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Max Velocity (Top Speed) in a Short Sprint

johnmakell

Updated: Jan 22



Pardon the picture above it is the best I saw in the Wix free selection, LOL.


A Common Flaw


Many sprinters, for various reasons, prematurely allow the velocity to level off, failing to have it continue to increase for as long as it should. The explanations of rhythm and technique that I explained in previous blogs is what will allow the athlete to improve their maximal running velocity and overall sprint times.


Key Component


Ralph Mann stated, “The maximum velocity that the athlete can produce is dependent upon how long productive Horizontal forces can be applied. As long as the Total Horizontal force created during ground contact is positive, Horizontal Velocity will increase."


So, the task before the coach and athlete is to be able to identify and recognize the effects of horizontal and vertical forces during the execution of the sprinting technique, and as I pointed out in the "Initial Acceleration" blog, learn how to apply these forces effectively.


In my mind, having good front side mechanics that include the rising of the hips and the elevation of the body from the beginning and throughout the run, are key considerations in recognizing productive horizontal and vertical forces. An over-emphasis of either front side (knee lift) or rear side mechanics (inappropriate push back into the ground behind the center of mass) come against the productive application of horizontal and vertical forces.


How Athletes May Perceive Cues


In my previous blogs, I detail how the athlete may feel force application, however; it is important to realize that different athletes may perceive certain efforts differently. Stu McMillan of Altis made a great observation of the types of cues his athletes benefited from. He said, “Athletes generally fit into two categories, ones that can feel the foot on the ground really well, as opposed to the ones that feel the limbs in space really well.” So, for upright running, some may respond better to cues similar to “pushing down into the ground,” while others relate better to “driving the thigh into space or their hand up into space.” So the cue, “drive the hand up up up up, and that may bring the entire system up,” may work for some athletes, while “feel the foot go straight down, straight down, step down, recover up, straight down,” may work better for others.


There are also athletes who, at top speed, feel their feet on the ground and others who don’t. As I've stressed, rhythm and timing are important parts of sprinting, and athletes trying to focus on cues they aren’t good at receiving can disrupt their rhythm and timing. In short, coaches, it’s important to choose words carefully—ALTIS coaches even talk about how “mood words can significantly enhance outcomes for coaches and athletes alike.”


Max Velocity/Top Speed Gear


In the book Running, Bosch and Klomp describe shifting into the "top speed gear" by stating, “At the moment when velocity is nearly maximum, the trunk is then directed more upright while the pelvis is pushed farther forward.” In my mind this is just continuing the appropriate elevation as velocity increases. Also describing the posture when upright, Loren Seagraves likes to say, “tummy tight, back flat, hips facing up (butt tucked)”, and Tom Tellez does a great job in this video. John Smith likes to add “chin down.”


When referencing the application of vertical forces and the need to continue to elevate during upright sprinting, I like the cue of “imagining that there is a string from the sky attached to the top of the head, pulling upward.” I also like Usain Bolt’s max velocity cues, “shoulders down and knees up, swinging from the hips.”


Maintain Max Velocity


Mann goes on to also say, "Once Maximum Velocity is reached, the goal must be to produce the large level of Vertical force required to maintain proper Mechanics while continuing to produce the small amount of positive Horizontal force needed to maintain Maximum Velocity.” In other words, there is a bounciness associated with max velocity that supports moving up the track at top speed. During the bounciness, the feet are pushing up, not lifting the head and chest. In my mind this is best achieved if leading up to that the athlete had good shin and trunk discipline as I've explained previously.


Important Max Velocity Technical Aspects


At some point when moving toward top speed, B skip drill dynamics become more of a part of the strides. This awesome video explains critical do’s and don’ts for the strides during this phase. The whole video is great, but you can forward to the 27-minute, 30-second mark for what I’m specifically referencing.


