#512 Stuart McMillan - Sprinting and Skipping: The Need For Speed

Stuart McMillan is one of the world’s most respected and decorated sprint coaches.He joins me to share his expertise on speed, sprinting, skipping, movement quality, youth development, coaching, and the balance between complexity and simplicity.We discuss:• Why adults tend to stop moving fast and powerfully• Why speed and intensity variability may matter as we age• Whether everyone actually needs to sprint• How to move fast in ways appropriate for your ability• Why movement variability matters• Why Stuart believes more adults should skip• Hip extension and the fundamentals behind skipping• How to progressively introduce skipping• How beginners can start sprint training• Managing sprint-related injury risk• Why consistency and gradual exposure matter• Coordination as a limiting factor• Why adults need to stop worrying about how movement looks to other people• Sprinting and speed development for young athletes• Why youth training should emphasize coordination and skill• Strength versus skill when thinking about injury risk• Why movement quality deserves more attention• Stuart’s six-part framework for assessing movement quality• Whether movement is effective, efficient, stable, adaptable, authentic, and aesthetic• Balancing art and science in coaching• How Stuart thinks about systems• Complexity versus simplicity• Why good coaching often becomes simpler with experience• “Safe to fail” experiments in coaching• Why mastery often involves subtraction• And much moreFollow Stuart:@fingermashCHAPTERS00:16 Why Adults Stop Sprinting02:10 Intensity Variability and Aging04:45 It’s Never Too Late to Train Speed05:45 Move Fast Your Way07:22 Why Stuart Loves Skipping08:48 Hip Extension Fundamentals12:08 Progressive Skipping Practice15:07 Beginner Sprint Progression18:40 Injury Risk and Consistency20:30 Coordination as a Skill Barrier21:51 Stop Caring How It Looks22:19 Coaching Kids to Move Fast25:07 Youth Coordination Over Strength26:26 Strength vs. Skill and Injuries27:50 Coordination Over Capacity29:49 Defining Movement Quality33:37 The Six-Word Movement Framework35:33 Authentic and Aesthetic Movement39:37 Balancing Art and Science42:33 Systems Thinking Basics48:18 Safe-to-Fail Coaching49:36 Simplicity After Complexity52:28 Mastery Through Subtraction55:18 Final Thoughts and Where to Follow StuartSUPPORT THE SHOW• Subscribe and check out more episodes• Share the episode and tag @andrewcoatesfitness• Send this to someone who hasn’t moved fast in yearsFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESANDREW COATES’ 13-WEEK ONLINE GROUP STRENGTH PROGRAMSJoin my Men’s or Women’s 13-Week Online Group Strength Programs.Choose between:• Gym Upper/Lower• Home Upper/Lower• Full BodyGet full access to me with prompt responses.Use code SEPTEMBER10 to save 10%.www.foreverstrength.ca/join-now/Questions?https://www.instagram.com/andrewcoatesfitness/?hl=enI would love to coach you.RP STRENGTH APPUse code COATESRP:https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJUST BITE ME MEALSUse code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off:https://justbitememeals.comMACROSFIRST — FREE PREMIUM TRIALDownload MacrosFirst and enter ANDREW when asked how you heard about the app.KNKG BAGS — 15% OFFhttps://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676VERSA GRIPPShttps://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC — FREE 90-DAY TRIALhttps://www.trainheroic.com/liftfreeReply to the email you receive or email trials@trainheroic.com and tell them Andrew sent you.L1 BIOMECHANICS AND ASSESSMENT COURSEUse code COATES:https://pro.activelifeprofessional.com/assessmentworkshopevents