"On the line!"

This phrase sent a shockwave of anxiety through many of us back in high school, as it ushered in running time at the end of practice.

Sometimes it was just a few sprints, but usually the number was massive.

Endless repetition where your legs moved well below maximum velocity, perhaps to the point they barely moved at all.

Our coaches may have believed they were building speed, but it felt a whole lot more like a conditioning session.

Did they understand the difference between the two?

Probably not, but to build real speed, it's critical that you do.

Getting faster is just as much a neurological skill as it is a physical one.

Synchronizing the movements of your limbs with more precision.

Changing your stride mechanics without thinking about it.

These are nervous system challenges more than muscular ones.

And your nervous system functions best when it is fresh.

Your most productive hour of all-night studying is likely the first one.

Gaining pure strength is best done with very few repetitions.

Speed development is no different, because once fatigue sets in you simply can't work at the very peak of your abilities any more.

Since you can only improve speed when running 95-100% of your absolute fastest, every sprint run under fatigue is a waste.

Unless your aim is to improve conditioning, which is what our coaches were ultimately accomplishing back then.

Today we know speed is trainable, under the right circumstances.

Even without technique coaching, you can still improve if you sprint all out on a regular basis.

For sports coaches, that means keeping the volume low.

When players know this, they don't hold that extra gear back, fearing they'll need it to survive later on.

Just 2 or 3 sprints of at least thirty yards, done a couple times per week, is enough.

And these sprints should be done early in practice, when everyone is still fresh.

We all know athletes need both speed and conditioning to play at their best.

Just understand you can't develop them simultaneously, any more than you can make something both hot and cold at the same time.