Sprint and speed training guides

In this article

1. Why test your speed?
2. What to test
3. What you need
4. Set up the course
5. Timing with slow-motion video
6. Stopwatches and timing gates
7. The testing routine
8. Compare your times
9. How often to retest
10. Common testing mistakes
11. Questions we get asked

Most people guess their speed. A stopwatch and a friend will give you a number, but it can easily be two or three tenths out. That's the gap between "average" and "very good" for your age. Here's how to get a time you can trust, with kit you already own.

Why test your speed?

You can't improve what you don't measure. A test at the start of a training block, and again six weeks later, tells you whether the training is working. It also tells you where you're slow. A poor 10m time points to your start and acceleration. A good 10m but a slow flying 20m points to top speed.

For young athletes it's motivating too. Seeing a time drop by a tenth is worth more than any pep talk.

What to test

Pick the test that matches your sport. Most team-sport players only need 10m and 20m.

What you need

• A tape measure of at least 30m, or a measuring wheel. Never measure by stepping it out.
• Four cones or markers for the start and finish lines.
• A phone that films in slow motion. 240 frames per second is ideal; 120 is fine.
• A friend to film, or a tripod.
• A flat, non-slip surface: a track, 3G pitch or firm, dry grass.
• The trainers or boots you'd normally sprint in. Write down which, so you can wear the same next time.

Set up the course

Measure the distance exactly and mark the start and finish lines with cones on both sides. Start with your front foot just behind the start line, in a split stance, and set off in your own time.

For 10m and 20m, one phone can see both lines. Stand it 8–10m to the side, level with the middle of the course, so the start and finish are both in the shot. For 30m and 40m, move further back and use the wide lens, or the runner will be too small to see clearly.

Timing with slow-motion video

This is the most accurate method most people have. Open the video in your phone's editor or a free frame-by-frame app, then:

1. Find the start frame: the first frame where any part of your body moves.
2. Find the finish frame: the first frame where your chest crosses the finish line. Timing gates are triggered by the torso, so this matches them.
3. Count the frames between the two, or subtract the frame numbers.
4. Divide by the frame rate. 456 frames ÷ 240 = 1.90 seconds.

At 240 frames per second, each frame is about 0.004 seconds, so a careful count is accurate to a couple of hundredths. The biggest error is picking the start frame. Choose the first visible movement every time and your tests will be consistent.

Hand timing reads quicker than electronic timing, because the timer starts late and stops early. From the 40-Yard Dash guide.

Stopwatches and timing gates

A stopwatch is better than nothing, but hand times are usually 0.2–0.25 seconds quicker than electronic times. The timer reacts late to the start and anticipates the finish. If you hand-time, always use the same person and don't compare the result with electronic tables.

Timing gates are the gold standard. Clubs, academies and our Sprint Analysis sessions use them, along with video so you can see what's costing you time.

The testing routine

1. Warm up properly for about 15 minutes, finishing with two or three build-up runs. Our sprint warm-up is ideal.
2. Do three trials of each distance.
3. Rest three to four minutes between trials. You're testing speed, not fitness.
4. Your best time counts.
5. Write down the date, surface, footwear, weather and how the wind was blowing.

Test at the start of a session, when you're fresh. Never test after a match or a hard training session.

Compare your times

Now see where you stand. Our benchmark tables cover every age and most sports:

• Sprint times by age: 10m, 20m, 30m and 40m for boys and girls aged 8–18.
• Football sprint times by age and rugby sprint times by age (backs and forwards).
• 40-yard dash times by age, electronic and hand-timed.
• 505 agility test norms for change of direction.
• Sprint speed calculator: turn any time into mph and km/h.

How often to retest

Every six weeks is about right. That's long enough for training to make a difference, and it fits a normal training block. Retest with the same distance, surface, footwear and method. Children can test once a term; make it a fun challenge rather than an exam.

Common testing mistakes

• Stepping out the distance instead of measuring it.
• Starting the clock on "go" instead of on the first movement.
• Stopping the clock when the foot crosses the line instead of the chest.
• Testing when tired, or without a warm-up.
• Running with a strong wind behind you, then comparing with a calm day.
• Comparing hand times with electronic standards.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Who this is for
2. Before you start
3. The three rules of speed training
4. What a training week looks like
5. Session A: acceleration
6. Session B: speed and rhythm
7. Strength in 20 minutes
8. The six-week plan
9. How to know it's working
10. Beginner mistakes
11. Questions we get asked

Speed training isn't running until you're tired. It's short, fast and fresh, with plenty of rest. That's good news if you're starting out: two sessions a week of 40 minutes is enough to get faster, as long as every sprint is good quality.

Who this is for

• Teenagers aged 12 and up who want to be quicker for their sport.
• Team-sport players who have never had a speed coach.
• Adults coming back to sprinting after years away, including masters athletes. Read our hamstring guide first.
• Anyone who wants to beat a test time, from a school sports day to an academy trial.

Before you start

If you have an injury, a medical condition or you haven't exercised for a long time, check with your GP or a physio first. Sprint in trainers on a flat, firm surface. You don't need spikes.

If it's been years since you last sprinted, build up. Run your first sessions at about 80–90% and only go flat out once your legs are used to it. Most sprinting injuries in returning adults happen in the first few weeks.

The three rules of speed training

1. Sprint fresh. Speed work goes at the start of a session, after the warm-up, never after fitness work.
2. Keep it short. Sprints of 10–30m, under about five seconds. That's where speed is built.
3. Rest fully. About a minute for every 10m you sprint, and three to four minutes for top-speed runs. If you're out of breath, you haven't rested enough.

What a training week looks like

Two sprint sessions, at least 48 hours apart, plus one short strength session. For example Monday and Thursday for sprints, with strength on Tuesday or straight after Thursday's sprints. If you play a team sport, sprint early in the week and keep the day before a match light.

In the first steps, lean and push the ground back. Stand up too early and you push up instead of forwards. From Faster in 6 Weeks.

