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This article covers means used in speed training, including stride-length and stride-frequency drills, sprints of varying distances and intensity, varied-speed training, resisted sprinting, and assisted sprinting. Program design guidelines and a sample program are also presented.
Keywords: assisted sprints; resisted sprints; speed barrier; varied pace sprints
The first part of this article covers factors affecting speed, maximum velocity running technique, and drills for developing sprinting form and demonstrates that technique drills alone are not a substitute for sprinting. This article focuses on the exercises used for improving speed and how those exercises may be used, and it also reviews various means used for training speed and presents a sample program.
Means for Training Speed
Several types of exercises are used to help improve speed. First, because technique limits speed, drills are performed to help perfect sprinting technique (these drills were covered in "Means and Methods of Speed Training: Part I," Strength Cond. J. 26(4):24-29). second, stride length can be trained directly because it influences speed. Third, stride frequency may be improved with the appropriate training. Fourth, sprints covering varying distances and intensities are used. Fifth, exercises may involve sprints with several changes in speed (varied-pace sprints). Sixth, sprints may be performed with resistance (i.e., the sprinting motion is made more difficult). Finally, sprints performed with assistance to allow the athlete to run faster than he or she is normally capable of are also used.
Stride-Length Drills
In theory, stride-length drills are designed to help improve speed or the rhythm of a sprinter's stride. To conduct stride-length drills, one needs to determine the optimal stride length for his or her athletes. This is done for female track athletes by measuring the leg length from the greater trochanter of the femur to the floor. This measurement is then multiplied by 2.3 to 2.5 to obtain the optimal stride length. Male track athletes would have an optimal stride length of between 2.5 to 2.7 times the length of the leg (2). This approach works well with track and field athletes, but many coaches may work with too many athletes at one time to conduct these measurements, and degree of precision may not be necessary. In this situation it is appropriate to assign athletes into groups based...