FYI - What the video in the previous paragraph demonstrates, is closely related to the build-up of pre-tension in the hamstrings during the scissoring action of the legs during upright sprinting, which facilitates an effective rotation described in this lengthy quote from the book Running. "During the scissor-like motion of the legs during the floating phase, developing forces tilt the pelvis backward and forward: the hamstrings and abdominal muscles tilt the pelvis backward, while the iliopsoas on the swing leg side tilts it forward. As the swing leg oscillates outward, the hamstrings together with the abdominal muscles exert a force that tilts the pelvis backward. The iliopsoas can slow this backward tilt somewhat, thus causing pre-stretch in the hamstrings of the front leg. In this way, the pelvis works like a lever so that energy can be transferred from the trailing to the leading leg."


My Take


Starting and accelerating in a fundamentally sound manner puts the athlete in position to continue onto a very good Max Velocity. At the heart of this is achieving an effective combination of stride length and stride frequency in a manner that, in my opinion, includes what I've described on the home page and in blogs leading up to this one. Again, ideally, certain reflexes contribute to success leading up to Max Velocity, and during Max Velocity, the book "Running" describes how the "stumble" and "inverse-extension" reflexes are part of the scissoring action described in the previous paragraph - "bending the hip and knee of one leg strengthens the extension in the other hip and knee, and vice versa. This involuntary, reinforcing effect is important. The pendular action of the leading leg just before foot placement is carried out with more force because of such reinforcement." So, in my mind, a failure to utilize the various "involuntary reinforcing effects" during the earlier stages of the sprint, negatively affects the ability to do so later in the sprint.


Deceleration


For races of 100 meters and greater there will be a period of deceleration. The objective is to skillfully minimize this portion.


In Conclusion


At the end of the day, in my mind, with all the stuff and cues I've thrown at you in this blog, technique is best improved with competition in practice to help the athletes to develop the coordination, timing, and rhythm to maximize performance.


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Runners Taking Off

               The Start Doctor

The start of a race can set the table for success throughout the rest of the race. Although executing key fundamental aspects of running, and the top speed (max velocity) attained in the race are of the utmost importance, the skill of executing and managing various aspects, ie; things that affect stride length, stride frequency, running position(s), and the quality of the ground contacts during the start and initial acceleration, not only impacts performance during the early portion of the race, but also can put the athlete in position to maximize the quality and effectiveness of the top speed. For sprinters in the sport of track and field, the starting blocks provide an angled platform to push off against to launch into the race. A failure to skillfully utilize the starting blocks impacts the basic elements I previously alluded to and can negatively affect the rest of the race. A problem, however; is that there must be an effective teaching strategy because using starting blocks can provide quite a challenge for athletes of all ages and stages of maturity. My suggestion is to focus on skillfully starting and accelerating from various positions without blocks before adding starting blocks. Read on for the learning progression that I use to develop fundamentally sound starting block use. This teaching method can also be used to enhance the abilities of starting, stopping, changing direction, and achieving top speed effectively during other sports where prowess in these areas is important.

Ironically

This is not to say that athletes need to spend an inordinate amount of time throughout the year practicing starts. As a matter of fact, in the sport of track, many training runs, are not done by starting and accelerating very explosively in order to save the legs from excessive wear and tear, and as I said above, it is the top speed (max velocity), that is the primary consideration. In my opinion this includes the top speed attained in sub max training runs, as the athlete can demonstrate the ability to react and respond effectively and coordinate movements, along with the timing and rhythm to maximize efficiency at the various speeds and intensities, with the idea being for the athlete to develop the ability to maximize running efficiency and effectiveness at any pace. I also maintain that even when moving into starts, ie; with a roll, hop, etc..., or otherwise starting and accelerating in a lesser intense manner, that these reps can still support the development of body control and the maximizing of performance that I just alluded to. When in sufficient condition, and during an appropriate time in the training period, it of course, is beneficial to get reps starting explosively and moving toward and into top speeds in a similar manner that is done during competitions. Doing so allows the athlete the opportunity to master operating with the body and its parts moving through angles, paths, trajectories and applying force in ways that correspond with competitive intensities. When not in sufficient condition, however; repeated intense sprinting can lead to injury. Check out my blogs for my take on maximizing sprint success.

