The guru knows your perception and preys upon it, knowing you won’t do your homework.
“Guru’s have led kids to believe that in order to get faster, you must be tethered to bungee cords and dance around cheap plastic objects they’ve scattered on the floor while they yell buzz words at you.
Nah.
You literally just have to run hard sprints with logical rest periods.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
Speed, Speed, Speed.
It’s every athlete’s goal.
“We have to get him faster.”
“We need to improve her quickness.”
I get it. I understand. I want (and will help) them get faster, I promise.
But let me just shoot you straight when it comes to “speed training” as you know (perceive) it.
There are a lot of gurus out there who understand your deep desire to improve your (or your child’s) speed.
Because speed is the “holy grail” you’re after, it’s important for the guru to package it’s “enhancement” in a way that seems lavish and complex, because after all, improving that quality you’re so vehemently after, couldn’t be as easy as just practicing the skill of sprinting? Or could it?
No, no, we need the 28 drills. We need the bands, bungees, hurdles, and parachutes. We need all the things.
“Why,” you ask?
Because we need to create an entire INDUSTRY centered around the idea of “speed development”.
Think about it.
It’s way more palatable to parents than lifting those muscle bulk weights. We don’t need to invest in a facility or have training expertise. We can literally just buy a bunch of cheap plastic/rubber objects, store them in a tote in the back of our Honda Civic, and then over charge people to use our cheap stuff at a Public Field.
And the best part? The consumer doesn’t know right from wrong. They have this image of “speed and agility” in their head so why not just play to our strength and affirm their perceptions?
And voila, right in front of your eyes, we’ve created an entire sect of an industry. We branded it “speed & agility” which in all reality is nothing more than directionless activity that improves non-specific to sport, conditioning.
Of course I hate it, but I have to give credit to the guru, the fact that he can continually exploit the American consumers naiveté despite all the research PROVING he is full of shit, is noteworthy.
You want to get faster? Here’s the formula:
Run really hard sprints. 10 or so. Rest 1 minute for every 10 yards sprinted. Do this a few times a week. Oh yeah, and build stronger muscles in the weight room.
I just debunked the entire “speed & agilty” industry in less than a paragraph.
Too bad simple doesn’t sell.
