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Run a Faster Forty: Part Six – Maximum Velocity

Following the transition to upright running mechanics, the athlete enters what is known as the maximal velocity portion of the forty yard dash. For some athletes, this may last only 10-15 yards. This portion of the race is characterized by an upright posture, vertical force application, and high knees.

Run a Faster Forty: Part Five – Transition

Now that I’ve spent the first four parts of this series examining the setup, starting position, start, and  initial steps of the 40 yard dash; let’s now take a look at what the athlete should do as they progress to top speed. For many athletes, this will be the most vital portion of their test [...]

Run a Faster Forty: Part Four – Initial Steps

In the fourth installment on this blog series on running a fast forty yard dash, I’m going to address what you should do to start your run. Recent research1 on the fastest runners in the world has indicated that the first two steps of an acceleration are distinctly different from the acceleration or ‘drive

Run a Faster Forty: Part Three – The Start

I used the first two installments of this series on running a faster forty yard dash to look at appropriate stance and starting position. While these positions are very important to establish what happens later in the test, they aren’t nearly as exciting as what happens on the first movement. So with that, let’s look [...]