Dear Sports Parent,
It’s August.
A new school year is beginning, and for many young athletes, that means a new sports season is starting too.
Tryouts are happening. Teams are forming. Coaches are evaluating athletes.
And your kid is about to find out where they stand.
Maybe they’ve been playing their sport for years.
Maybe they’re trying out for a new team.
Maybe they’ve spent the summer playing, practicing, going to camps, or simply enjoying being a kid.
But before the season gets underway, there’s one athletic skill that’s worth taking a closer look at:
Speed.
Because no matter what sport your child plays, speed can make a difference.
A faster soccer player can get to the ball first.
A faster basketball player can beat a defender down the court.
A faster football player can create separation.
A faster lacrosse player can get into space.
A faster baseball or softball player can get down the line faster.
And sometimes, a kid who already has good skills can become a dramatically more effective athlete simply by becoming faster.
The question is:
How do you know if your kid needs speed training?
Here are five signs to look for.
1. They’re Always a Step Behind
Watch your kid during a game.
Are they frequently arriving just a little too late?
Are they getting beaten to loose balls?
Are they struggling to catch up when another player gets past them?
Are they having trouble creating separation from an opponent?
Sometimes parents see this and assume their child needs more practice with the sport.
And maybe they do.
But sometimes the missing ingredient isn’t another hour of sport-specific drills.
It’s speed.
When an athlete is technically skilled but consistently loses those little races within the game, improving acceleration and sprinting ability can change what they’re capable of doing with their existing skills.
2. They’re Good at Their Sport—But Their Speed Is Holding Them Back
This is one of the most interesting athletes to work with.
They’re coordinated.
They understand the game.
They have good technique.
They make smart decisions.
But there’s a physical limitation that keeps showing up:
They’re just not fast enough.
And that can be incredibly frustrating for a young athlete.
Imagine knowing exactly what you want to do but not being able to get there quickly enough.
That’s where developing speed can have a huge payoff.
We’re not trying to turn every soccer player into a track sprinter.
We’re trying to help that soccer player become a faster soccer player.
The same principle applies to basketball, football, lacrosse, baseball, softball and many other sports.
3. They’re Doing Lots of Conditioning—but They’re Not Actually Getting Faster
This is a big one.
A lot of young athletes—and the adults training them—equate running with conditioning.
So they run laps.
They run long distances.
They do conditioning drills until they’re exhausted.
And there’s nothing inherently wrong with conditioning.
But being able to run for a long time isn’t the same as being able to run fast.
Speed is a skill.
Acceleration is a skill.
Efficient sprint mechanics are a skill.
Your child can be in excellent cardiovascular shape and still have significant room to improve their speed.
If speed is the goal, they need to actually train for speed.
4. Their Running Mechanics Could Be Better
Watch your kid run.
Do they look smooth and coordinated?
Or does running look like hard work?
Do they have trouble maintaining good posture?
Are their arms doing something completely different from their legs?
Do they seem to bounce, reach, or fight their way through every stride?
Young athletes don’t need to look like professional sprinters.
But inefficient movement can limit how much speed they can produce.
The good news is that running mechanics are teachable.
A young athlete can learn how to position their body, coordinate their arms and legs, apply force more effectively, and move more efficiently.
And when those fundamentals improve, speed often follows.
5. They Don’t Believe They’re Fast
This might be the most important sign of all.
Your child may never tell you, “I need speed training.”
They may simply say:
“I’m not good at this.”
“I’m always the slowest.”
“I can’t keep up.”
“I’m not athletic.”
That can affect much more than their performance.
It can affect their confidence.
I’ve worked with young athletes who weren’t having as much fun in their sport because they didn’t trust their own physical ability.
They were hesitant.
They were afraid to make a play.
They were constantly comparing themselves to faster athletes.
Then they started getting faster.
And something changed.
They started taking chances.
They started believing they could make the play.
They started enjoying their sport more.
That’s one of my favorite things about speed training.
The goal isn’t simply to make the stopwatch say a smaller number.
It’s to help a young athlete feel more capable.
Speed Is an Athletic Skill—Not a Personality Trait
One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter with young athletes is the idea that you’re either fast or you’re not.
That’s not how I see it.
Some athletes are naturally faster than others.
Absolutely.
But speed is also influenced by strength, coordination, mechanics, technique, body position, and the ability to apply force effectively.
Those are things that can be developed.
That’s why I don’t believe parents should simply accept:
“He’s just not fast.”
Or:
“She’s not a runner.”
Your child doesn’t have to become a track athlete.
They don’t even have to like running.
But if they play a sport that requires them to move quickly—and most sports do—learning how to run faster can give them an important competitive advantage.
Why August Is the Perfect Time to Work on Speed
Here’s another reason I’m talking about this now.
It’s August.
The new school year is starting.
The new sports season is starting.
And once practices, games, tournaments, homework and everything else get going, finding time to work on foundational athletic skills becomes much harder.
That’s why I like to work with young athletes before the season gets too busy.
We can focus on the fundamentals.
We can identify what’s limiting their speed.
We can work on running mechanics.
We can develop acceleration.
We can improve coordination and strength.
And we can give them skills they can take directly into their sport.
The goal isn’t to add more exhaustion to an already busy schedule.
It’s to make the training they do more valuable.
Give Your Athlete a Head Start This Season
If your child is getting ready for a new sports season, take a close look at their speed.
Ask yourself:
Are they as fast as they could be?
If you’re not sure, that’s worth finding out.
Because your child doesn’t have to wait until they’re struggling in games to work on speed.
They don’t have to wait until a coach tells them they’re too slow.
And they don’t have to spend another season wondering why other athletes seem to have an advantage they don’t.
Speed can be developed.
And when you develop it correctly, you aren’t just giving your athlete faster times.
You’re giving them more options.
More confidence.
More ability to compete.
And, hopefully, more fun.
That’s what I do as the RUN FASTER NOW Coach.
I specialize in helping young athletes become faster for their sports by teaching them the running and speed fundamentals that transfer to competition.
If you’re in Los Angeles and your child is heading into a new sports season, I’d love to help them start the season faster and more confident than they finished the last one.
The season is coming.
Let’s get them ready.
–Martise
The RUN FASTER NOW Coach
GreenRunner
Four-Time State Hurdle Champion
USC Division I Scholar-Athlete