© National Strength and Conditioning Association

Volume 27, Number 1, pages 18–25

Keywords: assisted sprints; resisted sprints; speed barrier; varied

pace sprints

Means and Methods of Speed

Training: Part II
John M. Cissik, MS, CSCS, *D; NSCA-CPT, *D
Texas Woman’s University, Denton,Texas

limits speed, drills are performed to help length of the leg (2). This approach
summary perfect sprinting technique (these drills works well with track and field athletes,
were covered in “Means and Methods of but many coaches may work with too
This article covers means used in Speed Training: Part I,” Strength Cond. J. many athletes at one time to conduct
26(4):24–29). Second, stride length can these measurements, and degree of pre-
speed training, including stride- be trained directly because it influences cision may not be necessary. In this situ-
length and stride-frequency drills, speed. Third, stride frequency may be ation it is appropriate to assign athletes
improved with the appropriate training. into groups based upon their height.
sprints of varying distances and in- Fourth, sprints covering varying dis-
tances and intensities are used. Fifth, ex- Stride-length drills are typically con-
tensity, varied-speed training, resist- ercises may involve sprints with several ducted at a percentage of optimal stride
ed sprinting, and assisted sprinting. changes in speed (varied-pace sprints). length, generally 60–105% of optimal
Sixth, sprints may be performed with re- stride length (2). Making the drills at
Program design guidelines and a sistance (i.e., the sprinting motion is more than 105% of optimal stride
made more difficult). Finally, sprints length can lead to overstriding, which
sample program are also presented. performed with assistance to allow the results in the athlete spending too much
athlete to run faster than he or she is nor- time on the ground and braking (i.e.,
mally capable of are also used. slowing down).
he first part of this article covers

T factors affecting speed, maximum

velocity running technique, and
drills for developing sprinting form and
Stride-Length Drills
In theory, stride-length drills are de-
signed to help improve speed or the
With the stride-length drill, the athlete
will place each foot a certain distance
apart while running. Hurdles, sticks,
demonstrates that technique drills alone rhythm of a sprinter’s stride. To conduct tape, tennis balls, pencils, or anything
are not a substitute for sprinting. This stride-length drills, one needs to deter- else may be used that will visually mark
article focuses on the exercises used for mine the optimal stride length for his or the course to tell the athlete where to
improving speed and how those exercis- her athletes. This is done for female place his or her feet while running. For
es may be used, and it also reviews vari- track athletes by measuring the leg example:
ous means used for training speed and length from the greater trochanter of the
presents a sample program. femur to the floor. This measurement is • An athlete has a leg length of 36 in.
then multiplied by 2.3 to 2.5 to obtain • 2.5
36 in. = 90 in. (optimal stride
Means for Training Speed the optimal stride length. Male track length).
Several types of exercises are used to help athletes would have an optimal stride • 60% of 90 in. = 54 in.
improve speed. First, because technique length of between 2.5 to 2.7 times the • 105% of 90 in. = 94.5 in.

