***free advice from a speed specialist***

[txapn]

Hey guys, I am a Performance enhancement specialist and speed coach for Texas Athletic Performance In Dallas TX...

I know school is finishing up and wanted to lend some helpful advice to athletes looking to increase speed for their sport this summer! Again I am not trying to sell anything or anything like that just want to help out and point yall in the right direction in your training!

ask anything you would like all I ask is not to bash peoples questions and ability, and be truthful! if you dont give me accurate info in fear of ridicule I cant give you proper advice!

list ur age, sport, position, and level of competition before ur questions!

*I will do my best to get to the questions daily (every morning) before our training begins!

Thanks guys look forward to talking to yall,

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[NextNextLevel]

20, Boxer, Open class. Interested to know what you would suggest fot improving hand speed

[txapn]

20, Boxer, Open class. Interested to know what you would suggest fot improving hand speed

well first lets get rid of the myths out there bc alot of boxing coaches are old school and believe power and speed is not made but ur born with it! to an extent they are right some athletes are born with more fast twitch fibers than others but speed and power can be developed and trained to the extent you can reach your potential! just bc you train ur power and hand speed doesnt mean you will match Mayweathers speed...you maynot be as genetically gifted as he is. but you can increase ur personal speed and make the most out of your genetics, which in my experience seperates the amatures from the pros!

In hand speed the most important things are form and reaction! Form will be developed with a boxing coach and the reaction will be developed with eye-hand coordination drills! these two are the biggest ways to improve your hand speed!

as far as training, we train fighters from the inside out! core strength and power is the most important aspects in speed... outside reaction and coordination! alot of athletes know this but dont know how to train the "CORE", when thinking core alot of athletes first thoughts are abs... but when i refer to "CORE" i mean the center of ur movement! where does the power come from? power and speed comes from glutes, obliques, and lats in this case (and honestly in most cases when refering to sports).

rotational exercises are a must in developing hand speed and power! if rotational strength isnt there then no matter how powerful the glutes are the power wont transfer to the lats and upperbody! When training fighters we incorporate transverse exercises every workout! focusing on strength, power, and endurance! unless ur Mike Tyson in the old days you need endurance to coninue and finish the fight (rarely do boxing matches end quickly especially in amature levels).

along with transverse exercises we work alot of olympic lifts! some boxing coaches are against these claiming its a waste of time and want more focus on technique...but if you can combine the technique with the power developed in olympic lifts... YOU GET THE FASTEST BOXERS ON THE PLANET! Olympic lifts delvelop explosive power that translates perfectly into boxing, adding transverse exercises and making sure your technique, reaction, and eye-hand coordination are on par will make sure the power is able to be used effectively in your punches!

think of your body as a table... each aspect is a table leg...power, technique, eye-hand coordination/reaction, core strength/power are all table legs... a table is still usefull with only 3 legs but only to a certanint extent! if you can get all legs strong and working together then you have a solid piece of furniture that will never let you down when you use it!

hope I helped alittle?

[thesleeve33]

17, football, fullback/RB/d-line, HS.

Currently run a 5.4 40. would love to shave that down to a 4.8 by the end of summer, big goal I know but i think it is doable. what kinds of workouts do you give your athletes to increase speed? Since i see speed if your specialty, any speed workouts you think could benefit me and other football players?

[thenewguy23]

14, Rugby/ Athletics. Okay so I'm planning to bulk up cleanly over summer while also adding speed and strength. Not bothered about conditioning as I will start that later on. What training techniques/ program should I follow to do so.

Current stats for sprinting: 12.5 100m on wet grass and is most likely 12 flat on track with spikes
Height and weight are in sig, have already put on 15 pounds this year
Hope to be about 147-148 at the beginning of summer

[thenewguy23]

I was thinking about doing, HIIT, Plyos and Weightlifting

[ByronKelly]

25, Basketball, Pg & SG, City League and University Summer League

I want to increase my speed in (1) 3/4 basketball court sprint and (2) Agility in the NBA agility test.

