What Made Asafa Powell so Fast?

In this video we take a look back at the career of Asafa Powell and examine his training, technique and progression to understand why exactly he was so fast.
Music:
Gaco - Mark
HORUSIII x HICAP - We Do It No
Woodpile - Hello

[@SuperKamiGuruu]

The 9.72 in Lausanne is my favorite show of technique in all of sprinting history

[@st3wi3D]

No. For me it was the 9.78 in Rieti Italy back in 2007. It was the race Powell ran two hours after breaking the world record (9.74) for the second time.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

Yes it's the unofical perfect 100m race! So smooth and powerfull.

[@bjf5027]

when people say they want to "look like an athlete" they're thinking of Asafa. That guy had the most perfect physique.

[@johnsonfromml8662]

Every part of his muscle blend so well together

[@triplex5877]

I’ve always thoght out of every disappoint sprinters have the most aesthetic look

[@wss33]

The side view from Lausanne 2008 is the best sprinting footage in history.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

yes very nice footage. It's very interesting that he only improved his first 50-60 but did not improve max velocity. That was probably asfas biggest problem. He could not achieve the magic top speed of 12m/s. Only Bolt, Gay and Blake did that. I believe if Powell had focused on that max V he could have been a real threat for Bolt. Maybe he hasn't the body structure for it. I think he was to big to run 12m/s. It's next to impossible to run that fast without the proper physique. You need long slim limbs and a distal mass distribution (no calvs no forearms, little quads, but huge butt/hips). I think Tyson Gay had the absolute best physique for a sprinter.

[@TH-cx2yx]

@@Leonidas-eu9bb people are gonna hate me for this, but i think Powell was overstriding. he has by far the highest kneelift i have seen in any sprinter. and he was almost 6'3 with a long stride. it makes no sense why his final 60 was poor compared to other top sprinters, unless he was overstriding

[@astrospeedcuber]

He almost always looks like he is flying, gliding across the track smoothly and relaxed while still being so fast

[@meccuno]

Asafas problem was mental

[@certifiedchaos4643]

Yeap and he always had minor injuries during champs. Like groin pull Ab strain lower back strains.

[@sub2me543]

@@certifiedchaos4643 but that sounds physical

[@certifiedchaos4643]

@@sub2me543 lol the only one I can’t understand is how he didn’t medal in 08

[@DG-iu8ck]

​​@@sub2me543 what he is talking about when it comes to the Olympics and world championships he always basically blow it and this was before bolt he's the best sprinter before bolt to waste his talent and always mess up when it matters

[@416yaadie]

Asafa mentals wasn't the issue. His problem base on his technique and body type was repeating runs in a short space of time. His body didn't recover fast enough. he might seem relax running certain times but he was expending alot energy where he couldn't repeat! Look back a few years back when he went to Ostrava. He ran the 100m which he won easily but the race re-ran within 5 mins and even though he won he wasn't as easy as the previous race

[@jujucasar2003]

I had a friend who ran a 10.2 in HS and he is no where to be seen in competitive sprinting. This shows that just cuz u beat a fast runner at a younger age doenst mean u r gonna be up to par with him as an adult.

[@vaughancavan]

We 100% need more breakdowns of different sprinters like this

[@markusgp]

Favourite sprinter Carl Lewis, Maurice Green and Powell. Favourite era defining sprinters

[@axezazel]

Asafa had it all but the mental.. 😭

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Mindset is important

[@izzalhaqq5171]

@yeshuaswords2776 That is NOT Asafa Powell 😭😭😭

[@slimboyd]

I absolutely loved this video and channel. Keep up the great work as this had to take a lot of research and time.

[@richardservice2452]

Thank you very much sprint media for your detail information

[@sittingonthebeach]

incredible analysis, thank you

[@trackfield5299]

The King Without a Crown

[@ivanmahalel]

Great video, thank you, sir!

[@lucasanderson9213]

favourite sprinter bolt , blake , powell ...

[@ablquality1756]

Great video, it's crazy how consistent and long his Career was

[@mr-sam-jax]

thank you so much ❤️🙏🏽🌹 powell is my second favorite 100m sprint runner after Tyson Gay ❤️

[@andykruy4540]

Tyson gay had the best mid and end phase. if he had powells start he would have been unstoppable

[@mr-sam-jax]

@@andykruy4540 definitely could be the world record !

[@levi3433]

Wow. Thank you

[@DG-iu8ck]

Just to bad his mind let him down imagine if he had the same mind set as bolt and Blake i don't think he could beat bolt but i think he could have been in the 9.6s a few times

[@joshuaoconnor411]

He gave a record setting good caliber world class effort with Bolt bringing it And began a Dynasty 🤳🐐

[@1Karla.]

