Speed Over Everything
Plus a special bonus!
An athlete’s potential in the 60-400m races is based on their max “speed”. As a coach, I use my athlete’s 30m fly times to show me how fast they can run and see if they can maintain their speed.
If a coach progresses an athlete’s 30m fly, the coach improves the athlete’s overall performance in sprint races. This is why I believe that speed and technical movement are key in training.
Distance runners MUST run miles on miles on miles to build their aerobic capacity. They focus on endurance because, while speed plays a role, those athletes have to endure long, consistent paces. But why do sprint coaches follow that same model? I don’t have the answer, nor do I seek it.
Running volume at slow speeds may increase an athlete’s aerobic capacity, but it sure isn’t making the athlete faster. Some coaches are heavy on volume, and their athletes still do great. Usually, those athletes are ones that I call “genetic beasts”. They already have the bounce, fast foot contacts, and 10.5/11.5 speed coming out of high school (or faster) so they can do heavy aerobic work and still sprint. I’m talking about Christian Coleman, Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone –they’ve been fast since FOREVER. Not everyone can be genetic beasts, and that’s not a negative or a cut-down. As an athlete, I wasn’t a genetic beast. I had to work on my speed to gain speed. And as a coach, I’ve used my speed training to help create some of the fastest people in the NCAA.
Work on speed to gain speed.
Athletes should hit high-velocity speeds with bounce and efficiency during practice and maintain that speed throughout the workout. Learning correct sprint mechanics and then sustaining those sprint mechanics when fatigued is crucial in my training program–better posture, better arms, staying square, better bounce, better knee lift, better foot strike, stiffer ankles and feet. The 30m fly allows me to see their technique, speed, and efficiency without exhausting them in early-season training. The current trend in track & field is a 10m fly. Collecting your athletes’ 10m fly is good data, but in my opinion, it’s just too short to use as the only indicator of speed.
As athletes’ speed and movements sharpen, the next part is timing. Arms and legs synching together. And breathing! Athletes who hold their breath are tense, and we want smooth and relaxed sprinting. Thousands and thousands of reps at high speeds & intensity cause those positive changes. Once we learn tech and our body movements sync up, we run faster and longer without burning extra energy.
How I Implement Fly-Times in Season
Conditioning: Focus on working a 15-20m fly
Early-season: Focus on a 20-30m fly
This past week, my athletes did 3x80m then 3x60m(30m acceleration zone + 30m fly) with 6-8 min rest. PLUS, a full-speed 150m rep to finish the workout.
Bonus: PAID SUBSCRIBER VIDEO ANALYSIS
Coaches around the country—and world—send videos of their athletes for my feedback or advice. Now (October 29) thru Nov 8, if you’re a paid subscriber, you can send me one video of your athlete (sprint or hurdle race) with max three questions you’d like answered. I may not get to everyone, but I’ll do my best. The analysis (not the video) might be shared in a future SIC Newsletter post for everyone to learn from. Paid subscribers, send your video with the title SIC Newsletter Video