Some Limiting Factors 

Various limiting factors are critical components. Some of these factors are strength, flexibility, mechanics, and conditioning. Much of the information in my blogs pertain to mechanics, but I hope to make it clear how technical aspects are supported by various physical abilities. I believe it is important for coaches to attempt to assess their athletes early on to try to identify what mechanics are already being executed skillfully, as well as which are not, and what physical abilities are strengths, and which are weaknesses. This should allow the coach(es) to individualize instruction to some degree. When dealing with youths, age-appropriateness is an important consideration in this regard. Coaches need to be able to recognize various limitations athletes may have at the varying levels of maturity and developmental stages as they are trying to accomplish various tasks. Read my blogs for my take on these matters. This very importantly includes recognizing and understanding elite level performances, and identifying areas that even the elite athletes may need to improve upon as well!

Flexibility

It is important not to underestimate the importance of flexibility. For child athletes, their flexibility is most often very impressive, but with maturity, as the muscles and tendons strengthen, flexibility inevitably lessens. According to Ralph Mann," The biggest non-genetic factor affecting flexibility, however, is neglect." He explained the critical role flexibility plays, stating, "If a sprinter is not flexible enough in their pelvic area to shift their hips forward at Touchdown, then they are forced to "sit back" at foot strike. This position not only shifts the body center back (insuring more braking forces) but also presents a "soft" (less rigid) body position which leads to time consuming hip flexion, as well as requiring the hips to move through a longer range of motion (both time and energy wasteful).

In my mind, gaining an understanding of the movements described in the previous Mann quote, and recognizing their part in the athlete's movement up the track from the start of the race, through initial acceleration and top speed is foundational. There are varying degrees of flexibility and ranges of motion demonstrated by successful sprinters. Understanding what Mann explained can help coaches identify various methods of compensation athletes may use, as well as help coaches consider strategies to address root causes of various movement issues. Left unaddressed, some issues not only can hamper performance, but also can lead to injury. It is important to realize that athletes at all levels exhibit compensatory actions related to body structure/development, previous injuries, etc... Although I certainly am not an expert in this area, I hope to provide helpful information in some of my blogs. I participated in the Altis Apprentice Coach Program this past summer in Atlanta, and it made a huge impression upon me when I saw the attention the athletes got on the therapy tables, getting massages and other forms of body work meant to address various issues that if untreated, could have been problematic. 

Strength/Conditioning

There is obviously a significant genetic component to strength, but a major challenge for the coach is to adequately address the static, dynamic, and elastic strength needs, as well as getting the athlete to apply these abilities effectively when sprinting. As with flexibility, being able to identify various functional strength needs can be very valuable, and as with flexibility, various functional strength aspects support good technique, ie; joint stability. My "Physical Development" blog covers this as well as conditioning

Important Aspects of Starting Positions Are Shared to Some Degree 

 

Learning to position, balance, and coordinate movements to react quickly and get out and up the track effectively includes recruiting key muscle groups and utilizing reflexes to start explosively while utilizing good ranges of motion. Learning to do this from the "standing start" position not only can carry over to other sports where movements are initiated from a standing position but can also provide valuable carryover abilities to the 4-point and 3-point starting stances used during sprints. A key issue in my mind, is that many athletes don't feel they are able to react well and move explosively and effectively up the track from the standing position unless allowed to cheat, ie, roll or otherwise move into the start. This leads many to feel that putting one or two hands on the ground is a basic necessity for getting a good start when not allowed to cheat, as well as feeling that having starting blocks to push off from is a necessity in order to get a good start. This belief can lead to a failure to develop positioning and balancing methods that can lead to maximizing performances from the other starting positions, not to mention that many sprinters cheat during block starts also, and as I've said, an effective start and initial acceleration, makes it easier to flow into an effective max velocity. 

