Speed, explosiveness and change of direction in service training

Speed appears in the service without warning

A soldier or police officer usually doesn't need to train for a hundred meters in athletic blocks. Yet speed can be crucial. The difference often comes in the first few steps, when getting up from the ground, getting out of a vehicle, covering a short distance, or changing direction.

Speed is often neglected in regular training. You lift weights, run longer distances, and do intervals, but you rarely move really fast. When you need to accelerate to the max, your body isn't used to that kind of speed and power.

The other extreme is sprints performed only after a long circuit training. Although a person runs tired, he does not develop maximum speed. Fatigue reduces the strength of the rebound, coordination and quality of technique. It trains the ability to move in fatigue, which can be useful, but it is a different adaptation.

Maximum strength and power

Strength determines how much force a person can generate. Power describes how quickly they can use it. Two people can lift the same weight, but one can accelerate it significantly faster. When there is little time to generate force, the speed of its development is decisive.

Power is demonstrated by jumping, throwing, sprinting, lifting quickly, or overcoming obstacles. Its training may include medicine ball throws, low-intensity plyometrics, short sprints, sled pulls or presses, ballistic exercises, and dynamic variations of the squat or press.

Not everyone needs the same resources. A beginner can benefit greatly from simple throws, low bounces, and acceleration techniques. Olympic exercises have their place with someone who can master them technically. Teaching a complex exercise just because it looks athletic may not be the best use of time.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the ability to quickly increase speed. For most soldiers and police officers, it is more important than the maximum speed achieved after a long run.

The first meters require a significant forward bend of the whole body, active arm work and strong pressure on the ground. The training begins with short distances of approximately ten to twenty meters. The start can be from a standing position, from a kneeling position, from a lying position or after a short change of position. I add more challenging variants only after the basic technique is mastered.

Resistance sled sprints or uphill sprints can help with power orientation and reduce maximum speed. However, the resistance should not be so great that it completely changes the mechanics of the run. Heavy sled drag is an excellent strength and conditioning tool, but it is not automatically speed training.

Braking

The ability to accelerate is only half the battle. One must also stop or change direction. Braking creates high eccentric demands. The lower limbs must absorb the force, the center of gravity must lower, and the foot must land in a position from which the movement can be controlled.

I teach braking before aggressive changes of direction. It starts with a lower entry speed and with enough room to stop. Gradually the speed is increased, the braking distance is shortened and a new direction is added.

If a person lands on the outside edge of their foot with every attempt, loses their torso position, or needs several uncontrolled steps, there is no point in increasing their speed further. They must first learn to absorb the force.

Change of direction and agility

Change of direction refers to a pre-planned change of direction. A person knows the path and can prepare their steps. Agility also involves a reaction to an external stimulus. The direction is not known in advance.

In training, it makes sense to first teach the planned movement. The person will acquire the appropriate position, rhythm and ability to brake. Only then do I add a simple visual or verbal stimulus. The complexity of the reaction must not be so great that it hides a poor-quality movement.

A police officer will use changes of direction when moving on the street, on stairs, around vehicles, or in confined spaces. A soldier may need them for obstacles, short movements, and terrain movement. The specific drills should be appropriate for the available space and role, but the basic ability to brake remains common.

Speed in gear

Ballistics, a belt, a weapon, a backpack, or a helmet change the center of gravity, the work of the arms, and the energy cost of movement. Equipment can also limit range and increase the time it takes to change position.

This does not mean that one should do all sprints in gear. Most speed volume can be built without it, as we have better control over technique and speed. Specific exposure is added gradually and in smaller amounts.

At first it can be walking, positions and low speed. Later short acceleration, braking or stairs. Only a prepared person combines more activities. Equipment is not a tool to create greater fatigue. It is a specific stressor, the dose of which we must control.

How to dose speed training

Speed requires freshness. It belongs at the beginning of training after warm-up and technical preparation. Strength work can follow. Long intervals or volume supplements come later.

A simple unit may contain:

1. Movement preparation and two to three technical drills.

2. Three to five throws or jumps in several quality series.

3. Four to eight accelerations over short distances.

4. Several controlled braking or direction changes.

5. Lower volume lower body strength training.

I leave enough time between sprints. The breath should calm down and the person should feel ready for a quality repetition. As soon as the time, distance, elevation or technique drops significantly, I end the speed part.

Volume increases slowly. Sprinting places high demands on the hamstrings, calves, and feet. Someone who hasn't sprinted in a long time doesn't start at maximum speed or with a high number of repetitions. First, they need regular exposure to faster movement and a stable response until the next day.

Maximum speed and repeated sprint

Maximum speed requires long pauses and a small number of attempts. Repeated sprint ability refers to the ability to repeat short sprints with limited rest. The second method is very important for some service tasks, but is used only after the speed base has been built.

If you do each sprint for twenty seconds, your speed will start to drop. The training is shifting towards anaerobic capacity. If the goal is to be able to repeat the intervals, that's fine. If the goal is to increase your maximum speed, the rest period is too short.

Good programming doesn't start with asking which interval is the hardest. It starts with deciding which ability the unit should develop.

In the next article, I will focus on ruck, ballistics, carry and drag. I will explain how working under load differs for a soldier and a police officer and why rapidly increasing weight or distance creates more problems than readiness.

A call for further work

If you want to safely incorporate sprints, jumps, dynamic efforts, or changes of direction, write to me about online coaching. We will select the appropriate resources, volume, and progression based on your level, service, and previous injuries.