Here is a link to a meta-analysis of training research regarding different types of training and their effects on performance. For short endurance events (less than 2 minutes long), such as ours, the best types of training were explosive resistance training, both specific and non-specific explosive resistance training, and also supra-maximal interval training, fast intervals done all-out for less than 2 minutes.
Here is a link to the article:
http://www.sportsci.org/jour/04/cdp.htm
A meta-analysis is a collection of a series of studies that helps develop a consensus from the research. So, the research here does tend to point towards doing explosive resistance training and short intervals.
The explosive resistance training results here seem to contradict another study that found that for acceleration, slower resistance training is more effective, while for maximum speed, faster resistance training is better. But that may be one factor that the meta-analysis fails to differentiate. The meta-analysis is looking to lump together studies to find a trend, but there may be important distinctions in a trend.
For example, a sport that lasts 90 seconds long but is cyclical and has only one start and then you maintain a high speed may have very different physical demands from a sport that lasts 90 seconds, but has many starts and stops and where varied movements and acceleration and agility play a greater role. The meta-analysis would put both of these sports into the same category when there may be very different requirements for each sport.
In any case, the meta-analysis does tend to show that fast-paced intervals are very effective training methods for events lasting less than 2 minutes. And they also show that explosive resistance training is also very effective for short endurance events.
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