Session A: acceleration

• Time about 40 minutes
• Focus the first steps

1. Warm-up, 15 minutes (see our sprint warm-up).
2. Drills, 10 minutes: wall drill and A-march.
3. Falling starts: 4 × 10m, walk back.
4. Standing starts: 3–4 × 20m, two minutes' rest.

Session B: speed and rhythm

• Time about 40 minutes
• Focus running tall and relaxed

1. Warm-up, 15 minutes.
2. Drills, 10 minutes: A-skip and dribbles.
3. Build-up runs: 3 × 40m at 70%, 80% and 90%.
4. From week 2, flying sprints: 2–3 × 10m flat out after a 20m build-up, three to four minutes' rest.
5. Pogo jumps: 3 × 10, light and springy.

Strength in 20 minutes

Stronger legs push harder into the ground, and strong hamstrings stay healthy. You don't need a gym:

The six-week plan

Test your 10m and 20m before you start (here's how to test your speed at home). Then:

How to know it's working

Retest at the end of week 6, with the same distance, surface, shoes and timing method as before. In our coaching, athletes take about 0.2 seconds off their 20m on average in six weeks. Don't worry if yours is smaller on your own: any drop is real progress, and the second six weeks often bring more.

Other signs it's working: sprints feel smoother and more relaxed, you get to top speed sooner, and team-mates start noticing.

Beginner mistakes

• Doing fitness work and calling it speed training. If you're gasping, it isn't speed work.
• Sprinting tired, at the end of training.
• Going flat out in week 1 after years off.
• Skipping the warm-up or the strength work.
• Doing too many reps. When times drop or form falls apart, stop.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. What top speed is
2. When you reach it
3. Why it matters in team sports
4. The upright running cycle
5. Flying sprints
6. Wicket runs
7. Springy legs: plyometrics
8. Strong hamstrings
9. Rest and volume
10. Measure your top speed
11. Common mistakes
12. Questions we get asked

Top speed is the fastest you can run. It's what a winger needs on a line break, what a centre-back needs chasing a through ball, and what wins any race over 60 metres. The good news: it responds to the right training at any age.

What top speed is

Speed is step length multiplied by step rate. At top speed, both depend on how much force you can put into the ground, and how quickly. That's why the best top-speed training combines sprinting, technique and springy, strong legs. Our sprint technique guide explains the science in more detail.

When you reach it

Elite 100m sprinters keep accelerating until around 60 metres. Most team-sport players reach close to their top speed after 30–40 metres, and younger athletes sooner. So a 10m sprint never tests top speed. You need a longer run, or a flying start.

Why it matters in team sports

Most sprints in a match are short, but the longest ones decide games: a breakaway, a kick chase, a recovery run to stop a try. Raising your top speed also makes every sub-maximal run easier. If your top speed is higher, running at 80% of it is quicker than it used to be.

The upright running cycle

Here's what one stride looks like at top speed. Follow the dark leg:

Touchdown, under the hips, push-off, heel up, knee up and pull down. From the Top Speed guide.

• Touchdown: the foot lands just in front of the hips, on the ball of the foot. Not on the heel.
• Under the hips: the body passes over the foot. Hips stay high.
• Push-off: the leg extends behind as the other thigh drives up in front.
• Heel up: the heel folds up under the hips and steps over the other knee.
• Knee up: the thigh drives up close to level, toes up.
• Pull down: the foot sweeps down and back to the ground.

You can't think about all of that while you sprint. Pick one cue per session: "run tall", "step over the knee" or "hit the ground hard".

Flying sprints

• Trains maximum velocity
• Dose 3–4 reps, 3–5 minutes' rest

The best top-speed exercise there is. Set out three cones: build up smoothly over 20–30m, sprint flat out through a 10–20m fly zone, then ease down over at least 20m. Because you start the fly zone already moving, all your effort goes into top-speed mechanics.

Once or twice a week is enough. Time the fly zone and you have a top-speed test too.

Wicket runs

• Trains rhythm and landing under the hips
• Dose 4–6 runs

Low sticks or soft mini-hurdles laid at even spacing after a 15–20m run-in. They force you to land under your hips with a quick, tall rhythm instead of reaching. Start with the spacing on the short side. The Top Speed guide has a spacing table by height.

Springy legs: plyometrics

Short ground contacts need stiff, springy ankles and strong hips. Pogo jumps, straight-leg bounds and bounding all help. Keep the volume low and the quality high: a few sets, every contact quick and light. Stop when the contacts get slow or noisy.

Strong hamstrings

Top speed puts huge loads through the hamstrings as they slow the leg before each touchdown. Nordic hamstring curls are one of the most researched ways to reduce hamstring injuries in sprinting sports, and Romanian deadlifts help too. Our hamstring guide has the details.

Rest and volume

Top-speed running is very demanding on your nervous system. Rest three to five minutes between reps, and keep the total distance at true top speed low. Every rep should be as fast as the first. When times drop or the rhythm goes, the session's done.

Measure your top speed

Time a flying 20m on video (see how to test your speed at home). Divide 20 by your time to get metres per second. A 2.2-second flying 20m is 9.1 m/s, or about 20 mph. Our sprint speed calculator does the maths for you. For comparison, fast professional footballers reach around 32–36 km/h in matches.

Common mistakes

• Reaching: landing well in front of the hips, often on the heel. It brakes you every step.
• Sitting: hips low, knees bent. You look like you're running in a chair.
• Leaning back as you try harder.
• Straining: a clenched jaw and tight shoulders. Tension is a brake.
• Too many reps with too little rest, so you never actually run at top speed.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Agility vs change of direction
2. Braking: the forgotten skill
3. Cutting technique
4. Turning 180°
5. Test it: the 505 and 5-10-5
6. Drills that work
7. Strength for braking
8. A sample session
9. Common mistakes
10. Questions we get asked

Being fast in a straight line is only half the story in most sports. You also need to stop, cut and turn quickly, often in reaction to an opponent. The best part: change of direction is very trainable, and the gains come quickly.

Agility vs change of direction

Change of direction is the physical skill: braking, planting and pushing off in a new direction. Agility adds the thinking: reading the play and reacting. A great agility player needs both. You train the physical part with drills and strength work, and the reactive part with partner drills and small-sided games.

