Program Design For Speed Training

Family Update:

We are one day shy of having Brennen for one week. Boy it seems nice to have a little baby around the house. I have to admit- I wasn't sure how we would handle having another baby and all the work that goes into taking care of him, the sleepless night and the crying. But I can say 100% that it is so enjoyable to have a little baby again. I actaully feel more relaxed now than I did before we had him. I can even say I don't mind being up at 2 in the morning with him. We get to catch up on sports together, and talk about business. The other day he actually gave me some great advice that might have saved us a lot of money. I asked him what he thought of a particular business idea- he looked up at me from my arms, looked me straight in the eys, made a scrunched up face and filled his diaper. He told me exactly what he thought of my idea- thanks Brennen for being so honest!

The girls are off to the Hanna Montana concert at the movies today. What an exciting day for them. Then they back home to watch the super bowl- wow.

Jenn and I are knocking out some business stuff that needs to be done today so we can have a great start to the week. We do not like to fall behind because it adds stress that we don't need.


Designing a Multi-Directional Speed Workout

It has often been said that a less than average exercise technique on an exercise but a well done program design is much better than a well done exercise and and a less than average program design. I tend to agree with this as long as the technique isn't so bad that the athlete gets injured.

I think too many beginning coaches are paralyzed by all the inforamtion on different program design strategies to the point of not doing anything. There is no need for this. You can look at several different training philosophies and programs and find that they all produce great results if done well. So it isn't always the program- it is how well it is being done.

Another issue I have is with the speed training industry. We tend to base too much of our training off what the track and field industry does. It is great for track and field, but what about the coach that coaches a sport like volleyball or softball. They don't need to follow the same program principles as a track coach might.

Here is my philosophy in a nut shell. Teach the techniques of speed each and everyday. Change up the exercise day to day by following these guidelines:

1. Train Propulsion speed in any direction on one day. So only do acceleration techniques (lateral, anglular, vertical, retreating, linear...) and don't be concerned with change of direction on that day during speed training.

2. Train change of direction and through deceleration on a seperate day. Work on the techniques needed to be efficient when changing directions.

3. Don't do back to back days change of direction intense work. The joints need a break from the intense pounding. Plus the nature of the sport will usually require change of direction.

4. Teach multi-directional speed in chunks. Don't feel like you need 10-15 minutes or more of time. Teach one aspect of speed in a 3-5 minute time block and do it well and intense. The athlete will gain so much more from this than doing long time frames.

5. Treat the speed skill just like any other sport skill. Be sure the athletes understand the importance of it before they do it. For example' foul shooting is so important in basketball so the players must concentrate on it with great focus. The same should occur if doing a lateral shuffle to cut the ball handler off.

6. Give the athlete an example of how the speed skill will improve their game. "If you are able to open your hips and retreat quicker you will be able to make more defensive plays"

7. Don't use this time for conditioning. Athletes need to know that speed training is a skill and it needs full effort and great technique. Conditioning will destroy technique in many cases and lessen the intensity of effort.

So as you can see from this philosophy you can train and teach speed skills, make a huge impact on the athletes, and still have more than enough time to fit it into a practice.

treat speed as more of a skill and use the wt room to get them stronger so they can produce more force. This will improve speed in an of itself.

Gotta Go

I am off to Staples to make copies of information that will be sent to my Lee Taft Speed Academy (LTSA) members. I have some great stuff for them this month.

Enjoy the Super Bowl!

Yours in Speed,

Lee