18 February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal

• Stride-length drills should be con- Once the fast leg drill has been mas- ing, one will need to practice the skill.
ducted between 54 and 94.5 in. tered, the athlete will perform the drill However, technique drills alone are not
after every second step (this will force a substitute for actual sprinting. For
Stride-length drills may be conducted at the athlete to alternate between the right much the same reason, stride-length and
1 distance (for example, 72 in. apart for side and the left side). Speed up the exer- stride-frequency drills are also not sub-
the athlete described above) or at several cise by combining the fast leg drills with stitutes for sprinting (i.e., the motion is
distances (for example, the drill ranges straight leg bounding. The following is a different, performed at different speeds
from 54 to 94.5 in.). With an elite progression for stride-frequency drills: and under artificial conditions).
sprinter, these drills are performed at
precise distances to help train the sprint- Ankling for 3 steps, then fast leg (left or Sprinting has several general guidelines.
er to conform his or her stride to the right). First, sprinting must take place at close
rhythm of the markers (2). McFarlane • Ankling for 2 steps, then fast leg (al- to maximum speed because sprinting at
recommends that stride-length drills ternate left and right). submaximal speeds will alter running
should not be taken much farther than • Straight leg bound for 3 steps, then mechanics, stride frequency, and stride
20 markers and that a 5-m acceleration fast leg (left or right). length (9). In other words, failing to
zone should be provided before the first • Straight leg bound for 2 steps, then train at high speeds will train athletes to
marker so that athletes have a chance to fast leg (alternate left and right). run slowly, which is not desirable. Sec-
increase stride length before reaching • Straight leg bound, fast leg every left ond, sprinting at high speeds is extreme-
the first marker (15). (or right) leg. ly taxing and requires between 24 and
• Continuous fast leg for distance. 48 hours rest between sessions (1, 6,
Stride-Frequency Drills • Fast leg on command (15). 13–15). Third, the distances that are
As mentioned earlier, speed is often con- used on a sprint will depend upon why
sidered to be the product of stride length Note that not all authorities hold that the sprint is performed. If the desire is to
and stride frequency. Therefore, in theo- stride frequency should be trained (17). train maximum speed, then the dis-
ry, improving one or both will lead to an Those who do not believe that it should tances will have to be long enough (gen-
improvement in running speed. be trained believe that athletes would be erally 50–80 m) for the athlete to reach
better served focusing on increasing maximum speed and be able to maintain
Fast leg drills, resisted sprinting, and as- stride length. it for a second or two (6). If the desire is
sisted sprinting tend to be 3 of the most to train the athlete’s ability to accelerate,
popular means for developing stride fre- Sprints of Varying Distances and then shorter distance sprints (5–50 m)
quency. Resisted and assisted sprinting Intensities would be appropriate. Fourth, fatigue
will be discussed later in this article. Fast The principle of specificity dictates that interferes with speed. Because sprinting
leg drills allow the athlete to move a limb if one wants to become better at sprint- is a taxing effort that depends heavily
at a greater speed than would normally
be possible during the running motion. Table 1
The continual practice of this could lead Sample 5-Day-a-Week Speed Training Program
to a carryover to sprinting, which would
result in an increase in stride frequency, Quality to be Rest between reps /
and therefore speed, over time. Day trained Sets
reps
distance sets (min)
Monday Speed 4
60 m from a 2-point 3
Fast leg drills are first performed with stance
ankling. Have the athlete perform the
ankling motion, at a walk, beginning Tuesday Aerobic 10
200 m 2
with the right foot. After the third step, capacity
the athlete will perform a fast “A” drill Wednesday Speed 3
4
20 m from a 3/6
(i.e., heel to hip, step over opposite leg, (acceleration) 3-point stance
knee up, drive foot down from hip) with
the left foot. The athlete will continue Thursday Anaerobic 10
40 m 1
performing the drill with the left foot capacity
after every third step for the desired dis- Friday Varied-pace 5
40-m “flying” sprints 5
tance. He or she should change sides runs (30-m acceleration zone)
after the desired distance has been cov-
ered. Reps = repetitions.

February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 19

 have been is to prevent development of a
Table 2
General Guidelines for Sprint Training
speed barrier. According to Ozolin (16),
the speed barrier is a nervous-system
Quality to be Length of each % of best Rest between Maximum pattern that develops as a result of long-
trained sprint (m) speed reps / sets volume term use of similar training methods and
Aerobic >200 <70 <45 s / 2 min 3,000 training loads. The pattern results in a
capacity premature leveling off of speed improve-
ments. In other words, athletes “learn”
Anaerobic >80 80–89 30 s–5 min / 1,800 to run at a specific velocity and are un-
capacity 3–10 min able to improve. Several types of exercis-
es are recommended for overcoming the
Speed 20–80 >90 3–5 min / 900
6–8 min speed barrier, such as using assisted
sprinting methods, varied-pace sprint-
Note: Adapted from Coaching Education Committee (2). Reps = repetitions. ing, and resisted sprinting (4, 8, 16).

