Speed Training for Sports (Interesting Article)

Training
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Here’s a quick article I wrote on a FAQ that I receive.

One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive is," How can I get faster ? "

Speed training for combat sports is an interesting topic that deserves some detailed attention.

Speed is your ability to move quickly and it’s one of the most important
bio-motor abilities required in combat sports.

Speed is also multi-directional, since movement is performed from
multiple angles and positions during a match or a fight.

Speed not only includes the speed of your own actions, but also the speed of
your RE-actions. Or how quickly you respond to your opponents movement.

Generally, there are 3 elements to speed training:

1.Perfecting Reaction Time

2.Speed Training Proper

3.Strength and Power Exercises meant to enhance power output (Sozanski and Witczak 1981).

There are also many methods used to train for speed. The main method, and the one I’ll discuss here is known as the Repetition Method.

To make improvements in speed 3 elements must be present:

  1. High Quality of Movement

  2. High Frequency of Movement

  3. High Specificity of Movement

Let’s take a more detailed look at those 3 elements.

High Quality of Movement

Motor Learning research shows that it takes 300-500 repetitions to learn a new movement, however, it takes 3000-5000 repetitions to correct a faulty movement
(Motor Learning and Performance, Schmidt,1941).

Taking your time and focusing on high quality movement will ensure that you’re actually developing the skill that you’re attempting to refine and improve.

Speed is movement specific, developing poor quality movements will only hinder the development of speed in the skills that you wish to be quick in.

There is no correlation between speed of leg movements and arm movements and very little correlation in movements that require different coordination (DeVries 1980).

High Frequency of Movement

Once you have mastered the mechanics of the skill that you wish to improve, it’s time
to focus on your frequency of training.

This directly applies to The Repetition Method. All too often intensity is stressed before consistency or frequency, which can lead to poor quality of movement and develop competeing motor patterns or skills.

Remember, speed is movement specific.

Set aside training time everyday for practicing, not sparring the skills that you wish to be quick in.

Really practice and go deep into the skill. Only when that skill becomes
concrete within your nervous system will you start developing speed.

I suggest you actually track how many repetitions you perform of each drill.
We’ve made this easy for you, just print out our Combat Sports Skill Acquistion Chart
and take it with you to your academy.

High Specificity of Movement

I’ve said it 3 times now, speed is movement specific. Practicing a right Cross will not improve the speed of your Jab or low kick, simple enough.

In following articles I’ll spend more time discussing the other methods for developing speed.

But remember, keep those 3 elements at the forefront of your mind when training for speed:

  1. High Quality of Movement

  2. High Frequency of Movement

  3. High Specificity of Movement

All the best,

Jason C. Brown BS CSCS

deVries H. A.1980. Phsyiology of Exercise for Physical
Education and Athletics.Dubuque, IA:Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers.

Schmidt. 1941. Motor Learning and Performance.

Sozanski H., T. Witczak.1981. Trening szybkosci. Warsaw: Sport i Turystyka.

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Isn’t this from one of Vern Gambettas books?

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[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

High Frequency of Movement

Once you have mastered the mechanics of the skill that you wish to improve, it’s time
to focus on your frequency of training.

This directly applies to The Repetition Method. All too often intensity is stressed before consistency or frequency, which can lead to poor quality of movement and develop competeing motor patterns or skills.

Remember, speed is movement specific.

Set aside training time everyday for practicing, not sparring the skills that you wish to be quick in.

Really practice and go deep into the skill. Only when that skill becomes
concrete within your nervous system will you start developing speed.

[/quote]

lollerkata :wink:

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LMAO!!! I would have said shadowboxing but you’re right

kata 8 form V!

5

Not a bad little article.

There also 3 types of speed:

1)Movement speed (or basically “miles per hour” speed)- this is the type of speed that most people work on, and the type of speed that the author is talking about. Basically how long it takes your arm/leg/knee/etc… to go from point A to point B.

2)Initial speed (how fast you can get off the firing line)- most people neglect this type of speed training, but according to some it’s the most important form of speed as it allows you to get the jump on your opponent.

3)Timing speed (related to re-action speed, but not exactly the same)- this has to do with things like cadence, rythm, “essence” and other qualities of timing. Also often times neglected.

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[quote]Sentoguy wrote:

2)Initial speed (how fast you can get off the firing line)- most people neglect this type of speed training, but according to some it’s the most important form of speed as it allows you to get the jump on your opponent. [/quote]

What type of training have you had for this? In karate, or at least the styles I’ve had access to, starting speed doesn’t have a particular training method, but I know they exist.

