Youth Speed Training in Seward, NE
Small groups of 8 kids or fewer, ages 8 to 18, coached by me, Von Thomas. Ninety minutes, year-round, and I time your kid in the first week so we both know where they started.
See days and sign up →"There it is."
Cruz was one of the first kids I trained. He’s 12. On day one he was a little shy.
Then we got out the jump boxes. Most of the group was jumping onto the 12-inch boxes. I had a few of my big ones out too, the 24-inch boxes. Cruz walked past the small ones and went straight to a 24.
I said it to myself in my head: there it is.
He was going to push himself. That’s what I want to bring out of every kid who trains with me. Parents tell me their kid is competing at a high level now. You can’t coach effort. It comes from a kid who wants it, and that comes from being confident in what they can do.
The first thing I look at is your kid's arms
When a new kid shows up, I watch their arms before anything else. It’s a big giveaway.
I see arms crossing in front of the body, arms flying all over the place, arms that never drive down and back. Your arms are what move you forward, so when the arms are off, the kid is losing speed somewhere.
So the first thing I tell most kids is, “Hey, we have to fix your arms.”
Then knee drive: getting the knees up so every step covers more ground and pushes the ground away behind you. My taller kids have long legs, so I want them using that stride, and moving those legs faster. Fix the arms and the knees, and a kid starts shaving time off without even noticing.
I harp on arms a lot. Not in a mean way. Parents tell me that in the middle of their kid’s games, the kid is talking about what Coach Von said about arms.
What a 90-minute session looks like
We start with a check-in. How was your week? Anything coming up this weekend? A kid with a cloudy head doesn’t put in the work, so I make sure their head is right before we train.
A moving warm-up, then the work.
Week one, I time everybody. A 40-yard dash, a flying 10 and a flying 20. (A “flying” sprint gives the kid a running start, and I only time the last 10 or 20 yards. That shows top speed.) I write those down so I know exactly what to work on.
The rest is broken into blocks. What’s in them depends on the group. Right now my group gets up to a good top speed. They just take too long to get there. So we’re working on the first few steps: sprint form, running against resistance with speed cords and bands, then running free, and how you go from your start into full speed. We mix in lunges and broad jumps for strength. Some sessions we’re in the sand pit.
Plenty of rest between reps. I want every rep to be a fast one, not a tired one.
I film sprints in slow motion. Same idea as a golf coach filming your swing. I show the kid right there on the field: your back and your neck aren’t lined up, I want you at this angle instead of that one. Once they see it, they fix it on the next rep.
Why never more than 8 kids
Eight is the sweet spot for me. It lets me be intentional with each kid and give them the detail they need.
It also works for the whole group. When I break something down for one kid, the other seven are watching. If they need it too, they hear it once and they use it.
Big groups are great for camps, where I can pour a lot of information out at once. Some kids love a big group. Some do better with eight. Having both gives parents a choice.
Where, when and what it costs
- Ages 8 to 18. Football, basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball and track kids all train together.
- April to September: outdoors at Plum Creek Park in Seward.
- October to March: a private indoor court, so winter doesn’t undo the summer.
- Wednesdays and Saturdays. Current times are on the sign-up page.
- Plans: Foundation, 1x a week, $150/month · Performance, 2x a week, $260/month · Elite, 3x a week, $335/month · Unlimited, any open session, $375/month.
- Month to month. Cancel with 30 days notice by email. Sibling discount on the second and third athlete.
Most of my families are right here in Seward. One drives in from Ceresco, about 40 minutes each way. If you’re coming from Lincoln, here’s why families make that drive.
Working toward a 40 time for tryouts? See 40-yard dash training. Want it one-on-one? See private speed training.
What parents tell me
The first thing parents tell me after a few weeks is that their kid loves coming. Not every kid enjoys training. When a kid wants to come back, that says a lot.
Questions first? Call or text me at 402-523-2115. I’ll be watching for your kid’s 24-inch box.
Elite Speed Nebraska · Youth speed and agility training, Seward, NE
402-523-2115 · espnebraska@gmail.com
Group Training · Lincoln Families · Private Training · 40-Yard Dash · Plans & Pricing