Improving spriniting performance?

Question

I'm doing Little Athletics this year (my chosen center is Randwick Botany) Any suggestions how I can improve my sprinting? I'm already fats but I wish to be faster. Food, exercises and any training ideas would be good :)

And also if you have any advice on getting rid of nerves then please tell me! I'm also getting sprinting shoes next tuesday. Is it the same as running in non-sprinting shoes? Does it feel any different?

Thanks in advance.

- Tara xx

Answer 1

running shoes are much better there lighter so u can easily pick up your feet to become faster sprint straight aways on a track and jog curbs keep doing that and you'll have crazy speed

Answer 2

well i posted this on another similar question:

always try to sprint a longer distance than you want to clock. do include 200m sprints in your training to improve your max speed endurance.

also, go to the gym. train specific muscles vital in sprinting, namely hamstrings, quads and calves.

do lots of tuck jumps, frog jumps, jumping up the stairs etc to improve the initial spring off from the starting block.

arm movement is also important. stand with one foot infront and one foot behind, lean forward as if you're going to sprint off. then carry small dumbells and imitate the arm movement as when you're running. do it as fast as you can 1 minute. do a few reps.

for shoes, if you're running on the track, get spikes. ie shoes with spikes at the bottom. short dist spikes only have spikes on the front half. long distance spikes have one at the heel.

nerves are good. i always depend on nerves and adrenaline for the extra speed boost and alertness. dont get rid of it. =)

Answer 3

Fisrt, the shoes. A sprinter shoe is different from a distance shoe. A distance shoe will have some sort of a heel, whereas a sprinter shoe has nothing. Make sure you check your shoes for that before you buy. Also, make sure you check different sprinter shoes. You want the lightest shoe you can possibly find. A sprinter shoe will feel lighter on your feet, nothing more.

Getting rid of nerves is something you learn with doing. I've been running track before I started middle school and nerves just go away with time. If the starting gun scares you, the try to be near it when it goes off.

Depending on what sprint you do - 100m, 200m, or 400m, you can train. If you run 100m dash, always train running a 200m dash. It builds endurance and speed so running a 100m will seem eaiser. Same with the 200m dash, only you run a 300m. If you run 400m, then run two laps. Also, time yourself in a 100m so you can improve time. Be careful though, sometimes your wind-aided and sometimes the wind works against you.