@mikeyoung

#speedscience

SCIENCE OF SPEED!
Mike Young, PhD!
Vancouver Whitecaps FC!
Vancouver, BC!
HPC - Athletic Lab!
Cary, NC!
!

Fundamental
General
Sprint

physics

concepts

math

Secrets

of the force

Neuromechanical
Optimizing
Basic

considerations

mechanics

training guidelines

A
M
=
F

NEWTONS 4th LAW

Fat (or any excess body mass) dont fly

EXAMINING FORCE

Force

is a vector quantity!

Magnitude
Direction

Drag
Increases
Exponentially

INERTIA
It turns out Sir Isaac was right

GENERAL
CONCEPTS OF
SPRINTING
by
Hugo Faasta

BACK SIDE MECHANICS

Refers to the
motions of the swing
leg that occurs
BEHIND the body

FRONT SIDE MECHANICS

Refers to the
motions of the swing
leg that occurs IN
FRONT of the body

SPRINT PERFORMANCE

Sprint

performance is the
outcome of nature and nurture!

There

are reflexive and innate

components as well as trainable
components

Loren Seagrave

Sprinting fast is an
unnatural activity

Dr. Ralph Mann

You cant polish a turd.

You cant polish a turd.

But you can roll it in glitter.

Sprint Math

MAXIMAL VELOCITY

CHARACTERISTICS
*Stride Frequency: ~5 Hz!
!
!

*Maximal Velocity: ~12.8 m/s!

*Stride Velocity: ~300 deg / sec!

*Stride Lengths: 2.25-2.7m

*Ground Contact Time: ~0.08 sec!

*40-45 steps for sub 9.80 100m

It was Once Thought that

Stride Length x Frequency = Speed

Because Athletes had higher stride lengths &

frequencies at higher speeds, it was thought
that to improve speed, efforts should be
focused on these two variables

.
.
.
.
T
U
B

Correlation!

D O E S N OT i m p l y !

Causation

now we are more enlightened...

STRIDE LENGTH & FREQUENCY

Stride length and frequency are linked...they

are a consequence and not a cause of speed

Speed of movement of limbs varies little and is

not a primary determining factor

To run faster there is only ONE solution

Apply More Mass

Specific Force to
the Ground!

Max V Sprinting 101

Small Mass
+
Big Force
+
Right Direction
+
Minimal Time

Run Faster

Gravity....u
g
h
We wor k
t
o
Excess ma overcome grav
ss hur ts

ity
perform
ance

d
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CL more effective at a
p
p
ly
CL produces higher re ing force
l
a
t
i
CL velocity componen ve net horizontal force
t
o
CL has shor ter contac f F-V is higher
t
t
i
m
es
C
L has higher stride fr

CL = Christophe
L

eMaitre

equency

Insert research on French

KINETIC
PARAMETERS

Ground

reaction forces
approaching 5x bodyweight!

Muscle

forces in excess of
7x bodyweight

FORCE DEVELOPMENT & SPRINTING

To

increase running speed an athlete must increase force to

the ground in the appropriate direction and do so over
increasingly shorter periods of time!
Minimize
Increase

horizontal braking forces*!

propulsive forces

Horizontal vs Vertical Propulsive Forces....!

Horizontal vs Vertical Propulsive Forces....!

and why you dont have to pick a side

VERTICAL FORCE
MATTERS

Rela%onships,among,jumping,performances,and,sprint,parameters,
during,maximum,speed,phase,in,sprinters,,by,Kale,,Asci,,Bayrak,and,
Acikada,,in,Journal,of,Strength,and,Condi%oning,Research,,2009!

