There is a common misconception that the stronger you are, the better your explosive strength will automatically be. In other words, many people think that greater maximum strength also increases your speed. However, this is not entirely correct.
Of course, you need to know that strength and speed are related in muscles: The faster a muscle is moved, the less force it can develop. For example, if you do a very heavy squat, you will do it very slowly. Nevertheless, more maximum strength is required, but less speed strength. Expressed in a formula, this means that the highest speed power output is one third of the static maximum strength and around 25 to 30 per cent of the maximum contraction speed.
To get back to the topic: You are not automatically faster if you are stronger. A high static maximum strength does not mean that a person can also develop it quickly. Two people with the same maximum strength can perform completely differently in terms of speed. This often becomes clear in super-heavyweight boxing matches, for example. Both boxers then have a very high maximum strength. But in order to convert this into a knockout, speed is required. It ensures that a punch can get through the defence, for example, and hit the opponent.
But to come back to the beginning: A person with a higher maximum strength will usually have an easier time with explosive movements than a person with a lower maximum strength. This becomes clear in the shot put. Maximum strength plays an important role here, as the ball is a relatively lighter load if you are stronger, so you can move it faster.
From a biological perspective, the size of the cross-sectional area of the fast muscle fibres (type 2 fibres) is crucial for speed. The more of these fibres there are and the thicker they are, the more speed strength an athlete can develop. As a coach, it is important to check how well the respective athlete is able to develop strength quickly in movements relevant to their sport.
In addition to the quantity and thickness of type 2 muscle fibres, there are other non-biological factors that limit performance in the sport-specific application of high-speed strength:
- How good is movement coordination? Improving the sequences of individual movements can significantly improve performance.
- How long are the limbs (=anthropometric characteristics)? The lever function plays an important role here, e.g. in throwing disciplines.
- How good was the pre-tensioning of the muscles? Isometric or eccentric contraction prior to the actual movement improves the development of speed strength.
- How motivated is the athlete? This psychological factor is often decisive in competitions.