Click here for all the previous Sprint Reviews
Paul Hoffman has read and researched several research papers on sprinting and performance articles, so you don’t have to. If any of these articles interest you, feel free to research the case studies and methodology and come up with your own conclusions.

Click on the link to the original reference, where applicable.
1. Improvement in sprint start performance by modulating an initial loading location on the starting blocks.
Ryu Nagahara. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2020
Posterior loading was associated with faster 10m times.
2. The importance of duration and magnitude of force application to sprint performance during the initial acceleration, transition and maximal velocity phases
Hans C. von Lieres Und Wilkau. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2020.
Contact time, vertical force and peak propulsive forces represented key determinants of maximal velocity phase performance, with peak propulsive force providing the largest unique contribution to the regression model for step velocity. These results clarified the role of force and time variables on sprinting performance.
3. Talent as Precursor for Performance
From the book “The Art of Sustainable Performance” by Bas Kodden.
The author writes “My study appears to fully confirm the theories by, among others, Billy Beane, Anders Ericsson, Daniel Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, Geoff Colvin, and Rasmus Ankersen: Talent is good, character is better! But which personal and character traits are to be considered crucial when it comes to sustainable performance? My quest continued.”
https://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2136&context=isbs
4. The Specificity Of Strength Exercises For Sprint Acceleration
Yiannis Lambrianides and Glen Blenkinsop, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
Based on peak joint moments and joint angles, bounding is a suitable strength and conditioning exercise for sprint acceleration, while loaded CMJ at 30% 1RM is less suitable.
5. Endurance exercise performance in Masters athletes: age-associated changes and underlying physiological mechanisms.
Journal of Physiology 2008, Hirofumi Tanaka.
Declines in endurance exercise performance and its physiological determinants with ageing appear to be mediated in large part by a reduction in the intensity (velocity) and volume of the exercise that can be performed during training sessions. Given their impressive peak performance capability and physiological function capacity, Masters athletes remain a fascinating model of ‘exceptionally successful ageing’ and therefore are highly deserving of our continued scientific attention as physiologists.
6. Training Load and Injury Part 2: Questionable Research Practices Hijack the Truth and Mislead Well-Intentioned Clinician.
https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2020.9211
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2020
The absence of a clear conceptual framework, causal structure, and reliable methods can promote questionable research practices, selective reporting, and confirmation bias. The fact that well-accepted training principles (eg, overload progression) are in line with some study findings may simply be a consequence of confirmation bias, resulting from cherry picking and emphasizing results that align with popular beliefs. Identifying evidence-based practical applications, grounded in high-quality research, is not currently possible. The strongest recommendation we can make for the clinician is grounded in common sense: “Do not train too much, too soon”–not because it has been confirmed by studies, but because it reflects accepted generic training principles.
7. Effect of active versus passive recovery on performance-related outcome during high-intensity interval exercise.
Raphael J Perrier-Melo. Journal of Sports Medicine in Physical Fitness. 2021.
This systematic review suggests that performing high-intensity interval exercise with passive recovery results in greater performance when compared with active recovery.
8. The Acute Effects of Foam Rolling and Dynamic Stretching on Athletic Performance.
Bethany Anderson. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. 2020.
There is moderate evidence to suggest that the inclusion of foam rolling to a dynamic warm-up protocol has an increased effect on power and agility over the completion of dynamic stretching alone. The inclusion of foam rolling seems to have little effect on flexibility when compared with dynamic stretching alone; indicating that dynamic stretching and foam rolling may affect different aspects of athletic performance.
9. Water immersion methods do not alter muscle damage and inflammation biomarkers after high-intensity sprinting and jumping exercise.
E. K. Ahokas, European Journal of Applied Physiology.2020.
The recovery methods did not affect the resolution of inflammatory and immune responses after high-intensity sprinting and jumping exercise. It is notable that the biomarker responses were variable within individuals. Thus, the lack of differences between recovery methods may have been influenced by the reliability of exercise-induced biomarker responses.
10. Static Versus Dynamic Stretching During The Warm Up – What’s All The Fuss?
The primary factor thought to bring about the positive effect following dynamic stretching is movement specificity. (note: This is a personal blog article with good sources.)
Leave a Reply