When most people think “get in shape for sports,” they think of running… a lot. Gassers, suicides, long-distance jogs. But what if I told you that’s actually holding athletes back?
Legendary coach Tony Holler says it best:
“You can’t train slow and expect to be fast.”
That hits. And it’s true.
🧠 The Confusion: Speed Isn’t Just Conditioning
Too many programs confuse conditioning with speed training. They’re not the same—and they shouldn’t be trained the same way.
Conditioning is about endurance.
Speed is about explosiveness.
But here’s what we see all the time:
Athletes getting “punished” with sprints after practice. Coaches pushing 110s and suicides. All in the name of “getting in shape.”
The result?
Tired athletes. Slower athletes. Burned out athletes.
🚀 Speed is a Skill. And Skills Must Be Protected.
Tony Holler’s “Feed the Cats” philosophy flipped the game:
- Sprint fresh, not tired
- Track progress, don’t guess
- Train what matters—speed, power, recovery
- Less is more, but it has to be high quality
At YSP, we’ve adopted many of the same principles because… they work.
We’ve seen it firsthand—athletes dropping 0.10 off their 10-yard fly, increasing max velocity, and feeling fast when it counts.
🔄 Why the Old-School Approach Doesn’t Work
Here’s the problem with most traditional team conditioning:
- It teaches athletes to survive, not to thrive
- It reinforces fatigue, not speed
- It doesn’t prepare them for game situations that demand bursts of explosiveness
Games aren’t played at a steady pace.
They’re explosive. Fast. Reaction-based. If you want to prepare for game speed, you have to train at game speed.
✅ How We Train for Speed at YSP
Our program isn’t about running athletes into the ground—it’s about building explosive, resilient athletes.
Here’s what we focus on:
- Sprint mechanics and max velocity
- Rest-based sprint sessions (so athletes can run FAST)
- Strength training to support speed output
- Timing, tracking, and measurable results
You’ll often see us sprinting with timers, resting between reps, and celebrating small gains—because every hundredth of a second counts.
🧭 The Bottom Line: Fast Is a Skill You Have to Build
If your athlete is always tired but not getting faster… they’re likely being trained backwards.
True speed development isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing it right.
So if your athlete wants to move the needle this summer, this is the window. Don’t waste it running in circles.
📩 Want to Learn How We Build Speed?
DM us “SPEED” or click the link below to check out our summer training program.
Let’s stop guessing and start sprinting the right way.