The Speed Formula Is.....

Family Update

The toughest part about the Lee Taft Speed Academy being in NY yet having my home in Indiana is the time away from my family. My daughters will be attending a volleyball camp at the YMCA and I hate not being there to drive them to it every day. I get so much joy out of watching them play. Sometimes they don't even know I am watching. My girls are doing 4-H projects and are having a great time working on them. Obviously, I will be missng this too. It won't be long though. At the end of July I will be heading back to Indiana to be home with them again.

What is the True Formula for Speed?

I bet if you were to search for products on speed development you would come across several hundred. The truth be told, many of them are good resources. The reason I say this is because, even though each one may be focusing on what they consider to be the key to speed, it is still good information.

I believe products are often dismissed as poor if the product doesn't meet the demands of the potential buyer. That certainly isn't a good reason to call the product poor. It just isn't what the buyer wanted.

To switch gears a little bit, I want to talk about what really is the speed formula. The truth is "it depends on the type of speed and the issues the athlete may have".

When I am coaching a basketball player to be quicker on the basketball court, I need to make sure he or she can accelerate in all direction, change directions quickly and under control, make sharp and speed cuts, and retreat all with great speed and quickness. So in this case the components that are going to be most important are; body mechanics as it relates to the speed skill (change of direction, cutting, accelerating...), force production and force reduction ability, and of course stride length (both linear and lateral). Stride frequency is harder to control and I would rather have more power and stride length resulting in greater speed anyway.

If I am coaching a sprinter, then my concerns change. I no longer need to focus on lateral or change of direction skills. My technique work needs to be geared toward efficiency while accelerating and at top end speed.

What if I am coaching hockey players. I really must emphasize explosive acceleration and deceleration.

Do I believe all athletes should be taught proper mechanics of accelerating, sprinting, lateral quickness, change of direction skills, jumping, and all the other movement skills- ABSOLUTELY! I don't believe we teach athletes to be well rounded movers any more. Believe me, when an athlete has developed the ability to be coordinated in all directions both in acceleration and deceleration, then they will have a greater foundation to be better at their chosen sport.

Getting back to my title, I believe there are many formulas to improve speed. The constants are strength and power, technical mastery, tactical and strategic mastery, and concentration and relaxation. But, I feel each situation demands a different formula. I need to know what the athlete brings to the table before I start coaching them. I want to know how they move and what their movement background is. Coaching speed is a mix of science and art. Good coaching is understanding when to put more emphasis on the most needed (science or art).

Yours In Speed,

Lee

PS: If you are really looking forward to improving your knowledge in multi-directional speed training then go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ and become a Speed Insiders Member. Read what one member had to say about her membership as a Speed Insider:

“My favorite part of being a Speed Insider is the knowledge that Lee passes onto us every month. It is so invaluable. I can use it immediately with my athletes and clients.”

-Kris Massaro

Just Get It Done!!!

As you may or may not know, My wife and I own several businesses together. We have staff who takes care of various aspects of our businesses, but we are the decision makers and take the credit for our failures or successes.

We are often frustrated when we are not getting results fast enough on certain areas of our business. Don't get me wrong, we are patient and understand creating a foundation for the future of our businesses, but there are time when things need to get done ASAP.

We not only have businesses we run but we also have a wonderful family. We have 3 children, Jae, Bailee, and Brennen. They deserve our time even more than our businesses, but as you have probably felt before business keeps calling all day and all night long. It is always on your minds it is easy to forget to take the time and just go play with our kids. But then again our kids are great at reminding us we need to spend more time with them and that is a good thing!

The purpose of this blog is to talk about getting things done. My frustrations in business arise when things are not getting done. Those who are in my http://www.speedinsiders.com/ membership or the exclusive members of my coaching and Mastermind group know I work really fast. Before writing this blog I have already written an article and drafted a 4 page sales copy letter for a program we are offering at the speed academy. It is only 11am and it is Sunday. I know if I can get things done quickly I will continue to build momentum in my business. Plus, it allows me to do others things not related to business for the rest of the day.

