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Improve Speed With Stride Length and Stride Frequency

By My Fitness Hut | August 18, 2008

Like you, I watched the Olympic games this weekend. I always try to watch the best athletes in the world to learn from them. So, I watched the 100 meter dash to learn from the fastest people in the world.

Correct running mechanics are critical in any race, especially at the Olympic level of competition. I learned these things from the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt (of lightning!):

1) When I watched the prelim races, I told a friend that Bolt would win the final race because he ran RELAXED. The best athletes play their sports with ease and efficiency. Many of the other sprinters were ran tense and seemed to be "fighting it."

2) Bolt had great body lean while he was reaching maximum speed. Since he's 6'5" tall, that is important for him.

3) His stride length is unbelievable! He covers more ground with one stride than most sprinters. Consequently, his stride frequency doesn't have to be as high as other sprinters. He was so dominant that he celebrated about 20 meters before reaching the finish line.

Read about other running mechanics in this post.

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