Effect of surface-specific training on 20 m sprint performance on sand and grass surfaces
Publication Details
Binnie, M. J.,
Peeling, P.,
Pinnington, H.,
Landers, G.,
&
Dawson, B.
(2013).
Effect of surface-specific training on 20 m sprint performance on sand and grass surfaces.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27 (12), 3515-3520.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31828f043f
Abstract
This study compared the effect of an 8-week pre-season conditioning program conducted on a sand (SAND) or grass (GRASS) surfaceon 20 m sprint performance.Twelve team sport athletes were required to attendthree 1 h training sessions perweek, including two surface-specific sessions (SAND, n=6 or GRASS, n=6), and one group session (conducted on grass). Throughout the training period, 20 m sprint timesof all athletes were recorded on both sand and grass surfaces at the end of week 1, 4and 8. Results showed a significant improvement in 20 m sand time in the SANDgroup only (p<0.05), whereas 20 m grass time improved equally in both training sub-groups (p<0.05). These results suggest that surface-specificity is essential for 20 mspeed improvements on sand, and also that there isno detriment to grass speed gains when incorporating sand surfaces into a pre-season program.
Keywords
team sport, speed, acceleration, training surface
