How to Get Faster (Acceleration, Deceleration, Agility & Strength) | Les Spellman

In this episode, I speak with Les Spellman, one of the most in-demand speed coaches in the world, who has trained more than 100 NFL athletes and worked with elite performers across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and track. We discuss whether you can actually make people faster, what speed really means beyond a 40-yard dash time, and why the fastest athletes are not always the most successful on the field. Les explains his car analogy for speed (engine, brakes, and steering), how the density of a sport shapes its speed demands, and the key differences among linear speed, change of direction, and agility. We break down why deceleration is one of the most overlooked and high-force qualities in sport, how cutting angles change the braking demand, and why agility ladders miss the mark. Les also dismantles the “stay low” cue for acceleration, explains the four sprint archetypes (bounders, drivers, spinners, and bouncers), and shares how he uses the weight room to train high, fast, and slow force. We also cover session design and rest intervals, how often to hit near-maximal speeds, his post-game blood flow restriction (BFR) recovery protocol, when kids should start speed training, how speed development differs between girls and boys, and practical ways adult and endurance athletes can get faster. This episode is for any athlete, coach, or parent who wants to understand how speed is built and how to train it safely and effectively.
Show notes: https://www.performpodcast.com/episodes/les-spellman-how-to-get-faster
Sponsors
Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin
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LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform
Chapters
(00:00:00) Can You Make People Faster?
(00:05:45) 40-Yard Dash Benchmarks by Position
(00:07:30) Sponsor: Momentous
(00:08:57) Defining Speed & Whether a Fast 40 Translates to the Field
(00:13:43) Engines, Brakes & Steering: How Sport Shapes Speed
(00:20:05) Training Speed for Court vs. Field Sports
(00:24:03) Lessons Learned: Speed, Capacity & Conditioning
(00:28:03) Aerobic Work, Post-Game BFR & Recovery Basics
(00:35:39) Linear Speed, Change of Direction & Agility
(00:41:14) Agility Ladders, Deceleration & Injury Risk
(00:50:04) Sponsor: David
(00:51:26) Early vs. Late Deceleration & Cutting Angles
(01:00:02) Agility vs. Change-of-Direction Drills; Drill Progressions
(01:06:51) Youth Athletes, General Preparation & Free Play
(01:10:22) Sponsor: Eight Sleep
(01:11:54) Fast vs. Quick, False Steps & the “Stay Low” Myth
(01:23:40) Stride Length vs. Frequency & Sprint Archetypes
(01:34:49) Sponsor: LMNT
(01:36:10) Lifting Weights for Speed: High, Fast & Slow Force
(01:44:31) Plyometrics, Session Design & Rest Between Sprints
(01:54:01) How Strong Is Strong Enough?
(01:56:57) Sprinting Injury Risk & Max-Speed Dosing
(02:01:39) Youth Speed Training: When to Start & What to Avoid
(02:07:03) Speed Development in Girls vs. Boys
(02:10:05) Getting Faster as an Adult or Endurance Athlete
(02:14:09) Advice for Young Coaches
Disclaimer & Disclosures
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