Conclusion
In this course you’ve investigated speed and power in relation to sport and fitness. The key learning points from the course are that:
- speed and power are key components of fitness in a range of sports and activities
- in simple terms, speed relates to how quickly we move, while power is a combination of strength and speed
- in order to design effective training programmes, you need to understand the mechanics and physiology of speed and power
- speed training methods include speed resistance methods (as with sled-pulling) and speed assistance methods (as with downhill running)
- power training methods include plyometrics and Olympic lifts.
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course E236 Applying sport and exercise sciences to coaching [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
You might interested in another OpenLearn course taken from this Open University course: Training for endurance in sport and fitness.