VERTICAL PROPULSIVE FORCE

Increased

vertical propulsive
force produces:!
Greater
Stiffer
Better

displacement!

spring!

maintenance of
momentum

BUT SO DOES
HORIZONTAL FORCE

from Strength & Conditioning Research

THE LEG AS A SWINGING

SPRING

INCREASE LEG STIFFNESS

Refers of the ability of the leg to act as like a spring

Momentum is developed during acceleration

Body will move at same rate unless acted on by

unbalanced forces

Two external forces will cause deceleration

Leg stiffness increases vertical impulse, shortens ground

contact and increases elastic return

VS

Vertical
Displacement?
The path of COM will follow a sinusoidal
curve when viewed in the sagittal plane
COM reaches apex in flight
COM low point during support

Vertical force production is

the key component of top-end
speed and that in turn
influences the ability to
maintain a slight increase in
stride length and stride
frequency

Dan Pfaff

To go faster, you need

more force. The more
force you apply, the
higher you will rise off
the ground.
Charlie Francis

Better sprinters may

appear to bounce

In reality, flight times are similar and

ground contact times are shorter

MORE SPRINT MATH

Stride frequency is comprised of two components: !

1. Ground contact time !
2. Flight time!

The best sprinters spend less time on the ground !

Greater frequency

STRIDE LENGTH
&
FREQUENCY

The benefit of greater force application is two-fold:!

Increased stride length

Increased stride frequency

Neuromechanical
Considerations

Sprinting is an extremely complex motor task

involving repeated rapid switching on and off
of practically every muscle in the body

Hip extensors are

critically important during
late swing and stance

Amplitude,and,%ming,of,electromyographic,ac%vity,during
sprinting by Jonhagen, Ericson, and Eriksson,,Scandinavian,
Journal,of,Science,in,Sports,,1996!

Ac%vity,of,monoJ,and,biar%cular,leg,muscles,during,sprint,
running,,by,Simonsen,,Thomsen,,and,Klausen,,in,European,
Journal,of,Applied,Physiology,,1985!

A,kine%c,analysis,of,the,ground,leg,during,running,,by,Mann,
and,Sprague,,Research,Quarterly,for,Exercise,and,Sport,,1980!

Hip extensors are

critically important during
late swing and stance
Knee extensors help keep
the spring stiff during
support

Amplitude,and,%ming,of,electromyographic,ac%vity,during
sprinting by Jonhagen, Ericson, and Eriksson,,Scandinavian,
Journal,of,Science,in,Sports,,1996!

Ac%vity,of,monoJ,and,biar%cular,leg,muscles,during,sprint,
running,,by,Simonsen,,Thomsen,,and,Klausen,,in,European,
Journal,of,Applied,Physiology,,1985!

A,kine%c,analysis,of,the,ground,leg,during,running,,by,Mann,
and,Sprague,,Research,Quarterly,for,Exercise,and,Sport,,1980!

Crossed-Extensor
Reflexes

and f
acilit
ate
V

Allow the body

to take advantage
of its own performance
enhancers

Reciprocal Inhibition

Stretch Shortening
Cycles

g
n
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m
i
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Op
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a
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M

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contact times
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by swin
suppor t knee

S
O
P

TU

E
R
U

The first most

important
aspect of speed
is posture.

Tom Tellez

Posture is like the mast and rudder for the limbs

Posture
Posture
Trunk Erect
Head Level
Hips Tall

POSTURE
Movements

of the limbs
originate from the core of
the body!

Proper

stabilization and
alignment of the core
ensures appropriate
movements of the limbs

POSTURE
Postural

Stabilization!

Postural Alignment!
Relaxation!
Freedom
Elastic

of movement!

energy production

PELVIC MOTION

The

pelvis should rotate in

all three planes

Postural
Test!

PELVIC TILT

Posterior Tilt = less

hamstring tension,
more QFM tension!
Anterior Tilt = more
hamstring tension, less
QFM tension

EFFECT OF POSTURE ON SPEED

EFFECTIVE GROUND
CONTACT POSITION

MINIMIZE BRAKING FORCES

Decreases

velocity!

