May 18, 2017Quick Starts
Fast and powerful acceleration is an important skill for any athlete. Being able to get up to maximum speed as quickly as possible is a foundation of athletic performance. Understanding the mechanics of acceleration and utilizing the right exercises will give your athletes a competitive edge.
Before putting your athletes through an intense workout, it’s important to understand what acceleration is. An athlete’s acceleration is the rate at which he or she changes speed. This takes place in the first 0-30 meters from the start of a sprint until the athlete reaches maximum velocity and hits their top speed. This means that workouts designed to improve acceleration should follow the same distance parameters of 0-30 meters.
It is also important that coaches understand proper acceleration mechanics. Teaching athletes how to move with proper form will help them maximize their ability, improve speed, and avoid injury. Patrick Beith of Athletes Acceleration Inc. breaks down the various mechanics of acceleration and other important things to consider.
Stride Length — Strides start off short and increase until the athlete reaches maximum velocity.
Ground Contact Time — The amount of time each foot spends on the ground is known as Ground Contact Time. This decreases as the athlete works up to top speed.
Shin Angle — The angle of an athlete’s shin to the ground determines how much force they are applying in order to accelerate. According to Beith, a 45-degree projection angle is ideal.
Velocity — Velocity refers to the speed and direction that an athlete’s body is moving.
Stride Frequency — As athletes work up to maximum velocity, their number of strides becomes progressively less frequent.
Heel Recovery — Heels should come back to the ground quickly without ever moving far behind the hips.
Beith also talks about the importance of triple extension, which involves driving with the ankle, knee, and hip. Athletes should concern themselves less with trying to be quick with their legs and more with making sure they are getting triple extension and using proper mechanics. According to Beith, athletes should feel the sensation of their feet driving well behind their center of mass. This indicates that they are accelerating with proper form.
As a coach, it can help to use instructive cues when training athletes. When working on acceleration, Beith uses the cue “drive down.”
“This gives the athlete a frame of reference to use when I need them to make adjustments to their form while sprinting,” Beith says. “This will help the athletes carry over the theory of what needs to be done so they can apply it when performing high speed sprinting. Every time you sprint you should be working on technique. You want your athletes to have proper running technique ingrained in their heads so when it is time to sprint, they can feel when everything is happening smoothly.”
Once you have a grasp on how to teach proper acceleration, there are a number of drills and exercise that you can have your athletes do. According to STACK.com, the wall drill, broad jump, and arm swing drill are essential for improving acceleration. Beith also recommends doing hill work, stadium runs, medicine ball starts, and more.
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