Braking: the forgotten skill

To change direction you first have to slow down. Good braking uses several short, quick steps, with the hips dropping and the chest staying over the feet. Poor braking is one or two long, stiff steps, which takes longer and puts more load through the knees.

The stronger your legs are when muscles lengthen under load (eccentric strength), the later and harder you can brake. That's why strength work matters so much for agility.

Cutting technique

For a 45° cut (a side-step), plant the outside foot wide of your body, keep your hips low and your chest over your feet, and push off hard in the new direction. Keep your eyes up and your arms working.

For sharper cuts of 90° or more, start braking a step earlier. The step before the plant (the penultimate step) does a lot of the slowing down, so the final plant can be quick and powerful.

Turning 180°

Turns like the 505 or a shuttle run reward getting low early, planting with the body already turning, and pushing out of the turn low before rising. Lean into the turn rather than standing tall over it.

Test it: the 505 and 5-10-5

The 505: a 15m run-in, a turn at the line, and the time taken over the 5m in and 5m out. From the Agility guide.

The 505 is the standard change-of-direction test. You sprint 15m to a turning line, turn 180° and sprint back. The clock only runs for the 5m before and after the turn. The 5-10-5 pro agility shuttle starts in the middle: 5 yards one way, 10 back, 5 to finish.

Compare your 505 with your 10m sprint time to get your change-of-direction deficit. A big deficit means turning is your limiter, so work on braking and cutting. A small deficit means you turn well, so get faster in a straight line. See our 505 agility test norms for the numbers by age.

Drills that work

• Deceleration runs: sprint 10m, then stop dead within three steps. 4–6 reps.
• 45° cuts: sprint 5m, cut off a cone, sprint 5m. Four each way.
• Shuffle to sprint: side-shuffle 3m, plant, sprint 5m forwards.
• Mirror drill: face a partner and copy their movements for six seconds. This trains the reactive part.
• Reactive cuts: a partner points or calls a direction at the last moment.

Agility ladders are fine for a warm-up, but they mostly make you better at ladders. Real change of direction needs braking and pushing at speed.

Strength for braking

• Split squats and lateral lunges: single-leg strength in different directions.
• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts: hamstrings and balance.
• Drop landings: step off a low box and "stick" the landing without moving.
• Copenhagen planks: the inner thigh muscles that stabilise every cut.

A sample session

1. Warm-up, 15 minutes, finishing with a few short accelerations.
2. Deceleration runs: 4 × 10m to a stop.
3. 45° cuts: 4 each way.
4. 505 turns: 3 each way, full rest.
5. Mirror drill: 4 × 6 seconds with a partner.
6. Strength: split squats, drop landings and Copenhagen planks.

Common mistakes

• Staying tall into the cut, so you slide past the cone.
• Braking with one big stiff step.
• Crossing your feet on the turn.
• Looking at the ground instead of up the pitch.
• Only doing ladder drills.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. What the 40 measures
2. Electronic and hand times
3. The three-point stance
4. The first step
5. The drive phase
6. Rising to top speed
7. Run through the line
8. Six weeks to a faster 40
9. Test day
10. Common mistakes
11. Questions we get asked

The 40-yard dash is the most famous speed test in sport. It's only 36.58 metres, so most of it is acceleration, and most of the time you can save is in the first few steps. That's why technique makes such a difference.

What the 40 measures

The full 40 measures acceleration and some top speed. Scouts also look at the 10-yard split, which shows how explosive your start is. For linemen and linebackers it often matters more than the full time.

Electronic and hand times

Hand-timed 40s are usually 0.2–0.25 seconds quicker than electronic ones, because the timer reacts late to the start and anticipates the finish. Always know which you're comparing. Our 40-yard dash times by age page gives both, plus NFL combine averages by position.

The three-point stance

Hips level with the shoulders, front knee about 90°, rear knee 120–135°. From the 40-Yard Dash guide.

• Hand on the line, just behind it, on your fingertips.
• Hips level with or slightly above your shoulders.
• Front knee at about 90°, rear knee at about 120–135°.
• Weight forward over the hand and the front foot, so you're ready to fall into the first step.
• Head relaxed, eyes a metre or two ahead.

The first step

Push, don't step. Drive hard off both feet, punch the rear arm back and the opposite arm forwards, and keep the first step low and short. A long, reaching first step stands you up and slows you down.

The drive phase

For roughly the first 10 yards, stay in a forward lean and push the ground behind you with each step. Each step should be a little longer than the one before. The arms work big and powerful.

Rising to top speed

Rise gradually, a little taller with every step, until you're running upright by about 20 yards. Popping up suddenly is one of the most common ways to lose time.

Run through the line

Pick a target five yards past the finish and sprint to that. Don't lunge or dip at the line: it breaks your stride and slows you down before you get there.

Six weeks to a faster 40

Test your 40 and 10-yard split in week 0 and again in week 6 (here's how to time it on your phone).

Test day

1. Eat a light meal two to three hours before.
2. Warm up for about 20 minutes, finishing with build-ups and two practice starts at 90%.
3. Keep warm between attempts and rest four to six minutes.
4. Trust your start. Don't rock or flinch in the stance: at many combines that means a restart, or a slower time.
5. Run through to 45 yards on every attempt.

Common mistakes

• Hips too high or too low in the stance.
• Taking a long, reaching first step.
• Standing up in the first five yards.
• Lifting the head early to look at the finish.
• Lunging at the line.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Why the warm-up matters
2. The RAMP structure
3. The 15-minute routine
4. Build-up runs
5. Before a match or a test
6. Cold days
7. Should you stretch?
8. Common mistakes
9. Questions we get asked

A good warm-up doesn't just reduce your injury risk. It makes you faster in the session that follows. Fifteen minutes is enough, as long as it builds up to fast running.

Why the warm-up matters

Sprinting asks your muscles to produce huge forces very quickly. A warm-up raises your muscle temperature, loosens your hips and ankles, wakes up your nervous system and rehearses the movements you're about to do. Skip it and your first sprints are slower, and riskier, especially for your hamstrings.

