By Fabrizio Felici
Especially in the first pubertal phase, it is necessary to carry out a multilateral training of coordination, in such a way that the change of body proportions and of the organic-muscular conditions does not lead to a worsening of the elementary assumptions of the rapidity which, once reached puberty, are difficult to to correct. Towards the end of the first pubertal age, reaction and latency times reach adult values and the frequency of movements, which will subsequently change little, reaches its maximum between 13 and 15 years. Thanks to the high rates of increase in maximum strength and rapid strength, determined by hormonal means, as well as thanks to the increase in anaerobic capacity, in this age high speed gains are produced.
Adolescence
In this age period, unlimited training of the so-called conditional and coordinating aspects of speed is possible. The methods and contents of the training correspond, almost, to those of adults and are distinguished only in terms of quantity.
Methodological principles for speed training in childhood and adolescence
The rapidity should be trained early enough, so as to be able to expand the genetically determined space, before the conclusion of the complete development of the CNS.
The speed and the skills that determine it must be developed by differentiating them. At first, with adequate contents and methods, its elementary assumptions are formed (support time, frequency), then complex ones. Only at the beginning of construction training, the complex training of speed and the specific acceleration capacity of the sport discipline come to the fore.
If we consider that the development of the elementary assumptions of speed, expressed by the rapidity quotient, takes place essentially from 7 to 9 years and from 12 to 14 (females) and 13-15 years (males), above all in these sensitive phases must be realized a multilateral coordinative running training.
The first and second school age represent the best age for learning.
Already in children, attention must be paid to an optimal economy of movement (looseness, relaxation).
Children are interested in fun, in play, and for this reason training must be rich in variants and multilateral. Multilateralism means a multilateralism aimed at making the programs of speed relevant to the sprint optimal.
To avoid the early formation of a motor stereotype, maximum intensity must be integrated into the training process, in as varied and multilateral ways as possible.
The duration of the exercise must be programmed in such a way that the speed does not decrease towards its end due to fatigue.
The optimal length of the distances depends on the training objective: if you need to train the acceleration capacity, you must choose a distance that corresponds to the individual performance level in this capacity (from 15 to 30 m); if, on the other hand, the maximum speed section is to be trained, which in children is between 20-30 m, after a started start you must run approximately this distance. If, on the other hand, the training aims to train resistance to speed, adequate distances will be chosen, slightly exceeding the race distances.
The pauses between the repetitions of the loads must guarantee an optimal recovery of the capacity of performance (4-6 minutes). In the execution of relays suitable for children over short distances (15-20 m), breaks of about one minute are sufficient for complete regeneration.
