Buzz
Helping kids increase their speed is crucial, especially when they are participating in sports. Many children also want to run faster to achieve personal goals or simply for fun. The key to teaching them involves encouraging good technique while making the process enjoyable. Track their improvements to keep them motivated, and remember, it’s important to run alongside them!
Steps to Follow
Focusing on Proper Running Form
Start with jumping exercises for warm-up. Jumping helps children develop the strength needed for efficient running. Before practicing running techniques, lead the kids through activities like jumping jacks or allow them to use a jump rope.
Observe their form as they run in place. Ask the kids to sprint in place for five seconds at full effort. Pay attention to their posture and form to identify any weaknesses. Proper sprinting form includes:
- Driving forward with the front foot.
- Leaning slightly forward so that the feet trail behind the hips, and the hips are positioned behind the shoulders (known as the triple extension).
- Maintaining an upright torso.
- Keeping the head still and relaxing the facial muscles.
- Bending the elbows at a 90-degree angle.
- Keeping the arms close to the body as they pump up and down.
- Lifting the front knee high while extending the back leg fully.
Demonstrate the correct technique. If you spot any mistakes, point them out right away. Then, join the kids in running in place, showing them how to use proper form. They can follow your example to see how it's done, and you can watch them to track their progress.
Help the kids picture what good running feels like. Giving kids simple mental cues can greatly improve their technique. For example, suggest they imagine their feet are pushing their hips forward. This reminds them that most of the power in sprinting comes from their feet pushing off the ground.
- You could also ask them to visualize holding a bird in each hand while running. This will remind them to keep their hands relaxed, not clenched.
Provide verbal reminders during practice. While the kids are sprinting, shout reminders to help them focus on specific aspects of their form that need improvement. For example:
- If a child isn’t swinging their arms fully, yell “Hip to lip!” to encourage them to bring their arms from the sides up toward their face.
- If they’re not lifting their knees enough, remind them by calling out “Knees up! Knees up!”
Keeping them Engaged and Motivated
Establish a running goal. A child will only improve if they are motivated. Ensure that the child genuinely wants to learn to run faster and understand why. Then, set a suitable goal.
- For example, if a child participates in another sport like basketball, they may want to run faster to enhance their performance. Remind them of this goal from time to time.
- Focus on goals that emphasize improvement rather than just winning. Aiming to cut a second off a 40-yard dash is a more realistic goal than aiming to win the state championship.
Track the kids' progress. You can keep a record, such as a graph or chart, showing the kids' 40-yard dash times over the course of several months. When they see how much they’ve improved, they’ll feel more motivated to keep pushing forward.
- Be sure to time them during drills so you can accurately monitor their progress.
Don't overstrain them. Speed improvement doesn’t happen instantly. It takes time and consistent effort. Pressuring kids too much or trying to rush their training will only lead to discouragement and slower progress. Instead, emphasize steady, incremental gains through regular practice.
- Limit sprinting sessions to 3-4 times a week. Over-practicing can lead to burnout.
- Vary practice routines by incorporating sports like soccer, basketball, or football, which also help with running skills while keeping things fun!
- While activities like weight lifting, yoga, and swimming are great for overall fitness, sprinting-focused practices are best for enhancing running speed.
Making Running Enjoyable
Incorporate games into practice. Repeating drills can quickly become tedious and demotivating. Fortunately, you can integrate sprinting into fun games. For example, try:
- Classic tag.
- A relay race.
- A round of “Red light, green light.”
Make time for playing other sports. Running plays a key role in many sports. Even if kids aren’t focusing on sprinting, playing games like soccer can still boost their speed. Plus, varying their activities helps keep things exciting. Sports that offer great running opportunities include:
- Baseball
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Kickball
- Dodgeball
Run alongside the child. Coaches aren’t limited to standing on the sidelines. By running with the child, you show your support, demonstrate your commitment, and make the experience more enjoyable. You can do drills together, play games, or, if the child is interested, even run a race side by side.
The suggestions in this section come from the shared experiences of Mytour readers like you. If you have any valuable tips you’d like to contribute to Mytour, feel free to share them in the form below.
- Encourage them to participate in cardio-based sports like cross-country or track and field to improve endurance.
- Help kids strengthen their legs and core by challenging them to sack races.
