Are your athletes getting bored of running the same speed training workouts?Yes, those workouts are important to developing a fast and agile athlete, but if your athletes are losing focus because they are performing the same drills, drills they can perform in their sleep, the workouts are actually counterproductive.

I don’t introduce speed games until I have gone over proper mechanics for things like cutting and acceleration technique so I can explain how these techniques carry over to the games and they can experience them in ‘live’ event.Here are some of my favorite games:

What are the secrets to training basketball speed?

Should the focus be on lateral speed?

How about straight ahead speed?

Some coaches stress the importance of power training or even
conditioning as a major role in improving team speed.

What do you think the most important factor is of getting your
basketball players faster and more explosive?

Well, speed expert Lee Taft believes the secret to dominant
basketball speed is to *stop* training.

Read all about Coach Taft’s report on how Stopping Training
can bring out the speed in your basketball athletes. Click here:

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

Yours in speed,

Patrick Beith

P.S. - To discover Lee Taft’s complete basketball speed and agility program that he has developed to get his players faster and more explosive on the court, go to:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/basketballspeed.html

>NOTE: If you’d like to see all of the different programs
we created or recommend to help you improve the success of
any athlete or program (including video samples) then you
need to take a few minutes and check out the great
resources we have available on our web site:

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/products.html
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***
I understand all the reasoning behind the drills not
to use but I’m still trying to get my head fully
around the ’step over and down’ method because the
force application then is ‘down’ causing the ground,
as it were, to push back ‘up’. But I don’t want my
sprinters to go ‘up’ I want them to go horizontal. So
I have always taught them Front Side Mechanics from a
front side ‘cycle’ of the foot.(which still includes
stepping over the opposite knee) The ground contact is
still beneath the CoM but with a motion that has the
foot being forcefully drawn backwards at that point of
contact. (This action is only following the
acceleration phase not during)

Correct me if my
picture is wrong but the way I see your ’step over and
down’ is much more like a piston than a circle. I
break the sprint phases down in my coaching in that
during the ‘accel’ phase they do, very much, ’step
over and down’ but once that forward body lean of the
‘accel’ phase is gone and you’re into full speed, the
maintenance of that speed is accomplished by a pulling
the foot through the ground contact … (We may be
dealing with symmantics here but I just wanted to be
sure?!) awaiting your reply.

Peeb’s
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

The way you teach it is how I was taught it and how I
used to teach it. I believe it stems from the old
Speed Dynamics tapes from Loren Seagrave.

But experience (as an athlete and coach) has changed my
mind on this method.

Driving down into the ground is going to teach
the athlete to go ‘horizontal’ just the same (better,
actually) then having the athlete pull the foot back
toward the ground (commonly referred to as ‘pawing’).

When teaching this overly cyclical motion, athletes
tend to slap the foot down on the ground (in front of
the CoM) putting excessive strain on the hamstring.

Since reaching and braking is already a problem I’m
fighting with many athletes, the last thing I want to
do is have them swing the active let out past the CoM
and then forcefully bring it back to the ground. One,
because it’s a hamstring pull waiting to happen and two,
limb speed slows down at the point of contact regardless
of what is emphasized.

Pulling the foot down and back is simply not effective.
Limb speed (or swing speed) is of no consequence when
running.

Let’s break ’speed’ down into 2 components: acceleration
and maximum velocity.

During acceleration, when the athlete should be driving
the foot down and *back* (in order to overcome inertia
and move horizontally) the emphasis is very much on moving
the legs in a piston-like fashion. In fact, during the
acceleration phase, I cue the piston like motion much
more so than ’step over, drive down’ because this action
will fuel faster, more efficient acceleration. Certainly
more so than cycling the feet in a wide looping range of
motion (pawing).

Similarly, I cue the piston-like action when doing drills,
especially marching drills.

Once the athlete reaches full speed (maximum velocity) the
emphasis is no longer on the piston action, but stepping
over the opposite knee and driving the foot down into the
ground.

