The Illusion Of Speed - Is He Really Fast Or Does He Just Look Fast?
You see him running down the field, yards ahead of his opponents. You hear comments all around "WOW, look at him. He's the fastest player on the team. He was just born with that speed". Is this true?
Yes and No.
Great top end speed may be genetically related. However, every athlete can improve his or her own speed by proper training. Athletes who have just a little bit of good quickness also possess the potential for great acceleration, if trained properly.
For example, in change of direction team sports, an athlete may look extremely fast when, in fact, they may only possess moderate top end speed. This is the "Illusion of Speed."
If the athlete separates away from an opponent within a five yard distance, observers might say that the athlete looks fast. But it's a trick. An Illusion.
Actually, he is just accelerating before the opponent accelerates. When he does this over and over, he gets the reputation for being the fastest athlete on the field. More than likely, there are many other players that are faster than he is - who have a faster top end speed. But the truth is, you can have great acceleration without having the greatest top end speed, and still look like the fastest player on the field. Athletes from the sports of football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and even baseball can easily fall in to this category.
Do you want to accelerate before your opponent? Do you want to look like the fastest athlete on the field? I can help.
Let's start with a couple old-school track and field drills.
But don't just flop through the movements. Think about what to move, where to move, and when to move it there.
1) High Knee Skips
Most athletes know the high knee skip. For generating quicker acceleration, you need to adjust your thinking, focus, and purpose. Concentrate. Don't talk, don't look around, focus and keep your body firm.
When skipping, the lead knee should reach a high point at or above the hips, for full range of motion. Once the leg is up to it's high end position, quickly accelerate the leg and foot down faster than the up stroke. This is similar to pushing down your bike pedal to gain more speed. Your body will recall that old feeling if focused on and emphasized during the high knee skip drill.
The goal is to get the foot down quicker to proceed to the next stride.
2) High Knee Running
Same emphasis. Focus on moving the leg, knee and foot down slightly faster than it comes up to the high position. You can bring your knee up to a 1/4, 1/2 or full position. But once you reach your predetermined knee height, firmly accelerate your leg down faster than the upstroke. Do not slam your foot into the ground. Just use a quick and easy acceleration downward.
3) Incline/Hill Running
The only way to accelerate when running up a hill is to drive and push the leg down faster to launch the body up against the resistance of gravity.
Why do this?
Using a familiar drill means you don't have to learn a new action. You only need to move your body at a different moment with a different speed of that range of motion. The sooner you can fire your foot to the ground the sooner you can accelerate up to speed.
Your goal is to get your foot down faster than your opponent so you can accelerate and/or change directions before your opponent. When you do this you will separate from your opponent.
Acceleration Physics
Let's take a very short look at the simple logic of the science of acceleration physics. Follow this scenario:
If we asked two athletes to do a sprint up to 10mph. But we asked athlete A to reach 10mph at the 5 yard mark and asked athlete B not to reach that speed until he hits the 10 yard mark. Who wins? Obviously the athlete that reaches 10mph first would easily win, but they both are running at the same top end speed. But A looks faster, because he accelerated first, and therefore, gets to the spot first.
This can easily become the "Illusion of Speed". If you get good at this skill you will not only look faster but you will begin to get to the spots faster or I should say "sooner". The more you rehearse faster downward leg acceleration the more you will accelerate away from your opponent.
One of my former teammates was the great Walter Payton. He had this quality - the quality to accelerate before anyone else. He was not fast enough to be an Olympic sprinter. But he had this ability to accelerate sooner than the opponent and that made him very difficult to catch from behind. (Oh, and, he was also great at running over you as well!)
So, to get faster as an athlete, teach yourself the science and art of acceleration. If you accelerate early, you will always be "a step ahead".
Good luck and "be well and be fast."
Yes and No.
Great top end speed may be genetically related. However, every athlete can improve his or her own speed by proper training. Athletes who have just a little bit of good quickness also possess the potential for great acceleration, if trained properly.
For example, in change of direction team sports, an athlete may look extremely fast when, in fact, they may only possess moderate top end speed. This is the "Illusion of Speed."
If the athlete separates away from an opponent within a five yard distance, observers might say that the athlete looks fast. But it's a trick. An Illusion.
Actually, he is just accelerating before the opponent accelerates. When he does this over and over, he gets the reputation for being the fastest athlete on the field. More than likely, there are many other players that are faster than he is - who have a faster top end speed. But the truth is, you can have great acceleration without having the greatest top end speed, and still look like the fastest player on the field. Athletes from the sports of football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and even baseball can easily fall in to this category.
Do you want to accelerate before your opponent? Do you want to look like the fastest athlete on the field? I can help.
Let's start with a couple old-school track and field drills.
But don't just flop through the movements. Think about what to move, where to move, and when to move it there.
1) High Knee Skips
Most athletes know the high knee skip. For generating quicker acceleration, you need to adjust your thinking, focus, and purpose. Concentrate. Don't talk, don't look around, focus and keep your body firm.
When skipping, the lead knee should reach a high point at or above the hips, for full range of motion. Once the leg is up to it's high end position, quickly accelerate the leg and foot down faster than the up stroke. This is similar to pushing down your bike pedal to gain more speed. Your body will recall that old feeling if focused on and emphasized during the high knee skip drill.
The goal is to get the foot down quicker to proceed to the next stride.
2) High Knee Running
Same emphasis. Focus on moving the leg, knee and foot down slightly faster than it comes up to the high position. You can bring your knee up to a 1/4, 1/2 or full position. But once you reach your predetermined knee height, firmly accelerate your leg down faster than the upstroke. Do not slam your foot into the ground. Just use a quick and easy acceleration downward.
3) Incline/Hill Running
The only way to accelerate when running up a hill is to drive and push the leg down faster to launch the body up against the resistance of gravity.
Why do this?
Using a familiar drill means you don't have to learn a new action. You only need to move your body at a different moment with a different speed of that range of motion. The sooner you can fire your foot to the ground the sooner you can accelerate up to speed.
Your goal is to get your foot down faster than your opponent so you can accelerate and/or change directions before your opponent. When you do this you will separate from your opponent.
Acceleration Physics
Let's take a very short look at the simple logic of the science of acceleration physics. Follow this scenario:
If we asked two athletes to do a sprint up to 10mph. But we asked athlete A to reach 10mph at the 5 yard mark and asked athlete B not to reach that speed until he hits the 10 yard mark. Who wins? Obviously the athlete that reaches 10mph first would easily win, but they both are running at the same top end speed. But A looks faster, because he accelerated first, and therefore, gets to the spot first.
This can easily become the "Illusion of Speed". If you get good at this skill you will not only look faster but you will begin to get to the spots faster or I should say "sooner". The more you rehearse faster downward leg acceleration the more you will accelerate away from your opponent.
One of my former teammates was the great Walter Payton. He had this quality - the quality to accelerate before anyone else. He was not fast enough to be an Olympic sprinter. But he had this ability to accelerate sooner than the opponent and that made him very difficult to catch from behind. (Oh, and, he was also great at running over you as well!)
So, to get faster as an athlete, teach yourself the science and art of acceleration. If you accelerate early, you will always be "a step ahead".
Good luck and "be well and be fast."
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