Getting back to my wife and I. We had a long phone call this morning that was not all lovee dovee. It was about getting our butts in gear and getting things done. To be honest with you, we did have legitimate reasons for being behind on some of our work; My father's passing, Jenn and the girls had many events and activities, and we have all done a lot of traveling recently. But, business and opportunity doesn't wait for any one for any reason. So our talk this morning was basically about holding each one us accountable for getting STUFF done.

You Know- it isn't a coincidence people who work right and work fast have great results. People who make excuses and try to be perfect get little if any results. Before Jenn and I hung up the phone- she made a guarantee to me a project that has been hanging over our heads for months will be finished by the end of the week. I made a promise to my elf that I would have an article written, this blog written, the sales copy done, and a proposal to a sports complex finished by the end of the day today. You see, this is how we need to be each and every business day.

Success isn't a mistake or luck. It comes from deliberate and consistent action. We made a decision and promise to each other that we would get things done now.

My wish for you is that you would find the motivation, regardless of if it is coaching, writing a book, shooting a video, or whatever, to get your projects done so you can feel the rush of success in your life.

I'll be talking to you soon- have a great week!

Yours in Speed,

Lee

Jump Jump Jump...

Speed Insiders Call In Day

Last night I held a question call in night for my Speed Insider members. I absolutely love calls like this. Normally, my teleseminar calls are around 60 minutes long, but last night's call went over 2 hours. I appreciate the questions the members were asking. There was great feedback from each member on other member's questions as well. That is exactly what I like about my Speed Insiders program. Everyone wants the best quality results and are willing to give quality answers. There were definitley some big breakthroughs with many of the answers that I was able to give.

The questions were not just limited to training athletes. There were business questions, marketing questions, new facility and business opportunity questions, we even got into the psychology of how to talk to clients to accomplish a certain result. To all of you that were on the call, great stuff! I look forward to scheduling an open call.

How to Use Jumping in Your Program

Jump training or plyometric training is still a hot topic. It certainly deserve discussion when ever it is brought up. I don't think it is being used properly. My opinion is based on many years of training athletes and seeing the results. Let me explain...

The issue that concerns me the most is... when I hear about an entire training program dedicated only to jumping. I have seen it for years in my community high school volleyball coaches dedicating 60 plus minutes, 3 times a week to jumping! My body hurts just mentioning that. How the misunderstanding of volume became so screwed up is beyond me.

Let's not forget jumping is a skill just like other speed skills. The more you do in one workout is not necessarily a good thing. The more quality work at a high intensity is a good thing.

It is also important to understand that strength is the foundation of jumping and speed. If you can improve the strength of the athlete the jump training or plyometric training you use will have greater value. Plus, strength training will decrease the injury potential. I personally know that if I improve the overall strength of my athletes I will have better results on jumping. But, what I am seeing more and more is athletes performing jumping programs with high volume and never doing any strength training. This is a problem. I am not saying you can't do jump training until you have done several weeks of strength training, you just need to control your volume and base the jump training off technique early on until you have adequate strength to handle more intensity. Also, you can be doing strength training along with the jump training.

The primary focus in our facility on jumping is on quality movement in the jump and landing along with appropriate intensity. If the athlete is capable of handling some load (vertimax, bands...) we will use them. We want our athletes to jump as hard as they can to challenge the nervous system on each attempt. When doing more plyometric (stretch shortening cycle training) based training we are now focusing on quickness off the ground per landing. We still want great technique but emphasize the quickness off the ground. In true jump training we will not worry as much about the quick re-jump and put more emphasis on the intensity and power output of each jump.

People are usually amazed when I tell them I use only 25-50 total jumps- usually closer to 25. This does not include low box drills that have very little impact. We break the total number into a few different exercises with 2-3 sets per exercise. To be honest, my most productive jumping is when we do 4-5 sets of 5-6 vertimax jumps- simple and to the point. The athletes respond very well from the vertimax.