The RAMP structure

We use a simple four-part structure, widely used by coaches:

• Raise: get warm and raise your heart rate.
• Activate: wake up the glutes, calves and core.
• Mobilise: move the hips and ankles through their full range.
• Potentiate: build up to fast running, so you're ready to sprint.

The 15-minute routine

Then go straight into your session. If you're doing acceleration work, add two short accelerations at 90% before your first timed rep.

Build-up runs

Build-ups are the most important part. Start easy and get gradually faster over 30–40 metres, then ease down. Three of them, each one quicker than the last, take you from jogging to nearly flat out without a sudden jump in effort.

Before a match or a test

Use the same routine, but time it so your last fast runs finish 10–15 minutes before kick-off or your first test run. Keep moving in between. At half-time, a few short, sharp strides before you go back out stop you starting the second half cold.

Cold days

Wear layers, take the raise section to six or seven minutes, and don't stand around between drills. Take the top layer off only for the build-ups and sprints.

Should you stretch?

Keep any stretching before sprinting short and moving. Long, static stretches of a minute or more on one muscle just before sprinting can take the edge off your speed. Save longer stretching for after the session or another time of day.

Common mistakes

• A warm-up so short you're still cold when you sprint.
• A warm-up so long and hard you're tired before you start.
• Static stretching and nothing else.
• No fast running before the first sprint.
• A long gap between the warm-up and the first sprint.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Why speed matters more than ever
2. The biggest myth in football speed
3. Speed vs fitness
4. What makes someone fast?
5. The first three steps
6. Acceleration for football
7. Why technique beats hard work
8. The most common sprint errors we see
9. Does the gym make you faster?
10. Recovery between sprints
11. How long does it take to improve?
12. Who benefits most?
13. Why choose Edinburgh Sprint Coach?
14. Questions we get asked

Every footballer wants to be faster. Whether you are trying to earn a place in your school team, impress at a professional academy, or beat defenders on a Sunday morning, speed changes games.

The modern game has never been quicker. Players cover more distance, complete more high-speed runs and have less time on the ball than ever before. The ability to accelerate over the first few metres can often determine whether you win possession or watch someone else run away from you.

Yet most footballers spend hours improving their fitness and very little time learning how to sprint properly. That is one of the biggest mistakes in football development.

At Edinburgh Sprint Coach, we work with footballers from grassroots level through to academy and senior players, helping them improve the quality of every sprint they perform.

Why speed matters more than ever

Football is not won over 100 metres. It is won over the first 5–20 metres.

The most important moments in football usually happen in short explosive bursts. These include closing an attacker, pressing an opponent, recovering after losing possession, making a run behind the defence, attacking a loose ball and winning a 1v1 race.

If two players have similar technical ability, the faster player usually reaches the ball first. Being quicker gives you more touches, more chances and more confidence.

The biggest myth in football speed

Many players believe that if they keep playing football, they will naturally become faster. Unfortunately, this is not true.

Playing football makes you better at football. It does not automatically improve sprint mechanics.

Sprinting is a technical skill. Like passing, shooting or tackling, it can be coached, refined and improved. Without coaching, most players reinforce poor movement patterns thousands of times every season.

Speed vs fitness

One of the biggest misunderstandings in football is confusing speed with fitness.

Fitness allows you to keep working for longer. Speed determines how quickly you can accelerate, react and cover ground. You can be extremely fit but still lack explosive pace.

The best footballers develop both qualities separately. Conditioning sessions should not replace speed sessions. Sprint training needs high quality, full recovery and technical focus.

What makes someone fast?

Many people believe speed is purely genetic. Genetics matter, but almost every footballer has significant room for improvement because most players have never been coached how to sprint.

Excellent acceleration mechanics

Fast footballers project force backwards and down into the ground. Slower players often stand upright too early and waste force vertically.

Powerful hip extension

The glutes and hamstrings help create the pushing action needed to accelerate. If the hips do not extend fully, the player leaves speed behind on every stride.

Efficient arm action

The arms help control rhythm, balance and leg speed. Poor arm action almost always limits acceleration.

Short ground contact times

Fast players do not spend long on the ground. They apply force quickly and move into the next stride efficiently.

Strong posture

A stable trunk allows force to transfer through the body. If the torso collapses, twists or leans incorrectly, power leaks away.

The first three steps

The first three steps determine most football sprints. Many players lose valuable time before they have even reached full speed.

Common first-step mistakes include standing upright immediately, reaching too far with the front foot, lifting the chest too early, looking upwards, pulling instead of pushing and using slow arm drive.

Correcting these details can produce immediate improvements because the athlete is no longer fighting against their own movement pattern.

Acceleration for football

Acceleration is your ability to increase speed. Football is almost entirely acceleration because most sprints are short and interrupted by changes of direction, tackles, passes or decisions.

Good acceleration involves a forward body angle, powerful push into the ground, full extension through the hip, aggressive arm action and a gradual rise into upright sprinting.

Poor acceleration usually looks rushed. The player stands upright too early and tries to take long strides instead of producing force.

Why technique beats hard work

Many footballers train extremely hard but practise incorrect mechanics repeatedly. Hard work only helps if the movement quality is correct.

Professional sprint coaching focuses on body position, foot placement, hip projection, rhythm, timing and force application.

Small technical improvements can create significant improvements in sprint performance because the athlete becomes more efficient every time they accelerate.

The most common sprint errors we see

Overstriding

Overstriding happens when the foot lands too far in front of the body. This creates a braking force and slows the player down every stride.

Weak arm drive

The arms should actively contribute to sprinting. Lazy or restricted arm action usually reduces leg speed and makes the athlete look flat.

Sitting while running

Some players sprint with the hips sitting behind them. This reduces force production and makes acceleration less powerful.

Poor foot contact

Landing heavily on the heel increases ground contact time. Efficient sprinters apply force rapidly and move into the next stride with minimal delay.

Does the gym make you faster?

The gym can make footballers faster, but only when the work transfers to sprinting.

The best exercises for football speed usually include split squats, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, Nordic hamstring curls, single-leg calf raises, box jumps and medicine ball throws.

