The following appears on the training website of a well known figure in the "speed" game:

"Yes, some people are born with an instinctive ability to run with proper form at high speed. These are the lucky few who naturally dorsiflex the foot, lean at a 45º angle, and focus on foot contacts rather than stride length. It is from these individuals that much of the science of speed has been developed."

I'm particularly fascinated by the last line: "It is from these individuals that much of the science of speed has been developed."

If I understand this correctly, scientists studied the lucky few who naturally executed the right form. From their diligent observations, the scientists came to the conclusion that proper form must be the root cause of faster running speed. 

I think the author made a mistake here.

Seriously, I do. It just seems too simple.

What he is saying is that if I put my foot at the right angle, lean at the right angle, and focus on foot contacts (I'm not sure what I'm focusing on at contact) I can run as fast as anyone! Forget weight training! Forget physics, forget gravity, forget strength and forget elastic energy! Just angle your foot, lean and focus!

No need for illegal drugs either!

Just dorsiflex, lean and focus. How hard could that be? WOW!

I could just take a few videos of myself running to make sure I'm at the right angles and forget about stride length. That's almost as minimal as what we coach.

Oh, sorry. I didn't read far enough. Here's the rest:
"It takes an expert to teach speed. Even Olympic-level sprinters are coached and trained to maximize speed. Speed can be taught and improved, but only with coaching to develop proper technique and execution. It is a skill, like shooting a basket or hitting a baseball, that depends on a continual learning process."

There's always a catch.

I can't just do the simple stuff. I have to hire an expert to teach me what those few lucky ones, those outliers on the speed curve--models of form fit for any scientist to salivate over--are already doing through pure luck.  What they can do by luck takes proper technique and execution by the rest of us. It's a continual learning process that, in some way (according to the well known speed man), relates to shooting a basket or hitting a baseball.

I suppose those lucky few who taught the scientists a thing or two are also experts at hitting a ball or shooting a basket.

Some people have all the luck.

The rest of us have science. Science based upon more than the visual. Science shows why emphasis should be placed upon strength, application of force, fuel supply, elastic energy and spring-mass models. These are the same things that the "lucky" ones rely on. Science separates causes and effects and puts them into proper perspective so that speed can be trained more efficiently and effectively.

Scientific research is long past the days of function follows form-- and "luck" has nothing to do with it.

Barry Ross