SPEED: WHY YOU NEED IT and HOW TO GET MORE OF IT
- Carl Adams
- May 11
- 4 min read
by Carl Adams
Some athletes are born with it; most struggle their entire athletic career trying to improve it or defend against it. When it comes to participating in sports, speed can offer an absolute advantage if an athlete understands it and also knows how to use it.
SPEED is my favorite subject to stress when I'm teaching wrestling or working on how to get more of it. Speed was also one of the main features I looked for as a college recruiter. Improving wrestling speed is the topic I'll be discussing in this article.
Wrestling Speed: Why It Matters
I'm fascinated with the topic of wrestling speed. When I think about wrestling speed, there are a few names that immediately come to mind. John Smith, Jordan Burroughs, Nate Carr, Vito Arujau, David Carr, Cael Sanderson, and up-and-coming Iowa Recruit, Leo Deluca.
There are obviously many others, but we are all familiar with this group.
I'll throw my name in because I have a keen sense of how the individuals above felt and feel about their speed and what they knew about how to use it. I've been told how fast I am since I got involved in wrestling as a 7th grader. Truth be told, I'm not denying it.
Understanding Speed
This is what I knew and this is how I felt.
I knew that I was faster than my opponents and I knew it was an explosive type speed that I could use to my advantage.
Like the group above, it was never a question of if I would shoot for a takedown, it was just a matter of when and how many times I saw the slightest opening.
Think about the group above. All of them had or have a very aggressive strategy especially on the feet. They also knew that they had to have good physical and mental preparation to take full advantage of their speed.
I think it's important for wrestlers and coaches to understand the advantages of having speed and constantly working on ways to improve this asset.
Improving speed is the topic I want to discuss in this article.
How to Improve Wrestling Speed
1. Strength Training Improves Explosive Power
I will start with the obvious.
Strength training is a very effective way to improve power. Effective use of that power will automatically help improve a wrestler's explosive power and speed.
2. Conditioning Helps Sustain Speed
Having great conditioning will also help wrestlers sustain their speed over the course of a full match and for tournament competition.
3. Precision Technique Enhances Speed
Precision technique will enhance a wrestler's speed a great deal.
4. Drill Specific Skills Repeatedly
Drilling specific skill over and over will automatically improve a wrestler's speed. This is true for all positions in wrestling.
a) Isolate Parts of the Skill
The practice of isolating and drilling the component parts of a skill individually, will help to refine skills and thereby improve speed.
For example, if you are working on a Head Snap to a Sweep Single:
Position before the attack starts
The setup phase
The head snap
The level change
The step
A wrestler should just drill the head snap, level change and the step with no finish.
Just that phase of the takedown should be drilled over and over before moving into the finishing phase of the takedown.
Once the same thing is done for the finishing phase of the takedown, then a wrestler can drill the entire takedown together.
Doing it this way will help to develop speed, muscle memory and precision skills.
b) Focus on the Details
It's important to make sure when drilling takedowns that wrestlers are paying attention to:
Head position
Where they step
Which way they rotate to the finishing position
5. Timing Matters
Timing is also a factor when a wrestler is working on improving his or her speed.
The door for opportunities to take your best shot will open and close.
Generally, wrestlers have a fraction of a second to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
6. Trust Your Speed
When wrestlers know that they have a speed advantage, there is no need to second guess yourself.
Go for it.
If you are not successful, get ready to fire on your next opportunity to score.
What good is having a speed advantage if you do not use it?
7. Make Speed a Daily Focus
As a college coach, I spoke about using speed and developing speed in practice every time the opportunity presented itself.
I would also encourage my wrestlers to work on developing speed while drilling and think about ways to improve speed from all positions all the time.
Final Thoughts
Speed is not just about moving fast.
It is about:
Preparation
Conditioning
Precision
Timing
Confidence
Repetition
The wrestlers who understand speed and learn how to apply it aggressively and intelligently will always have a major advantage.
— Coach Adams
BUILD YOUR TAKEDOWN SPEED THROGH UNLIMITED REPITION
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