I see over speed training as a component of speed training in many articles and books. A coach once told me that running down a 3 degree decline was a safe over speed training drill. Even if it is true, who has access to a large area and a transit to determine if the decline is 3 degrees. I beleive over speed training by Michael Gough at ProCombineTraining.com is called ”Overspeed Sling Shot Pulls”.
At first glance, over speed training sounds like a reasonable idea, but observe what happens. When an athlete is running/sprinting faster than he or she is physically capable, every time their foot hits the ground, for a fraction of a second he or she is “breaking”, hitting the brakes. What is occurring to their hips, the lumbar area of their low back and their knees?
What is happening is excessive forward rotation/pressure on the hips and lumbar vertebra and discs which already have a 30 degree anterior configuration. Not a good idea for younger athletes. The last growth plates to fuse are the upper rim, the crest if the ilium [hip bones], the medial and lateral epicondyles of the femur [upper leg bone] at the knee joint, and the the clavicles [collar bones] at the sternum.
Risk/reward? Overspeed training is not for younger athletes! Certainly it would be inaccurate to point a finger at athletic strength training and speed training as the reason for the epidemic of sore backs and hip problems. However, is it necessary to expose young athletes to those lifts and speed training drills that can lead to a life time of sore backs, hips and knees and later potential surgeries? No!
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