I have been doing a lot of speed focused work over the last 10 weeks, beginning with interval training, moving into sprint workout and now focused on doing sprint based basketball drills on the court. Also have been focusing on increasing lower body strength and later will be training for power.
What are some tips you could give me to help me improve my TECHNIQUE. I have no real background in sprinting so i figured some increased technique would help me loads.

Thanks

[njkid123]

21, soccer, college, center mid

would like to improve endurance as well as sprint speed

[santic121]

22, soccer, center back.

Not sure on current sprint stats but looking to improve my initial takeoff speed over 20-40m.

[wideoutonetwo]

My questions aren't sports related more career related. I see that you have the PES that is absolutely required to be a trainer at a top notch faculty like that. But I'm wondering do you know what you can do career wise with the CES cert?
Also is that a full time job for you? What are your days and hours? And how much do you get paid if you don't mind me asking.
Just wondering on that since I work at a sports training facility but pays nothing like one would expect. Second job is a must. But long term goals is to eventually get enough experience to get hired at an ap whether in California or arizona and wondering if I could get by just working that job or still have to be working another job.
Thanks

[apples09]

17, football ,RB


i want to improve my 40 and overall speed. what should my speed workouts look like and how many times a week?



thank you

[txapn]

17, football, fullback/RB/d-line, HS.

Currently run a 5.4 40. would love to shave that down to a 4.8 by the end of summer, big goal I know but i think it is doable. what kinds of workouts do you give your athletes to increase speed? Since i see speed if your specialty, any speed workouts you think could benefit me and other football players?

sorry guys for missing yesterday morning...

for you my man, what i would focus on is the 10 yrd and 20 yrd split of the 40! this is what will improve your performance! 40 yrd dashes are nothing but a # in the grand scheme of things. yes fullbacks, rb, and Dline run the 40 yrd dash but coaches/scouts look at how it pertains to your position! *how fast can you accelerate and hit the hole or how fast can you get up field on a blocker? acceleration/explosion/ power is your best friends

There are soooooooooo many things that can improve your time! technique being the VERY most important thing! with out a speed coach its very hard to improve your running technique! as far a training what I would focus on is reaction training so your firing out on time and not delayed, I would make sure you stregthen your glutes and hamstrings (focus alot on them over quads!!!! most athletes ur age are quad dominate bc they never ran with a coach that taught them to run right!**not saying you dont run right just going off the majority bc i havnt seen you in person)

strength exercises that are most important for running fast...
glute ham raise
hamstring curl
squats
latpulls
low row
RDLs
**wood chops
**reverse wood chops
reverse flyes

then...
hang cleans
snatch
power cleans


then ofcoarse plyometrics unilateral and bilateral!

I cant give you a proper workout bc I would have to see your weaknesses and they would be the focal point of the workouts!

hope this points you out in the right direction! I f anything else message me!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

14, Rugby/ Athletics. Okay so I'm planning to bulk up cleanly over summer while also adding speed and strength. Not bothered about conditioning as I will start that later on. What training techniques/ program should I follow to do so.

Current stats for sprinting: 12.5 100m on wet grass and is most likely 12 flat on track with spikes
Height and weight are in sig, have already put on 15 pounds this year
Hope to be about 147-148 at the beginning of summer

Im going to give you my advice and you can choose to use it and succeed or not! alot of guys dont like what Im about to say but in my experience it will save you time and effort and make you a better athlete in which ever sport you aim for!

2 things...
athletes dont "BULK"
your 14 yrs old dont worry about your weight and size it will come!

focus on lifting weights, building strength, proper lifting form, and developing your body! learn proper running form and agility while doing so! your genetics will decide what positions you will play, not your training! if you bulk up and add useless weight you will be slower and it will hurt your performance! if you eat right lift right train speed like it should be trained you will meet your potential and you will fit in in your sport! might not be the position you always wanted to play but you will be good and will be on the field! other wise if your slowed down by useless weight your body wasnt meant to carry you will be slower and either play a position you dont fit naturally or you will be second or 3rd string and barely play!

hope i didnt disscourage you1 I just want you to make an informed decision and hear from my words what I would do if I were training you for performance!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

25, Basketball, Pg & SG, City League and University Summer League

I want to increase my speed in (1) 3/4 basketball court sprint and (2) Agility in the NBA agility test.

