2026-01-07 09:00
by
nlpkak
As I watch the top-tier volleyball action of the PVL Reinforced Conference unfold each year, a particular dynamic always strikes me. According to reports, even as the league’s most crucial matches run from October to November, national team commitments remain non-negotiable. Players like those mentioned by Palou are still expected to be lent to their national teams. This isn’t just a scheduling quirk; it’s a stark reminder that at the highest levels of sport, you don’t own your athletes’ time—peak performance does. The demand is constant, and the window to perform is brutally narrow. This reality translates directly to the football pitch. Explosive speed isn’t just a nice-to-have asset anymore; it’s the fundamental currency of the modern game. It’s the difference between closing down a winger, beating an offside trap, or arriving first to a loose ball in the 89th minute when legs are heavy. Today, I want to break down what a complete speed training regimen really looks like, moving far beyond just linear sprints. From my experience working with collegiate athletes, the biggest mistake I see is a fragmented approach. Teams work on conditioning separately from strength, and technique is an afterthought. True explosive speed is the product of a seamless system.
Let’s start with the foundation, because you can’t build a skyscraper on sand. Maximum strength is the bedrock of force production. We’re talking about compound movements like barbell back squats and deadlifts. I’m a firm believer in tracking these numbers religiously. An athlete who can squat, say, 1.8 times their body weight has a profoundly different potential for acceleration than one who can’t. But here’s my personal bias: raw strength in the gym is useless if it doesn’t express itself on the field. That’s where the often-neglected component of rate of force development (RFD) comes in. It’s not just about how much force you can produce, but how blindingly fast you can produce it. This is trained through plyometrics. Box jumps, depth jumps, and most critically, horizontal plyometrics like broad jumps and bounds teach the nervous system to fire with violent intent. I’ve found that a cycle focusing on heavy strength for 4 weeks, followed by a 3-week emphasis on plyometrics and lighter, faster lifts, yields remarkable gains in starting power. The body learns to recruit motor units at a staggering speed.
Now, having a powerful engine is one thing, but you need an efficient chassis. Sprinting technique is where so much potential speed is leaked. Watch a young, incredibly strong athlete run, and you’ll often see arms crossing the body’s midline, excessive torso rotation, or a slow, shuffling cadence. Fixing this requires deliberate, mindful practice. Drills like wall marches for posture, A-skips for knee drive and ankle stiffness, and fast-leg cycles for turnover are non-negotiable. I prefer to dedicate the first 15 minutes of every speed session to these technical drills when the nervous system is fresh. One drill I’m particularly fond of is the falling start. It removes the conscious "push" from the start and forces a reactive, aggressive first step—that’s pure RFD in action. Another key point is understanding the different mechanics of acceleration (the first 10-20 yards) and maximum velocity (top-end speed). Acceleration requires a powerful forward lean and piston-like leg action, while max velocity demands an upright posture and a cyclical, whip-like limb movement. Training them requires different exercises. For acceleration, resisted sled sprints are gold. For max velocity, flying sprints—building up over 20-30 yards to then hold speed for another 20—are essential.
Conditioning for speed is a nuanced art. It’s not about logging endless miles, which can actually blunt your fast-twitch fibers. It’s about repeat sprint ability (RSA). The game is played in bursts. Think of it this way: a player might need to make a 40-yard recovery sprint, have 45 seconds of active rest, and then do it again. Your training must mirror this. A typical RSA session I design involves 6-8 repetitions of a 30-yard sprint, with a work-to-rest ratio of 1:4 or 1:5. So, if the sprint takes 4 seconds, the rest is 16-20 seconds. This brutally exposes deficiencies in both the anaerobic and aerobic systems that help you recover between efforts. This is the fitness that matters in the 90th minute, the same kind of fitness that allows a PVL player to perform in a league match on a Saturday and be ready for national team duty on a Tuesday. It’s specific, it’s harsh, and it’s what separates the good from the elite.
Finally, none of this work matters without a fanatical focus on recovery. Speed training taxes the central nervous system like nothing else. If you’re not recovering, you’re not adapting—you’re just digging a hole. Sleep is the number one performance enhancer, period. Aim for 8-10 hours. Nutrition must support repair: prioritize protein (I often use a target of 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight) and don’t shy away from carbohydrates to replenish glycogen. Hydration is a daily discipline, not just a practice-day task. And soft-tissue work through foam rolling or using a massage gun can be a game-changer for maintaining muscle pliability and preventing the small niggles that derail training consistency. Listen to your body. Some days, the planned session might need to be scrapped for extra mobility work or a walk. That’s not weakness; it’s intelligent training.
Unlocking explosive speed is a year-round commitment that blends science, art, and sheer hard work. It’s about building a robust strength base, teaching the body to use that strength with lightning speed, honing the technical skill of sprinting, conditioning your energy systems for the specific demands of the sport, and then respecting the process enough to recover properly. Just as the PVL’s dual demands on its athletes highlight the need for a deep, resilient fitness, a footballer’s speed must be multifaceted and robust. It’s not just about being the fastest in a straight line on a fresh morning. It’s about being fast when it counts, in the final moments of a tight game, when opportunity flashes and only the prepared can seize it. Start building that capacity today, one focused rep, one technical drill, one committed recovery session at a time. The pitch, and the scoreboard, will show the difference.
