Philosophy of Speed & Power Training

ATHLETIC POWER DEVELOPMENT:
What are the key physical traits of elite athleticism?

Adam Plummer MSc, PES

5 key traits of elite athleticism:

Explosive acceleration / deceleration capability (burst / brake)
High maximal speed using mechanically efficient technique (fast / fluid)
Highly agile and smooth when changing directions (springy / quick/ elusive)
Total body flexibility with high resistance to injury (supple muscles/ elastic tendons / joint stability)
Highly developed sport- specific conditioning (anaerobic / aerobic endurance)

Power training could really be called movement training, as the techniques help athletes to develop total body movement control. At a given moment, athletes who have mastery over their movements are able to burst in any direction in the blink of an eye. This level of control is reached by teaching the neuromuscular system the most efficient movement patterns that produce and generate force. Learning to channel all available body power in a positive direction enables athletes to perform faster, more balanced movements.

The fundamental athletic movements of: top speed sprinting, accelerating, decelerating, jumping, reacting, quick directional changes, and first step explosion are all elite skills that can be learned. Athletes must hone these fundamental skills because they are universal movements that transcend any single sport.

After working with over 5000 athletes, we have been able to identify the most common movement problems that young athletes experience: flailing arms, hunched posture, inefficient over-striding, inefficient under-striding, unbalanced hips, excessive knee flexion, flat footedness, slow directional changes, slow reaction time, and a slow 1st step. The bad news is that these tendencies significantly decrease athletic performance. The good news is that athleticism can be improved and all these issues can be corrected through a custom power development program.

Let's take a look at what enhanced speed - power - agility can do for an athlete. Imagine a young player on the soccer field who is a little uncertain when trying to move explosively and or change direction quickly. The fine foot coordination demanded by soccer is hampered because the conscious thought going into balancing/moving the body leaves little concentration left to skillfully control the ball.

Now picture an athlete on the same soccer field with smoothly developed speed - power - agility skills who devotes very little if any conscious thought to balance/motion corrections. The fundamental athletic movements are fluid. This athlete appears to move effortlessly and always seems one step ahead. This total body fluidity during sport-movements is the key to becoming a top athlete. Without it, concentration is severely taxed and the athlete is nowhere near their maximal performance.

Our core message to young Canadian athletes is: speed - power - agility, can be significantly improved at any age, but only through a structured and progressive training strategy.

What we are offering to Sport Canada is a highly accurate critical eye in the area of biodynamics. Am often asked where I get my equipment, and I respond that while training tools are vital, they are useless if athletes perform drills with sloppy movement mechanics. In the field of speed & power development the key factor is not in finding the best equipment, but in determining what is mechanically wrong, in understanding the proper mechanical movement, and then getting the body to do it. Keeping this goal in mind, athletes attending our programs receive technical error correction followed immediately by instruction on the proper form.

At Speed Science we want parents, coaches, and players to understand that speed - power - agility training is not about driving athletes to exhaustion in an attempt to increase speed. It's about developing sport-specific strength, internalizing economy and efficiency of movement, improving flexibility, speeding up muscle reactivity, and absorbing the mechanical principles that govern human movement. Training these components together results in a well-balanced, more powerful athlete who is now free to fully concentrate on the game.

We encourage athletes to constantly push their limits by striving to become better each and every day. Our programs provide a challenging environment for athletes to foster and develop their highest athletic potential. Our training method uses the latest and most advanced sport research to position athletes at the cutting edge of player development.

Thank you!

Adam Plummer, MSc