Believe it or not, in athletics, learning how to stop is just as important as learning how to run faster and jump higher. At the Parisi Speed School, we believe that before any athlete is taught to run faster or jump higher, they must first be taught to properly slow down and land.

Imagine that you are about to drive somewhere and you find out that the car has no brakes. Would you go on the trip? Would you fly in an airplane with a pilot that did not know how to land? Hopefully the answer would be "no" because of the apprehension you would feel. That is the same feeling we have at the Parisi Speed School when athletes tell us they want to run faster, but are not concerned with slowing down. This is why we have introduced deceleration and landing techniques to our training program.

Most athletes engage in speed training to learn how to run faster. Not many of these new athletes are concerned with learning how to slow down. Almost every sport involves slowing down, reversing direction, and landing. Speed is not just a measure of how fast you can move in a straight line, but also how well you slow down and change direction. Think of all the athletes you have heard of that are not know to be super fast, but are described as having "game speed". Many times these "game speed" athletes use better deceleration and change of direction techniques to appear so fast.

In addition to improved performance, proper deceleration and landing techniques are also critical for injury prevention. Just like the car and plane example, in athletics it is not the speed that is dangerous, but the sudden stop. Without the right techniques, athletes are more likely to get hurt. And remember, there is a best way to slow down and land that can prevent injuries from occurring. Talking to your speed coach about landing and deceleration techniques will better prepare you for taking your game to the next level.

-Bill Parisi, Parisi Speed School

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