Steve Magness answers questions about muscle fiber types, muscle tension and tone, blood testing and monitoring.
Read MoreArticles
10 Reasons Coaches are Integrating Electronic Timing into Speed Training
Electronic timing at practice will one day be as common as spikes. Here are ten reasons why.
Read MoreFour Essentials for a Perspective on Speed from Childhood to Life’s Last Race
A frequently asked question is how fast athletes in sports apart from track and field, where the precision of timing is well established, really are. Other vitals, such as height and weight, are readily accepted, but benchmarks on speed in field sports are viewed with skepticism given the problems with timing accuracy and achieving common-ground testing.
Read MoreInterview with Syracuse Coach Dave Hegland
The transition from 8 to 7 steps is not as easy as doing some starts in the fall and hoping things work out. Could you share what general development aspects coaches in high school can think about so they are not impairing long-term development with 8 steps but not pushing 7 steps early. The transition and decision is very unique and copying elite athletes can be a disaster. What are your thoughts here?
Read MoreRhythm: The Key to Relaxation and Speed
For years we have heard the phrase relax and win, where relaxing is heralded as the secret to speed, to winning. Relaxation is essential. But what facilitates relaxation when sprinting at speed? The answer may be rhythm, a lesser-known quality that may be more important than we think for speed. In this article, we will explore what rhythm is and what we can do in training to improve it.
Read MoreWhat is the Nike SPARQ Combine?
Each spring, high school underclassmen around the country take part in regional events called the Nike SPARQ Combine. Though many believe that SPARQ is just a Nike product line, it is actually its own entity that began in 2004 with the goal of developing a sort of SAT score for baseline athletic ability. SPARQ itself stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. At each combine, an athlete is put through a battery of four tests. Their outcomes in each test are measured and then transformed in to an overall number, called their SPARQ score. In this manner, talent evaluators have a sort of SAT score for an athlete’s raw talent, and a way to compare individuals.
Read More