I have been doing a lot of speed focused work over the last 10 weeks, beginning with interval training, moving into sprint workout and now focused on doing sprint based basketball drills on the court. Also have been focusing on increasing lower body strength and later will be training for power.
What are some tips you could give me to help me improve my TECHNIQUE. I have no real background in sprinting so i figured some increased technique would help me loads.

Thanks

see my post to "sleeve33"

it has alot to do with you as far as aiming to strengthen the hammies and glutes over those quads (bc of sport) as far as technique man its very hard to address technique over the internet bc I need to see you run in person or see you move to address the issues! If you are capable send me a video at Txapn@yahoo.com and I will see what I can help out with!
one thing i will tell you without seeing you is make sure your multi-directional speed is better than ur linear speed! agility!!! you need to be able to slow down and de-accelerate just as well as accelerate in basketball! alot of that has to do with changing levels so make sure when doing agility exercises you are not raising up or dipping down when changing directions!(this forces you to lose power thus slowes down your cuts and moves!)

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[brotatorcuff]

Nice thread man.
Repped.

[txapn]

My questions aren't sports related more career related. I see that you have the PES that is absolutely required to be a trainer at a top notch faculty like that. But I'm wondering do you know what you can do career wise with the CES cert?
Also is that a full time job for you? What are your days and hours? And how much do you get paid if you don't mind me asking.
Just wondering on that since I work at a sports training facility but pays nothing like one would expect. Second job is a must. But long term goals is to eventually get enough experience to get hired at an ap whether in California or arizona and wondering if I could get by just working that job or still have to be working another job.
Thanks

the PES isnt necessary just something i felt i needed to investigate to improve my training ability! If wanting to train at a high level you dont need alot of certs or certaint certs all you need is the willingness and want to learn as much as possible and never stop! then experience but that will come with the career!

this is my one and only job! i never did this part time I dedicated everything to it and jumped in the deep end so to speak!
dont chase the money aspect! if you do one thing in this business just focus on being the best trainer possible the money will come if you just make sure you are doing the best job possible! my rates vary depending on camps or level of athlete but generally for one on one training in this area it varies from 45-50 a hr with average trainers and for us top level its 75+/hr... in some areas that are higher income and cost of living the $ might be higher just really depends on level of trainer and area!

i work maybe 6-7 hrs a day some times only 4 but it varies as well to wether its in season or off season, summer or school year!
get educated learn alot do an internship at a facility you might be interested and then go from there!

good luck my man I love my job and wouldnt do anything else if had the chance!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

soccer guys ill address both of yalls together

[txapn]

Nice thread man.
Repped.

thanks for the love bro -rpped back!

[txapn]

21, soccer, college, center mid

would like to improve endurance as well as sprint speed

22, soccer, center back.

Not sure on current sprint stats but looking to improve my initial takeoff speed over 20-40m.

okay guys both of yall I will reply to the same bc yall are both really looking for the same results! in soccer its a littlle different bc of balance and dribbling techniques. soccer players tend to eliminate the use of arms in thier running! what you have to do is focus on running techniques without the ball and making sure you are getting proper arm drive while running! its all about the science of acceleration and focusing on a few aspects...

proper angles (not being straight up)
arms pumping pocket to chin
shoulder level lower than my opponents! (proper angle again)

now of coarse this changes when handling the ball and thats the tricky part!


strength and power development in ur glutes and hamstrings will help out alot but technique is the most important in sports and for soccer players who have been playing for years the actual sprint technique is usually faulted (unless working with a speed coach in offaseason)

I would say for soccer players the most important aspect to focus on changing is arm drive and levels! you cant accelerate fast running upright!

