In order to improve your playing speed it is important to understand that how fast you move is directly related to how you move. Your body is much better at pushing than pulling so the manner in which we align our body and apply force to the ground will have a direct effect on the maximum speed that you can move. The goal of our learning technique is not to turn each athlete into a robot but to apply sound principles to movement so that you can move efficiently and swiftly. Technique movement will develop into natural movement. The following guidelines apply to basic movement patterns utilized in sports.

SPRINTING

Posture
Toes pointed straight ahead
Knees in line with toes
Hips in neutral position
Chest spread, shoulder blades slightly back
Head neutral with eyes focused straight ahead
Entire body should have a slight forward inclination

Stride Cycle

Support phase begins when ball of foot contacts ground underneath body's center of gravity.

Drive phase creates maximum push off the ground by extending the hip and knee creating a straight line through the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle.

Recovery phase allows the knee to flex so the foot can come through to a point close to or slightly touching the buttocks then the hip flexes allowing the knee to move forward, ankle of the free leg should pass by the knee of support leg, thigh should reach a point of being just short of parallel to the ground, foot of recovery leg should naturally come down to strike the ground for the support phase.

Arm Action

Arms work in opposition to the legs with the right arm and left leg coming forward as the left arm and right leg go backward. The arms should be bent at the elbow to form approximately 90 degrees. The arms should rotate from the shoulder joint and move forward and backward from a point just behind the hip to a point just if front of the chin.

LATERAL SHUFFLE

Posture Head up
Back straight
Knees flexed and feet slightly wider than shoulder width
Hands and arms in “ready position”

Movement

Point lead toe slightly toward direction that you want to travel, other foot should be perpendicular to line of travel. If moving to the left, drive off the right foot. Step down with the left foot and quickly get right foot on the ground so as to maintain a drive-step sequence and not a push-pull

These postures and movement techniques are critical to place your body in the position to move efficiently. Study the language of each point and make sure you're setting yourself up to move as perfectly as possible. If you start building speed on a wrong foundation of technique, you'll never achieve your genetically best speed. Remember, video analysis is a great way to watch your technique and then make corrections. Next month we'll start the drills!