Excessive front side mechanics is not conducive to
appropriate force application or good running mechanics.
And when looking at video of my athletes when I was teaching
this method, I would find that their shoulders would drop
back behind their hips, braking would be excessive and
tightness (and injury) in the hamstrings and calves were
much more prevalent than they are today.

To see the rest of the system I use to develop powerful,
fast and injury free athletes, click here:

http://tinyurl.com/39oycx

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I just received the course and have gone through all the
DVD’s. My son plays soccer on several teams and is playing
or practicing sometimes as much as 6 days a week. Usually
90 - 150 minutes. My question is how can I work in speed
training? I am particularly interested in helping with
his technique (DVD 5). Just not sure how to design a
short workout to focus on technique. Any help would be
appreciated.
John Sweitzer
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

I wouldn’t work speed training into your son’s current
schedule. If he’s already going 6 days per week and at
least 90 minutes per workout/practice/session, there is
simply nothing to be gained (but plenty to lose in the
way of injury) by adding more training to an already
over loaded schedule.

I always err on the side of caution and in this instance
that would be my philosophy.

If you are hell bent on doing some sort of technical work,
then perhaps attend his practices, etc. and make some
notes on basic mechanical problems he is having. (Video
tape is also great)

Then you can review it and have him focus on these things
during practice.

Also, he can add some speed drills to his dynamic warmup
during practice as a way of reinforcing good running
technique.

But beyond that, you will need to wait until his offseason
to institute the program.

If he has no offseason and plays soccer on multiple teams
12 months per year, (because I know many athletes actually
follow such a schedule) that is a disservice to his
athletic development. He would be a much better player
and athlete by cutting back. Even kids need a period of
recovery.

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I understand the obvious importance of both
acceleration/speed focused workouts and the need to
complement this with speed endurance workouts for young
developing sprinters.  My question is do these workouts
have to be run on separate days? or can you effectively
combine both disciplines in one workout?  An example of
the latter might be following warmu-up and drills the
conducting of acceleration/speed techniques and workout
plan for a portion of the training session and following
a ‘break’ resuming the training session with some
speed-endurance workout?
If this approach is not recommended, then how do you
effectively work on both areas when during Indoor season
you may only have 2, at the most 3 training sessions per
week?
Finally, for now, my daughter runs AAU and USATF
competitive track and field, I notice a ‘breakdown’ in
her form from time-to-time where it appears her ’shoulders’
are back when she runs the 100 Meters sprint.  Is this
type of form breakdown due to her not running stepping
over and driving down above her Center of Mass, and
perhaps her legs striking the ground in front of her COM?
effectively reaching and/or overstriding?  Her shoulders
being back is the first technique flaw that comes to mind,
that I hope you can help me with, several of our kids
seem to run like that.  In the case of my daughter her
chin is up and her chest is up and out, it’s just her
shoulders that from time-to-time drift backwards as
opposed to staying upright.
Don Perry

>>>>MY THOUGHTS

Yes I run acceleration and speed endurance on separate
days and yes you can combine them into the same workout.

The important issue here is how you plan training. First,
when working with young athletes, you have to think long
term.

It’s possible an athlete (or group) hasn’t developed the
acceleration and Max Velocity skills to consistently train
using long (>80m) speed endurance runs.

I believe in a short to long program for sprinters. That is,
starting with acceleration development and progressing in
distance as athletes meet the mechanical and consistency
parameters that I judge as requirements for moving to
longer runs.

With young sprinters (or athletes in any sport) acceleration
development will take the most time to master and will
never take a backseat in training.

I would even argue for young sprinters (up to 200m) they
could achieve their seasonal goals spending 90% of their
time running distances less than 55 meters, with rest
intervals dictating ’speed’ or ’speed endurance’.

However, I don’t see a need to run acceleration work, take
a break, then do speed endurance work, though I do run
workouts that progress in distance, which may answer your
question.

But I prefer to focus on ‘acceleration’ in one workout,
‘maximum velocity’ in another and ’speed endurance’ in
another separate workout, whether that speed endurance is
alactic or glycolytic speed endurance.

Three training sessions a week is more than enough whether
it is indoor or outdoor track. The time of year makes no
difference beyond weather and facility limitations.

