by Mike King February 16, 2026
Speed can be developed. I know this now but for as long as I can remember I always struggled to get to the top of my peer group athletes when it came to competition or game speed. I’ve played sports throughout my youth and for the most part I felt that I was above average. I could observe a skill that was being taught or see that same skill performed in a game on TV, easily duplicate that same skill, and practice it until I was proficient at it. Whether it was hitting a baseball, throwing a football, skating or shooting a basketball, I could adapt and learn.
Why then did I not view speed in a similar way like the other skills that I had to develop? I played basketball and ran track in high school, but my main focus was football. I lived in the gym. I was short and stocky at 5’6” 185lbs so I felt that I would need to be strong to overcome my lack of height to have any success on the football field, so I lived in the gym.
I realized however, that if I was to fulfill my goal of playing university level football that I would also need to focus on developing my speed. I joined the track team in high school, not so much for the competing at track meets, but more so for improving my overall speed for football. Initially it was sometimes frustrating watching very talented and genetically gifted athletes fly past me in practice, but it was track where I learned efficient movement (upper body, front/rear end mechanics), how to leverage my explosive power, reduce ground contact time (GCT) and build stamina.
Improvements were noticeable. I entered sprint events at track meets where I would place 2nd or 3rd in the heats but just miss qualifying for finals. I even ran the 3rd leg on the high school 4×100 relay team. More importantly I was faster for football. My 40 yd time improved from 4.9 to 4.6, I could bench press 425lbs and squat over 500lbs by the time I was playing my first year of university football. The formula for success for most things in life is simple. PROCESS – HARD WORK – DISCIPLINE
HOW CAN I GET FASTER?
With targeted training, athletic speed can be systematically developed because it is the product of neuromuscular power, efficient biomechanics and learning the technical skills for sprinting. **Explosive power** focuses on acceleration and early sprint phases (stance, start, steps), as athletes must produce high forces in very short time frames. This is enhanced through heavy resistance training, plyometrics, and ballistic movements that improve rate of force development and motor unit recruitment.
**Efficient upper body mechanics** contribute to speed by stabilizing posture and assisting force transfer. Coordinated arm swing—characterized by relaxed shoulders, rapid elbow flexion/extension, and sagittal-plane motion—helps counterbalance lower-limb forces and maintain rhythm, particularly at high velocities.
Lower-body sprint technique is often described using **frontside and backside mechanics**. Effective frontside mechanics emphasize high knee lift, vertical shin angles, and active foot strike beneath the center of mass, while minimizing excessive backside mechanics (overextension behind the body), which increase braking forces and reduce efficiency.
A critical determinant of sprint performance is **reduced ground contact time**. Faster athletes apply greater force in less time, relying on high leg stiffness and elastic energy return from the musculotendinous system. Plyometric and sprint-specific drills improve this quality by enhancing reactive strength.
Finally, **top-end speed** development requires exposure to maximal velocity sprinting. Upright posture, cyclical mechanics, and precise timing are essential in this phase, and training must include short, fully recovered sprints to optimize neural output and stride efficiency.
Register here for speed camp May 5th through July 28th
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**References**
* Brughelli, M., Cronin, J., Levin, G., & Chaouachi, A. (2008). *Strength and conditioning for sprint performance*. Sports Medicine, 38(11), 893–915.
* Mann, R. (2013). *The mechanics of sprinting and hurdling*. CreateSpace.
* Weyand, P. G., Sternlight, D. B., Bellizzi, M. J., & Wright, S. (2000). *Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements*. Journal of Applied Physiology, 89(5), 1991–1999.