After watching Kurt-Lee Arendse absolutely fly on the rugby field last weekend, I got obsessed. How the hell does he move that fast? I decided to dig into his supposed “speed secrets” for a week and test them myself. No fancy labs, just me, my running shoes, and my stubbornness.
Getting Started With the Basics
First thing Monday morning, I hit the park near my place. Figured I’d start simple: short sprints. Found a flat stretch of grass, marked out 20 meters with two water bottles. Did 10 all-out sprints, timing myself with this old running app. My lungs were burning like crazy after just the third one! Legs felt like jelly.
Working on the “Explosive Start”
Tuesday was all about that initial burst. Read somewhere that Arendse pushes off super hard from a standstill. Practiced exploding forward from a crouched position, like a sprinter starting blocks but way less graceful. Focused on driving my knees up hard and pumping my arms like mad. Felt super awkward, honestly. Trip over my own feet twice. Recorded a few starts – looked like a baby giraffe learning to walk.
Trying Quick Steps
Wednesday, switched gears. Watched slo-mo clips of his runs – his feet seem to barely touch the ground. Dedicated the session to quick, short steps instead of long strides. Set up a little ladder thingy on the grass with chalk marks. Tried sprinting through it super fast. Feet tapping like a woodpecker. Felt ridiculous, kinda like running on hot coals. Actually got faster through the ladder by the end somehow.
Hitting the Hills Hard
Thursday? Pure pain day. Found the steepest hill around. Read hill sprints build crazy power and speed endurance, which Kurt-Lee definitely has. Did 8 uphill sprints. Made it maybe 15 meters up before dying the first time. Walked back down each time gasping. By sprint number six, I thought I was gonna puke. Seriously brutal.
Putting It All Together & Feeling the Burn
Friday was the real test. Went back to my flat 20m stretch and tried combining everything:
- Exploding hard out of my awkward crouch start.
- Focusing on quick, light steps for the first few meters.
- Then shifting into driving hard with my arms and knees.
Ran ten sprints like that. Beat all my Monday times! Nothing world-breaking, but shaved nearly half a second off my initial 20m time.
What Actually Stuck
After a week of lungs on fire and wobbly legs, here’s what I figured out makes a difference:
- Short, Fast Steps First: Way easier to get going quickly than trying for big strides right away.
- Knees & Arms Are Everything: Punching my arms hard and driving my knees up really did propel me faster.
- Uphill Sprints = Necessary Evil: They suck massively, but man, you feel stronger fast.
- Starts Matter Most: Getting that explosive push-off right shaves off time immediately. Still look goofy doing it though.
Will I run like Kurt-Lee Arendse? Hell no. But learning and trying his core techniques – short steps, arm drive, knee lift, hill torture – definitely made me faster than I was before stumbling around the park last Monday. That’s a win in my book.