As a kid, I remember playing "street ball" (football) with my friends. The "playing field" was very narrow! The key to being a good player in "street ball" is to be able to accelerate quickly when you catch the ball. If you can make it to the sideline without your opponent's two-hand touch, you have a good chance for a long gainer or even a touchdown.
In sports competition, it is not always the fastest player who makes the play. Players rarely reach maximum speed during a play or sequence of plays because it takes 4-5 seconds to reach maximum speed. Many times, the player who accelerates faster is the one who usually makes the play.
You can train to improve your acceleration speed. One great exercise to do is weighted squat jumps (bodyweight squat jumps should be mastered first).
While sport-specific plyometric training improves power, non-specific power training should not be ignored. Researchers from Canada found that athletes who performed better with weighted squat jumps were the best accelerators at 10 meters.
Therefore, concentric force development (jumping power) is critical to improve sprint acceleration. The first step from a stand-still (or near stand-still) position requires concentric muscle power.
It is important to learn proper jumping and landing techniques before doing weighted squat jumps. Read this post about jumping and landing techniques.
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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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