Build-Up Sprints
Ages 7 and up · Forty to sixty yards of flat grass or track; cones marking thirds help
Build-ups (runs that accelerate smoothly through gears: jog, stride, fast, floating at near-top speed, then easing down) are how sprinting gets practiced without racing: the top gear arrives relaxed instead of strained, the form drills' shapes get worn at speed, and the young athlete learns the sport's deepest paradox, that FAST and RELAXED are the same thing.
They are also the safest speed work there is: the gradual build warms the legs into each rep, the float (fast but unstrained) caps the intensity honestly, and the walk-back rest keeps quality high. Two or three build-up sessions a week is the whole speed program many young athletes need.
How to run it
- Mark thirds (cones at 20, 40, 60 yards as space allows).
- The gears: jog the first third, STRIDE the second (a strong, tall, bouncy three-quarter pace), and FLOAT the last (fast, near-top speed, deliberately relaxed: jaw loose, shoulders down, hands soft).
- Ease down past the last cone over several strides (never slamming to a stop).
- Walk back as full rest. Four to six build-ups is a complete dose.
- Grade relaxation at speed: the float should LOOK smooth (bouncy, tall, quiet face). One rep may be filmed for the kid to see the difference between fast-strained and fast-smooth.
What to say
Common faults and fixes
Straining in the float (gritted face, hunched shoulders, the trying-hard tax).
The relaxation cues graded over the speed itself: the float is fast-AND-loose or it drops a gear. The paradox teaches fastest through contrast reps (one strained on purpose, one loose, felt back to back).
Gears clunking (a jog that lurches straight to a sprint).
The middle third's stride gets its own attention: a real distinct gear, strong but not maximal. Three even gears is the drill; two gears is a jog and a race.
No rest (build-ups run as conditioning laps).
The walk-back rule: speed work is quality work, and tired build-ups train slow habits. Fewer reps at full freshness is the entire program's integrity.
Make it easier, make it harder
Shorter distances, two gears (jog and stride), fewer reps.
Longer floats; timed final segments raced against the log; build-ups into curves (track-shape practice); flying-start segments (the 20-yard fly with a build-in) for older kids.
This page teaches the drill. ParentEdge builds it into a plan for your kid.
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