GET FAST

       Many people think of speed training as simply running sprints, cone drills, or ladders; however, there are several additions to running that could greatly improve your speed in ways that running, by itself, cannot do. The best addition to running for speed is JUMPING; increasing your vertical and lateral jumping ability is a key factor in speed. It develops the explosive bursts that you need in any sport, especially contact sports. For volleyball, I tried several programs to increase my vertical, the most effective being Air Alert. However, that can only get you so far; after about 2 or 3 months of Air Alert, my gains stopped because the program only increased the repetitions of jumping exercises like chair rockets, stiff-legged jumping, and full squat jumps. This trained my jumping endurance and not jump explosion, so I began to look at other programs, and I came across one called Jump Manual. This program is the best designed jumping program and can be the most effective, although I only got to try it for two weeks before volleyball started. This program is more effective than Air Alert because it contains the other key element to developing speed...STRENGTH.

         Yes, you guessed it, LIFTING is necessary when trying to get wheels. Doing compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and benchpresses increase speed. However, you are not just trying to develop strength with these lifts; each lift you execute must be explosive and fast. You can descend the weight slow, but the press or lift must be done as fast as possible (obviously maintaing good form). The more weight you can move, the easier it is to move yourself; so lift, jump, and run yourself to new levels of speed and agility.  Show me a man who is strong, and you'll show me a man who can become fast. Show me a man who has hops, and you'll show me a man who is fast. Show me a man who has both strength and hops, and you'll show me a perfect contact athlete.