It’s heartbreaking to see some of Asafa’s pre-race videos. There are times he looks terrified as if he’s gonna poop his pants. People say he cracks in the big races, but we don’t know if he overcame the worst of anxiety to become a great athlete. I’d love to hear Asafa’s side of the story. Maybe one day 🤞🏽

[@sniperx9]

It's a shame we have nobody running sub 10 with such consistency these days

[@amandaquest105]

Shows you the difference a great coach with a "scientific" approach to sprinting can make, especially with respect to people who do not have raw, otherworldly natural talent like Bolt, VCB, Van Niekerk, etc.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

YES. He started out non exceptional at 11.85 first year. Then mid tens the next year. Christian Coleman also had 11.8 his first year. Then 10.9 next year. And 10.29 third year.

[@Torresxv]

Quality vid

[@HMcdon]

Safa, in my opinion, has the best sprinting technique. However, unfortunately, he was unable to perform on big stages due to his "head." I wish someone had referred him to a good Psyco.

[@JoeTodd6]

4:18 Powell made up crazy ground from lane 2 on the home straight

[@ThaSpeedsterZ]

I LOVE the way you say "BLAKE" lol

[@redrum4100]

It's a shame Powell couldn't handle the pressure of a big championship. Would have several more medals, including Gatlin's Olympic gold

Why do you think that Powell could have handled the pressure of championship better?

[@redrum4100]

@ He couldn't, which was my point.

[@Hengel_Andrews]

Steve Mullings…. 9.78 runner had the same time frame.

[@vaticinus]

7:47 Final Form!

[@maunerlacayo4944]

Do You have any information of Powell's max top speed ever recorded?

[@NathanEall]

4:40 Running 9.94 and getting 5th shows just how quality that ‘04 field was. Similar to the London 2012 final

[@RokDidakovicRoky]

So what made asafa powell so fast? 😅

[@anthonyjohnson5546]

Stop it 😂

[@joshuadavis5899]

Drugs?

[@nyawoods4343]

​@@joshuadavis5899 Stop tell lie! That the Americans

[@giz02]

"Toe Drag" is an area of my interest for certain. I know I was a toe dragger, I didn't pay much attention to it other than wearing through shoes, but I never worked on the 'why'. When I think about it, the opposing (dragging) toe is working as a stabilizer to counter balance the extreme thrust of the initial driving push out of the blocks. I think that one has more potential if they use the drag as opposed to trying to balance out the initial thrust disparity else-wise. Additionally, I know this feature is a part of your series to focus on fundamental aspects of sprinting, but perhaps you could create a feature on the importance of reaction times. I feel as though Powell had one of the most consistently optimal out of the majority of sprinters of all time. (He's in the freakishly incredible 0.100 - 0.110 more than most

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Toe drag or toe close to track surface works because until you get some forward velocity pulling your foot all the way through the glutes and putting it all the way back down is a waste of time. Elites do toe drag ( low heel recovery) for the first 4 to 8 strides.

[@michaelnorman4]

Guys what do you think he would have ran in the 2012 olympic final if he did not stumble ?

[@dennisrobinson8008]

It was interesting he started as non exceptional with the 11.8 but the next year end mid tens. Then the next year low tens.

[@Lepacificateur-ud2wb]

POWELL : 🌟LE TOP🌟

[@cdenjames4542]

Good quality can u do one noah for the 200m I run the 200m myself

[@coryhenry2087]

Do you guys think Powell should have done the grind operation would this make him a better career procedure

[@mohammedabdelhamid2265]

i started track at 17, in the beginning my 60m was 7.9s and my 100m was 12s. I have been training for 9 months and then my 60m became 7.5s and 100m as 11.9s. But for educational reasons i stopped training for 5 almost 6 months now. Am i finished? or can i still make a comeback and break the 11s.

[@danniserial3856]

Some says Powell should have done the operation on the grind which would enhance his career I'm not so sure about that.

[@DaEmperah]

Prob would have caused mobility issues

[@hahafalseflag5090]

you should see his lil kids legs.. They will have the strength when they grow up..

[@dscide7996]

Imagine Powell as a Wide Receiver in Football

[@humanboy395]

Y'all. Keep saying this about EVERY athlete if ANY athlete that doesn't play football plays it they'd be bad

[@mssha1980]

He has the height and build

[@wss33]

No, I don't think I will.

[@humanboy395]

@@mssha1980 don't matter

[@HNMusicVideos]

Mr. and Mrs. Powell

[@mssha1980]

Powell is one of the 🐐but you can’t give Powell a title for performances between 05-07 when he won 0 medals during that period. He didn’t dominate anything. Gatlin won in 04 & 05. Tyson won in 07.