Bodybuilding exercises alone rarely improve football speed. Strength must support movement quality, not just muscle size.

Recovery between sprints

One mistake many coaches make is giving footballers insufficient recovery during speed work.

True speed training requires quality. If every sprint is slower than the previous one, you are no longer training speed. You are training fatigue.

Full recoveries allow maximum output, better mechanics and more meaningful improvements.

How long does it take to improve?

Most footballers begin noticing improvements within four to eight weeks of consistent sprint coaching.

Larger improvements occur over several months, especially when technical coaching is supported by strength development, recovery, nutrition and sleep.

The biggest improvements usually happen when a player has never previously received sprint coaching. Their technical errors are often easy to identify and correct.

Want to know where you stand now? Check your times against our football sprint times by age.

Who benefits most?

Sprint coaching benefits academy footballers, grassroots players, semi-professionals, professional players, children, teenagers, adults and referees.

Speed is valuable at every level of the game. It helps attacking players create separation, defenders recover, midfielders press and goalkeepers move explosively across short distances.

Why choose Edinburgh Sprint Coach?

Edinburgh Sprint Coach provides specialist sprint coaching rather than general football coaching.

Our sessions focus entirely on improving running performance through video analysis, sprint mechanics, acceleration coaching, strength recommendations, individual feedback, measurable testing and progressive programming.

Whether your goal is making a professional academy, earning a starting place, improving your first step or simply becoming the quickest player on your team, every programme is tailored to your needs. Read more about our football speed coaching, football trial preparation and academy speed coaching.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Why speed wins rugby matches
2. Rugby speed is five different qualities
3. Backs vs forwards
4. Acceleration from rugby starts
5. Top speed for the back three
6. Speed into contact
7. Repeat-sprint ability
8. Change of direction and evasion
9. What academies and pathways test
10. The gym for rugby speed
11. Fitting speed around the season
12. A sample rugby speed session
13. Common mistakes
14. Questions we get asked

A line break, a kick chase, a defensive line that gets up before the attack is set: in rugby, the player who gets there first changes the game. Speed is one of the few qualities every position can use, and one of the most under-coached.

Most rugby players do plenty of fitness work. Far fewer are ever taught how to accelerate properly, how to hit top speed, or how to keep their speed when they carry into contact. That's where the biggest gains usually are.

Why speed wins rugby matches

Most sprints in a rugby match are short, often 10–20 metres, and they rarely start from a nice standing position. Players accelerate off the ground after a ruck, out of a defensive line, onto a pass, or turning to chase a kick. The back three also need genuine top speed for line breaks and long chases.

Speed shows up all over the pitch:

• Breaking the line, or finishing a break someone else made.
• Kick chase, and getting back to cover a kick in behind.
• Line speed in defence, closing an attacker's time and space.
• Support lines that turn a break into a try.
• Getting back onside and into position quickly.

Rugby speed is five different qualities

"Speed" in rugby isn't one thing. We think about five qualities, and most players are much better at some than others:

• Acceleration: getting from slow to fast in the first 5–15 metres.
• Maximum speed: how fast you can actually run once you're up and going.
• Repeat-sprint ability: keeping your speed for the 10th sprint, not just the first.
• Change of direction: braking, stepping and swerving without losing much speed.
• Speed into contact: carrying momentum and leg drive through the tackle.

A good programme finds the weak link first. A winger with great top speed but a slow first three steps needs different work from a prop who is strong in contact but slow off the ground.

Backs vs forwards

Backs, especially wingers and full-backs, cover longer sprints in broken play and kick chase, so maximum speed matters a lot. They often reach top speed somewhere beyond 30 metres, so training needs flying sprints as well as accelerations.

Forwards live in the first 5–15 metres. They sprint from the ground, from mauls and rucks, and into contact, again and again. Because they're heavier, they need more force to accelerate the same amount, so strength and power training are a big part of their speed.

See how your times compare in our rugby sprint times by age guide, which splits backs and forwards from U13 to senior.

Acceleration from rugby starts

Track athletes start from blocks. Rugby players start from everywhere else. Good rugby speed training practises the starts you actually use in a game:

• Get-up starts: from lying on your front or back, up and sprinting, like rejoining play after a ruck.
• Split-stance starts: from a defensive line, on the balls of the feet, reacting to a call or a pass.
• Rolling starts: jogging, then exploding onto a pass or into a gap.
• Turn-and-go starts: facing one way, turning to chase a kick in behind.

Whatever the start, the same rules apply: a forward body lean, pushing the ground behind you, powerful arm action and rising gradually rather than popping straight upright.

Top speed for the back three

Maximum speed is trained with flying sprints: a gradual build-up of 20–30 metres, then 10–20 metres flat out. Upright posture, knees coming through in front of the body and the foot striking the ground under the hips are what we look for.

Rugby adds the ball. Carrying in two hands changes your arm action, so it's worth sprinting both with and without a ball, and practising transferring it to one hand when you need to fend or finish.

Speed into contact

The fastest player isn't always the hardest to tackle. What matters is how much speed you keep as you hit contact. Players who lower their body angle, shorten their steps and keep driving their legs keep their momentum through the tackle.

Heavy sled pushes and resisted sprints teach this "low and driving" position. They also build the strength to accelerate a heavier body, which is why we use them a lot with forwards.

Repeat-sprint ability

Being fast once isn't enough in a game where you sprint, tackle, get up and sprint again. But repeat-sprint ability is built on top of speed, not instead of it. A player who gets faster also has more speed to repeat.

That's why we train speed fresh, with full recovery, and keep conditioning separate. If every rep in a "speed session" is slower than the last, it's a fitness session.

Change of direction and evasion

Every side-step starts with braking. Players who can slow down quickly and under control can change direction later and sharper, which is what beats defenders. We coach deceleration (lowering the hips, shortening the steps, planting the foot outside the body) and then the re-acceleration out of the cut.

What academies and pathways test

Testing varies between programmes, but sprint tests over 10 metres and 40 metres are common, often with splits in between, alongside jumps, strength tests and a fitness test. Sprints are usually timed with timing gates, so small differences in your start and your first steps show up clearly.