Hopefully this information gives you a little to think about when doing jump training AS A PART OF THE TOTAL PROGRAM.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: If you want to take advantage all the great resources my Speed Insider Members continually receive go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ to get a 2 month FREE trial. I would love to hear your questions and have you be on my next open call - but you have to be a Speed Insider to have this invite.

How Did The Ancient Day Athletes.....

Family Update

Well, I am back in NY at the Speed Academy waiting for my wife and kids to travel from IN to be with me. They will be here for a couple weeks and then head back. I will be at the Speed Academy for most of July and then head back to IN in August so I can have a couple weeks of fun with the kids before school starts up.

I am going to try to get more involved with my girls sports programs at their elementary school so I want to be back to Indiana as soon as possible.

I just want to say one more time how appreciative I am for all the words of support I received from many of you on the passing of my father.

Before there were trainers

I would consider my coaching style very natural when it comes to multi-directional speed development. I can only imagine that in the ancient days there were not too many athletic development facilities geared toward speed development, or coaches that focused on speed development for that matter. Yet I bet there were some incredible athletes just like there are now. So if I were to describe my natural coaching style it would be very much based off what athletes did years and years ago.

Let's remember that the body is a fantastic machine. It was designed to be a problem solver. What this means in multi-directional speed training is when an athlete is not in the ideal body position to make a quick explosive acceleration movement it will adjust. If the feet are too narrow one foot will widen to create a better angle to push off while the other prepares for contact and drive.

If the athlete needs to decelerate the body will instinctively use a foot plant that slows momentum. The body has innate abilities to react and move- we should not be messing with this.

The instinct of the body to find the appropriate angle will occur even when body is in a poor athletic position. A good example is when the athlete stands too tall. The proper angle will be found but the angle is based off the current height of the athlete. So the body does it's job correctly but because the stance is poor the movement is not as efficient as it could be. Now, if we get the athlete to get low or "In the Tunnel" they will find the best angle for acceleration.

This is what often happens with many coaches; they feel that because the athlete didn't move well the natural reactions the athlete used are hurting them. When in actuality the instinctive movement was correct but the starting athletic stance was the problem. Fix the stance and you fix the problem.

My style of coaching is to always look at what the body wants to do instinctively and make the adjustments when efficient movement is not met. The inefficient movement is usually due to poor stance, lack of mobility, or laziness. It is our job as coaches to recognize the problem and clean it up.

Recently I watched a soccer player do some ball handling drills and notices his body was moving correctly for the stance he was in- the problem was that the stance was not appropriate for efficient movement. So the correction was to fix the stance and body position and the skill improved tremendously.

Think about it. Humans didn't start becoming great movers only since speed coaches were around. They could move just fine using their natural instincts and abilities.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: Go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ so you can get valuable monthly information reserved for Speed Insiders Members Only.

Keeping It All In Perspective

I am sitting here at my facility in NY. It is 6:30 am on Sunday (Father’s Day) writing this blog. It doesn't matter how well things are going at any given time. Life can spin you around like a top.

Earlier this week, I spent three days (Monday – Wednesday) at the speed academy with my video production guy shooting my new Ground Breaking Part 2. I was tired, but riding a high because of the excitement of seeing all the athletes train, shooting my video, plus preparing to travel back home to see my wife and kids. While I was in NY, my father, who has been not doing well health wise (to be 89 this August) took a turn for the worst. He was given about 3 weeks more to live. As I drove back to Indiana, I felt very anxious and excited to see my family, yet because of my father’s situation, I had a somber side to me. Because my trip was so short and because I knew I was coming back to NY in less than a week to spend most of the summer, I didn’t visit my Dad.

