What's the main thing you notice about them? I'm not talking about their clothing, the background, or their competitors. It's how smooth they look. The fluidity of their technique. Their coordination and relaxed rhythm. Their overall movement is quite mesmerising to watch. Look a little closer and you'll see some effort going into the movement, but this is almost deceiving since it really looks effortless. They just seem to move differently to people who are less-fast.
(Note that any reference to fast is all relative to you and your ability.)
At the core of going fast is the skill and coordination to actually *be* fast. This is underpinned by sound form and technique, but (almost) regardless you will find that with practice - and training - you'll be able to be fast and smooth in your own way, and at your own speed.
So how do you get fast? Firstly, let's understand the components of going fast. First is biomechanics and technique. Second is the fitness. Some might also add that third is having the talent to be fast, but as I mentioned fast is relative to you the speed you can move at so I won't cover that here.
If I asked you to go out and swim a fast 50m, or run a fast 100-200m how would it feel? Would it be the smooth, flowing technique of the fast athlete you had an image of earlier...or perhaps someone a little rustier? Your answer will depend on how often you do some fast training, that is, the more often you do it, the smoother you'll feel. This is quite separate from the fitness required since I'm sure we've all seen an apparently unfit (ex-)swimmer hop into a pool and seemingly morph into an elite athlete, such is the smoothness of their technique from years and years of training. It's the same in tennis, cricket and other sports where skill is to the fore. It's the same in trying to move fast.
While you might have the same range of motion, strength, fitness as a fast athlete, what would be different is the coordination of your movement - your technique or form. Defining "correct" technique is another topic altogether, but suffice to say that good technique implies efficiency of movement where you have the skill to control and move your levers (arms, legs, body) in such a way to gain maximum return (speed) for your effort. Once you have the fundamentals of form sorted out, you then need to put it into practice...just like learning any new skill.
I'll use running as an example. We know that good running form begins with how you control your hips and torso, but if you went out to ran fast after a running lesson it's quite likely you'd forget those basic principles and fall back into your default style, which might lack the smoothness needed to run your fastest. So what you need to do is slow down and only run at a speed with which you can maintain good form. Do this for duration of 10-15sec, which is short enough that fitness won't be a limiting factor. Just run back and forth, taking 10-30sec at each end to review how the last run-through went. These are like golfers going to a driving range - a controlled environment to focus on the basic technique that will unpin their performance, which in your case is moving fast.
At the same time as you complete these run-throughs, focus on your movement, comparing what you feel with the image of a fast athlete. Like any skill development it will take time to develop biomechanical efficiency, neural pathways (aka coordination), balance, fluidity and more. The swimming equivalent would be swimming fast while maintaining a minimum number of strokes per lap, and in cycling your ability to pedal at a high cadence without your bum bouncing around.
Developing fitness to be fast goes in hand with the skill component, although you will get to point where each plateaus...which is the performance dilemma almost all athletes have!! Your goal is for your fitness not to be a limiting factor in how well you can maintain the skill of being fast. It's important to note that the skill of being fast applies at all speeds - the smoother you are at higher speed, the more efficient you will be at slower speeds.
In the early stages your proficiency at the skill, your fitness to be fast will develop similarly. During this stage you can increase the duration of practice efforts - the distance of your run throughs - being sure to only run up to a speed at which you can maintain your form. If you lose form it means your fitness is not yet advanced enough to support good form so take a step back and consolidate.
An example progression for running could be as follows (within the structure of a balanced program):
Week 1: 6 x 10sec
Week 2: 6 x 15sec
Week 3: 8 x 15sec
Week 4: 2 x (5 x 15sec)
Week 5: 6 x 20sec
Week 6: 2 x (5 x 20sec)
Week 7: 8 x 30sec
Week 8: 2 x (6 x 30sec)
These speed skill sessions are not *hard* as such, but are focused on developing coordination and rhythm. Eventually you will reach a stage where your form has become refined, and your fitness has progressed such that you can hold your form at any speed up to 45-60 sec duration reps. At this point your skill and technique will help you be a better athlete with a greater level of efficiency and coordination - it's the foundation for any fast performance. It's important to remember to practice the skill to reinforce the neural and motor patterns in an on-going manner, and a well structured training program will develop your fitness further, and your ability to hold a fast pace for a longer period of time.
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