upon speed of movement and tech- what percentage of best speed each It should be noted that it is unclear
nique, excessive fatigue will interfere sprint should be run, the amount of rest whether the speed-barrier concept actu-
with skill acquisition. This means that between repetitions and sets, and the ally exists and, if it does, whether it ap-
complete recovery should be empha- maximum volume for the workout. plies to nontrack athletes. Sprinters will
sized and excessive training volumes Note that the maximum volume recom- perform thousands of meters of sprints
should be avoided to minimize the detri- mendations are for collegiate sprinters; weekly, every week of their training, for
mental effects of fatigue (1). other athletes should adjust the maxi- the duration of their training lifetime.
mum volume down. Nontrack athletes, on the other hand,
These guidelines would seem to indicate will not. The speed barrier and the tools
that speed training would best be per- If one is not working with track athletes, used to overcome it may not be relevant
formed every other day during brief, then it is probably not necessary for an or applicable for different sports and
highly intense workouts. Yet track and athlete to train the components of speed different levels of ability, which calls
field coaches train their athletes on con- (i.e., technique, acceleration, maximum into question whether the training
secutive days. How can this be? velocity) more than 3 times per week. In methods to prevent its development are
fact, there probably is not time to train relevant for nontrack athletes.
More frequent training can be per- speed more than 3 times per week in ad-
formed, but this requires that one is not dition to agility, plyometrics, and core Varied-Pace Sprints
training the same qualities on successive and strength training. If one is not going Varied-pace sprints are sprints that have
days (e.g., acceleration, maximum to train speed and its components more several changes in velocity during the
speed, speed endurance) (1, 5). This is than 2 to 3 times per week, then why sprint. They serve a number of purposes.
where integrating other types of training bother with other training methods? First, by having the athlete run at differ-
methods (e.g., varied-pace runs, resisted Why not just run sprints over varying ent speeds, the sprints give the athlete a
sprints, and assisted sprints) is appropri- distances 2 to 3 times per week? chance to recharge the nervous system
ate and where submaximal “recovery” between maximal efforts (15). Second,
sprinting would be appropriate, that is, In addition to the desire to provide vari- the sprints teach the athlete how to run
for a track athlete. Aerobic- and anaero- ety to the training, the reason this ap- relaxed at high velocities, which is im-
bic-capacity sprints are used for recovery proach has not been advocated in the lit- portant because tension can cause the
from intense speed workouts and to help erature whereas other training methods athlete to slow down (8). Finally, the
develop a sprinter’s event-specific en-
durance. Table 1 shows a sample work-
out program for an athlete training 5
days a week and illustrates how these can
be integrated.

Table 2 provides general guidelines for

sprint training. The table breaks down
the quality to be trained, how long each
Figure. Sample layout for “ins and outs” drill.
sprint should be in a given workout, at

