SPEED IS KING WHEN IT COMES TO SPORTS TRAINING: THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCELERATION

As athletes, we're always looking for ways to improve our performance, whether it's increasing strength, improving conditioning, or honing our skills. One key factor that is often overlooked, but is crucial to enhancing athletic/sports performance, is the development of acceleration. In this post, we'll explore what acceleration is, why it's important, and how you can work on accelerating to improve your overall sports performance.

Acceleration is the rate of change of an athlete's velocity. It's the ability to increase speed quickly, which is important whether you're competing in sprints or team sports. In fact, most sports involve some element of acceleration, whether it's reaching the ball before your opponent in soccer, sprinting past defenders in football, or stealing second base in baseball and softball.

But why is acceleration development so important for all sports? For starters, the ability to accelerate quickly can give an athlete a significant advantage over their opponents. It's often the difference between getting to the ball first or losing a race. Additionally, developing your acceleration can help you conserve energy, which is essential in sports that require sprinting followed by periods of rest. By accelerating efficiently, you'll use less energy to achieve the same speed as someone who accelerates less efficiently.

So, how can you work on acceleration development? Here are some tips:

1. Focus on improving your mechanics

Proper technique is key to accelerating efficiently. Your body should be in a low and forward-leaning position, with powerful arm swings while attacking the ground with rhythmic force with your legs. The first few steps are the most important, so make sure you're explosive out of the gate.

2. Train for power and explosiveness

Strength is an integral component of all programs at Fordham Performance

Developing your explosiveness is key to acceleration. Plyometric exercises like squat jumps, box jumps, and single-leg bounds are great for power development. Focus on jumping as high or as far as you can with each rep, maximizing the power and speed of your explosive movement.

3. Strength training and force production

Strong legs and a stable resilient core is essential for acceleration. Exercises like squats, hex bar deadlifts, and lunges can help you improve the amount of force you can apply to the ground which is key for optimal acceleration.

4. Train your reaction time

Reacting quickly to stimuli is crucial in accelerating. Exercises like reaction drills can help you develop this skill. Simple drills like reacting to a partner's voice or hand clap can help you develop your reaction time.

5. Practice your start technique

Your start technique is critical for acceleration. Work on perfecting your technique by breaking down each step of your start and analyzing it in slow motion. Then, gradually increase your speed until you're ready to do a full start and accelerate as fast as you can.

Acceleration development is a crucial aspect of athletic performance that often goes overlooked. By focusing on proper mechanics, power, force production, reaction time, and start technique, you can improve your acceleration and start to gain a significant advantage over your opponents. Whether you're a sprinter, a football, soccer player, or a basketball player, developing your acceleration can help take your game to the next level. Start incorporating these tips into your training routine and see the difference it makes in your performance on the field or court.

If you are looking for a proven program that takes all of the guesswork out of acceleration and speed training, sign up today and join our next Speed Academy Session!!

Speed Academy is designed to enhance acceleration and speed utilizing laser timing systems to provide each athlete with immediate feedback and analytics to improve each rep!

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