But remember this:

If you are doing repeat 100m sprints for a speed endurance
workout, you’re not neglecting acceleration or Max Velocity.

To run an effective 100m rep, you still have to go through
your acceleration phase and Max Velocity phase so you’re
addressing those elements as it is.

This is why we go short to long –> you can’t run 100m
effectively if you can’t run 80. You can’t run 80m
effectively if you can’t run 60. And down the ladder.

The problem I see with most programs (regardless of sport)
is that there is no progression.

I don’t let athletes run beyond 30m at full speed if they
can’t run 30m the way it should be run. Forget fancy
periodization, kids need to learn to walk before they
can run. If they can’t, then you’ll start to see all sorts
of issues at longer distances due to the fact they don’t
have the technical aptitude.

Your daughter’s issues probably stem from a combination
of what I just mentioned, not stepping over and driving
down and lack of physical strength.

But in most cases, lack of pure physical strength is
the primary culprit.

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I have a friend whose boy is a 11 year old baseball
pitcher.  On the day after he pitches his coaches are
saying he should jog 20 or 30 minutes to remove lactic
acid from his body.  What is your opinion as to what he
should be doing on the day after pitching a big game?

Thanks in advance and thank you for the great video
series.  It has been a big help to me.

Coach Tommy Richardson
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

Interesting theory.

But how does jogging slowly for that amount of time flush
‘lactic acid’ from his throwing arm?

Did he also run the 400 meter dash the day of his big game
or play a full 90 minute soccer match?

I would have him do a 20 minute, or so, dynamic warm up
but focusing heavily on movements and exercises (arm
swings, circles, etc.) that will loosen up and flush
metabolic waste out of his tired *throwing arm*.

Some light massage might also be valuable if he is feeling
sore.

But just going out and jogging without specifically
addressing the actual area of the body that did much of
the work (Yes, I know that pitching stems from the legs.)
seems like a misappropriation of time.
***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

What would be a good warm-up routine?

What are 10-15-20 warm up exercises - stretches that I
should use for a 9-10 year old girls softball team?

I would like to add speed & agility drills into a warm-up
routine.

Thanks. Al
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

For more on how to implement an effective warm up, as well
as some sample warm ups for different types of workouts,
regardless of your sport, check out these two articles
from Athletes’ Acceleration’s own Patrick Beith:
http://www.athletesacceleration.com/warmitup.html

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/recoverywo.htm

***TRAINING QUESTION FROM A READER***

I would like to know what exercises to do, how frequently
should I do them, and how long will it take until I start
seeing improvement. I am looking for a program where I
can increase my speed before basketball season.

Malcolm
>>>>MY THOUGHTS

Believe it or not, basketball tryouts are right around the
corner.

And competition for the limited spots on the team is fierce.

Just being able to hit an uncontested jump shot or dribble
the ball with both hands isn’t enough to guarantee a spot
on the team or in the starting five.

Speed will be the difference maker on the basketball court.

To guarantee improvements to any athlete’s basketball
speed, I’ve see no better program than Lee Taft’s 2 DVD
set.

It will give you the answers to your questions:

http://tinyurl.com/2t9tko
In fact, if your athletes need to improve their speed, we
have a resource that will make them more competitive.

You can learn more about all of them, as well as see
video samples of each of the programs by clicking here:

http://www.athletesacceleration.com/products.html
In speed,

Latif Thomas, CSCS, USATF II
P.S. Make sure you take a few minutes to look at the
program we created that covers every element of speed
development in detail, from speed workouts, to warm up,
strength and power training, flexibility, conditioning,
agility and change of direction speed.

It’s the Complete Speed Training Program:

http://tinyurl.com/39oycx

There are a lot of tell-tale signs of a crappy
program.

One of the most obvious is when coaches stand
around and chat in a group while their athletes
are doing their speed work.

No intsruction or feedback other than the
occasional ‘Nice Job’, ‘Swing your arms’, ‘Lift
your knees’ or other generic sayings.

You and I know this happens for two reasons:

1. They are lazy.
2. They don’t know how to teach or correct speed
to begin with.

Coaching speed correctly is a skill and it takes
some trial and error to put in place a good
system depending on your situation.