20 February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal

sprints may be more sport specific than
Table 3
sprints of varying distances and intensi- Early Off-Season Speed Training
ties because they resemble actions that
may take place in a sport where one may Monday Wednesday Friday
have to move from a jog or walk to a
Primary focus Acceleration Speed Conditioning
high-speed sprint with little notice.
Exercises (sets
Warm-up Warm-up Warm-up
Some of the most popular versions of reps
distance) • Dynamic flexi- • Dynamic flexi- • Dynamic flexi-
varied pace sprints are “flying” sprints, bility exercises bility exercises bility exercises
“ins and outs,” and delayed starts. (10–15 min) (10–15 min) (10–15 min)
• Seated arm • Standing arm • Jogging arm
Flying Sprints. Flying sprints are maxi- swing (1
20 s) swing (1
20 s) swing (3
20 m)
mal-effort sprints performed after a sub- • Standing arm • Walking arm • Ankling, alter-
swing (1
20 s) swing (1
20 m) nate (2
20 m)
maximum acceleration zone. For exam-
• Walking arm • Jogging arm • Heel kicks, 1 leg
ple, an athlete might accelerate for 15 to
swing (3
20 m) swing (3
20 m) (1
20 m each
30 m followed by a 10- to 60-m sprint • Ankling, 1 leg (3 • Ankling, 1 leg (1 side)
performed at maximum velocity (3).
20 m each
20 m each • Heel kicks, alter-
side) side) nate (2
20 m)
Ins and Outs. Ins and outs are sprints • Ankling, alter- • High knee walk,
where maximum-intensity runs are in- Workout nate (2
20 m) 1 leg (1
20 m
terspersed with recharging phases. Ins • Falling starts (5 • Heel kicks, 1 leg each side)
are all-out intensity, maximum-velocity
30 m) (2
20 m each • High knee
runs. Outs are maintenance phases • Standing starts side) walk, alternate
where speed and stride frequency are (3
30 m) • High knee walk, (3
20 m)
1 leg (2
20 m
maintained (15).
Cool-down each side) Workout
• Foot-/ankle- • Standing starts
Ins and outs begin with a 15- to 20-m strengthening Workout (10
100 m)
acceleration zone followed by the first in drills (10–15 • Falling starts
that will last 10–20 m and an out that min) (5
60 m) Cool-down
will last 5 to 20 m, and so on. The drill • Foot-/ankle-
should always end with an in. The Fig- Cool-down strengthening
ure shows an example of the layout for • Foot-/ankle- drills (10–15
ins and outs. strengthening min)
drills (10–15
Delayed Starts. With delayed starts, 2 min)
athletes line up and assume the starting Rest between 3 3 1
position. On the command “go,” the reps / sets (min)
first athlete begins sprinting. On the Reps = repetitions.
second command “go,” the second ath-
lete begins sprinting. The second athlete
attempts to overtake the first athlete, sprints, leading to an increase in speed loaded sleds, sleds loaded with 12.6% of
whereas the first athlete attempts to (4). Resistance may take the form of a body weight, and sleds loaded with
maintain his or her lead (12). sled, tire, parachute, weighted vest, run- 32.2% of body weight. The 32.2% load
ning uphill, running in sand or in water, resulted in a lowering of running veloci-
Resisted Sprints and so on. ty by almost 23%, a decrease in stride
Resisted sprints make the sprinting mo- length by almost 24%, an increase in
tion more difficult (e.g., sprinting while One must be careful with resisted trunk lean by 15%, and an increase in
pulling a weight). In doing so, it is be- sprints because too much resistance ground contact time by almost 20%.
lieved that the resisted-sprint exercises may alter running kinematics in ways The combination of these increases
will recruit more muscle fibers and re- that are not desirable. Lockie et al. (11) meant that the athletes were spending
quire more neural activation. Over time examined primarily rugby and field more time on the ground, were decreas-
this increased recruitment and activa- hockey athletes and compared 15-m ing their stride lengths, and were unable
tion will be transferred to nonresisted sprints where the athletes dragged un- to completely extend their hips because

