Speed endurance
Speed endurance is the ability to maintain a high speed or, more generally speaking, a high intensity for as long as possible. In other words, speed endurance in cyclical movements is the resistance to fatigue-related loss of speed at maximum contraction speed. The central nervous system and muscles tire equally under high loads.
Speed endurance determines how long a high load can be maintained. In sports practice, it deals with the phase of constant speed and the phase of negative acceleration. Speed endurance occurs in many different sports and disciplines and is therefore a fundamental sporting parameter.
It plays a decisive role in movements from 6 to 20 seconds and is dependent on the anaerobic capacity.Both alactacid processes and a high lactate formation rate and lactate tolerance are performance-determining factors for speed endurance. Sprint endurance is a special form of speed endurance and is used in many team sports such as soccer, handball or field hockey. In the running disciplines of athletics, speed endurance is an important factor and can decide on victory or defeat.
These four manifestations of speed are determinants of the 100 meter sprint. From the starting signal to the movement, speed of reaction is decisive. For maximum power development the sprint power (sprint power). The sprint speed is used to develop the maximum speed and the speed endurance (sprint endurance) delays the fatigue-related loss of speed for as long as possible.
Coordination and speed
To achieve the desired speed, coordinative aspects must be taken into account. Coordination is the interaction of the central nervous system and skeletal muscles during voluntary movements. Since speed is achieved by high movement speeds with perfect technique and reaction is an elementary skill, it is not possible to do without coordination in speed training.
Speed training
Speed plays a decisive role in almost all sports. However, it is specific to the individual disciplines. In soccer, for example, athletes have to develop different sprinting skills than tennis or badminton players due to the larger playing field.
Swimming requires different speed training due to the involvement of other muscle groups. Acquiring speed is extremely difficult and requires professional support. In pure speed sports (running disciplines), all the above-mentioned forms of speed must be taken into account, whereby, for example, reaction speed cannot be trained to the same extent as speed strength.
This in turn is due more to genetic factors than speed endurance. In sports games, the development of speed always depends on the distance covered on the field. It is important here that external factors, such as holding a tennis racket in your hand, must be taken into account.
Applied training methods to train speed are competition, interval and repetition method. The load duration is between 5 and 8 seconds with sufficient regeneration in the breaks. Training methods can be found under endurance.
A speed test aims to examine and measure the speed of an athlete. This type of test falls under the group of sport motor tests. There are two variants of speed tests to find out the speed ability of an athlete.
Both methods require electronic or manual timing. Electronic timing is preferable here, as it is more accurate and therefore more comparable. The first variant distinguishes between a low and a high start.
The test track should be between 30 and 50 meters long. The time barriers for measurement are installed directly at the start position and at the finish line. After the start position has been selected, the start is triggered by an acoustic and/or optical signal and the athlete tries to cover the distance as quickly as possible.
In the second variant, the start is a flying start. Here the first time barrier is installed a few meters behind the start position. This way, the timing is only started when the athlete has already picked up speed.
The time now measured reflects the athlete’s speed performance and can now be used for comparisons and possible increases. Speed training is all about executing movements at maximum speed, i.e. at high intensity. For this purpose, the athlete should be completely rested and not have done any other training before.
In addition to the high physical strain, the nervous system is also under great strain. Due to the high intensity of training, a break of 48 to 72 hours should be prescribed after a speed training to ensure optimal regeneration. This results in a maximum training frequency of three units per week.
The training units are structured in such a way that a large part of the time is important for recovery. The musculature should be given the opportunity to regenerate completely during the recovery breaks. This also results in a short exercise period, which only includes a few minutes of “effective” training.Speed training should always take place in a rested state.
Speed cannot be trained as easily as endurance. Endurance runners can improve their performance relatively quickly through targeted long-distance runs at a moderate pace. However, success is not so easy to achieve with speed training.
In addition to sprint training, athletes should also do coordination and strength training for speed training. Certain muscle fibers in the body are responsible for speed and are the main factor in determining speed. They are called fast-twitching muscle fibers and are largely genetically predetermined.
Reproducing these fast fibers is very complex and requires a well-coordinated training program from the athlete. Patience is an important element in training speed. Since speed training should always take place under complete physical fitness, the long regeneration pauses mean that the successes are only achieved gradually.
Improving the speed of an athlete therefore takes a comparatively long time. In speed training it cannot be generalized how much one can improve the speed. This depends on several different factors.
Firstly, it makes a difference whether a person has never done sports before or has a sporting history. The “unfitter and slower” the trainee was before speed training, the greater the rate of improvement after speed training. Top athletes who want to work on their speed, on the other hand, have less success in speed training, because their muscles are already almost fully trained.
In addition, genetic predisposition can make an important contribution to speed. Genetics determines what percentage of muscle fibers in the human body are fast-twitching fibers. The higher the percentage of these fibers in the musculature, the more potential an athlete has in relation to his or her speed.
