Why Prioritize Speed? Part 1

The phrase “Speed Kills” is often used to describe a stand-out athlete. We agree that speed is the ultimate attribute in sport. That’s why training for speed, especially game speed, is our number one priority. In this first installment we touch upon speed as it relates to two components of play, (1) time to act and (2) endurance.

Both these points are best illustrated from an excerpt from our Game Speed Clinic Handout:

“Speed at its most simplistic is when one player can beat a player to a ball in a sprint, but it’s a lot more.  Speed means getting precious time to make a decision before an opponent is on top of you, and it will even make you appear to have more endurance than slower opponents. 

If Player A has a top speed of 20MPH and player B has a speed of 18MPH, then player A only has to sprint at 91% of their top speed to beat player B to the ball.  Repeated over the course of a 60 or 90-minute game, player B could have done miles of endurance training but would still be fatigued compared to player A.”  

-Coach Jackson Weber
Head Track & Field Coach
West Springfield HS
Game Speed Clinic Coach

Let that sit between now and our next installment, Why Prioritize Speed? Part 2