If you have an assessment coming up, practise the test itself: the same start, the same distance and a proper warm-up before you go. Our rugby academy preparation sessions are built around exactly that.

The gym for rugby speed

The gym makes rugby players faster when the strength is turned into power and the power is used in sprinting. A good programme usually includes:

• Strength: squats, trap-bar deadlifts and split squats.
• Power: jumps, bounds, medicine ball throws and jump squats.
• Hamstrings: Nordic curls and Romanian deadlifts, which also help protect against injury.
• Sled work: heavy pushes and resisted sprints to bridge the gym and the pitch.

Fitting speed around the season

In pre-season, two speed sessions a week is a good target. In-season, one short, sharp session is usually enough to keep improving. Put it early in the week once your legs have recovered from the weekend, and keep it well away from the day before a game.

Speed sessions don't need to be long. Quality matters far more than quantity: a few hundred metres of genuinely fast sprinting does more than a long, tiring session.

A sample rugby speed session

1. Warm-up (15 minutes): easy running, mobility, sprint drills and three or four build-up runs.
2. Accelerations: 6 × 10m from different rugby starts, walking back between each.
3. Top speed (backs): 3–4 flying 20m sprints with a long build-up and 3–4 minutes' rest.
4. Contact speed (forwards): 4 × 10–15m heavy sled sprints.
5. Change of direction: 3–4 braking and side-step reps each side.

Common mistakes

• Calling conditioning "speed work".
• Not enough rest between sprints.
• Only ever training in straight lines.
• Never sprinting at 100% in training, then pulling a hamstring in a game.
• Neglecting hamstring strength.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. The speed equation
2. The phases of a sprint
3. Acceleration mechanics
4. Maximum velocity mechanics
5. Arm action
6. Ground contact
7. Head and trunk
8. Common faults and how to fix them
9. How to film your sprint
10. Technique or strength?

Fast runners aren't just "naturally quick". They put more force into the ground, in the right direction, in less time. Almost all of that can be coached. This guide explains what good sprint technique actually is, so you know what to look for and what to work on.

The speed equation

Running speed comes down to two things: how far each stride takes you (stride length) and how many strides you take per second (stride frequency). Speed is one multiplied by the other.

The catch is that you can't improve one by simply forcing it. Reaching for longer strides usually makes you land in front of your body and brake. Spinning your legs faster without pushing harder just makes you busy. Faster athletes get longer and quicker strides at the same time because they apply more force into the ground in a shorter time.

The phases of a sprint

A sprint has distinct phases, and each one has its own technique:

The line in each block shows the rough body angle. Where each phase ends depends on the athlete: well-trained sprinters keep accelerating for longer, while most team-sport sprints are mainly acceleration.

• Start: the first one or two steps from a standing, crouched or moving position.
• Acceleration: a forward lean while speed builds rapidly.
• Transition: the body rises gradually towards upright running.
• Maximum velocity: upright, tall running at top speed.
• Speed maintenance: holding on to speed as fatigue sets in, which matters most in the 100m and 200m.

In football, rugby, hockey and most team sports, the majority of sprints are short, so acceleration is usually the priority. Track sprinters need all of it.

Acceleration mechanics

Accelerating is about pushing yourself forwards. Research on sprinting consistently finds that the best accelerators direct more of their force horizontally, rather than just pushing hard straight down. In practice that looks like:

• A whole-body lean from the ankles, not bending at the waist.
• Pushing the ground behind you, with full extension through the hip, knee and ankle.
• A low, piston-like leg action in the first steps, with the feet landing just behind or under the hips.
• Big, powerful arm swings that match the leg action.
• A gradual rise, each step a little taller than the last, rather than popping upright in two steps.

Maximum velocity mechanics

At top speed the job changes. You're no longer trying to push yourself forwards; you're trying to hit the ground hard and fast and bounce off it. Good maximum-velocity sprinting looks like this:

• Tall posture: hips high, pelvis level, trunk upright and stable.
• Front-side mechanics: most of the leg action happens in front of the body, with the knee coming through high and fast.
• The foot striking down and back, landing close to under the hips rather than reaching in front.
• A stiff ankle on contact, so energy isn't lost in the foot.
• Relaxed face, jaw and shoulders. Tension anywhere slows you down.

Arm action

The arms balance the legs and help set the rhythm. Drive them from the shoulders, front to back, with the hands travelling roughly from face height in front to beside the hip behind. Elbow angle changes naturally through the swing. Crossing the hands over the middle of the body twists the trunk and wastes energy.

In acceleration the arm swing is bigger and longer, matching the long, pushing steps. At top speed it's quicker and more compact.

Ground contact

Sprinters land on the ball of the foot, but not on their tiptoes; the heel may lightly touch the ground. The key is where the foot lands: as close as possible to under the body. Land too far in front and every step has a braking force you have to overcome.

Head and trunk

Keep the head in line with the spine. In acceleration the eyes look a few metres ahead along the ground; as you rise, they come up to look forwards. A stable, braced trunk lets the force from your legs go into the ground instead of leaking away through a twisting or collapsing body.

Common faults and how to fix them

Our 10 sprint drills article walks through the wall drill, A-skips, dribbles, wicket runs, falling starts, sled sprints and hill sprints step by step.

How to film your sprint

You don't need expensive kit to start analysing your technique. A phone will do:

1. Film side-on, with the phone at about hip height, 10–15 metres from your lane.
2. Use slow motion (120 or 240 frames per second if your phone has it).
3. Film your first 10 metres and a section at top speed separately.
4. Look at where your foot lands compared with your hips, your body angle in the first steps, and your arm action.

For a proper breakdown, our Sprint Analysis session combines slow-motion video, timed 10m–30m splits and a written action plan.

Technique or strength?

Both. Strength and power raise the ceiling: the more force you can produce, the faster you can potentially run. Technique decides how much of that force actually ends up moving you forwards. A strong athlete with poor mechanics is leaving speed behind, and a technically perfect athlete with no power will plateau. The best programmes build both together.