February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 21

 to 60 sprint times. Faccioni (4) reports
Table 4
Late Off-Season Speed Training
that assisted sprints can improve stride
rate and elastic energy production.
Monday Wednesday Friday However, Faccioni also notes that some
athletes have a tendency to allow them-
Primary focus Acceleration Speed Conditioning
selves to be pulled (i.e., the athletes are
Exercises (sets
Warm-up Warm-up Warm-up running with submaximal effort,
reps
distance) • Dynamic flexi- • Dynamic flexi- • Dynamic flexi- which defeats the purpose of the exer-
bility exercises bility exercises bility exercises cise).
(10–15 min) (10–15 min) (10–15 min)
• Ankling, alter- • Straight leg • Straight leg Downhill sprinting will increase hori-
nate (1
20 m) bounds, alter- bounds, alter- zontal velocity and stride length. How-
• Heel kicks, alter- nate (3
20 m) nate (3
20 m) ever, declines greater than 3% may lead
nate (3
20 m) • Heel kicks, skip • Heel kicks, skip
to excessive stride lengths that will result
• High knee (3
20 m) (3
20 m)
in increased braking during the sprint
walk, alternate • High knee skip • High knee skip
(3
20 m) (3
20 m) (3
20 m) (4).
• “A” walk, 1 side
Workout Workout (2
20 m each As with every type of exercise, athletes
• Standing starts • Crouching starts side) should build up to assisted sprints and
(3
20 m) (3
3
20 m) incorporate them into a periodized pro-
• Crouching starts Workout gram. Some guidelines for assisted
(3
3
20 m) Cool-down • Standing starts sprints include the following: (a) for
• Foot-/ankle- (10
125 m) towing, distances should not cover more
Cool-down strengthening than 30 to 40 m (2); (b) downhill sprints
• Foot-/ankle- drills (10–15 Cool-down
should not exceed an angle of 2 to 3° to
strengthening min) • Foot-/ankle-
prevent changes in mechanics (4); (c)
drills (10–15 strengthening
min) drills (10–15 athletes should not achieve speeds
min) greater than 106–110% of their maxi-
mum speed to prevent changes in run-
Rest between 3/5 3/6 1, jog between ning mechanics (1, 7); and (d) sound
reps / sets (min) sprints
technique must be emphasized during
Reps = repetitions. assisted sprinting.

of the trunk lean. Letzelter et al. (10) to free running for 20 to 25 m (2). Final- A large number of tools exist for training
also found similar findings with female ly, proper sprinting mechanics must be speed; in fact, the variety of tools can
sprinters. emphasized throughout the perfor- make designing programs confusing and
mance of the exercise or the athlete may overwhelming. The remainder of this ar-
These 2 studies demonstrate that one inadvertently be taught to run slowly ticle discusses guidelines for program-
must be careful when using resisted and with bad technique (1). ming speed training and presents a sam-
sprints, for overdoing these exercises can ple training program.
have detrimental effects on sprinting Assisted Sprints
mechanics. These exercises should be With assisted sprints, the athlete runs at Programming Speed Training
used sparingly, with little resistance, and greater velocities than he or she is nor- Before worrying about which tools to
during specific times in the year. mally capable of. In theory, this allows use in a speed training program, one
the athlete’s body to learn how to run at should first establish the basic guide-
Several guidelines in the literature are greater stride frequencies, which will lines for speed training. The following
used for resisted sprints. First, the resis- then transfer to nonassisted sprints (4). guidelines will help the coach or practi-
tance should not slow down the athlete Several assisted-sprint methods may be tioner develop speed training programs:
by more than 10%; any more than that used: being towed, sprinting downhill,
will alter the mechanics of the running and sprinting on a high-speed treadmill. • Speed training should be incorporat-
and potentially create bad habits (7, 11). Jakalski (7) reports that assisted ed according to the needs of the
Second, resisted sprints should cover 15 sprints, immediately followed by “free” sport, position, and the athlete (1).
to 20 m and provide for a gradual release sprints, lead to an improvement in 30 Not all sports will require speed

22 February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal

 Table 5
Preseason Speed Training

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Primary focus Acceleration Conditioning Acceleration Resisted sprinting

Exercises (sets
Warm-up Warm-up Warm-up Warm-up

reps
distance) • Dynamic flexibility • Dynamic flexibility • Dynamic flexibility • Dynamic flexibility
exercises (10–15 min) exercises (10–15 min) exercises (10–15 min) exercises (10–15 min)
• Straight leg bounds, • Straight leg bounds, • Straight leg bounds, • Straight leg bounds,
alternate (3
20 m) alternate (1
20 m) alternate (3
20 m) alternate (1
20 m)
• Heel kicks, skip • Heel kicks, skip • Heel kicks, skip • Heel kicks, skip
(1
20 m) (1
20 m) (1
20 m) (1
20 m)
• High knee skip • High knee skip • High knee skip • High knee skip
(3
20 m) (2
20 m) (1
20 m) (2
20 m)
• “A” drill, walk, alter- • “A” skip, (2
20 m) • “A” drill, walk, alter- • “A” skip, (2
20 m)
nate (2
20 m) nate (2
20 m)
Workout Workout
Workout • Standing starts Workout • Sprints with sled
• Crouching starts (10
150 m) • Sport-specific starts (15-m tow, 20-m
(3
20 m) (3
5
20 m) “free” running), 5

