Sprint Smarter, Not Just Harder: What We’ve Learned from Coaching Speed

There’s something about sprinting that makes athletes want to just... go. Push harder. Run faster. Get to the line first.

But here’s what we’ve seen—again and again—at Pivot Sports Performance: sprinting isn’t just about running flat out. And most athletes, especially younger ones, haven’t actually been taught how to sprint well.

So, they do what feels fast. Which, honestly, isn’t always what actually is fast. Or safe.

Sprinting Is a Skill—And Skills Need Coaching

You wouldn’t expect someone to squat properly without being taught. Same goes for sprinting. Yet it’s often overlooked in training plans.

Some of the things we notice all the time:

• Long, reaching strides that cause braking

• No arm involvement, or arms flying out wide

• Glutes staying quiet while hamstrings overwork

• Rigid upper body—no rhythm, no flow

This kind of running might feel aggressive, but it’s often inefficient. Worse, it’s the kind of movement that can put stress on soft tissues like hamstrings or calves, especially when fatigue kicks in.

That’s where coaching comes in. Real, hands-on, slow-it-down, let's-watch-that-again coaching.

What Proper Sprint Training Looks Like (At Least, Here)

We don’t just tell people to run. We build it piece by piece. Here’s a rough idea of how we approach it:

1. We Look at Mechanics First

Things like shin angle, hip height, posture, arm drive. Are you projecting forward, or popping up too early? Are your hips doing any of the work?

We’ll often film your sprint and go through it with you—nothing fancy, just simple video feedback that shows you what you might not feel.

2. We Work on Force Production

Sprinting is about how forcefully—and how directionally—you hit the ground. That’s why resisted sprints, sled pushes, and even hill sprints are part of our toolkit. They help athletes feel that drive phase, and how to create more horizontal force.

3. We Connect the Dots with Drills

We’re not big on drills for the sake of drills. But we do use things like wall drives or A-skips when they help transfer to real sprinting. We’re always asking: is this helping, or just filling space?

4. We Manage Sprint Load

You can’t sprint for an hour. And you shouldn’t be doing ten max-effort reps on tired legs. We track intensity and volume carefully—especially for field sport athletes juggling team training and games.

Why Strength Work Still Matters

You can’t talk sprinting without talking about strength and conditioning. If your glutes and hamstrings aren’t doing their job, you’re going to struggle to accelerate—or worse, end up with an injury.

We pair sprint work with things like:

• Nordics

• Split stance deadlifts

• Single-leg plyos

• Core and trunk control

It’s all about building resilience, not just speed.

Who It’s For

We run sprint training for athletes as young as 12 all the way up to adult players in their 30s. The focus changes with age and experience:

• Juniors: We keep things simple and fun, focusing on body awareness and good habits

• Seniors: We layer on intent, precision, and small cues that shift performance

And we’re always adapting based on the sport. Sprinting in soccer isn’t the same as sprinting in AFL or rugby. Context matters.

Final Thoughts

If sprinting is something you’ve just been “doing” without much thought, maybe it’s time to treat it like the skill it is.

You don’t have to sprint more. You probably need to sprint better.

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Let’s build speed—and confidence—with some structure behind it.