Improving your speed and learning how to sprint faster will help you perform better on the athletic field. Sprinting has obvious benefits in the sport of track and field, but it will also help in football, soccer and basketball. Additionally, a baseball player who can run faster can get to more balls in the outfield and will also have a chance to make more of a contribution on the basepaths. You can improve your speed and running stride with several drills.
Step 1
Run with a parachute strapped to your back to improve your speed and give you a longer and more powerful stride. Go to the track with a running chute attached to your back. You wear the chute the same way you do a backpack. As you take off in the 100-yard sprint, the chute unfurls and provides major resistance. You have to resist the urge to turn around and stop. You must run at top speed while concentrating on getting a full stride. At the end of the 100-yard sprint, regather the chute and prepare to run another sprint. However, this time when you get to the 50, press the release button to drop the chute. This will create a surge of power called an "over speed." Continue to finish the sprint with your increased speed helping you finish.
Step 2
Run one lap around the track at moderate speed. As you run your lap, kick your feet back as far and as high as you can so your feet hit your buttocks. This will help you develop a longer stride with greater power when you sprint.
Step 3
Run up hill to build power and speed in your stride. Sprint 200 feet up the hill and after taking a 30-second break sprint another 200 feet. This practice is used in both track and field and in football. It was made famous by NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and the late Walter Payton. "I always felt that if I caught the ball in stride I was going to be able to run a long way," Rice said. "I think running hills really helped my speed and my explosiveness."
Step 4
Run interval sprints at the track to increase your speed and stride. Start off with a 400-yard sprint and follow that with a 200-yard sprint. Then complete the interval training by sprinting 100 yards and 50 yards. Take no more than 30 seconds between each sprint. After you finish the final run, take a two-minute break and repeat the set. Do one more double-set before you leave the track.
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