Not only must athletes have great strength and power to produce the forces required for fast acceleration and high velocities, but they must also have the stiffness and elasticity in their muscles and tendons to rebound off the ground at high speeds. It is no different than taking two basketballs, one that is fully inflated and one that is partially inflated, and throwing them down the basketball court, allowing them to bounce the full distance. Experience and science tell us that the fully inflated ball will travel faster and further down the court, whist the partially inflated ball will slowly plop down the court and allow forces of friction to act heavily on its progress. Human athletes are no different during locomotion. Athletes with a combination of force-development capabilities and greater stiffness in their lower extremities will be able to reach and maintain higher top speeds than athletes who do not have these qualities. It is important to note that these qualities will not only be part of a subjective evaluation when assessing an athlete’s speed potential, but also will form the foundation of the training program. An athlete’s improvement will depend greatly on the ability of his or her coach to optimally arrange the training program in a manner that elicits positive adaptations in all these qualities.