Speed training, like any coaching, is about teaching.

For the athlete, it is about learning – learning what it feels like to do something they have never felt before.

Athletes and coaches often mistake conditioning drills, hard work and getting tired as speed training. That is conditioning. Conditioning and being in shape is important but completely different than mastering the skill of how to efficiently run faster.

Athletes who are in shape but still put their feet in the wrong spot cannot reach top potential speeds. Strides could be too long or too short. Foot strike placement could be off line or too flat. The torso could be in a bad position. Their arm swing might not synch with their leg action. All of these impact speed.

Most athletes already know how to work hard and give 100 percent effort. What they don’t know is what it feels like to run faster with less effort.

But that can be taught just like any other skill, and just because you were once fast doesn’t mean you can pass that trait on. Young athletes need their own reference points.

Teaching speed is similar to trying to teach a kid what it feels like to ride a bike – but only if he or she has never seen a bike before and you don’t have one to show.

Now that’s a challenge.

During the course of my coaching, I developed a communication technology to help athletes begin to understand the feeling of running faster with less effort from their point of view

It’s called the Ratio Separation Point. It’s easy to learn once you understand it, but it takes some visualization, so see if you can play along.

The following is an excerpt of RSP™ from my book “How Fast Are You, You Can Be Faster.”

The Ratio Separation Point is the difference between the movement speed of the arms and legs compared to the speed of the body when in motion.

The ultimate goal of Ratio Separation Point is to get to a place where you perceive that your arms and legs are moving faster than your body is moving. Again, all based on your perception.

If you feel you are traveling at half of your full potential speed, then you should make your arms and legs travel at what you perceive to be faster than that, maybe 60 percent. Make sense?

Basically, when you are running, you should always perceive that your arms and legs are moving faster than your actual speed of travel with your highest level of calm and composure. How do you know how much faster? That depends on your specific running issues – 100 percent speed or effort is not required, but 100 percent mental focus is required.

The magic happens when the perceptions and opinions of the speed of movement comes from the athlete. Athletes who can understand their own RSP Value while in motion can relate to any frequency adjustments that need to be made.

We all already do this if we think about it.

Let’s say the athlete needs to run faster but his or her stride length is too, producing a slower cycling action. We can then instruct the athlete to run with the goal of an RSP value of “5,” which simply means the athlete needs to run with arm and leg movements 5 percent faster than the perceived speed of the body.

So, if the athlete perceives his or her overall travel speed to be 10 mph (10 percent), then cycle the arms and legs at 15 mph (or 15 percent). The big mental step is developing consistent bio-feedback while running.

Obviously, the mph being mental calculated aren’t actual speeds. They are perceptions of speed, from the runner's point of view and feelings, to serve as a basis to describe body speed and cycling action. They provide the basis for clear communication so that minor or major adjustments can be made while running.

The Ratio Separation Point is critical in understanding your body movements and timing. From an athlete’s point of view, RSP terminology gives runners a chance to focus and rehearse what it feels like to run faster.

Once an athlete understands this, running faster becomes much easier.

Be well. Be fast.

Ken Taylor played defensive back for the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers, helping the Bears win Super Bowl XX. A personal speed trainer in Temecula, Calif., he has worked with more than 5,000 athletes during the past 20 years. Visit his website at www.howtobefaster.comfor speed training books and subscribe to TheSpeedDr1 on YouTube for free speed training videos.