same.

(If you want to, however, I suggest you start here:

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/89/5/1991.pdf)

The bottom line is if athletes want to run faster, they need
to apply more force to the ground.

But if their mechanics are terrible, they’re not going to
create the ground forces that will get them from Point A to
Point B in an acceptable amount of time.

I’ve worked with athletes in just about every sport.

And I will tell you this:

Most kids’ running technique is *horrible*. It hurts to watch
sometimes.

So how do I fix it?

Well there are a lot of ways:

- Develop general movement skills
- Get stronger
- Improve coordination
- Improve general strength and work capacity
- Develop greater dynamic flexibility and range of motion
- Address specific running mechanics issues

…among others…

And of course we could break each of those down into more
detail, but that is not today’s topic.

But, like ’step over, drive down’ these are all pieces of the
overall training puzzle, not mutually exclusive solutions to
your speed training needs and questions.

Because I can go out and preach ’step over, drive down’ until
I’m blue in the face, but if the above issues are not addressed,
my athletes will still be slow.

At the same time, I don’t think running mechanics are going
to be magically fixed by only focusing on one area of improvement.

An athlete may be able to squat 800 pounds, but if they have
extremely tight hip flexors and can’t walk and chew gum at the
same time, I’m willing to bet they can’t run too fast for too
long.

But if the same athlete has the above areas covered but has poor
running form (i.e., they don’t understand or apply the action
of ’step over, drive down’) they won’t be fast either.

Why?

Because an athlete who is all backside mechanics, runs with
a pronounced braking action (over strides) or takes little
choppy steps isn’t applying force to the ground
like they could be.

They’re not stepping over and driving down.

They’re not developing overall athletic ability.

So don’t think of ’step over, drive down’ as the fundamental
principle of any training theory.

It’s a cue that reminds inexperienced athletes *how* they
should think about running from a mechanical standpoint.

Because if they can apply more force to the ground, they’ll
run faster.

And ’step over, drive down’ is just one of many tools you
should use to develop faster athletes, along with all the
other training components that go into a well designed
program.

In my next email, I get into more of the mechanics of this
cue and why many of you are still getting it all wrong…

Latif Thomas

P.S. To see how I teach speed from A to Z, click here:
http://athletesacceleration.com./completespeedtraining.html

And if you like the article I directed you to earlier, you
should check this program out:
 

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/fasterrunning.html

If you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time, you
know I am an advocate of obtaining knowledge from as many
different (credible) sources as possible.

And based on the results of our annual sale, I think you’re
getting the message loud and clear!

But the absolute best way to acquire new knowledge and store it
in your long term memory, in any area of life, is to learn and
apply the information first hand.

It is no secret that we learn better by doing and
by asking questions while we’re in the process of acquiring a
particular skill set.

For this reason, I’m truly excited to let you know about an
opportunity to learn directly from one of the very best speed
coaches in the country, if not the World…

And, believe me, this is not the kind of praise I just throw
out to anyone…

From October 26-28, 2007, Lee Taft will be holding a 3 Day
Seminar where he’ll teach you the same proven system of
multi directional speed and agility he used to become one of
the most widely followed Movement Specialists in the world.

From a personal standpoint, I am a follower of Lee’s techniques.

When it comes to developing speed and agility in field and
court sport athletes, I have found none better than Lee Taft.
And I have seen incredible results in using many of his training
techniques and philosophies.

Now, I understand this letter reaches you with relatively short
notice so far as arranging to attend this seminar.

If my schedule permitted, I would attend this conference myself
just because I’m that confident I would come out a better coach.

So if you work with field and/or court sport athletes, I
*strongly* recommend you do everything in your power to attend
this event.

Click here to learn more:

http://www.completespeedtraining.com/cmd.php?ad=337834
I’ll be honest…

The description of Lee’s seminar doesn’t do his program justice.

Knowing Lee and his methods, the letter on the website only
scratches the surface of what you’ll walk away knowing on
Sunday afternoon.

The bottom line is this:

If you attend Lee Taft’s Speed Training Seminar, you *will*
walk out a much better coach. And you’ll be able to instantly
start applying your new knowledge to your athletes and
program.

So take a few moments to check it out.

http://www.completespeedtraining.com/cmd.php?ad=337834
In speed,

Latif Thomas
 

I was watching some highlights of the opening matches of the
2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup this morning and something caught
my eye.

Kelly Smith, England’s Captain and All Star, had a great game
in their first World Cup Match. She scored two goals
(minutes 81 and 83) in England’s winning performance.

