Speed Training

[bdog3741]

I will attempt to address several points in the replies above.  First off, it takes about 6 weeks to peak the speed of a conditioned athlete.  So, there is plenty of time in ..............  Anyway, I could go on and on about strength and conditioning programs, but I can't give away too many of my secrets, ha ha.

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Da%$... Im guessing your very educated in this area. Thanks, one question however. As a highschool coach, where could you go to get this kind of information? is there a clinic, class or what? Is this something every staff should or could have information to easily? once again thanks

[sneakypete]

Many football clinics will have someone speaking strength training and speed techniques. These are hot topics in HS football right now. However, most of it comes down to improving three key areas... 1) leg stregnth/explosion 2) running form 3) quickness

I heard the strength and speed coach for the Atlanta Falcons at one of these clinics last year and he said "when your squat and power-clean weights go up, your 40 times will go down."

[CoachBray]

Grey Ghost,

This is perhaps the most educated reply that I've seen on this message board. Very good info and this relates to ALL sports.

[cbg]

For most high schools the Bigger/Faster/Stronger (BFS) program is the best of all worlds. It combines strength training, speed & agility training, and flexibility. If you will follow the program (use Beat the System Pro) the way that it was designed it is great. It does take the time consuming (planning new workouts) element away from the coaches and allows them to focus on their athletes using proper technique. The BFS package is also designed with the multi sport high school athletes in mind. Let's face the facts that in high school every coach needs the best athletes in their school on the field and that requires athletes playing 2 or 3 sports while doing a strength training program at the same time.

 

The coach that is responsibile for the strength program needs to do him/her self a favor and get certified. The national strength coaches association and BFS both have a great certification programs that are excellent and could prevent litigation in the event that one of their athletes is injuried while under their supervision. I have found that the majority (98%+) of the so called strength coaches in Tennessee are not certified and really have a very limited knowledge about how to train and run a strength program for high school athletes. Their knowledge in most instances would be equal to a 3rd & 4th grade father coaching basketball that never played the game in high school.

Edited November 18, 2004 by cbg

[bulldg75]

I will attempt to address several points in the replies above.  First off, it takes about 6 weeks to peak the speed of a conditioned athlete.  So, there is plenty of time in the summer to develop speed if they already have a base level of strength.  What I mean by base level of strength is that they have been squatting, cleaning, and lunging.  All power comes from the hips.  Your legs are your wheels, and your hips & butt is your engine.  Your not going to put thousand dollar wheels and tires on a car with a 4-cylinder.  That would be stupid.  The winter off-season program should be focused on base level strength & flexibility.  In the spring the program should advance to a developmental strength phase, including progressive core and agility/balance training.  Linear speed training doesn't need to really be introduced until the summer as the peak power strength protocol is inserted.  The game of football involves very little speed anyway.  The 40 is not an assessment of speed, but rather an assessment of acceleration.  The 100m measures speed.  It takes 32-37 meters to reach full speed.  Football is a game of acceleration and change of direction.  Now, to train acceleration and speed, you must train with acceleration and speed.  This is the importance of cleans.  Cleans are a triple extension movement, just like coming out of the blocks or exploding off of the line of scrimmage.  A single clean should be accomplished in 0.2-0.3 sec, as this is the time it takes our biomechanical system to develop peak power.  Train speed with speed, and explosion with explosion.  You have to match the biomechanical demands of the game with biomechanical movements in the weight room and on the training field.  Running long distance will actually decrease power in your athletes, thereby making them slower.  Your intermediate type IIA muscle (slow glycolytic) fibers are the only one that can be trained to become more fast-twitch or more slow-twitch.  Your genetic code determines true fast-twitch to slow-twitch ratios, and you can't change this.  But you do have control over the intermediate fibers.  This is why it is so important to have ample rest between sets when training for explosion.  Old school coaches think we should run 40 after 40 after 40 with only a few seconds rest between each one, but this just makes the athlete run slower.  You must allow time for the regeneration of ATP-Creatine in the muscles, because this provides the immediate energy needed for anaerobic activities, such as sprinting and jumping.  The athlete should fully have their wind back before every running the next sprint.  If the athlete is not allowed enough rest between each drill to perform that drill at maximum effort, then you are not training speed and quickness, you are training endurance.  For strength, balance and flexibility throughout the core and hips is often overlooked.  Everything happens at the hips.  Success in football and basketball is largely dependent on an athlete's ability to explode powerfully from the hips.  Hips and legs create the summation of forces necessary for the upper-body to be powerful in a closed kinetic chain position in space.  This is why Roger Clemens has been so good for so long.  It is not because he works out his upper-body all the time.  Nobody's shoulder alone can endure all the pitches he has thrown.  Clemens creates this power from his legs, hips, and core.  His shoulder and arm is just a result of these forces that have accumulated from the lower body.  So much power has reached his shoulder by the time he's stepping of the mound that his arm doesn't have to endure much strain.  His lower body does all the work and his arm is just the tool to let the ball go.  But going back to what one guy said, it is true.  If your kids don't believe in your program, it will falter, despite the fact that it may be the most scientifically advanced program in the world.  Science means nothing on paper.  It comes down to how it is implemented and applied in the athlete's lifestyle.  I say lifestyle because that's what it must become.  Coaches should be trying to instill healthy living habits.  We want our physical training to transcend beyond the playing field.  We are in the business of encouraging healthy lifestyles that becomes a naturally desired part of their person.  Anyway, I could go on and on about strength and conditioning programs, but I can't give away too many of my secrets, ha ha.

