How To Increase Speed In Athletes
Top end speed is an athletic skill which can separate an average athlete from an elite athlete. We often see great plays by running backs where they break into the open field and are then caught from behind by a safety or linebacker. The elite running backs have learned how to increase speed for their specific sport and can accelerate from a defender to finish the drive with a score. Athletes can also find great examples in baseball, tennis, and soccer of athletes who have learned how to increase speed and in turn increase their teams’ chances of victory. These athletes who have learned how to increase speed not only improve their offensive skill set but can also use this enhanced skill set to keep opposing players from scoring points.
Along with this great linear speed athletes need to make sure they are practicing their multi directional movements. Athletes who simply learn how to increase speed going in a straight line will struggle with footwork, coordination, and balance when trying to transfer their momentum in a different direction. This is why athletes should use tools like the Speed and Agility Ladder and Speed and Agility Cones to improve footwork, coordination, and multi directional movements. This is how athletes learn how to increase speed in all directions.
How To Increase Speed With Kbands And Victory Ropes
The best way to train the body on how to increase speed is by making it perform at a higher than normal level of intensity. Since the two keys to training the body on how to increase speed are stride length and turnover these two skills should be taxed to force positive adaptations in the body.
Where tools like Speed and Agility Cones, and Speed Ladders are great for working on how to increase speed in multiple directions, footwork, and coordination they do not directly influence an athletes ability to teach their body how to increase speed. Resistance tools which target the muscles in the upper thigh, hips, and legs will be much more effective at training athletes on how to increase speed.
Speed and power training equipment like the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands, Victory Ropes, or Reactive Stretch Cord can all be used to challenge and build an athletes top end speed. Any of these tools can also be combined with each other, Speed and Agility Cones and Speed Ladders, to execute a wide variety of training drills used to teach an athlete how to increase speed, power, and explosiveness.
How To Increase Speed Drills
How to increase speed on the field requires athletes to mimic movements and intensities which they will encounter while competing. The Kbands Partner Chase Drill teaches athletes how to increase speed by challenging both aspects of their sprinting, stride length, and stride turnover. Athletes will complete two phases of the Kbands Partner Chase Drill to maximize the training intensity and skill enhancement the athlete receives from the how to increase speed training.
Athletes will use the same Speed and Agility Cone formation for both phases of the Kbands Partner Chase Drill. Athletes will place 3 Speed and Agility Cones, five yards apart, in a straight line. Athletes and coaches will need to create a second line which is 5 yards directly behind the three cone line. For this second line athletes can use markings on the field or court they are learning how to increase speed on, or can use two additional Speed and Agility Cones, placed just outside of the three cone line, to create a second line for athletes to work off of. Athletes will also need a set of Kbands Leg Resistance Bands placed just above their knees to complete the how to increase speed and power training drills. Athletes will also need a partner, or coach to participate in the Kbands Partner Chase Drill by calling out, and instructing the athlete where to move during the how to increase speed drill.
For the first phase of the Kbands Partner Chase Drill athletes will begin at the back line of the drill, directly behind the center Speed and Agility Cone. Athletes will start the Kbands Partner Chase Drill by quickly sprinting to the Speed and Agility Cone called out, or motioned to by their partner. Once athletes reached the designated Speed and Agility Cone they will quickly backpedal straight backwards to the starting line, where their partner will call out the next Speed and Agility Cone.
Athletes will continue to quickly move back and forth between the Speed and Agility Cones and back line for 15 seconds before stopping and recovering for 20-30 seconds. During this recovery period athletes can simply switch positions with their partner, becoming the one calling out the Speed and Agility Cones, so that no training time is wasted. This format is great to use when performing the Kbands Partner Chase Drill as a team or large group how to increase speed drill.
Phase II How To Increase Speed and Power
After completing 5-6 resisted sets of the first phase of the Kbands Partner Chase Drill athletes will change the intensity, and pace of the drill, by adding 1-2 Victory Ropes into the how to increase speed and power drills. Athletes will keep the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands attached and Speed and Agility Cones in place as partners wrap 1-2 Victory Ropes around the waist of the athlete, stand behind the athlete, and anchor the Victory Ropes for 3 additional sets of the Kbands Partner Chase Drill.
Partners will continue to call out which Speed and Agility Cone the athlete should move to as athletes move back and forth between Speed and Agility Cones for 15 seconds. In both phases of the how to increase speed drills athletes will need to have great running form as they work hard to create quick and powerful steps. This will be even more true as the Victory Ropes add another point of resistance to the how to increase speed and power drills.