Speed, as it turns out, may be completely misunderstood.
When Usain Bolt established the current 100-meter world record in 2009 world championships, running it in 9.58secs he did so by moving his legs at virtually the same pace as his competitors. In fact if you or i were to compete against Bolt, our legs would turn over at essentially the same rate as his is.
Logically one would think that Bolt did so by moving his legs faster than any one else.
This is the theory put forth by academics and track coaches alike who contend that running fast has more to do with the force one applies to the ground than how quickly one can move one's legs.
But force isn't the only factor. How quickly the force is applied factor in as well. The average person's foot is on the ground for about .12 seconds, while an Olympic sprinter's foot is on the ground for just .08 seconds which is a 60% difference.
So we conclude that
Force on ground + Quick force applied = faster.
Well there may include some other factors like natural power, height and structure of the body and feet to create or break records, but one can easily increase his own sprint speed by applying these techniques.
When Usain Bolt established the current 100-meter world record in 2009 world championships, running it in 9.58secs he did so by moving his legs at virtually the same pace as his competitors. In fact if you or i were to compete against Bolt, our legs would turn over at essentially the same rate as his is.
Usain Bolt
Logically one would think that Bolt did so by moving his legs faster than any one else.
This is the theory put forth by academics and track coaches alike who contend that running fast has more to do with the force one applies to the ground than how quickly one can move one's legs.
But force isn't the only factor. How quickly the force is applied factor in as well. The average person's foot is on the ground for about .12 seconds, while an Olympic sprinter's foot is on the ground for just .08 seconds which is a 60% difference.
So we conclude that
Force on ground + Quick force applied = faster.
Well there may include some other factors like natural power, height and structure of the body and feet to create or break records, but one can easily increase his own sprint speed by applying these techniques.
