Speed Training. Metrics Based – Results Driven.
Metrics Based – Results Driven is what we deliver at OC Sports Performance. What does that mean for an athlete training here? Continue reading.
At OC Sports Performance we use metrics and testing to ensure athletes are getting better. This means no matter the level of athlete from middle school to college we are tracking their progress in key metrics that yield results.
No Testing = You’re just guessing
We new athletes that come to us that have been “speed training” for months at a time and never tested their 40 yard dash or any sprint. But yet they were training for speed.
How do you know if it is working without testing it? You really don’t. It is a guess and some fingers crossed.
Why wouldn’t a gym test athletes? A question we get asked by a lot of parents and athletes. And I don’t know. It is important to OC Sports Performance that athletes IMPROVE. Of course the athlete has to do their part – train consistently, eat, sleep, and take care of themselves but the results should follow.
Metrics that matter
For almost all sports getting faster in a sprint is going to be beneficial. With this in mind, we keep track of athletes 40 yard times, flying 10 yard times as well as flying 20 yard times. We record the data and compare.
Box squatting is a metric that matters.
We know that as an athlete improves his/her relative strength he/she will run faster. Olympic sprinters usually squat 2.5x their body weight. For our athletes as they improve from 1.75 to 1.9 to 2.1 we see they run faster.
Bench Press
Bench press is the number one developer for upper body strength. We track this metric. We have several girls that bench 1.2 to 1.4x their body weight. These metrics matter in both male and female athletes.
Vertical Jump
As an athlete jumps higher they almost always run faster. We use a jump mat to measure our vertical jumps. The athletes that jump a 40” vertical for males and a 30” vertical for females get their names added to our “Rare Air” plaque here in the gym. 40” standing vertical is considered elite for males and 30” standing vertical is the female equivalent.
Standing Broad jump
The vertical jump records hip extension vertically, the standing broad jump records it horizontally. This is one of the first metrics we measure at the gym and we test this monthly.
Sprinting
We use flying 10/20 yard sprints to improve our 40 yard dash. We test our 40 yard dash each month. It is not crazy for us to have athletes improve the 40 by one tenth a month(.10). We only sprint enough to drive the adaptation, never to make an athlete tired. That is a big difference between the two.
Box Jumps
Lots of variations of box jumps, that we test every 3-4 months rotating monthly.
Other lifts
We also test some upper body and lower body lifts. For the sake of this article we won’t break them all down.
What does this mean for the athlete?
For the athlete it shows them that they are improving. At OC Sports Performance we have your first time, height or weight and we track along the way. The progress isn’t always linear but the progress happens and that is what matters.
Some athletes are higher responders than others. This is discussed in the book “The Sports Gene” by David Epstein. No matter, all athletes improve here, we use these metrics discussed above to demonstrate that to both the athlete and the parents.
Want to experience the difference? Book a Free Consult today!
Other speed training articles: How to make someone faster in a sprint, Speed Training in Bend, Oregon. Sprint Success, 40 yard Dash, 40 Yard dash success.
OC Sports Performance has been training athletes for almost 13 years in Bend, Oregon. OC Sports Performance is the home to two males that have 4.2 40 yard dashes(pictured above) and two females that have run 4.9’s. We can increase your athletes speed and decrease their times.
