Contents
Using sprinting speed work and techniques to boost your maximum speed
Hill sprints, spending your gym workouts sprinting, trying to practise plyometric exercises, plyometrics and other confusing words that essentially mean acceleration phase.
Why?
Because overall speed is an attribute of any athlete, and just like any attributes of any human, we all want to turn those attributes into accolades (…there are many ways of mixing track training to help with this btw).
And being the fastest is a great thing to strive for.
But to sprint faster isn’t just to become speedier… working on speed has a whole range of benefits that can feed into wider training areas. Aspects like aerobic capacity, entire body endurance, shorter rest periods and strength training – there are many reasons to get quicker.
So what are the many ways through which you can get there?
Let’s find out.
Technique
Technique is everything. Before touching on high-energy or smart workouts you need to make sure your form is on form. Sprinting mechanics demand more than your average run. You need to maintain a good upright posture but at the same time keep your shoulders relaxed whilst maintaining a good arms swing. Tensing during a sprint can do a lot of harm, and so your normal jogging technique is probably too ‘lax’ here. Sprinters and endurance runners alike should of course have good technique, but the tiny differences – like keeping your fingers and hands entirely loose throughout, should help keep your bodily fuel efficient and muscular tension (in un-wanted places) low.
Another part of technique is making sure you run on the balls of your feet. It may sound odd if this doesn’t come naturally to you, but with the balls of your feet, you get a stronger foot strike platform to push from instead of, say, your heel. More strength, more power, and your spriting drills are going to need it.
One more technique-based tip, as described by Masterclass: ”Use shorter strides. Increase your stride frequency and decrease the length of the stride to sprint faster. Longer strides leave you in the air and out of control for longer periods of time, while each short stride has the potential to push you forward faster.”
And lastly, you need to breathe properly. Your breathing should be one of the main parts of your practice. You need to increase anaerobic capacity and efficiency in order to transport oxygenated blood cells around your body, keeping your muscles strong and your endurance heightened.
Conclusion
This is just a small snippet of the many things you can go do in order to improve your game. Speed is great, sprinting and sprint training is infinitely good for you, but progression in the name of growing is even better. You can boost muscle power, you can breathe better, hey you can even work on your ankle strength if you want to – whatever your goal make it happen, today.
FAQs
Is good running form universal?
Good is good, and a good running form is universal, but of course, it depends on you and your body to some extent. Realise what you need to do based on your build and take the best steps to achieve this going forward.