So, I arrived home Thursday night very excited to see my wife, two daughters and son. My daughters were just as excited to see me and let me know that they had big plans for me on Fathers Day. I was also extremely excited to get back because my oldest daughter, Jae, has a 3 day basketball camp to attend this up coming week and I couldn’t wait to take her. She couldn't wait for me to take her, either. With all this excitement I couldn't stop thinking of my father. I wanted to be there for him.

Friday morning my brother called me. He said the nurse told him to come quickly because my fathers had difficulty breathing and he was not doing well. My brother said he would call back to let me know how my father was doing once he saw him. My father has had many moments when it seemed like it would be his last, but he always pulls through. Our family joke was that he went way past 9 lives- he was a tough guy.

About 45 minutes later my brother called again and said, "Lee, dad just passed away."

I am sitting in NY at my speed academy on Father’s Day working on a few things, while my wife and kids are celebrating Father’s Day by themselves. My wife will take Jae to her basketball camp, and I will spend time with my brothers and sisters as we lay my father to rest.

Life is a Journey! I was a part of my father’s journey for the 42 years I've been alive. He had a great life and made all of my brothers and sisters lives great. He was married to my mother, who passed away in 1999, for 57 years. He was a tremendous leader having been a teacher, coach, athletic director, and administrator- combined 40 plus years.

Recently, he was honored by being named Whitehall High Schools first "Hall of Fame" inductee. He had lived his life as a proud member of Whitehall, a proud educator for the students of Whitehall, and he was a proud athlete for Whitehall. He was most proud to have raised his family in the community of Whitehall.

No matter how far I go in my professional life, or how many accomplishments I achieve, I will always be my fathers youngest son and most proud of that.

I love you Dad!

Lee

Are You Thinking About Your Business?

Family Update

Oh my Gosh! Brennen is 4 months old now and so much fun. He smiles and laughs all the time. If you didn't know better you would think he sipped the cider (Ha ha). Seriously, he just has the best personality. I was down on the floor with him the other night watching him move around like crazy. What a joy it is to watch him develop.

My daughters, Jae and Bailee, just love playing with Brennen. They think he is a blast to play with. Both of the girls finished their first basketball camp of the summer. They had a great time. It was the perfect camp for them to attend because it was only one hour and fifteen minutes in length. They met new friends and learned great skills to practice. As a coach, I thought the camp was well run.

Jenn and I are working hard at all our various businesses and making sure we are enjoying our family each and every day. We are preparing to spend some time in NY at the LTSA.

Are You Thinking About Your Business?

You're probably wondering what I am talking about. As you may already know, I have done a tremendous amount of self-education on strategies to grow our businesses over the past few years. I have also searched out some of the top business coaches that fit my needs. This has really led me to always think about my business, the direction it is going and the direction I want it to go.

I have coached athletes as a sport coach and an strength and speed coach for 20 years. I made money when I worked with athletes. But didn't make a dime when I wasn't working. This became tough on me because I started to miss time with my daughters and wife. Several years ago I started to produce DVDs and other information products that allowed me to make some extra income while I wasn't actually working. This has been a welcomed addition to my businesses. But there was something I was missing....

I started to think more about my business and began learning all the avenues I could to better serve the industry of athletics. Many people have different wants and needs and liked the information that I was sharing. I began to look at my products and realize the different avenues each product could take and at the same time, meet the needs of all the different coaches, trainers, athletes, parents, and professionals in many fields.

This is what I mean by "Are You Thinking About Your Business." Don't just go to work everyday and work in your business. You need to be working on it. You need to be trying to discover all the ways you can get your information or your products out to the people who want them.

Let me give you a quick example. You decide to offer a speed or sport camps in the summer and there are many athletes or coaches that would like to attend but are unable due to other commitments. If you film your camp they can purchase your valuable information by purchasing a DVD from you. You can also make a manual of the information. You now have two sources our your information for those people unable to attend your event. This is a simple example, but one that may get you thinking a little more.

Learning to think differently about my business has taken my excitement to a new level. I see all the possibilities now. I see what can happen if I open my eyes and see what is in front of me.

