What Actually Makes a Young Sprinter Faster?
A young athlete runs 30 metres in training and looks very fast. The temptation is to think: This athlete is going to be a great sprinter. That maybe true but sprinting is more complicated than that.
A sprinter has to accelerate, reach high speed and then limit how much speed is lost before the finish. World Athletics recently described the 100m as a combination of different elements, with the winner ultimately being the athlete who produces the highest average velocity.
Development should therefore not be reduced to one impressive quality.
Acceleration is only the beginning
The first part of a sprint is about getting the body moving quickly. A developing sprinter needs to learn how to apply force effectively, coordinate the arms and legs and progressively increase speed.
This is why acceleration work is so important but a good start does not automatically produce a good race. An athlete might explode from the blocks and still struggle to maintain speed later in the race.
Another athlete may have a slower start but reach a higher speed and maintain it better and that is why coaches need to look beyond the first few metres.
Top speed is important and also what happens afterwards
Maximum speed gets a lot of attention because it is easy to see but the race does not finish there.
Once an athlete reaches their highest speed, the challenge becomes maintaining as much of that speed as possible.
For a developing athlete, this is one reason why simply trying to “run harder” is not always the answer.
The athlete needs to learn how to run efficiently at speed by implementing posture, rhythm, coordination and relaxation.
Young athletes are still learning how to sprint
A young athlete is not a finished product and their physical abilities, coordination, strength, confidence and understanding of the event are still developing.
A coach has to realize that an athlete who does not currently have the fastest time in the group may still be developing extremely well.
Perhaps their start has improved or their running mechanics are becoming more consistent. Perhaps they are learning to stay relaxed at higher speeds maybe they are becoming more confident in competition.
Those improvements may not immediately produce a dramatic change on the stopwatch but they can become part of the foundation for future performance.
The danger of chasing times too early
Competition is important and times matter but if every training session becomes a test of who can run the fastest, then development can become very narrow.
This is so because young athletes can begin to associate improvement only with a better personal best and that creates a problem when progress naturally slows. A better approach is to use competition and testing as information.
What improved?
What still needs attention?
What does the athlete do well?
Where does the athlete lose speed?
What should the next phase of training address?
The stopwatch then becomes a coaching tool rather than the entire development programme.
So what should a young sprinter develop?
There is no single formula, but a developing sprinter should gradually build several interconnected abilities:
- Acceleration — learning to get up to speed effectively.
- Maximum velocity — developing the ability to run at high speed.
- Speed maintenance — learning to hold onto that speed.
- Movement quality — improving coordination and running efficiency.
- Strength and physical development — building the physical foundations required for sprinting.
- Race awareness — learning how to compete and execute the event.
- Consistency — developing the ability to reproduce good performances.
- Confidence — learning to compete without being controlled by fear of failure.
These qualities do not develop independently and that is why youth sprint development should be viewed as a process rather than a search for a quick fix.
Free FFA Resource: Young Sprinter Development Scorecard
Want to look beyond the stopwatch? Use our simple development scorecard to identify the areas a young sprinter is developing and where further attention may be needed.
What should parents look for?
Parents should ask whether their child is developing. Look for changes over time and whether the athlete is becoming more coordinated.
Are they learning how to accelerate?
Are their performances becoming more consistent?
Are they responding positively to coaching?
Are they developing good training habits?
Are they still enjoying the sport?
These indicators can tell us much more about a young athlete’s potential than one race.
Building the athlete before chasing the result
South Africa continues to demonstrate that there is significant youth sprinting and athletics talent.
At the 2026 ASA Age Group Championships, several youth and junior athletes broke national records, while South African juniors later returned from the World Athletics U20 Championships with medals.
Those performances are exciting but the lesson for younger athletes is not that there are opportunities to do well and to achieve.
The objective at the beginning should be to build the athlete’s abilities progressively, expose them to appropriate competition and allow performance to emerge from that development.
A fast athlete is not necessarily a developed sprinter.
The coach’s job is to help turn potential into ability and ability into consistent performance and that takes time.
Want to understand where your young athlete is in their development?
FFA Athletics works with developing athletes through structured training, coaching and progressive development.
References & Further Reading
- World Athletics — The Science of Sprinting
An overview of the performance factors involved in the 100m, including acceleration, maximum velocity and average velocity. Read the article on World Athletics - Athletics South Africa — SA Junior Team Complete Campaign with Eight Medals
Coverage of South Africa’s performance at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships. Read the Athletics South Africa article - Athletics South Africa — Records Tumble at ASA Age Group Championships
Coverage of national records achieved by youth and junior athletes at the 2026 ASA Age Group Championships. Read the Athletics South Africa article - World Athletics — Individual Sprint: Kids’ Athletics
A practical resource covering acceleration, reaction, posture and sprinting fundamentals for young athletes. View the World Athletics resource - World Athletics — 60m Sprint: Kids’ Athletics
A youth sprint activity focusing on starting, reaction, upright running and active arm action. View the 60m sprint resource - World Athletics — Kids’ Athletics
The broader World Athletics youth development programme and its resources for coaches, teachers and parents. Explore Kids’ Athletics
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