Speed is a coveted attribute in nearly every realm of physical performance, from sports to everyday activities. Many athletes expect to get faster just by performing footwork and agility drills, however without some important elements we often do not see the progress that we expect. Achieving true speed is more than just moving your legs faster or pushing yourself harder. It requires a nuanced understanding of how the body works, leveraging posture, balance, proprioception, and the natural “springs” within us. In this article, we’ll explore these critical elements and how they can transform your ability to move efficiently, powerfully, and with speed.

The Importance of Posture

Posture serves as the foundation upon which all movement is built. A properly aligned body ensures that energy is transmitted efficiently through the kinetic chain, minimizing wasted effort.

Stacked Alignment

Good posture begins with keeping the body “stacked,” meaning that your head, shoulders, hips, and feet are aligned in a straight line. This alignment helps distribute forces evenly across your musculoskeletal system and reduces strain on any single area.

Core and Glute Engagement

Core engagement is equally crucial. A strong, activated core stabilizes the trunk, allowing your limbs to move efficiently and powerfully. Glute engagement complements this by driving your hips forward, a critical action in achieving higher speeds. Neglecting these muscle groups can lead to inefficient gait patterns and energy leaks.

The Consequences of Poor Posture

When posture falters, speed and reaction time suffer significantly. A slouched or misaligned position interrupts the natural flow of movement, forcing your muscles to compensate in inefficient ways. Over time, poor posture doesn’t just erode your speed; it also increases your risk of injury, as misaligned joints and overworked muscles are more prone to wear and tear.

Video: Posture and Core Control

Video: Demo of upright posture checks

Balance and Proprioception: The Unsung Heroes of Speed

Speed is not just about velocity; it’s about control. Balance and proprioception (the body’s sense of its position in space) are essential for maintaining stability, especially during dynamic, high-speed movements.

Reducing Inefficiency Through Balance

A good sense of balance allows your body to move fluidly and with precision. Whether you’re jogging, sprinting, jumping, or changing directions, balance ensures that you remain in control, reducing wasted energy and unnecessary movements.

Proprioception: The Mind-Body Connection

Proprioception is the ability to sense and control the position of your body. It’s what allows you to adjust your movements mid-stride or land correctly after a jump. Developing proprioception through barefoot balance drills is one of the most effective ways to enhance your speed. These exercises help stabilize the weight-bearing chain—from your feet to your hips—and rewire the neuromotor pathways that control stability and coordination.

Practical Ways to Improve Balance and Proprioception

Incorporating exercises utilizing a single-leg stance into your workout or even just a warmup routine is a quick and effective way to enhance your balance and proprioception.  Walking balance stretches, single leg hops, single leg balance ball catch/throw, and golfer pickups are all perfect examples.  For a more advanced challenge, try performing these exercises barefoot or on an unstable surface like a balance board or Bosu ball to stimulate the smaller stabilizing muscles in your feet, which are often neglected in traditional training.

Video: Balance & Proprioception

Harnessing Your Body’s Natural Springs

The human body is equipped with natural “springs” – tendons, ligaments, and fascia that store and release elastic energy. When utilized effectively, these springs can provide a boost of “free energy,” enhancing your speed and efficiency.

Video: Activate Your Springs

The Role of Elasticity

Muscle tendons and connective tissues have an inherent ability to absorb shock and recoil, much like a rubber band. This elasticity not only protects your joints from impact but also creates a bounce in your step, propelling you forward with minimal energy expenditure.

Perfecting Your Landing

The key to making the most of your body’s springs lies in achieving a perfect landing. When your foot strikes the ground, it should do so in a controlled and balanced manner. Landing off-balance or on the wrong part of your foot (e.g., the heel instead of the midfoot) forces your body to correct its position before it can push off again. This correction wastes valuable time, energy, and efficiency.

Training Your Springs

Plyometric exercises are a fantastic way to train your body’s elastic properties. Activities like spring or pogo hops, bounding drills, and jump rope train your muscles and tendons to store and release energy more effectively. Over time, this improves not only your speed but also your endurance, as your movements become more economical.

Video: Spring Hops & Sticky Hops – a good landing leads to a good spring

Integrating It All: The Symphony of Speed

While each of these elements—posture, balance, proprioception, and springs—plays a vital role in building speed, their true power lies in their integration. Speed is not achieved by focusing on any single factor in isolation, but by creating harmony between them.

Posture and Balance

Good posture naturally improves your balance by aligning your body and reducing unnecessary sway. This alignment allows your proprioceptive system to work more effectively, making it easier to maintain stability during complex movements.

Balance and Springs

A strong sense of balance ensures that you land in the optimal position to activate your body’s springs. When your landings are controlled and precise, your elastic tissues can absorb and release energy seamlessly, propelling you forward with minimal effort.

The Feedback Loop

As you train these elements, they feed into one another in a virtuous cycle. Improved posture enhances balance, which sharpens proprioception, which in turn maximizes the efficiency of your springs. Together, they create a feedback loop that continuously refines your speed and movement efficiency.

Baby Step Jog: putting it all together with this simple running form drill

Conclusion

Speed is a complex interplay of physical and neurological systems. By focusing on posture, balance, proprioception, and your body’s natural springs, you can unlock your full potential for speed while minimizing inefficiency and reducing the risk of injury. Whether you’re an athlete aiming to shave seconds off your sprint time or someone looking to move more gracefully in daily life, these principles are your guide to moving faster, smarter, and more powerfully.

So, take a moment to assess your posture, challenge your balance, and train your springs. Speed isn’t just about how fast you can go, it’s about how well you can optimize the systems that make movement possible. Start today and watch your performance soar.