Summer is here, the beaches are full and athletes from all over are getting ready for the fall sports season. Lets dig into 4 simple, actionable tips you can use to up your speed this beach season!

1. Hit your angles.When your feet strike the ground they will either help propel your body forward or slam on the breaks. When your feet strike the ground directly under or slightly behind the knee, you will continue to build speed. When your foot shoots out in front of the knee, the heel will strike the ground first producing a breaking force, slowing you down. Use your phone to take some video of your sprints and study the angles at your knee and hip when your feet strike. Clean up your technique if you are on of them damn heel-strikers!
2. Attack 5 yard sprints. Speed isn’t casual. Watch the first 3-5 strides during a race in the Olympics; the athletes almost look like they are gracefully floating across the track when, in reality, they are applying a superhuman amount of power into the ground on every stride. Perform 3 step sprints where your only goal is to attack the ground. Every sprint in every sport lasts at least 5 yards, the winner is usually the one who can apply the most force!
3. Sprint in multiple directions, from various starts. How often will you really run in a straight line during competition? Once you understand how to accelerate you need to learn to accelerate from different angles and starting positions. Start backwards and utilize a drop step into a sprint, start by shuffling to the left and cutting back to the right into a sprint, perform a vertical jump and take off into a sprint once you land, sprint a half circle, start in a jog and take off into a sprint after a designated distance. You will have to accelerate from various starting positions in multiple directions in sport, prep yourself for it this summer!
4. Rest between sprints. Repeat after me; I, Will, Rest, Between, Sprints. Once again; I, Will, Rest, Between, Sprints! You will not feel tired after performing a 10-yard sprint. Your muscles will not feel fatigued like they do after a set of lunges. That is not how speed works. Speed is largely driven by your neuromuscular system, and the only way to improve your speed is to avoid fatiguing your neuromuscular system when sprinting. Unless you can detect the early warning signs of neuro fatigue you should play it safe and give yourself 45 seconds to 1:00rest between sprints.