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Thank you grey ghost for the info at bearden they want to have speed training only and not going to start lifting weights till Jan. We need alot of help and your post has shed alot of info thank you

[bigchief]

USA Weightlifting also offers a very comprehensive certification with different levels of mastery.

[cbg]

bigchief,

 

You are correct about USA Weightlifting having different levels of certification, for some reason they just didn't come to my mind.

[FSUATC]

The coach that is responsibile for the strength program needs to do him/her self a favor and get certified.  The national strength coaches association and BFS both have a great certification programs that are great and could prevent litigation in the event that one of their athletes is injuried while working out.  I have found that the majority (98%+) of the so called strength coaches in Tennessee are not certified and really have a very limited knowledge about how to train and run a strength program for high school athletes.  Their knowledge in most instances would be equal to a 3rd & 4th grade father coaching basketball that never played the game in high school.

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I couldn't agree more. A certified professional needs to head these programs in order to prevent any sort of injury from occuring. Luckily, in this day and age, most schools have a certified athletic trainer on site who is educated in this arena (as well as all sports related injuries) and can greatly assist in developing a program to increase linear speed, as well as agility and quickness.

Further, a number of National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) professionals are available to consult with schools-- these Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists are well versed in all aspects of strength training as well as sport improvement drills.

Edited November 18, 2004 by FSUATC

[FSUATC]

Ghost---

are you a CSCS too?

You seem to be well versed in the topic.

[Dalefan]

SAQ program from Fort Sanders West (Knoxville). Coalfield had about 60 students go through the program this spring. Ages 11-17, boys and girls. Great learning experience for them. Football team speed much improved.

[goldballs]

is htis oneof thebig topic at the bearden booster meeting

[Grey Ghost]

