Articles

Ken Jakalski is head track and field coach at Lisle High School As a sprint coach, my concerns should be answering two fundamental questions. First, I’d like to know what...

Have you ever been nervous before a race or game and had your best performance? Have you been to a small competition and felt flat and bored and performed miserably but were physically ready? The arousal factor is one of the most important areas that can help or hinder performance but for some unexplained reason it is rarely talked about. In this article we will show why anxiety is a magic cauldron of chemicals in the body that can make or break a performance.

In this article we will explore the actual research on what makes track spikes faster options than regular sneakers or running barefoot. Much of the focus with athletes is the spikes themselves, rather than the hard sole and shape of the forefoot. Besides looking for comfortable and light spikes, athletes should focus on the choosing the model that has the optimal stiffness that delivers the matching response unique to their needs.

Every sport is different, but many field sports that involve running have similarities in demands, and testing the player abilities can ensure the performance program is properly developing the athlete. When setting priorities in training, a baseline test early in the preparatory phase is essential to creating realistic goals based on the amount of time one has to train and the starting point of the athlete based on the results.

You've heard the excuses—timing takes too long, is too expensive, and not needed in a training program. In this article we will debunk the myths of electronic timing and in fact show why timing excuses are false in nature, but timing can reverse the problems and provide a simple and convenient solution for coaches trying to get better results with their training.

Want to know the best way to set-up a 40 yard dash for timing? In this short article we review the correct way in timing short sprint tests for coaches and athletes wanting to know how fast they can accelerate in sports. This guide is helpful for the youth coach, masters athlete, and elite coaches wanting to get timing splits in linear sprints.

The legendary strength coach Al Vermeil has influenced countless coaches on integrating different training techniques into developing speed for athletes. In this article, we will dive into the different options in improving the 40 yard dash based on options very similar to his methodology with a simple summary of what transfers where in the acceleration curve.

By Garrett Reim Matt Scherer is never late. He is also never early- not by a second. He is always on time. And he is paid for such precision. Matt Scherer...

This article reviews the most common myths on acceleration training and ways to improve the 40 yard dash. Some of the most popular techniques in getting a better a time are in fact the exact opposite of what should be done based on very simple logic and reasoning. Each myth will be debunked, and a very straightforward tip on what can be done to help get better times is included.

Since most forty yard dashes are under 5 seconds, the effect of fatigue, even if the athlete isn't in “game” shape, is really not a factor here. The curve of the acceleration is steep at first, and then levels off as the time, and respective distance, increases. Breaking the curve down can be done at every step, but for convenience and practical matters, uniform segments of 10 m or 10 yards is the standard way to evaluate what is happening. By dissecting the run by 10 m or 10 yard increments, the times of each point can be subtracted by one another to get splits for simple evaluation.

A popular question every February is how fast can Usain Bolt run the 40 yard dash if he was to partake in the NFL Combine?

The SPARQ XLR8 Digital Timing System was designed to measure the 40 yard dash and agility drills. The system is no longer available. SPARQ continues to market other training devices...