***make sure you are training in the weight room and developing the strength and power needed along with the sprint work!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

17, football ,RB


i want to improve my 40 and overall speed. what should my speed workouts look like and how many times a week?



thank you

usually speed workout frequency varies on the level of athlete, in season or out of season, and what needs improving!
weight sessions and workout programs should be directed to speed as well, not just speed workouts! frequency usually runs 2-3 sometimes 4x a week. duration also varies on the same curcumstances...

always do speed work first while fresh1 speed work should not make you tired its all skill not drill!

get full rest between reps and sets!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[azz33]

Hey mate I'm 20, 6'2, 104kg I play centre in rugby league in Australia. Just wondering what exercises or what you would recommend for improving starting speed, jinking and being more effective at palming/stiff arming? Just really want to become better at beating players in one on one situations.
Thanks alot.
Aaron

[ByronKelly]

see my post to "sleeve33"

it has alot to do with you as far as aiming to strengthen the hammies and glutes over those quads (bc of sport) as far as technique man its very hard to address technique over the internet bc I need to see you run in person or see you move to address the issues! If you are capable send me a video at Txapn@yahoo.com and I will see what I can help out with!
one thing i will tell you without seeing you is make sure your multi-directional speed is better than ur linear speed! agility!!! you need to be able to slow down and de-accelerate just as well as accelerate in basketball! alot of that has to do with changing levels so make sure when doing agility exercises you are not raising up or dipping down when changing directions!(this forces you to lose power thus slowes down your cuts and moves!)

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

Awesome thanks a bunch! I will try and send you a video of my sprinting as well as me doing some change of direction drill so you can maybe give me some tips.
I also read your post to "sleeve33" about focusing on the hammys and glutes over the quads. I have been doing that for the past few weeks and have brought my hammy and glute strength up a considerable amount, mainly from the GH Raises and doing my squats below parallel. seems to be helping!

[spartanftw]

Im 16, I play pointguard/shooting guard. I want to be as explosive and quick as I can. I'm 5"10. Thx. I'm also a beginner to lifting weights.

[NextNextLevel]

well first lets get rid of the myths out there bc alot of boxing coaches are old school and believe power and speed is not made but ur born with it! to an extent they are right some athletes are born with more fast twitch fibers than others but speed and power can be developed and trained to the extent you can reach your potential! just bc you train ur power and hand speed doesnt mean you will match Mayweathers speed...you maynot be as genetically gifted as he is. but you can increase ur personal speed and make the most out of your genetics, which in my experience seperates the amatures from the pros!

In hand speed the most important things are form and reaction! Form will be developed with a boxing coach and the reaction will be developed with eye-hand coordination drills! these two are the biggest ways to improve your hand speed!

as far as training, we train fighters from the inside out! core strength and power is the most important aspects in speed... outside reaction and coordination! alot of athletes know this but dont know how to train the "CORE", when thinking core alot of athletes first thoughts are abs... but when i refer to "CORE" i mean the center of ur movement! where does the power come from? power and speed comes from glutes, obliques, and lats in this case (and honestly in most cases when refering to sports).

rotational exercises are a must in developing hand speed and power! if rotational strength isnt there then no matter how powerful the glutes are the power wont transfer to the lats and upperbody! When training fighters we incorporate transverse exercises every workout! focusing on strength, power, and endurance! unless ur Mike Tyson in the old days you need endurance to coninue and finish the fight (rarely do boxing matches end quickly especially in amature levels).

along with transverse exercises we work alot of olympic lifts! some boxing coaches are against these claiming its a waste of time and want more focus on technique...but if you can combine the technique with the power developed in olympic lifts... YOU GET THE FASTEST BOXERS ON THE PLANET! Olympic lifts delvelop explosive power that translates perfectly into boxing, adding transverse exercises and making sure your technique, reaction, and eye-hand coordination are on par will make sure the power is able to be used effectively in your punches!

think of your body as a table... each aspect is a table leg...power, technique, eye-hand coordination/reaction, core strength/power are all table legs... a table is still usefull with only 3 legs but only to a certanint extent! if you can get all legs strong and working together then you have a solid piece of furniture that will never let you down when you use it!

hope I helped alittle?

