Speed (stride length x stride frequency) is the measure of how fast an athlete can move or sprint. To put it simply the more steps a runner takes at full length, the more force he or she puts into the ground, the faster his or her body will move in the desired direction.
Research has shown that speed is a skill that can be developed and each of us is born with a speed potential, but most of us will never come close to maximizing it without the proper training.
The requirements of speed within a given sport have to be analyzed so that we can train for it effectively. Pure speed and speed development are the most important things for track sprinting athletes, it is only agility that is important for most court and field athletes. So the questions have to be asked whether an athlete have to maintain speed for a certain distance, or do they have to make a cut, change direction and avoid or respond to opponents? This crucial ability to maneuver cannot be done at top speed. Acceleration to top speed by most athletes is not achieved until they've run about 50m.
At Setanta fitness, our athletes will be coached to prioritize the power and running mechanics necessary to achieve maximum speed when needed. Alternatively, since there are very few times in sports when athletes ever run at maximum speed, our coaches focus training on agility.