During an interview, Sun Wen, the joint-FIFA Women’s Player
of the Century had the following to say about Kelly Smith:

“I think England’s Kelly Smith will be the player of the
tournament. She is an outstanding player, one of the very
best in the world. What impresses me most about her is how
good she is on the ball. Many Europeans are very good
physically, but Smith is technically outstanding. She has so
much skill, vision and passing ability. People will be so
impressed by how creative she is.”

You can teach your athletes the same soccer
skills and techniques that Kelly Smith uses to continue to
develop her All World talent.

How?

One of the newest programs to receive the Athletes’ Acceleration
Seal of Approval is ‘Speed Training for Soccer’ featuring
Kelly Smith.

Now, I’m not saying all your athletes are going to turn into
All World players overnight.

But there is always a great deal to be gained by learning from
and emulating the best.

http://athletesacceleration.com./speedtrainingforsoccer.html

In speed,

Latif Thomas

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

 I have contemplated on which program to use so some time now
and i have finally settled on 2 programs - yours and 1 other.
The difference is in price - yours is almost $200 and the
other $40. Both offer a different outline. I am a soccer coach
and the other program is geared for soccer and your program
specific to speed of which will also be applicable but not
necessairly soccer specific.
 
Carnero
>>>>MY THOUGHTS
I believe, in most situations, you get what you pay for.

If you’re looking for $40 worth of information, then get the
$40 program.

I don’t dispute Complete Speed Training is the most expensive
speed training resource out there. In fact, I take great pride
in it.

Why?

Because it’s worth it. Every last penny. Otherwise I wouldn’t
offer a 365 day money back guarantee.

Am I saying not to buy $40 programs? Absolutely not. There are
some great ones out there.

In fact, I’ve researched and tested them. And we only promote
the programs we *know* are effective.

But this ’sport specific’ thing just won’t go away. CST doesn’t
use a soccer ball in any of the 5 videos.

But if you’re too slow, too uncoordinated, too inflexible,
too weak and too out of shape to get to the ball in the first
place, what good do all those ‘ball skills’ do?

And I highly doubt that other program covers all the elements
of real speed and athletic development in any capacity even
close to CST.

Why?

Because it’s a $40 program!

My advice?

Get stronger and faster, improve your agility and flexibility
without the ball:

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/completespeedtraining.html

(Order Complete Speed Training by the end of Thursday and save
over 20% off the regular price.)

Then get the DVD that shows all the ’sport specific’ drills
once you develop the required skills:

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/speedtrainingforsoccer.html
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I’m a 15 year old sophomore who’s been pursuing Track after
finding success….Last year, I was introduced to
Varsity. Now, I was competing against some of the fastest
juniors and seniors from schools all around- my new found
challenge was reflected in my results. I didn’t do so well.
I finished my latest Outdoor Season as a 14 yaer old freshman
with a 100m time of 11.5. This, although I bested all Freshman
in invitationals, did not put me in the standings versus older
students. Latif, I know that I am young and improvement will be gradual,
but I can’t help but feel that either my technique or my
conditioning is preventing me from instant gratification. I
hope for a future in Track…
I was wondering if you have any kind of conditioning program
that might be of use to me and improve my situation.
It would be greatly appreciated. I’ve decided to compete in Cross Country Running in order to cut down on fat and increase metabolism(as I’ve been told, but unverified).
Is this counter-productive?

Steven W.
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

First, I’ll take an 11.5 freshman on my team all day and most
of tomorrow.

That time is nothing to be ashamed of.

But your situation is the same as 99% of all the athletes
having a similar experience.

And here is the solution:

You need to get stronger, first and foremost. So a commitment
to the weightroom is your first step.

You need to clean up your technique, improve coordination,
enhance dynamic range of motion, improve work capacity and flat
out practice running fast.

In short, you’re a typical 14 year old kid who needs to work
on becoming a better athlete.

Now, if ‘conditioning’ is truly an issue in the 100 meter dash,
then diet and nutrition are an issue as well…

But the problem is likely your misunderstanding of the term
‘conditioning’.

Cross country is the *last* thing I’d suggest for a
100 meter runner. I’d rather you lift weights 3 days per week
and spend the rest of the time on the couch playing video
games.

You’d end up faster that way.

What you need is quite simple…

You need the program that we have used to develop Champions
at the State level from 55 meters through 600 meters:

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/completespeedtraining.html
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

These drills that you mention to NOT USE as part of an
athlete’s speed training, are they ok to use as part of their
warmup?