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In this article

1. Can children be coached to be faster?
2. Why some children look faster than others
3. Growth spurts and speed
4. What good speed training looks like
5. How much is enough?
6. Is strength training safe for children?
7. What you can do at home
8. Testing your child's speed
9. Signs your child might benefit from coaching
10. Speed School
11. Questions we get asked

"Can you make my child faster?" is the question we're asked most by parents. The answer is almost always yes. Children learn movement skills quickly, and most have never been shown how to sprint. Here's what helps, what doesn't, and what to expect.

Can children be coached to be faster?

Yes. Genetics play a part, but children's speed improves a lot with better coordination, better technique and more strength and power, and all three can be developed. Because most children have never been taught to sprint, even simple changes to posture, arm action and the first few steps can make a visible difference.

Why some children look faster than others

When one child is much faster than their teammates, there's often more going on than talent:

• Maturity: early developers are bigger and stronger for a few years. Late developers often catch up, and sometimes overtake.
• Relative age: a child born at the start of the school or sport year can be almost a year older than one born at the end, which makes a big difference to speed.
• Sport history: children who play lots of different sports tend to move better.
• Technique: some children simply run more efficiently.

Growth spurts and speed

During a growth spurt, often somewhere between about 11 and 15, limbs grow quickly and coordination can temporarily dip. Children can look gangly, and their sprint times may stall or even slow for a while. That's normal. Keep coaching their technique and it usually comes back better.

Aches around the knees or heels are common in active, growing children (conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter's and Sever's). If pain persists or makes them limp, get it checked by a physiotherapist or GP, and adjust training rather than pushing through.

What good speed training looks like

• Short sprints: mostly 10–30 metres.
• Plenty of rest: speed is trained fresh, not tired.
• Lots of variety: races, chasing games, skipping, hopping, jumping and landing.
• Simple cues: one thing at a time, such as "push the ground away" or "drive your arms".
• Fun and competition: children sprint fastest when they're racing someone.

What it isn't: running until they're exhausted. Long, tiring runs build fitness, but they teach children to sprint slowly.

How much is enough?

One or two short speed sessions a week, alongside their normal sport, is plenty for most children. Many sporty children already train or play most days, so look at their whole week and make sure there are rest days. Sleep and regular meals matter more than any drill.

Is strength training safe for children?

Yes, when it's supervised and focused on good technique. Expert consensus is that well-coached resistance training is safe and beneficial for young people. For most children aged 8–15 that means body-weight exercises, jumping and landing skills and light loads, not heavy lifting.

What you can do at home

• Encourage them to play lots of different sports, not just one.
• Play chasing and tag games, and have short races at the park.
• Make sure they get enough sleep, especially during growth spurts.
• Trainers with good grip are fine. Children don't need spikes to get faster.
• Praise effort and improvement, not just winning.

Testing your child's speed

If you want to track progress, time a 10m, 20m or 30m sprint every few months in the same place, on the same surface and with the same start. Timing with a phone or stopwatch is rough, so look for trends rather than single results. Compare them with our sprint time standards by age or, for footballers, the football sprint times by age.

Signs your child might benefit from coaching

• They love sport but always finish near the back in races.
• Their running looks awkward or effortful.
• They have trials or a step up coming.
• They've lost confidence in their speed during a growth spurt.

Speed School

Our Speed School is a weekly group session for ages 8–15, every Monday from 6–7pm: at The Meadows from April to September and Peffermill Athletics Track from October to March. It costs £15 a session or £40 a month, and it covers sprint technique, acceleration, coordination, reaction speed and proper warm-up habits, in a fun group with expert coaches. Speed School also makes a great present: see our gift vouchers.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. Why sprinting loads the hamstrings
2. Who's most at risk?
3. Sprinting regularly helps protect you
4. Nordic hamstring curls
5. Other strength work that helps
6. A sprint-ready warm-up
7. Technique matters too
8. Managing your sprint load
9. Advice for masters athletes (35+)
10. If you feel a twinge
11. Questions we get asked

Ask anyone who has pulled a hamstring mid-sprint and they'll tell you: it's sudden, it's frustrating and it can keep you out for weeks. Hamstring strains are among the most common injuries in sprinting and team sports. The good news is that there's a lot you can do to reduce the risk.

Why sprinting loads the hamstrings

As your leg swings forwards during a sprint, the hamstrings have to slow the lower leg down just before your foot hits the ground. They're working very hard while being stretched, at very high speed. This "late swing" moment is when most sprinting hamstring strains are thought to happen, and the muscle most often injured is the long head of the biceps femoris, on the outside of the back of the thigh.

Who's most at risk?

• Anyone with a previous hamstring injury. This is the strongest known risk factor.
• Older athletes. Risk rises with age, which matters for masters sprinters and veterans' football.
• Tired athletes. Injuries are more common late in sessions and matches.
• Sudden spikes in sprinting. For example, flat-out sprinting in the first week of pre-season after a summer off.
• Weak hamstrings, particularly when they're working while lengthening.

Sprinting regularly helps protect you

It sounds backwards, but one of the best ways to protect your hamstrings is to sprint fast regularly. Research in team sports suggests players who are regularly exposed to high-speed running are less likely to get injured than those who rarely sprint, then suddenly have to. The danger is the jump from not sprinting to sprinting flat out.

So build up gradually: start with strides at 70–80%, increase the speed and number of sprints over a few weeks, and keep some genuinely fast running in your week all year round.

Nordic hamstring curls

The Nordic hamstring curl is the best-studied exercise for preventing hamstring injuries. Studies in football have found that programmes including Nordics can cut hamstring injuries by up to around half.

1. Kneel on a mat with a partner holding your ankles, or hook them under something solid.
2. Keep your body straight from knees to head.
3. Lower yourself forwards as slowly as you can, using your hamstrings to resist.
4. Catch yourself with your hands, push back up and repeat.

• Start 2 × 5 once or twice a week
• Build gradually, over several weeks
• Expect some soreness at first

Start easy. Nordics cause a lot of muscle soreness at first, so never introduce them just before a match or a hard sprint session.