You might be wondering why I am even talking about this. I have had so many people over the past few years contact me and ask many questions about my businesses. I simple wanted to share something that might open your mind to how you should view your current business.

If you are interested in learning more, then check out my http://www.speedinsiders.com/ Speed Insiders Program. I give lot's of information about speed development and coaching. I also share valuable information on business development. My Speed Insiders program has actually led me to begin a Coaching and Mastermind Program. I use the approach of getting fast results with my members. This is only fora program for the highly motivated "direct target approach people" who want results fast. If you want more info on my coaching and Mastermind proram, info@sportsspeedetc.comt and mention the Platinum Exclusive Coaching and Mastermind.

I hope you have a great week and accomplish a lot!

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: If you are already a Speed Insider...look out! You will be receiving a great coaching video this month. If you are not currently a Speed Insider and would like to find out more, visit http://www.speedinsiders.com/ ...join for 2 months FREE...simple take it for a test drive.

Another Awesome Summit!

Hello,
I just returned home from Providence, RI where I presented at the Perform Better Summit. It was outstanding as usual. I always look forward to meeting new people and talking during the breaks or in the lobby. That is what these events are all about.

Of course, I always enjoy catching up with all the other presenter and the Perform Better gang. Chris Poirier is such a classy man and has such a wonderful staff. They are the best!

Chris hosted a nice dinner where we all were able to enjoy some good eats and share time together. That is what I love about this industry. Most people are willing to share their time with you and just lay back and enjoy the moment. Good time!

Re-Thinking Multi-Directional Speed

I had such a good time presenting my topic on multi-directional speed. What I liked was so many people came up to me and said what a difference my techniques and approach made to them over the past year or more. You see, many of these people saw me speak last year or in the years before that. They were able to take the information and implement it into their sports teams or training programs. I love hearing people actually take action and implement the information.

One attendee that spoke with me after my presentation told me last year when she heard my presentation, she went back to her soccer club and re-taught how goalies move. She said one girl went from an average to sub-par goalie to one of the top goalies around. She then followed this up by helping another goalie reach to status. That makes me feel incredible. Not only because the techniques work (I know they work so is why I have preached them for 20 years), but more importantly because she took action and made changes. She even did this when all the other goalie coaches are preaching a different technique and have been for years. She will make many more athletes successful along the way. Yes!

One of the key points I spoke about was how my techniques are based on natural instinct and body re-organization in space. The body is so incredible at innately figuring out angles to accelerate and decelerate the body. We as coaches need to stop trying to change this.

Some times coaching is about finding something new rather than embracing what already exists. When we understand this concept, that is when we see the athletes move the best. Also, when we allow athletes to move naturally it makes the job of assessing much easier. But when we add fancy un-needed techniques we are not sure what the real problem is when one exists. Natural movement allows for clarity.

Speed Insiders

Another great thing about this weekend is that I saw many Speed Insiders. This is a great thing because I know they are willing to invest in themselves to keep improving their knowledge. Being a Speed Insiders is about gaining usable nnowledge, things that can be put to use immediately. So, when a Speed Insider invests to attend a clinic I know they are into taking action. this means the information they get from http://www.speedinsiders.com/ will be valued and used.

If you haven't tried my Speed Insiders proram yet but would like to, simply go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ and give it a try for 2 FREE months. If you are not satisfied, you may stop being a Speed Insider at any time. Since beginning my Speed Insiders program there have been very few that have quit my program. I have no problem with those whom choose to quit, but I know they are the ones who don't understand the Law of Slight Edge. This states that all you need is one idea to improve any part of your business, programs, life or what ever is important to you. I have based all my investments into coaching, books, DVD's, CD's, seminars, clinics and consultations on the law of the slight edge- believe me, it works!

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: Don't forget to sign up for 2 FREE months of Speed Insiders at http://www.speedinsiders.com/