Developing speed requires training in several areas, strength being perhaps the most basic. A weak athlete is extremely limited in trying to develop or improve their speed. Strength training specific to speed development can take many forms and can incorporate the use of different equipment. Ankle cuffs can be very useful in this area of athletic development.
Speed Requires Strength
If you take a look around the athletic world, you will quickly recognize that the fast athletes have one major thing in common -- they are strong. The strength required for speed isn't always apparent, because it doesn't necessarily translate to huge muscles. Instead, what you need for speed are strong muscles, particularly in the lower body.Strong lower body muscles are acquired through proper strength or resistance training.
Ankle Cuffs
Ankle cuffs are elastic resistance equipment that allow you to add variety to your speed training regimen. They are an elastic tubing loop that have two ankle cuffs attached. The cuffs are usually padded and are secured to your ankles using a Velcro attachment. Ankle cuffs come in a variety of resistance levels or strengths and are a versatile yet relatively inexpensive piece of resistance equipment.
Ankle Cuffs and Improved Speed
Most speed coaches agree that speed is, in part, a product of strength, particularly in the lower body. Ankle cuffs improve your lower body strength by providing resistance against certain training movements. For example, your hamstrings, glutes, quads and hip flexors are all instrumental to your speed. Each of these muscle groups can be targeted and strengthened through the use of ankle cuffs. Monster walks, leg extensions -- either seated or standing -- and leg curls are three effective exercises that you can perform with ankle cuffs to help strengthen your legs for speed.
Raw Speed Vs. Speed Endurance
There is a big difference between raw speed and speed endurance. While raw speed looks at how fast can you run, speed endurance is about how many times you can sprint without a significant drop in your sprint time. Depending upon what sport you play, you should train using your ankle cuffs in slightly different ways. For example, if your sport entails a lot of side-shuffling speed movements -- such as basketball -- performing similar movements using your ankle cuffs will strengthen the muscles needed for that movement and will be extremely functional to your sport.
If you're performing speed endurance work, trying to maintain a certain level of speed over several repetitions -- think of a soccer player -- you should use a medium or light resistance cuff, perform a high number of repetitions per set and take shorter rest periods in between sets. If you're working on raw or maximum speed -- think of a track sprinter -- use heavier resistance, perform fewer repetitions per set and take longer rest periods between sets.
References
- "Sports Speed"; George Dintiman, et al.; 2003
- "Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness"; Lee E. Brown, et al.; 2005
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