• Sport-specific starts Cool-down
(2
5
20 m) • Foot-/ankle- Cool-down Cool-down
strengthening drills • Foot-/ankle- • Foot-/ankle-
Cool-down (10–15 min) strengthening drills strengthening drills
• Foot-/ankle- (10–15 min) (10–15 min)
strengthening drills
(10–15 min)

Rest between 3/6 1, jog between sprints 3/6 3

reps / sets (min)
Reps = repetitions.

training, and not all positions within tances could be included in a work- gram for a high-school athlete playing
a sport will require the same degree of out, one would not want to train a generic team sport. This generic team
speed training. This should be taken more than 1 component in a work- sport involves long periods of stand-
into account during program design. out. For example, on the basis of the ing, walking, or slow jogging with in-
• Speed training should be part of a descriptions above, individual work- termittent high-intensity sprints gen-
periodized training program (6). outs could focus on short distances erally less than 15 m. However, these
• Speed training should focus on de- (i.e., acceleration), maximum veloci- short-distance sprints will occur re-
veloping sound technique, keeping ty, varied-pace running, resisted peatedly throughout the game. Occa-
in mind the needs of the athlete and sprinting, assisted sprinting, sub- sionally during the course of the game,
the sport (see “Means and Methods maximum recovery or endurance the athlete may be called upon to run
of Speed Training: Part I” for a dis- runs, or conditioning. longer sprints (up to 100 m). Any pro-
cussion on how much technique • Speed training should allow enough gram designed to benefit this athlete
should be emphasized by nontrack recovery between sessions. Avoid will need to be able to develop the abil-
athletes). conducting consecutive workouts ity to accelerate, provide some work on
• Speed training must be progressive aimed at the same component and maximal velocity running, and im-
to prevent injuries and maximize de- allow 24 to 48 hours of recovery be- prove the ability to repeat high-inten-
velopment. tween sessions (1, 5, 13–15). sity sprints.
• Speed training workouts should be
1-directional (i.e., they should focus With the training methods and guide- Our hypothetical athlete does not have a
primarily on 1 component and 1 dis- lines described, the remainder of this strong background in sprinting or in
tance) (5). Although multiple dis- article presents a sample workout pro- technique. The program will need to de-

February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 23

 many of which are performed at a faster
Table 6
In-Season Speed Training
pace (e.g., skips instead of walks, “A”
drills are also integrated into the pro-
Monday Friday gram) than in the early off-season train-
ing. Volume is increasing on the work-
Primary focus Acceleration Conditioning
outs, although they are still focused on
Exercises (sets
reps Warm-up Warm-up speed training, acceleration, and condi-

