How to get faster at sprinting

Getting faster is not purely about training harder. Sprinting is a skill, and most beginners lose more time to inefficient technique than they gain back from extra effort.

The four phases of a sprint

A sprint breaks down into starting, acceleration, top speed, and deceleration, and each one rewards a different focus. Out of the blocks or from a standing start, you begin low and driven, feet staggered. Through acceleration, strides start short and get progressively longer, with firm, early ground contact and increasing arm drive to build power. At top speed, the goal flips: minimise ground contact time, land with your foot under your centre of mass rather than reaching out in front, and avoid over-extending your stride.

Where most time is actually lost

Ground contact time is the single biggest lever. The less time your foot spends on the track each stride, the faster you are moving, which is why elite sprinters look like they are barely touching the ground. Tension is the other common problem: running tight wastes energy on muscles that are not actually driving you forward, so staying relaxed through the face, shoulders and hands while sprinting hard is a real skill worth practising.

Arm action matters more than it looks

The arm swing is large, with the emphasis on a strong backswing rather than punching forward. As the arm swings forward, the elbow angle should close so the hand comes up close to the face, mirroring the drive happening in the legs rather than working against it.

Training approach

Every session, including easy ones, should open with drills aimed at sprint mechanics before any actual speed work, since technique work under fatigue teaches bad habits. Shorter, higher quality sprints with full recovery generally build more usable speed than longer, tired repeats.

Gear that actually helps

See our guide to choosing athletics spikes for what sprint spikes are built to do, and a coach at your nearest athletics club will get you further, faster, than technique tips read online alone.