Optimizing Athletic Speed: Biological Development and Training Methods

Biological Evolution and Stages of Development

Velocity Training Focus by Age

The old school of thought relates velocity training primarily to the development of coordination and strength. Speed training should commence at early ages; the period between 7 and 13 years is considered the most favorable for sensitive work on gestural movement frequency and speed.

• Early Puberty: A temporary drop in performance often occurs due to speed discoordination.
• 15 to 17 Years: This period is adequate for working on specific execution techniques.
• 18 to 23 Years: Displacement speed continues to increase, reaching its maximum.
• 23 to 35 Years: Further performance improvements are possible.

Speed Training Methods: Principles and Recommendations

Effective speed training requires adherence to specific principles:

1. A good warm-up is essential to prevent injuries and encourage Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement.
2. Exercises must be performed with high activation.
3. The duration of each activity should be short, as they are performed at maximum fatigue.
4. Breaks must ensure the complete recovery of energy and the nervous system.
5. Perform as many repetitions as possible while maintaining a high level of efficacy.
6. Utilize means that transition from known to unknown situations and from simple to complex.
7. Speed work must be executed at maximum intensity.

Training the Speed of Displacement

The system for obtaining energy in speed efforts relies on the anaerobic alactic pathway. The substrates used in this pathway are ATP and PCr (Phosphocreatine).

Energetic Substrates Dynamics

• ATP: Stored in the muscle and acts first; it is depleted at 3–5 seconds.
• Phosphocreatine (PCr): Guarantees ATP resynthesis to continue producing power for 15–20 seconds.
• Anaerobic Power: Indicates the peak anaerobic degradation of PCr (4–10 seconds).
• Anaerobic Capacity: Indicates the total duration of activity utilizing this pathway.

Training of Reaction Speed

Reaction Training Methods

1. Repeated Reaction Method: Reaction to a stimulus that appears repeatedly and systematically.
2. Sensory Method: Focuses on the relationship between reaction rate and the ability to differentiate small time collapses.

Three Phases of Reaction Training

1. Phase 1: Realization of the movement, trying to react as quickly as possible.
2. Phase 2: Similar to the first phase, but here the athlete estimates the time spent performing the work and compares it.
3. Phase 3: The athlete decides whether to maintain or propose a change to the time taken to perform the work based on the comparison made in Phase 2.

Method of Complex Reactions

These methods are utilized to work on discriminative reaction time, where it is crucial for the athlete to meet a series of responses between which the stimulus is presented.

Method of Gesture Repetitions

There is a specific time where the speed of the gesture plateaus; improvement is minimal through simple repetition. The goal is to solve this plateau and find transfer effects.

Transfer Between Speed and Force

To enhance speed through force application:

1. Find an increase in the degree of force.
2. Reduce the loads used to achieve greater speed.
3. Use loads less than the usual charges.

Varied Analytical Method

This method seeks to increase speed by...