Running Faster: Why You Should Care About Technique? Even If You're Not a Sprinter

"I'm not a sprinter so why should I waste my time working on good running mechanics? I'm hardly ever moving in a straight line anyway?"

This is a question that stumped me the first time it was asked at one of my clinics. I hadn't really thought about it before. I knew that everyone should work on their mechanics to run faster, that speed was primarily a neuro-muscular skill that could be learned, but I have to admit that this one threw me for a loop.

Doubt suddenly flooded over me. Why did this athlete need to learn to run properly if they spent little time running straight forward? Most running in football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse? almost any sport outside of track and field? is anything but linear. After collecting my thoughts for a second, the reasons became clear.

Basicly it all boils down to this. No matter what sport you play, you will be running in a straight line at some point ? and probably more than you think. And having great sprint mechanics is key to helping you during that phase of your game. If you practice drills like a sprinter, your body will automatically enter sprinter mode when you start moving forward.

It doesn't really matter if you are running forward one step, or three steps or 100 yards ? you will run faster if your hands, arms, shoulders, feet, knees, head and hips are doing the right things. The more you practice these techniques in practice and drills the more easily your body will fall back into good speed habits.

Let's face it, in the heat of battle, in the middle of a game, you are almost never going to run with perfect sprinting form. But, the closer to perfect your body can be, the faster you will go.

Your goal should be to be able to sprint with unconscious competence ? letting your body do the right things naturally, without you having to think about them. You do this by practicing with conscious competence ? thinking about proper technique. But, you can't do this consciously when playing, you need to be on auto-pilot for peak performance. Think in practice, compete in games.

Remember too that much of the reasoning behind proper sprint mechanics carries over into lateral speed, reaction and change of direction. You should practice drills to accomplish these aspects of running fast as well to develop all aspects of speed.

So, why should you care about sprint mechanics? Because, when it comes down to it, everyone is a sprinter whenever they want to run at full speed. Developing your technique in controlled situations will carry over into competition and help you reach your full athletic potential.

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Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The Economy Remains Strong, And The Outlook Is Favorable

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

President Bush Has An Aggressive Agenda To Keep The Economy Growing

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

The President Has Expanded Tax Relief And Is Working To Make His Tax Relief Permanent. Two weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill that extends the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. This legislation also contains an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch enabling millions of middle-income families to avoid paying higher taxes in 2006.

The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.