Acceleration and maximum velocity are characterized by which two phases?

• A. Flight and support
• B. Start and finish
• C. Push-off and contact
• D. Recovery and deceleration

Answer: (A)

Acceleration comes from pushing off the ground during the support phase, where ground reaction forces propel you forward and speed increases. The maximum velocity is reached during the flight phase, when both feet are off the ground and there’s no ground contact to slow you down, allowing speed to peak before the next step. So the two phases described are the support (ground contact) phase and the flight (no contact) phase. The other options don’t pair these two distinct phases that govern speeding up and reaching peak speed.