Thanks alot man, you really sound like u know ur stuff.

Sounds like im doing the right things!! as for rotational strength exercises, i am currently doing mainly med ball work and barbell rotations. Could you suggest any other specific exercises?
Also for core, i do med ball throws, farmers walk, planks, hanging leg raise, cable wood chops. Is there any core exercises you would recomend adding in? Thanks alot.

[Averydabeast]

hey i play goalie in lacrosse and was wondering what you would recommend for reaction time and hand speed?

[txapn]

Awesome thanks a bunch! I will try and send you a video of my sprinting as well as me doing some change of direction drill so you can maybe give me some tips.
I also read your post to "sleeve33" about focusing on the hammys and glutes over the quads. I have been doing that for the past few weeks and have brought my hammy and glute strength up a considerable amount, mainly from the GH Raises and doing my squats below parallel. seems to be helping!

yeah definently do that! and awesome work! keep it up!


STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

Hey mate I'm 20, 6'2, 104kg I play centre in rugby league in Australia. Just wondering what exercises or what you would recommend for improving starting speed, jinking and being more effective at palming/stiff arming? Just really want to become better at beating players in one on one situations.
Thanks alot.
Aaron

starting speed is improved first by form making sure you are at the right angles (leaning forward, arm drive, hammering/driving into the ground) but as far as training power and olympic lifts work gret for expolosion witch improves starting speed! make sure you have a firm foundation of strength then transition you training inot power lifts (explosive lifts not "POWER LIFTING!" there is a major difference) then transition into olympic lifts! I higghly reccomend finding a trainer for the olympic lifts bc they are hard to master and having a set of eyes to coach you will help decrese chances of injuries and increase the productivity of the exercises!

as far as stiff armimg and palming its form mixed with basic upperbody strength and CORE STRENGTH!!!! if core strength isnt there no matter how strong ur upper body is you will just be pushed over when trying to stiff arm! devel;op core strength in foundation training and it will dramatically increase with olympic lifts!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

Im 16, I play pointguard/shooting guard. I want to be as explosive and quick as I can. I'm 5"10. Thx. I'm also a beginner to lifting weights.

at 16 I suggest mastering the basic lifts first! and work on ball handling drills and light plyometrics! this might not be as indepth as other athletes but this is where it starts! if you rush into it and start advanced things before you have a firm foundation you risk everything1 be patient learn and master the basic lifts and practice basketball! the rest will fall into place and in a year you will be ready for advanced training!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[txapn]

hey i play goalie in lacrosse and was wondering what you would recommend for reaction time and hand speed?

we train NFL recievers with glasses than blink or change which eye you can see out of randomly! while wearing these glasses we have them play catch! its very simple but helps build focus and eye and hand coordination! we also use tennis ball machines and have our guys catch them everyday! focusing on following the ball right into thier hands!

there is alot of eye hand coorditation drills we work off of those such as turning thier back start with a 180 spin and catch the tennis ball and many many additions and tweaks to those exercises! another idea is to hook up with a boxing coach in your area and start working mitts once or twice a weak! it works wounders on those areas as well!

just a few ideas and things we work on to develop em! just dont overthink it!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com

[spartanftw]

By basic lifts you mean squat, bench, deadlift right ? I'm going to be getting on bill starr power routine and mastering my form on that workout plan and also i want to incorporate powercleans into my routine not heavy just light to get the form down do you have any videos or tips on how to use proper form on that ? thx for the advice.

at 16 I suggest mastering the basic lifts first! and work on ball handling drills and light plyometrics! this might not be as indepth as other athletes but this is where it starts! if you rush into it and start advanced things before you have a firm foundation you risk everything1 be patient learn and master the basic lifts and practice basketball! the rest will fall into place and in a year you will be ready for advanced training!

STEFAN BRYAN
Performance Enhancement Specialist
Multi-Directional Speed Specialist
www.Texas-AP.com