Raul
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

Raul,

My good friend…

No.

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

Does your speed training program have any information about
hurdle training? Or is the running component of hurdling
different to speed training. Also, would you be better off
just training one or the other.

 John

>>>>MY THOUGHTS
No, CST does not contain any hurdle specific information beyond
hip mobility drills using a hurdle. As you know, the running
component of hurdling is slightly different than traditional
sprinting due to the fact that (in the 100/110s anyway) every
athlete is taking the same number of steps for the entire race
(if they’re of reasonable talent).

There is also no ‘drive phase’ since athletes must get up and
into their sprint form right away.

So timing and rhythm are important.

However, sprint mechanics remain the same and it is those
sprint mechanics improvements and general improvements to
speed, I find, that allow for quicker, smoother running and
consistent 3 stepping for younger athletes.

So hurdlers expecting to succeed must do both.

At the youth levels, I don’t find athletes able to make a
consistent transition between the sprint hurdles and, say,
the 100m dash.

The difference in the aforementioned rhythm and timing makes
it difficult to succeed in both and I rarely see a hurdler
who is equally as talented at the open sprint events and vice
versa.

There are some exceptions to the rule at the elite levels such
as Terrence Trammell:

110mH: 12.95
100m: 10.04

and Gail Devers:

100mH: 12.33 (American Record)
100m: 10.82
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***
Do you have any recommendations for using stairs for speed and
agility training for soccer? I have an 11 year old daughter
and we just started using the “7 tips”. I understand how to
use up-hills for strength and down-hills for speed and it
makes sense going up stairs would do the same for strength but
going down stairs would probably not simulate speed like going
down hill. We are fortunate to have access to college size
football stadiums and a few high rise buildings as a training
tool.

Joe C.
>>>>>MY THOUGHTS
I use stairs sparingly, especially in young athletes. While
this method is useful as one component of training and can
develop the posterior chain and aid in glute activation, there
are downsides.

I find that stairs often lead to shin splints, reaching and
some other mechanical problems. So I use stairs (when I can’t
get to a hill) for different types of conditioning and even to
teach the idea of driving down, but do not directly use them
to develop speed or agility.

I think that is asking for serious problems, particularly in
an 11 year old.

Also, don’t have anyone (except your mortal enemies) do speed
work going down hill.

This will ruin the mechanics of a young athlete and they’ll
increase the chances of getting hurt.
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***
How would you set up a program to improve the forty time. What
is the critical factor? It seems pretty clear to me that it is
all about acceleration. After all it takes approximately 55-60
meters to reach top speed.

How would you set up program for this? Also, can  you explain
why you don’t promote using a weighted sled device? I would
love to hear about your opinion using the sled and over-speed
bands. Thanks.

Paul D.
>>>>>MY THOUGHTS

You’re right in one regard: The 40 is all about acceleration.

So, to me, there are 2 critical factors:

1. Strength (and all it’s components)
2. Acceleration

In the 40 yard dash, training focus should be on the start and
the first 10  yards.

Perfecting the start and acceleration through this point will
set up the rest of the run.

You do miss the mark however.

It does not take an athlete, even an elite athlete, 55-60m to
reach full speed.

Granted, an elite track sprinter may purposely extend their
drive phase into this range, but there is a reason for this.

99% of athletes will reach full speed by 30m, maintain that
maximum velocity for 1-2 seconds (yes, only 1-2 seconds) and
then begin slowing down.

When it comes to running a faster 40, or mastering any of the
traditional football combine tests, this is by far the best
program I have ever seen:

http://athletesacceleration.com/masteringthecombinetests.html
It’s not that I don’t advocate the weighted sled. I just think
athletes need to master some basics before that comes into
play. So as a piece of the training puzzle, go ahead and use
the sled.

Overspeed training is terrible for sub-elite athletes.

It makes them reach in order to maintain balance, destroys
running mechanics and causes over use injuries.

So don’t use it.

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I am looking for any drills or programs for baseball players or
specificlly how to steal bases?

Greg R.

>>>>>MY THOUGHTS

Yes.

This is what I recommend for Base Stealing:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/basestealingsystem.html
In speed,

Latif Thomas
P.S. Make sure you take a few minutes and look at the programs
we’ve created and recommend to help you improve athletic success.

Many programs are on sale through midnight EST Thursday, to
take advantage of our Third Anniversary celebration.
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/thirdanniversary.html