Footspeed

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sprinting is a sport that requires development of footspeed.

Footspeed, or sprint speed, is the maximum

.

Factors in speed

The key determinant of footspeed in

long-distance runners may have only 20%.[1] This ratio is believed to have genetic origins, though some assert that it can be adjusted by muscle training.[2] "Speed camps" and "Speed Training Manuals", which purport to provide fractional increases in maximum footspeed, are popular among budding professional athletes, and some sources estimate that 17–19% of speed can be trained.[2]

Though good running form is useful in increasing speed, fast and slow runners have been shown to move their legs at nearly the same rate – it is the

muscle mass in the legs, relative to total body weight, is a key factor in maximizing footspeed.[3]

Limits of speed

The record is 44.72 km/h (27.78 mph), measured between meter 60 and meter 80 of the

100 meters sprint at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics by Usain Bolt.[4][5] (Bolt's average speed over the course of this race was 37.578 km/h or 23.35 mph.)[6]
Compared to quadrupedal animals, humans are exceptionally capable of
domestic cat may reach 48 km/h (30 mph).[10]

See also

  • Walking speed
    , the normal pace humans walk.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Quinn, Elizabeth. "Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers" Archived 2007-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, About.com, retrieved November 26, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Ziegler, Mark (18 April 2005). "The NFL treats 40-yard dash times as sacred. But if those numbers are true, many players are faster than Olympic gold medalists and their clockings should be eyed with a dash of doubt". Union-Tribune San Diego. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b Herper, Matthew. "What's The Human Speed Limit?", Forbes.com, May 14, 2004, retrieved November 26, 2007.
  4. ^ International Association of Athletics Federations Biomechanical Research Project: Berlin 2009 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-14, retrieved 2017-04-09
  5. ^ http://www.meathathletics.ie/devathletes/pdf/Biomechanics%20of%20Sprints.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ How Fast Is Usain Bolt? Engineering Sport
  7. ^ "Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners", Physorg.com, April 16, 2007, retrieved November 27, 2007.
  8. ^ Kruszelnicki, Karl. "Fake Flies and Cheating Cheetahs", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1999, retrieved November 27, 2007.
  9. ^ Rinehart, Janet. [1], Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association, retrieved November 27, 2007.
  10. ^ a b American Museum of Natural History. "Speed of Animals", Infoplease.com, retrieved November 27, 2007.