First of all, runs that are relaxed and automatic always SEEM to be slower because you eliminate a lot of background muscular “noise” and it is easier to perceive each action as if time has been altered and slowed down. Talk to any top sprinter and this is a perceptual theme you will hear over and over.
USEFUL Extension is a function of power and not thought.
All of which could be interpreted as the difference between practice activity and performance activity (where the practice cue has become automatic). Same thing could be said about John Smith relaxation drills, where you run 150’s with a cone placed 50m from the finish, and from the cone you are REQUIRED to relax. It’s not like we go race 100m and say to ourselves at the 50m point,“OK, this is about where JS puts his cone, so we have to relax, HERE.” It’s all supposed to be automatic by this time.
While I think I’d be willing to pay admission to watch You and Vince argue, it’s time to throw Franno into the mix…
From the video “Asafa Powell Prepares for Sprinting” (#3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsbGdmLJBOk&feature=related
(See the very interesting discussion at 6:30-8:30 into the video)
Question: “Should the first stride be long or short”?
Franno: “There are variances of opinions as far as various persons’ first execution step is concerned. Our philosophy is Long…Looonger…Looooooooooonger yet…”
Also notice in Franno’s dissertation the part about getting the long part into the athlete’s head.
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Well said Charlie but how do you cue an athlete who is clearly not lacking in strength or power but continues to shorten extension on the backside at the start? I’ve played with a lot of guys who are incredibly strong and powerful but chopped their strides coming out of the start in effort to be quick or perhaps they were uncomfortable with spending any amount of time in the air. I would think that proper therapy to restore mobility and range of motion would go a long way to fixing this issue but I also believe that being patient at the start and executing each step is the fastest way to the finish. As an aside, many have observed that 4.2-4.4 guys tend to finish in around 19-20.5 steps (except for Calvin Johnson who did it in 17 or 18!)
I understand your point of view that what works on the track works on the gridiron but outside of your coaching methods their are quite a few coaches who set up their acceleration pattern and start around NOT getting to 40-50 meters in the fastest manner possible. Tellez comes to mind from his recent lecture, he mentioned various positions and acceleration curves that may get you to 40-60 faster but not necessarily 100m.
Charlie, do you think an athlete should consciously think about driving the arms at top speed?
I find that the best runs are those were one runs in a “trance” / “tunnel” mind status, it’s like being on autopilot and you suddenly realize “oh I covered 50m” and it seemed that you were blacked out during that time. While running it may feel slow but when you get past the mark you realize how little time it was used to cover the distance.
I find that more evident while doing flying sprints with cones 10m apart, when I am “concious” the time that takes to cover the distance is significantly longer, yet I have a sensation of things moving fast. When on the trance status the time is reduced, but I still don’t get the sensation of things moving fast, it’s like speed being reduced to it’s definition, distance / time.
Another intersting issue is that while on trance the sound of the whirling air disappairs of my mind, while running conciously I can hear the wind.
1: Relaxation is paramount in getting performance and chopping is often a result of tightness.
2: As a track man, no one has ever accused me of delaying acceleration with my athletes!
pumping the arms is critical.
If you had to pick one thing for the athlete to focus on during the race would it be relaxation or pumping the arms?
depends on what you see. Relaxation will always be key because it increases net force by reducing antagonistic forces. But if that’s already there- pump the arms!
I agree…
If I can do both tomm I will be ok! 
Still trying to learn the delayed acc pattern and pushing motion down the track.
Obviously staying “down” for as long as is natural to the athlete will optimize acceleration, but once the athlete has transitioned to a tall body/upright mechanics, how much longer are they capable of accelerating for, or is it once you’re up you should be at max velocity and trying to maintain that speed?
For what it’s worth, the single most effective ‘drill’ for improving 40yd times, in my experience, are flying sprints ranging from 20-60yd not including the pre-run.
No doubt that preparation for the 40yd on combine/pro day includes many variables regarding technical work, throws, jumps, weights, flexibility, regeneration, program construction, etcetera; however, as far as what I’ve found to be nearly extraordinarily effective, regardless of individual differences, are the flying sprints.
I’ve found, and certainly with respect to those without track backgrounds, that these are very cost effective in so far as teaching a few different valuable lessons and providing slightly more time for the runner to be aware of what’s happening and more time for me to get in one or two audible cues as the guys are sprinting.
I agree 100%, I mention this a while ago but several members disagreed with me.
Well, we are both speaking from experience so there’s never any disputing what actually happened.
Furthermore, and equally as important, or perhaps more important from a theoretical standpoint, is that the training effect of the flying sprint is physiologically undeniable with respect to its effectiveness as a speed development drill.
Well I agree completely, if for no other reason that most places don’t seem to put any real emphasis on anything outside of 10 yards! By working on max speed and imprinting that neurologically you are able to take advantage of the numerous hundredths and even tenths that are available over the final 30 yards.
Which is what most football players lack. You disagreed with me last year when I made this point.
Well I have no problem admitting that, my theory is that you should accelerate all the way through 40 yards. This is great in theory but I have seen too many people get to about 20 yards and look like they have no clue what to do next.
That was my point, 40yds to a track guy is an acc race but to a 230 lb or rb its not. These guys can benefit from some submax top speed work. All these combine camps are spending all there time running 5-15 yds sprints. It’s similar to CF theory in the 100m focusing on general fitness and knocking off tenths vs. start/power for hundredths
Longer runs, consisting ideally of runs from an easy accel into a speed zone (easy 25y into a 20y max or 30 yard sub-max speed zone) can definitely help but the trick with the big guys is to keep the longer vol down with total recovery to play to their strength as much as possible.