CoachBray, many thanks for the compliment. Strength & Conditioning is simply my livelihood. I am ACE-CPT, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, NIS-CST (National Institute of Sports - Certified Sports Trainer). Most of your high schools should be contracting out an ATC from Star, Health South, or Baptist, etc. ATCs, while they know a limited amount about strength training for power, they do know a fair amount about speed & agility. So, if your school can't afford a certified strength coach, you should just ask your ATC to help in developing a speed & agility program. Agility programs are often part of rehab protocol, so they are usually up to date in that area. And, if you're needing to implement a strength program, and you don't have a certified coach, I would suggest you educate yourself by visiting www.humankinetics.com and purchasing a training book related to your sport. Here is the problem. Many coaches get a workout from someone they respect and they implement the workout, and it may be a great workout with fabulous volume & intensity correlations, exercise modality, and recovery measures, etc., and your kids may love it; but, if the little details are not attended to in the technique of all the lifts, the probability of injury down the road is increased. There are so many things to look for in a back squat. Most points of emphasis are overlooked because what does everybody say, "Get in the hole, get deeper, etc." Heck, I say it, but not at the expense of compromising another part of the body. Only encourage depth with those that are capable of handling it. Depth is important, but it's one step at a time. Weightlifting belts, wrist wraps. How many of your kids are wearing these? These are actually harmful. Belts actually increase the stress load on the lower vertebrae and at times may take the back out of its natural alignment. Belts prevent the core from strengthening. I actually eliminate back problems in athletes by simply removing the belt. I've had many college football players with lower back pain. I tell them to trash the belt and they think I've flipped. 2 months of squatting and deadlifting without a belt, and their back feels great. It's because we strengthened the core. If your back can't handle the load without a belt, you are lifting too heavy anyway. Wristwraps actually weaken ligaments in the wrist by stretching them. Tendons are compromised by relying on the wraps. If you can't hold on to the weight naturally, your grip is an area that needs to be addressed. The answer is not wear wraps. Kids should be able to deadlift 400-500 lbs without wraps. Never wear them in the first place and your grip will improve with your overall body strength. And most importantly about these two items from a sports performance perspective is this: Do you play your sport in a belt? Do you grab someone's jersey while tackling with wrist wraps? What is your excuse when you couldn't hold on to that big rumbling back? Kids wear a belt to squat 250 lbs all summer long, then they go out and are asked to drive block a 250 lb guy or have a collision with a 200 lb guy (thereby creating a force of over 300 and up to 500 lbs, depending on the weight of the 2nd participant and the velocities of both) - all without a belt. How much sense does that make. This leads to the injuries. Well, son, we don't think your back can squat this much weight without a belt, but we're asking you to go out on the field and endure twice the load on your back without a belt on Friday night. You want kids to practice like they play, but I don't hear coaches saying, "let's lift like we play". And that's just it, we must train like we play. Let your wrists have a free ride during the off-season, and then subject your wrists to all kinds of torque, leverage, and force during the event. Now, this has nothing to do with taping your wrists for practices or games. This is not the same as wearing wrist wraps. So, first two things to change in your program. Throw away all belts and wrist wraps. You might keep on belt on hand if you are testing a 1-RM. This is acceptable, but you really shouldn't be doing that with HS kids unless they are competitive powerlifters, which isn't a real big sport here in Tennessee. Where I come from, it's a big HS sport. Now maybe this is old news to ya'll, therefore I apologize for wasting your time. If you know all this, then good. But I still see a lot of high schools around here performing the old school standards. If you go to a big DI program, you'll know what I am talking about. Going back to the squat, there is so many details to look out for besides depth, like hip flexion, alignment, and the distribution of weight over the heels as opposed to the toes. Whether your lunging, leg pressing, or squatting, make sure the athlete is driving through their heels in order to preserve the knees. Squatting makes the knees stronger - if they're done right. So don't let some snotty-nosed kid come tell you his pediatrician said he shouldn't squat for the sake of his knees. If he's squatting correctly, he is preventing his knees from suffering injuries. On the other hand, if his squatting technique is poor, he is setting himself up for disaster. Many injuries on the field are obviously an inherent risk in the game that can't be controlled; but many can be controlled, but not at the moment they happen, but rather long ago, away from the lights, in the summer heat, with sweat and guts, doing the right techniques. You see, unfortuantely, injuries occur every year that could have been avoided, but poor programs actually promoted the imbalance or deficiency that led to the injury. There is no easy answer because the state can't give most schools enough money to afford a certified strength coach. Because a certified coach can make a very good living in the private sector, so the schools are competing with an income level that is difficult to match. Private schools can usually afford these coaches, but the problem here is that most of them don't know how to go about an adequate investigation for a qualified strength coach. The problem with the USAW is that it doesn't really qualify there people to deal with all aspects of training. Little attention is given to cardiovascular training, endurance sports, and working with barely post-pubescent athletes, especially girls. What USAW accomplishes is great for people are want to be good weightlifters, but not all of that, even though good in its own rights, transfers well to the playing field. NSCA (CSCS) is still the top organization to look for when hiring. ACSM-HFI is another good one, NASM, and ISSA is okay. ACE is good for working with your endurance athletes, but not really appropriate for training football, basketball, track & field events. Honestly, most of the others you need to stay away from. If someone tells you they are part of an organization, contact the National Committie of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) to find out if that organization has been approved by them. If not, you should probably steer clear. There are numerous organizations, and most of them are not regulated by anything except greed. There are no federal regulations or standards on what makes a truly certified strength coach. If I can only reccommend two books, they are Complete Conditioning for Football by a Arthur/Bailey (Nebraska S&C coaches) and Sports Speed by Ward (former Olympic coach and Dallas Cowboys S&C coach), Dintiman, & Tellez. One book will give your programs for strength and agility, and the other for speed. These are two good ones that are easy to understand and apply. There are others that are more detailed but require a degree in the field to understand. And then there are a lot of books that stink - just written by some strength coach that swears by his program when really his Head Coach just recruited some freakin' good athletes. For example, Florida. Florida's strength program is lousy. Those guys get to the NFL and test and lift and you wonder what in the heck they've been doing - well not much of anything. But, for years, Spurrier just recruited amazing athletes. It's easy to look like a genuis when you have a coach that can recruit. Anyway, I hope I have helped ya'll in some way. The schools just need to pay all ya'll more money is what I think, ha ha. Another vital issue is how insufficient school lunches are, if the kids can go off-campus for lunch, well then, what are they eating, and when hiring a strength coach, learning how to share him/her with all the sports, especially the girls. But, nutrition, is a whole other topic, and my wife just yelled at me to come get the baby, so I must go. A great program reaps little rewards if the players aren't putting the right things in their mouths. Good luck with all your programs.