How to Run Faster: Sprint Speed Training Drills
To run faster you have to improve two separate skills: how quickly you accelerate out of a standstill, and how fast you move once you are up to top speed. World-class sprinters like Noah Lyles look smooth because they apply force into the ground hard and in the right direction, not because they simply move their legs faster. The great news for every athlete is that force, mechanics, and stride power are all trainable. This guide breaks down the drills and the resistance work that build real speed.
What actually makes an athlete run faster?
Speed comes down to a simple idea: the more force you put into the ground with each step, and the shorter the time you spend on the ground, the faster you go. Elite sprinters do not take more steps than everyone else. They take more powerful ones. That is why raw leg turnover is a myth. You get faster by driving the ground away hard and by fixing the mechanics that leak power.
For young athletes, the biggest early gains almost always come from cleaning up form: a strong forward lean on the first few steps, powerful arm drive, and full extension of the back leg. Add strength and resistance work on top of good mechanics and the speed follows.
Arm action matters more than most athletes think. Your arms and legs move in sync, so slow, sloppy arms cap how fast your legs can turn over. Drive your elbows back hard, keep your hands relaxed, and swing from the shoulder in a straight line, not across your body. Fix the arms and the legs often speed up on their own. Combine that with a patient drive phase, where you resist the urge to pop upright too soon, and you have the two cheapest speed upgrades available.
Acceleration or top speed: which should you train?
Both, but they look different in practice. Acceleration is the drive phase, the first 10 to 30 meters where you are still leaning and building. Top speed is the upright phase where you are tall and cycling your legs fast. Here is how they compare and what to focus on for each.
| Phase | Distance | What it needs | Key drill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceleration | 0 to 30 meters | Forward lean, hard push, patience | Resisted sprints, wall drives |
| Transition | 30 to 50 meters | Gradual rise, rhythm | Build ups, flying 20s |
| Top speed | 50 meters and beyond | Tall posture, fast ground contact | Flying sprints, A-skips |
Most field-sport athletes live in the acceleration and transition zones, so if you play basketball, soccer, or football, spend the majority of your speed work on the first 30 meters. Pure track sprinters need the full picture, including top-end speed, but even they build their races on a powerful start. Whatever your sport, get the drive phase right first. A great top speed does you little good if you are slow out of the blocks or slow to react to a loose ball.
What gear builds sprint speed?
Resistance bands are one of the most effective tools for building acceleration because they teach your body to drive against a load. Resisted marches and resisted sprints train the exact hip and glute power you need in the drive phase, and they reinforce that forward lean instead of standing straight up too early. They pack down small, so you can train speed on any field or gym floor.
The key is to keep resistance work explosive. Bands are a tool for building power, not for grinding out slow, heavy reps. Use a load you can still move quickly against, drive hard for short distances, and always follow resisted work with a few unresisted sprints so your body learns to apply that new power at full speed. Over a training block you can progress the resistance and the distance as your drive phase gets stronger.
P.R.O. Bands Resistance Training Bands
Loop bands built for resisted sprints, marches, and power work that develop the drive-phase strength behind faster acceleration.
Which drills make you sprint faster?
Do this speed work fresh, before you are tired, two or three days a week. Speed is a skill, so full rest between reps matters more than piling up volume. Walk back to the start and go again only when you feel recovered.
Speed training questions coaches ask
Can you actually train yourself to be faster?
Yes. While genetics set a ceiling, nearly every athlete can get meaningfully faster by improving mechanics, strength, and force production. Improvements of a few tenths of a second are common.
How often should you do speed work?
Two or three times a week is ideal, always fresh and with full rest between reps. Sprinting tired trains slow habits and raises injury risk.
Do resistance bands make you faster?
Used for resisted sprints and marches, they build the hip and glute power that drives acceleration. Pair them with unresisted sprints so your nervous system also practices moving fast.
How long before you see results?
Form gains can show up in a couple of weeks. Strength-driven speed gains usually take 6 to 8 weeks of consistent work.
Train the drive phase, run away from the field
Add resisted sprints to your week and build real acceleration.
Tags: track and field, speed training, how to run faster, sprint drills, resistance bands, acceleration