In Addition

Check out this reflexes link also (other link in previous paragraph). Forming an understanding of the roles that reflexes play, as much as anything, can help coaches better understand the high-level performances that they are looking at, and help them to better build upon and enhance these athletes' successes. At an elite or close to elite level, most of the sprinters exhibit impressive reflexes and powerful movements that occur at 4.5 - 5 strides per second, yet some sprinters are obviously consistently better than the others. I hope to be able to describe in my blogs a learning progression that can help identify areas that even elite athletes can improve upon and lead to an improvement in their sprint performances. Read on!

How Speed Development Impacts Other Sports

In a perfect world, I believe that speed training should occur in the off-season where the athlete doesn't have to be overly concerned with quickly seeing results on the field, court, pitch, etc... Having said that, I do believe that the balls, implements, sport specific movements, etc..., need to be adequately incorporated in the speed training, ie; dribbling a basketball, soccer ball, defensive movements, etc... My blogs on incorporating speed into specific sports include videos of how some of the fastest athletes in those sports looked during game play. Once again, athletes should not lose sight of the primary objective still being to effectively execute the fundamentals of the sport. An example is how basketball players are to jump off of one foot under control to shoot a layup after dribbling down the court very fast. A fundamental of jumping events in track applies here. The speed needs to be under control enough to execute the jump effectively, and the last few steps are important for executing this. In my " Speed Training for Basketball" blog I go into the details. There is also the aspect of preparing the joints, tendons, and musculature for the stresses that an improvement of speed may have when starting, stopping, changing direction, jumping/landing, and achieving top speed during play. My blogs address this as well.  

My Blogs

Below are the titles of a series of blogs where I go in depth into particular topics. Most of the blogs, however; are less than a 5-minute read. The exception is my The Start is Actually the first Three Steps blog, which is a 9-minute read and pretty much lays the foundation for the rest of the blogs. In regard to sports that feature jumping, pivoting, and changes of direction, I suggest first reading my Care for the Knees blog, as it includes valuable information about the possible susceptibility to non-contact ACL Tears and how possibly to help prevent them. Even if you first read my Preparing Athletes for Sports That Feature Starting, Stopping, and Changes of Direction blog, you will see how it is necessary to get the information from the other blogs.

That aside, my suggestion is to read the blogs in the order you see below.  You'll notice that I have numerous blogs listed before the blogs that describe the particular starting positions. This is intentional, in order to give you a good overall view before considering the starting positions. You can easily access the blogs using the "Blog" button at the top of this page, then click on each blog that you want to read. You will probably have to scroll down to the "Start is Three Steps" blog. If viewing this on your phone, click on the three lines in the search box at the top of the page, then click on "Blog". I welcome your comments, but I admit, this being a new site, I'm not sure how easy it is to post a comment. I plan to check and respond periodically. 

My Availability

I am located in Lexington, South Carolina. The school where I teach Physical Education and coach Track is in session, so, of course, I am occupied with that. You may contact me at youthspeedcoach@gmail.com to see when I am able to consult with groups, ie; track teams/clubs, football teams, soccer teams, basketball teams, etc..., as well as with individuals and small groups for training.

Now Posted

The Start is Actually the First Three Steps!

The Initial Acceleration Beyond the Start

Rotational and Linear Aspects of Sprinting

Effective Recruitment and Coordination of Key Muscle Groups

Developing a Good Standing Start

The Three-Point and Four-Point Starts 

 

Max Velocity (Top Speed) in a Short Sprint

Physical Development and Resistance Training for Sprinters

Sample Early Season Training for Your Sprint - Jump - Hurdle Groups

Running the 40-Yard Dash

Care for the Knees During Sports That Involve Jumping, Pivoting, and Cutting

Preparing athletes for Sports That Feature Starting, Stopping, and Changes of Direction

Applying Sprinting Skills and Speed to the Football Field

Speed Training and Basketball

Speed Training and Soccer

Contact me at youthspeedcoach@gmail.com for other topics you would like me to address

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