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[quote]Vash wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

2)Initial speed (how fast you can get off the firing line)- most people neglect this type of speed training, but according to some it’s the most important form of speed as it allows you to get the jump on your opponent.

What type of training have you had for this? In karate, or at least the styles I’ve had access to, starting speed doesn’t have a particular training method, but I know they exist.

[/quote]

Well, the most important thing to do is to just practice exploding off the firing line. Most people can’t explode because they simply don’t practice it.

That being said, there are other principles/drills involved which can help you get the jump on someone. I’m not really at liberty to go into any details about the principles, but if you want to learn more, check out Joe Lewis’s stuff.

One of the best drills to develop this is to just square off and have the two trainees take turns trying to beat each other to the punch. The target is generally the chest (as it can take a better shot than the face, and also is less elusive) and the opponent throws a counter punch. You basically keep track of who is landing first.

If the lead off guy is landing first, he’s got the jump on his opponent. If the counter guy is landing first, or at the same time, the lead off fighter is either telegraphing his attack (most likely) or is slow off the line.

From there you can start to add things like progressive indirect attack, allowing the counter guy to take a half step backwards to make the lead off guy miss and then land the counter, adding movement to the drill, broken rhythm, etc… You can also do the same thing with a lead off kick if you like.

Also, the purpose of this drill is speed and accuracy, so don’t worry about power. If you can’t hit the target consistently, then all the power in the world isn’t going to do you much good.

Some other good drills:

Have one fighter lead off against a target (like a held up glove or focus mitt), and try to hit it and then clear before the opponent can hit them with a counter punch. This teaches you to not only get off the firing line quickly, but to also not pause on the inside, and clear quickly. But, you’ve really gotta be fast and know what you are doing. If you telegraph at all, he will tag you.

Or you could just practice throwing your technique at your opponent and seeing if he can clear before you can land. Or have him hold up a target and as soon as he sees you coming move the target and make you miss, while your job is to hit the target before he can react.

Obviously distance will play a critical role in all of the above drills as will footwork. If you footwork is slow, it will forever hinder your speed. You want to start off at a close distance to begin with (your fist should be 6-8 inches from the target at full extension) and master that.

Then gradually increase the distance. How much distance you can cover is less important than how fast you can cover that distance.

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[quote]cfwhite wrote:
Isn’t this from one of Vern Gambettas books?[/quote]

Why has this question been ignored?

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[quote]Vash wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

2)Initial speed (how fast you can get off the firing line)- most people neglect this type of speed training, but according to some it’s the most important form of speed as it allows you to get the jump on your opponent.

What type of training have you had for this? In karate, or at least the styles I’ve had access to, starting speed doesn’t have a particular training method, but I know they exist.

[/quote]

I love standing long and high jump for this, but for karate for fight specific you can do the long and high jump from your fighting position. I also love doing long jumps from stance with a jumpstretch band around me. Last, if you have a partner, play tag with them.

Start out standing about 4-6 inches beyond being able to touch each other with your outstretched front arm. One guy is offense, he can only move one hop forward at a time. The other guy is defense, he can only move one hop backward at a time.

Obviously the goal is for the offense guy to catch the defense guy. So much of that initial speed is about developing a burst…0-60 speed in a car ya know. Some other things are techinical. Are you on the balls of your feet?

Are you exploding off your rear leg, or stepping with your front leg and sliding your back one up? Is your weight distributed properly? Are you hopping up too much in your first movement instead of toward your opponent?

And then if you notice you are slow in sparring ask questions like, Am I telegraphing a technique? Am I mixing up the timing on my attacks? Am I starting an attack from too far out?

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[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
cfwhite wrote:
Isn’t this from one of Vern Gambettas books?

Why has this question been ignored?[/quote]

because i have no idea… found it on a website…i just copy and pasted.

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Yeah I think it might be something that he has written, I read his book a few months ago, and he talked a lot about it. But then often great minds come to the same conclusion by different means!!!

Thanks for posting it

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[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
cfwhite wrote:
Isn’t this from one of Vern Gambettas books?

Why has this question been ignored?

because i have no idea… found it on a website…i just copy and pasted.[/quote]

Didn’t mean to sound rude, I thought it was interesting and wanted to know where it came from.