If you have a large group it can get tiring
trying to watch several athletes run, save the
file of their run in your head and then give
feedback while simultaneously doing the same
thing for the next group.

And then the group after that.

On top of that, let’s be honest, most kids are
a complete mess. It’s going to take some time to
get their technique under control.

And that means you have to keep breaking them
down over and over and over.

If you’re not careful, they’ll start to get
frustrated and believe they won’t be able to
pull it together.

And we all have those extra sensitive athletes
(high school girls??) who need to be tip-toed
around.

To avoid drama and maintain motivation, I like
to give all of my athletes a ‘criticism
sandwich’.

(I’d like to take credit for this term, but I
can’t.)

A criticism sandwich is when you first
*praise* your athlete for something, then
deliver the criticism and then close with
praise that also sends them back to the starting
line before they can begin a long round of over
analysis.

It goes a little something like this:

YOU: Hey Courtney, great effort on that one. I
could tell you were really focusing on (weakness
you have been trying to correct) there and it
looks like it’s really starting to come together.
It’s like night and day compared to how it was
at the beginning of the season.

COURTNEY: Thanks!

YOU: Here’s the thing. You popped straight up
again and didn’t drive your lead arm. Remember,
if you want to run (goal time discussed in goal
setting meeting) you have to be more patient at
the start. If you rush because you’re trying to
keep up with (team superstar) then you’re never
going to get to full speed. Remember, it’s OK
to spend a little more time on the ground at
the start, but you have to drive the lead arm
all the way up over your head so you can get into
good position. If you keep rushing through the
first 5 steps, your times aren’t going to drop.

(Remember, only focus on 1 thing at a time. In
this instance, everything stems from driving the
lead arm.)

COURTNEY: Umm…OK I thought I drove my lead
arm.

(This is where we have to neutralize the self
doubt that is coming in hard and fast.)

YOU: Listen, you’re doing great. Once we can fix
that one issue, everything else will fall into
place immediately. As long as you keep trying as
hard as you are and focus on that one thing, I’m
100% confident that you’ll get it. You’re more
than half way there, so just keep focusing like
you have been and all of a sudden you’ll drop a
bomb and never look back.

COURTNEY: Really, do you think so?

YOU: Most definately. Now I want you to go get
ready for the next one and just visualize the
perfect start, with your lead arm coming all
the way up. No chicken wing arms.

COURTNEY: OK!
With that interaction, you’ve neutralized the
possibility of a self confidence crash, given
constructive feedback and likely even boosted
the athlete’s confidence.

As long as you maintain that procedure with your
athletes, you’ll be amazed at how quickly they
develop.

The art of coaching is, in large part, a mental
game.

Of course, to serve a really great criticism
sandwich, you have to actually know what
problems to look for and how to fix them.

Otherwise, kids will start to see that
you’re BS’ing them. I hired an assistant once
who tried to drop the sandwich on some kids who
knew better. He lost all credibility trying to
make up a technical analysis on the spot that
made no sense.

And getting credibility back is tough.

If you’re not 100% confident that you can
serve up quality criticism sandwiches every
time, I’ll tell you exactly what to look for
and how to fix all the problems that I see in
athletes.

It’s all on Disc 5 of the Complete Speed
Training Program: Pure Speed Training.

Get your copy now:

http://completespeedtraining.com
In speed,

Latif Thomas

P.S. Think you can’t do it?:

“Wonderful, enlightening information. Recently,
I went to a speed and agility class offered by
my son’s local sports club. I had just
completed studying your Complete Speed
Training program and reading several articles
in the newsletter. Well, I was speaking with the
coach who was so impressed with my knowledge that
mid way through the class, I was instructing the
kids on mechanics and exercises. I was invited
back to lead the class by myself and now I’ve
been requested to set up programs for the entire
program. Also, several parents have approached
me about working with their kids this summer. I
guess I now need information on getting certified
and how to run a summer camp. Thanks!”

Allen Williams
New Milford, CT
http://completespeedtraining.com