How to Teach Youth to Run Faster

Several factors go into teaching kids to run faster. When children watch the 100m finals at the Olympics, they often don't realize how much effort each runner has put into developing proper technique and posture, training the appropriate energy zones and increasing strength in the gym. Running faster is a lot more than just sprinting as hard as you can. Developing speed in youth is a combination of effective coaching and a proper training plan.

Instructions

    • 1

      Study running technique and focus on technical training almost exclusively with youth. Teach kids to run with high knees, to increase stride length and frequency, stay relaxed through the upper body and rotate the arms from the shoulders. The primary method for training speed is technique, and only when technique is mastered should you move on to other methods.

    • 2

      Teach skills to help kids develop coordination. Many sports require the ability to shift directions, start, stop and accelerate quickly. This is referred to as agility and you can use speed ladders and cones to develop these skills. Ladder and cone drills are usually a lot of fun and you can be creative in the way you use them.

    • 3

      Use sprint assistance and resistance methods to increase speed, which the National Strength and Conditioning Association terms secondary methods. Sprint assistance involves using gravity to help you run faster, such as running downhill, and this method can train muscles to fire faster. Sprint resistance uses gravity as a form of strength-training, such as running uphill. Use each method while maintaining perfect technique.

    • 4

      Train the correct energy systems needed for particular sporting events, which the National Strength and Conditioning Association refers to as tertiary training. For example, if kids are practicing for the 100m sprint, design practices around this distance. The 100m sprint is anaerobic and requires short bursts of high-intensity training. The mile run is aerobic and requires training of longer durations.