Former NFL wide receiver shares speed advice

Speed matters in professional sports more than ever before. It’s the reason that all eyes are on the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
 
Don Beebe was one of the fastest players in NFL history, running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds. After playing in six Super Bowls and retiring from the NFL in 1998, Beebe has hardly slowed down. He founded House of Speed, which specializes in speed training, and counts Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner among his clients.
 
Who better to share a thing or two about ways to improve your speed?
 
What are the main components to running faster?
Beebe: The key is to spend the least amount of time on the ground as you can. You also want to create as much force into the ground as possible.
 
What’s the biggest mistake high school athletes make when speed training?
[Poor] technique — athletes just have no clue how to make a cut or run faster. Running track is a great thing to do to learn proper form.
 
How can athletes prepare for speed training?
Start by videotaping yourself running. Take a look at your form, then assess the side view of what Olympic sprinters like Usain Bolt do. The goal is to get you to emulate their running form.
 
Pay attention to the foot that hits the ground — the planted foot and the planted knee. Where is your swinging knee compared to the planted knee? Most elite sprinters will have their swinging knee slightly ahead of their planted knee.
 
What’s a realistic improvement athletes can expect from speed training?
Taking two or three tenths of a second of their 40-yard dash time is very easy to do as long you’re willing to work.