[@gmaxsfoodfitness3035]

I originally agreed with your comment but found out that Powell was named Athlete of the Year for 2006 by IAAF for breaking and matching his world record, winning the Commonwealth Games 100m gold medal and being Diamond League champion (or whatever it may have been called at the time). The Commonwealth Games were considered a major championship at the time by the IAAF and thus was called Powell's first major win in the Athlete of the Year article on the World Athletics website (just search Asafa Powell and you'll find the article dated early 2007). Asafa also beat Tyson Gay I think 5 times before the end of the 2006 season. If you want to be technical about his times and go down to the thousandth of a second Powell broke the 100m record 4 times during that period which has never been matched even by Bolt. The man ran 9.7's like it was a regular day and was second to no one until 2007. ***BTW Gatlin's 2005 performances basically got wiped from the record books and he even had a world record that year that was erased.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

What was his competition body weight? I have 200 to 210lbs...

[@dennisrobinson8008]

They said 95kg or around 210. He was 6'2.5"

[@bfc3057]

I don't know about the other years but in 2014 it was Oxilofrine

[@djjsan3433]

Justin Gatlin had the perfect form and the perfect start

[@colleendaly654]

Some athletes stood out more and that’s Powell

[@ZEUSDAZ]

The bigger question is why did he ALWAYS bottle it during all those finals?! 😆

[@didi33333]

Frano. Once he started to disrespect Frano, he was finished.

[@ADN64]

12:22 for all the guys who actually run track

[@ScotlandFC1873]

No way my guy said 11.4 is average☠️

[@justaguywatchingyt2913]

in actuality in the grand scheme of things its not but for a male track runner in the high school level and above it gets to be a pretty common time

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

Sry. There is no way he was 95kg. Not even 90kg. 85kg is most realistic.

[@richrich876]

Hes definitely not 85kg more 90-95 I'm 80kg and 5inches shorter... And when I stand next to him hes way bigger than I am.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

@@richrich876 you raced asafa?

[@richrich876]

I wish...🤣 Stood beside not lined up beside.

[@TH-cx2yx]

@@Leonidas-eu9bb Asafa is almost 6'3. he could have easily been 95kg

[@duttybwoy556]

Correction Asafa weight was always fluctuating around 88, NOT 95!!! almost 100 at 188cm of height??? lol no way !! he would look like a body builder if he weighed 95kg at his height!!! 95kg is Bolt's weight, Usain Bolt is 6.5 ,Bolt weight was always fluctuating around 95 ... Not Asafa's, I'm sorry for correcting you in public,but it's just in a humble way,I don't mean to disrespect this vide's work, it's really a cool and interesting video!!! I only wanted to clarify that fact which I'm very well aware of !!

[@sprintspeedmedia]

I am just basing his highest ever weight off what this commentator said kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqOqc4qJm8aLb9ksi=WAfyR4g_T4ME_sJa&t=130 but yes I do believe he would've spent most of his career weighing under 90kg

[@stevenworld3364]

He was born fast, then shaped.

[@bui340]

Your knowledge on top as usual. The time-talk, not my cup of tea🤷

[@quadecooper8508]

What do you mean by time-talk?

[@user-yh2rw4hv3s]

뛰는폼은 100m 선수중에 제일멋ㄷㅁ

[@cecillemccalla2952]

😊p

[@danejohnson6124]

Powell. The most impressive nobody man.

[@tsmith9063]

She is not running the 200 according to her

[@MrZealot1]

If I was his coach I could have had him run fast as or faster than Usain Bolt.

[@Notorious-AP]

how

[@Trackreator]

😂😂😂 WTF That was good bro

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

What a comment..

[@alanliang9538]

he should be the third fastest.

[@bonnielalita9622]

Ped

[@mikepaulson8099]

Can’t watch it. To blurry. Need HD.

[@comradedyatlov712]

STERIODS!

[@danle3181]

Let's say...doping ?

[@kostica2581]

Clickbait

[@anthonyharty1732]

What made him so fast? DRUGS!!!!!! They caught him and he was banned. 😂🤣😂

[@djxcel23]

Powell one of the biggest floppers in track

[@TH-cx2yx]

@faustindutoybouley534 his 8.68 in beijing was with a 10 meter lead from the start lol. he could never deal with the pressure of someone next to him

[@CL-fg5ne]

@faustindutoybouley534 never among the bests? He literally is one of the best sprinters of all time, he has run sub-10 97 times and has like 8 sub-9.8 times

[@lucatrgovcevic8194]

Drugs

[@Tone202]

DRUG MADE HIM FAST!

[@sage6336]

The fact he had a drug ban answers your question

[@leeleeson5947]

Cycling steroids

[@88drugfree]

What Made Asafa Powell so Fast? Copious amounts of drugs