How can one increase their speed? I'll divide the categories; 1. Hands (i.e punching) 2. Legs (i.e Knee and kick) 3. Feet (i.e upper body movement for dodging, footwork movement, etc.) 4. Total Body (i.e things like sprawling, or shooting in for a takedown) It seems that simple repitition fails to increase speed. What kind of training methods can be used to increase speed in all these areas?
Without weight training to increase speed the best thing to do is relax the muscles then snap the moves at the striking point. I remember hearing Bruce lee talking about speed and he said he wasn't faster than most but his timing and his deceptiveness were what made it appear faster.
The people with the reputation for being the fastest in any given school are usually moving the slowest. Economy of movement, impeccable timing, and excellent body mechanics will always have a much greater effect than simple speed. That guy who keeps harpooning you in the guts with a front kick or wrecking you with a jab the second you try to enter with a strike doesn't do it because he's faster than you are. He does it because he knows when you're coming, and can create the moment without getting bound up in trying to be fast or strong.