More than ever at the top of our game, speed is king

A while back there was a video of a school sports day parents' race doing the rounds. This one appeared to have mothers lined up and when they set off, one accelerated away from the rest with an explosive power and fluidity which was unmistakeably athletic. Mid-race, the piston-like movement quality stood out clearly - mostly because all the other 'competitors' were no longer in the same screenshot. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a Jamaican multi-Olympic gold medal winner. Her winner's medal here won’t mean a lot but it was a fine reminder of what pure speed looks like. In the world of athletics, different physical abilities can find their niche and push to excellence, but speed has always been king. The blue riband events more regularly give us the household names that can drive world sport. Usain Bolt's influence is still being felt. His heir apparent, the Australian, Gout Gout, is currently one of the hottest tickets in the world even though he’s not long turned 17. Look up a video and you’ll soon see why. Why my sudden interest in speed? It’s the rules - again. Of course it is. Take the solo and go, black card, midfield mark and three-man up rules. They all create an environment where speed can do massive damage. The cynical fouls, slowing tackles and ability to simply crowd out space meant speed could either be frustrated, run down dead alleys, or stopped in its tracks. In our new game there is no worse position to be in the field than a half-metre behind your player. If he’s got speed you’re gone. One player getting the wrong side of his man and into open ground can create a domino effect where a team is torn open. Confirmation bias it may be, but running through some figures I had at my disposal didn’t dissuade me any. At our own club training (without the county lads) a max speed session will see 7-8 players out of 30 get in the nine metres per second category That’s probably a normal enough ratio for a sporting adult population but the fact all of those players were among our main seniors at the minute was a correlation so strong it sent me down this rabbit hole. I got to see two different county squads' data from a training session this past week – pretty much every player (63 out of 66) were in the nines. That is shifting. Possibly more than any other physical metric, speed could have the strongest correlation between the haves and the have nots of our sport. Dublin players David Byrne, left, and Brian Howard go through a running session at Croke Park in 2020 If this impression stands up, there are several important knock-on effects to consider. First - and forgive the professional bias here - is the increased demand on muscles which produce the power behind the physics. The hamstrings in particular are in the firing line. There is great stuff out there now in terms of injury prevention evidence and, like with so much in life, the biggest bang for the bucks are often simple. Building up loads and speed gradually, training consistently and including regular max speed efforts. On that point, as the ad goes, speed is nothing without control. So many fast moves are killed by a pass that is just slightly behind or above a team-mate. Basic skills at top speed are far more elite than given credit for. Similarly, the decision making that is behind such skills is further challenged as the frame rate viewed in the player's head goes to warp speed. Imagine a county player at top speed in a critical moment of the game. Imagine the blur of bodies that are continually moving around him as he senses where his direct opponent is and where his team-mates and direct opponents up ahead are. As he races he will be (hopefully) naturally aware of his team's expected patterns but even within that there will be the figuring out regarding what is on and what is best. Goal? Point? Two-pointer? Galway's Shane Walsh making a break against Derry last summer As his space closes, when is the exact right moment to pass, or has the defender lost position and actually should he drive at the weak shoulder? All of this decision-making is going on in split seconds. We marvel at the processing power of our modern tech. The brain of the modern player is under just as much pressure as the firing hammies pumping away down below. Coaching players to retain the clarity of mind to make good decisions under pressure then execute the skill at pace is where the ultimate riches are found. But the basic building block of real speed is maybe the magic sauce. While there should be good scope for a player’s skills and decision making to be improved at adult level, their speed is a much more defined thing. Good S&C will see gains for a player, particularly if good athletic training incorporated at youth level but unfortunately, even then, you ain’t turning a Landrover into a Ferrari. We can all want every player to have a chance, but, when it comes to the top, maybe more than it ever was, speed is king.

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