What is Speed Biomechanics

Speed is how you win in sports. Like all other aspects of sports, you need to train your body properly to improve your speed. Training speed is done through speed biomechanics.

Biomechanics is the understanding of human movement and how the force of equipment reacts to that movement. To simplify the concept speed biomechanic training is when coaches slow down your movements and help improve the mechanics of your body for greater power and performance.

There are two facets of biomechanics kinetics and kinematics.

Kinetic – The force on the body
Kinematics – The movement of the body

Using these two facets of biomechanics training can greatly enhance performance by focusing on the muscle movement and power exertion of the body.

A coach will focus on finding your optimal moving patterns to improve your overall technique. They do this by slowing down your movements to understand where the laid is held on your body. Then use strength, power training, and speed training to build on the areas that need more focus.

Training through biomechanics can help an athlete greatly decrease the risk of injury. Understanding how your body moves and focusing on moving your body in the correct form will decrease improper movements and increase proper muscle memory.
Speed is the Result of Muscle Contractions
You probably understand the importance of muscles and power in speed. Did you know that better muscle and power will help improve your reaction time?

There are two types of speed:

Reaction speed – How you react to stimuli (Initial burst)
Realization Speed – Full speed potential (optimal speed)

An athlete with good reaction speed will start moving faster and get to the optimal speed quicker with a better ability to react to external stimuli and make changes to their pace at a faster rate.

You will also need to understand and improve your fast twitch muscle fibres to improve your power and quick movements. There are two types of muscle fibres slow twitch which help with endurance and long-distance running and fast twitch which support reaction speed.

The Importance of Strength

You need the power to improve your running. Training programs for speed should always include some form of strength training with a focus on functional and compound movements.

Power helps you apply a greater force in a restricted time period (within .1 -.2 seconds). Without power, you can increase the risk of injury due to an overload on the joints.
Tips on How To Run Faster
Our coaches made a list of tips to help you improve your overall speed. It is important to train for speed just like any skill in sports. At Run Speed Performance we focus on speed, agility, strength, and biomechanics. Using these four key areas we help improve the form and technique of an athlete. Speed training is not just for runners. All sports can benefit from training.

• Practice and play with a proper warm-up and cool-down routine
• Keep your body hydrated
• Focus on strength and power training
• Practice your form and technique
• Practice consistently
• Incorporate speed workouts
• Don’t overwork yourself

Training for speed requires a focus on the efficiency of your body during sprints, agility, and acceleration. Coaches also focus on the turnover and ground reaction time of an athlete.

Calculate Your Stride Length

There are many ways to calculate how fast you are. Your stride length is a great place to get started. To calculate stride length calculate how many steps it takes you to run a set length then divide by two. Then take that final number and divide it by the distance. For example:

Distance in feet / Number of strides = Stride length.

If it takes you 22 steps to cover 20 feet you would divide 22/ 2 to get your total steps of 11 then divide your steps by the distance to get a total stride length of 1.81 feet.

Calculating your stride will help you set a goal or metric to gauge your improvement.

A longer stride length will require less exertion while running and help you improve your pace while decreasing the energy you to run.

All speed training requires power and strength training. Without the power, you are more likely to get injured and will have less ability to get to optimal speed in a short time duration.

If you have questions about training feel free to reach out to one of our coaches.