Other strength work that helps

• Romanian deadlifts and single-leg Romanian deadlifts for hamstring strength at long lengths.
• Hip thrusts and bridges for the glutes, which share the work with the hamstrings.
• Isometric holds, such as a long-lever bridge held for time.
• Calf strength, which supports the whole sprinting action.

A sprint-ready warm-up

Never go from cold to flat out. A good warm-up before sprinting takes 15–20 minutes:

1. Easy jogging for a few minutes.
2. Dynamic mobility: leg swings, lunges, hip openers.
3. Sprint drills such as A-marches and A-skips.
4. Three or four build-up runs at roughly 60%, 75% and 90% effort.
5. Then your sprints.

Long static stretches held for a minute or more can briefly reduce power, so keep any static stretching short before you sprint and save longer stretching for later.

Technique matters too

Overstriding (reaching out so your foot lands well in front of your body) increases the load on the hamstrings with every step. So does sprinting with your hips sitting low and behind you. Good sprint technique, with the foot landing close to under the hips and a tall posture at speed, isn't just faster. It may well be safer too.

Managing your sprint load

• Increase sprint volume gradually rather than in big jumps.
• Sprint when you're fresh, not at the end of a hard session.
• Give yourself 48 hours or more between hard sprint sessions.
• Stop the session if your speed drops noticeably or something feels tight.

Advice for masters athletes (35+)

If you're coming back to sprinting later in life, give yourself longer to warm up, build sprint volume more slowly and take more rest days than you did at 20. Strength training becomes even more important. Our masters sprint coaching is built around getting you fast again without the setbacks.

If you feel a twinge

Stop straight away. Don't jog it off or "test it" with another sprint, because a minor strain can easily become a bigger one. Get it assessed by a physio, and return to sprinting gradually, building back up through progressively faster runs.

Questions we get asked

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In this article

1. 1. Wall drill
2. 2. A-march
3. 3. A-skip
4. 4. Dribbles (ankling)
5. 5. Falling starts
6. 6. Get-up starts
7. 7. Wicket runs
8. 8. Resisted sled sprints
9. 9. Hill sprints
10. 10. Flying sprints
11. Putting it into a session
12. Common drill mistakes

Sprint drills aren't magic. They teach the positions and rhythms you want to see when you sprint, then the sprinting itself does the rest. Used well, a few drills before your sprints can clean up your technique quickly. Used badly, they're just a warm-up that looks clever.

1. Wall drill

• Trains acceleration posture
• Dose 3 × 5 switches each leg

Lean into a wall with your hands at shoulder height and your body in a straight line at roughly 45 degrees, up on the balls of your feet. Drive one knee up so the thigh is roughly level with the ground, then switch legs explosively. Start with single switches, then doubles and triples.

Cue: "straight line from head to heel." If your hips sag or pike, the drill stops teaching acceleration posture.

2. A-march

• Trains posture and front-side mechanics
• Dose 2 × 15m

Walk forwards tall, driving one knee up in front with the ankle pulled up and the foot under the knee, then step down under your hips. Arms work in opposition. It's slow on purpose: you're learning the positions before you add speed.

3. A-skip

• Trains rhythm and foot strike under the hips
• Dose 2–3 × 20m

The A-march with a skip. Drive the knee up, then strike the foot down and back so it lands under your hips. Keep contacts short and the rhythm sharp. If the foot lands in front of you, slow it down.

4. Dribbles (ankling)

• Trains stiff ankles and quick ground contacts
• Dose 2 × 15m

Small, quick steps where the foot rolls over the opposite ankle, then shin, then knee height as you progress. Land on the ball of the foot with a stiff ankle. This is great for flat-footed, heavy runners.

5. Falling starts

• Trains the first three steps
• Dose 4–6 × 10m

Stand tall with your feet together, then lean forwards from the ankles until you have to step, and sprint 10 metres. It forces a natural forward lean and teaches you to push, not reach, with the first step.

6. Get-up starts

• Trains acceleration from game positions
• Dose 4–6 × 10m

Start lying on your front or back, or from a press-up position. On a call or a signal, get up and sprint 10 metres. Ideal for footballers and rugby players, who rarely start a sprint standing still.

7. Wicket runs

• Trains upright mechanics and rhythm
• Dose 4–6 runs

Set a line of mini-hurdles (wickets) at even spacing after a 15–20 metre run-in. Run over them at high speed, stepping down between each one. The spacing forces you to land under your hips with good rhythm instead of overstriding. Spacing depends on the athlete's size and speed, so start conservative.

8. Resisted sled sprints

• Trains acceleration power and body angle
• Dose 4–6 × 10–20m

Sprint while towing or pushing a sled. The resistance holds you in a forward lean for longer and makes you push hard into the ground. Choose a load that still lets you sprint with good posture; if your technique falls apart, it's too heavy.

9. Hill sprints

• Trains acceleration posture and power
• Dose 4–6 × 15–30m, walk back

Sprint up a gentle slope. Like the sled, the hill naturally puts you in an acceleration position and rewards pushing the ground behind you. Keep the slope gentle: on a steep hill, sprinting turns into climbing.

10. Flying sprints

• Trains maximum velocity
• Dose 3–4 reps, 3–5 minutes' rest

Build up over 20–30 metres, then sprint 10–20 metres flat out, then ease down. Because you're already moving, all your effort goes into top-speed mechanics. This is the closest thing to "practising top speed".

Putting it into a session

Here's a simple 45-minute speed session for a team-sport athlete:

1. Warm-up (10–15 minutes): easy running and dynamic mobility.
2. Drills (10 minutes): A-march, A-skip and the wall drill.
3. Acceleration (10 minutes): 4 falling starts and 4 get-up starts over 10 metres.
4. Top speed (10 minutes): 3 flying sprints.

As a rough guide, rest about a minute for every 10 metres you sprint, and longer for flying sprints. Every rep should be as fast as the first. If times start to drop, the session's done.

Common drill mistakes

• Rushing drills so they're fast but sloppy.
• Doing lots of drills and not enough actual sprinting.
• Doing drills when you're already tired.
• Never checking whether the drill is changing your sprint. Film yourself.

Not sure which drills you need? A Sprint Analysis will tell you what's limiting your speed and which drills will fix it.

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