See if you can answer these questions…Green question mark

    1. If an athlete is approaching and needs to decelerate to get under control, but the opponent has not forced the athlete to go in a direction yet, what deceleration technique would be the most appropriate?
    A. A lunge stop
    B. Angled or rotational stop
    C. A split step
    D. A reverse stop

Answer: C- a split step

In Ground Breaking 2 (www.GroundBreaking2.com) I spent an entire section of the six DVDs talking about how to properly decelerate in order to make plays, reduce injuries, and immediately reaccelerate out of the deceleration move.

    2. When an athlete is moving laterally, and they must quickly react and change direction they will most likely perform what pattern of natural movement?
    A. Drive their body in the new direction over a firmly planted foot.
    B. Reposition the feet in order to create a great deceleration and reacceleration angle.
    C. Apply equal pressure with both legs in order to double the push-off power.
    D. Perform a reverse lunge stop in order to drop the shoulders forward.

Answer: B- Reposition the feet in order to create a great deceleration and reacceleration angle.

When I was in Florida in 1991 I taught speed and agility at Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy. I developed a strategy using low boxes to teach a particular movement principle. In Low Box Training for Athletes (www.LowBoxTraining.com) I created entire multidirectional movement strategies that allowed players to feel what quick footwork should be like, basically creating solid motor programs.

    3. When teaching the landing position in jumping it is imperative we demonstrate and encourage the following proper mechanics:
    A. Allow the ankles, knees, and hips to absorb the force by flexing as one unit and keep the back neutral or slightly arched.
    B. Always keep the knees over the ankles and the chest up.
    C. Keep the back vertical, the heels off the ground, and the knees over the ankles.
    D. Stay on the balls of the feet and the heels raise up off the ground.

Answer: A- Allow the ankles, knees, and hips to absorb the force by flexing as one unit and keep the back neutral or slightly arched

Far too often we don’t separate the rules of lifting weights with that of speed and jump training. In order to load properly and dissipate forces, we must allow the body to properly create soft tissue tension to protect the joints. DVD number 5 of Ground Breaking 2 is dedicated to the jumping, leaping, and hopping mechanics plus many more strategies to increase jumping power and safety.

Yours in Speed,

Lee Taft signature

P.S. When allowing an athlete’s body to function naturally, and simply embracing and enhancing these natural abilities, speed and quickness can improve much faster. When you are trying to reinvent how the body moves you are making athletes move less efficient. Ground Breaking 2 and Low Box Training for Athletes are completely based of the true functional abilities the body uses naturally. This is why I have been able to realize results so quickly and safely with my athletes over the past two decades.

P.P.S. If you want to coach speed with more confidence go to www.GroundBreaking2.com and www.LowBoxTraining.com so you can experience the power of real skills of speed.