Caused

horizontal

by excessive step
length and positive foot
and leg speed at ground
contact

Vertical Stack

Congruent Contralateral
Joint Angles

High Knee Recovery

Neutral Ankle

Max Velocity
Technical Points
Fix posture
Emphasize vertical pushes
Push up
High hips
Run tall
Step over and down

Basic Training Guidelines for

Developing Speed

Building a Bigger Engine

THE REAL REASON WE TRAIN

Almost every physical quality relevant to speed &
power falls under the umbrella of (neuromuscular)
coordination
!

By considering physical qualities as outcomes of

inter & intramuscular coordination we simplify the
training method and place stimuli on a continuum
rather than in different bubbles

To Sprint Faster.... Sprint!

Maximum Velocity Sprinting

Means:
Flying Sprints
Variable Speed Sprints
Short Speed Endurance
Length (in MaxV): 10-40m / rep
Rest: 20-60 sec / 10m
Volume: 200-300m

DOWNHILL RUNNING
minimal grade. overspeed. supra-maximal eccentric.

RESISTANCE TRAINING

Strength Speed

Do I really need to lift?

...there is sufficient evidence for

strength training programs to
continue to be an integral part of
athletic preparation.

OLYMPIC LIFTS
1-4 reps / set. 5-10 sets.

POWER DEVELOPMENT
Exercise

Absolute Power (Watts)

100kg Male

75kg Female

Bench Press

300

Back Squat

1100

Deadlift

1100

Snatch

3000

1750

Snatch 2nd Pull

5500

2900

Clean

2950

1750

Clean 2nd Pull

5500

2650

Jerk

5400

2600

*Total pull: Lift-off until maximal vertical velocity

**2nd pull: Transition until maximal vertical barbell velocity

POWER DEVELOPMENT
Exercise

Absolute Power (Watts)

100kg Male

75kg Female

Even if
use of O
300
Bench Press
lympic
inappro
lifts are
priate d
1100
Back Squat
ue to la
equipm
ck of
ent, low
1100
Deadlift
teachin
exper ti
g1750
se, or a
3000
Snatch
inexper
thlete
ience; t
5500
Snatch 2nd Pull
he basi 2900
principa
c
l
s
s
h
o
1750
Clean
uld still
inc2950
orpora
b
e
t
e
d
l
o
aded5500
Clean 2nd Pull
, multi-j (externally 2650
oint, low
Jerk
ex5400
plosive
er bod2600
y
movem
ent)
*Total pull: Lift-off until maximal vertical velocity

**2nd pull: Transition until maximal vertical barbell velocity

SQUATS

all variants. full depth. 2-6 reps / set. 4-7 sets.

I like STRONG butts

and I can not lie....

TRAIN THE CHAIN (THE POSTERIOR CHAIN)

ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD
110-120% MAXIMAL LOAD. NOT FOR NOVICES.

COMPLEXES
work downstream on F-V curve. rest between sets. low volumes

PLYOS

DEPTH DROPS
low drops. minimize amortization. low volumes.

DEPTH JUMPS
extreme heights unnecessary. low volumes.

VERTICAL EMPHASIS PLYOS

emphasize vertical displacement of the COM not the feet

STIFFNESS JUMPS
minimal amortization. short contact.

SPRINTING FASTER IS ALL ABOUT PUTTING AS MUCH FORCE IN

TO THE GROUND AT AS LITTLE BODY MASS AS POSSIBLE
MECHANICS & PHYSICAL CAPACITY ARE INTIMATELY INTERTWINED

POSTURE IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR OPTIMAL MOVEMENT

HIP EXTENSORS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN SPRINT SPEED

OPTIMIZING MECHANICS ENSURES MAXIMAL GENERATION OF

FORCE IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION

THANKS

@MIKEYOUNG!
ATHLETICLAB.COM!
ELITETRACK.COM!
FITFORFUTBOL.COM!
HPCSPORT.COM!
SLIDESHARE.NET/HPCSPORT!