distance) • Dynamic flexibility • Dynamic flexibility tioning. Crouching starts are introduced
exercises (10–15 min) exercises (10–15 min) to help reinforce and apply the concept
• Straight leg bounds, al- • Straight leg bounds, of taking the first few steps explosively
ternate ( 3
20 m) alternate (1
20 m) during the sprinting motion. Condi-
• Heel kicks, skip • Heel kicks, skip tioning drills are now performed with an
(1
20 m) (1
20 m) active recovery, and the athlete will per-
• High knee skip • High knee skip
form a slow jog between high-intensity
(3
20 m) (2
20 m)
sprints.
• “A” drill, walk, alternate • “A” skip (2
20 m)
(2
20 m)
Workout Preseason
Workout • Standing starts As can be seen in Table 5, training dur-
• Crouching starts (10
150 m) ing the preseason is increased to 4 times
(3
20 m) per week. Because acceleration is the
• Sport-specific starts Cool-down most important quality in this sport, it
(5
20 m) • Foot-/ankle-strength- is performed twice a week. Condition-
ening drills (10–15 min) ing is still performed once with active re-
Cool-down covery between sprints, and resisted
• Foot-/ankle-strength-
sprints are included to help with explo-
ening drills (10–15 min)
siveness and to continue developing
Rest between 3 1, jog between sprints maximum velocity running. Sport-spe-
reps / sets (min) cific starts are introduced to help apply
Reps = repetitions. the skills that have been developed di-
rectly to the sport. Technique drills are
performed at faster speeds, and more
velop the qualities mentioned above and simple to more complex as the week complex technique drills (e.g., alternat-
develop the athlete’s technique, intro- unfolds. Sprints in the early off-season ing “A” walks and “A” skips) are intro-
duce advanced drills slowly, and gradu- are done from a falling start or a stand- duced. Volume is still progressively in-
ally improve the athlete’s fitness levels. ing start. This is to help teach the ath- creasing.
lete how to take the first few steps ex-
The program is divided into 4 phases: plosively, which will be extremely In-Season
early off-season, late off-season, presea- important because the majority of the Recognizing a reduction in available
son, and in-season. sprints performed during a game will training time during the in-season,
be of a shorter distance (i.e., the ath- training is reduced to 2 times per week.
Early Off-Season lete will not have much time during Table 6 shows a sample of workouts
Because the athlete does not have a the game to generate speed). Condi- from the in-season. One session focuses
background in speed training, the first tioning work begins in this phase to on acceleration (primarily performed
few months of training are meant to begin developing the athlete’s ability to from sport-specific starts) and the other
begin developing the athlete’s running repeat high-intensity sprints. focuses on maintaining conditioning.
technique, teaching the athlete how to Technique drills are the most complex of
start explosively, and develop basic Late Off-Season the training year; skips and bounds are
conditioning. Table 3 presents a sam- Table 4 shows a sample of late off-season performed along with “A” drills (walk
ple week of workouts from this phase workouts for this hypothetical athlete. and skip).
of training. Each day uses dynamic The athlete has had a chance to develop
flexibility exercises and technique a technique and fitness base in the early Conclusion
drills as part of the warm-up. Tech- off-season. Now the workouts focus on Speed is important for success in many
nique drills gradually progress from more advanced technique exercises, sports. It can be a component of athletic

24 February 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal

fitness that is very difficult for strength velopment. In: Sprints and Relays (4th Altos, CA: TAFNEWS Press, 1978.
and conditioning professionals to train. ed.). J. Jarver, ed. Mountain View, pp. 55–56.
An overwhelming number of training CA: TAFNEWS Press, 1995. pp. 17. Sandstrom, R. Improvement in accel-
means often are available, with conflict- 82–86. eration. In: Sprints and Relays (2nd
ing information about their applica- 11. Lockie, R.G., A.J. Murphy, and C.D. ed.). Los Altos, CA: TAFNEWS Press,
tion, effectiveness, and usefulness to Spinks. Effects of resisted sled towing 1983. pp. 52–55.
nontrack athletes. Although a compre- on sprint kinematics in field-sport ath-
hensive article on speed development is letes. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17(4):760– Ackno w l e d g m e n t s : The author would
not possible, it is hoped that this article 767. 2003. like to thank Michael Cunningham and
has shed some light on the more popu- 12. Lohman, W. Correcting sprinting Ken Jakalski for their help in the prepa-
lar tools and concepts concerning speed faults. In: Sprints and Relays. J. Jarver, ration of this article.
training. ♦ ed. Los Altos, CA: TAFNEWS Press,
1978. pp. 29–34.
References 13. McFarlane, B. Developing maximum
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