Are you REALLY Training Speed? Part 1 – Testing

I’ve never met a Coach that has turned down a fast kid. 

Seriously.

Every Coach always says they can “teach the athlete the sport skills”, but “you can’t teach speed”. 

Well, sport coaches don’t coach speed…we do.

Right, Coach? 

Getting athlete’s faster is dependent on a lot of moving parts. The first part is the ability to measure speed accurately. 

At the Parisi Speed School, we have a 7-point athletic evaluation. But if you ask me, and you did as soon as you clicked the link to read this, we have one test that stands out as the BEST test to measure speed.

The flying 10

The flying 10 is the split interval between 10 and 20 yards. I sometimes call it the ‘active 10’, but the name ‘flying’ comes from the athlete’s ability to utilize the distance between 0 and 10 yards to accelerate and build towards their maximum velocity. 

In my opinion, the one you asked for when you clicked the link to this article, the flying 10 is a better marker for speed because it is low skill. 

Think about it. 

When an athlete lines up to run their timed sprint, they have to navigate the timing system, any additional starting cues, inertia, and the relative strength required to propel out of a deep triple flexion position.

That’s a lot of stuff!

I don’t care if you’re the most experienced athlete or a pure novice, all of those variables impact the outcome of a 0 to 10 yard sprint time. 

So we fly-in. 

By allowing the athlete to build speed, it minimizes the external variables that can affect the timing outcome.

When the timer kicks on at the 10-yard mark, the athlete has achieved suitable velocity and just has to run. Which is what we are testing, right? The athlete’s skill of running and producing force. 

With the flying 10, we know the athlete can improve their time if …

• their build up from 0-10 yards gets faster.
• they get stronger and have a higher rate of force into the ground at any point in the run.
• they mechanically become more efficient.

I don’t know about you, Coach, but I think those are three things that my athletes pay me to help them accomplish. 

So how do you test your athletes? How are you measuring speed? I think the flying 10-yard sprint needs to become a part of your arsenal. 

What’s next?

Looking for a Parisi Speed School near you? Check out our Location Map.

Are you a Coach interested in joining the Parisi Speed School Network? Download our Free Guide.