The 5 Main Mistakes Why You Aren't Getting Faster on the Field

You’re putting in the work. You’re hitting the track, you’re grinding in the gym, but that game-breaking speed you’re chasing just isn’t showing up on the pitch. It’s one of the most frustrating feelings for an athlete.

The problem often isn't a lack of effort—it’s that the effort is being misplaced. After working with hundreds of athletes, I see the same five mistakes blocking their potential for raw, usable speed.

Let’s break them down.

Mistake #1: You’re Training Conditioning, Not Speed

This is the most common error. You confuse being "gassed" with having a good session. If you’re doing sprint work with 30-second rest periods, you’re no longer training pure speed; you’re training your body to be slow, repeatedly.

The Why: Maximal velocity sprinting is a high-powered, neural activity. It requires your central nervous system (CNS) to be fully recovered to fire on all cylinders. A landmark study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has shown that full recovery of the phosphagen system (your body’s fuel for short, powerful bursts) can take 2-5 minutes between reps.

The Fix: For pure speed development, your rest periods need to be long. A good rule of thumb is 1 minute of rest for every 10 meters sprinted. So, for a 40m sprint, rest at least 4 minutes. Use this time to walk back, hydrate, and mentally prepare for the next rep.

Mistake #2: You’re All Effort, No Technique

Sprinting is a skill, not just an act of willpower. Pumping your arms wildly or over-striding doesn't make you faster; it wastes energy and brakes your momentum with every step.

The Why: Efficient technique allows you to apply more force into the ground in the right direction. Poor technique leaks power.

The Fix: Focus on the big three:

1. Posture: A strong, tall, forward-leaning torso from the ankles, positive shin angle. 

2. Arm Action: A crisp 90-degree elbow swing from cheek to cheek (back pocket to chin), not across the body.

3. Leg Action: "Piston-like" leg action—driving the knee up and punching the foot down and back under your hips.

   
   

Mistake #3: You’re Not Getting Enough Sprint Exposure

You can’t get better at something you rarely do. If you only sprint at max intent during games, you’ll never master the skill. The body adapts to the specific stimulus you provide.

The Why: Speed is a skill that requires high-quality, high-intent repetitions to ingrain efficient motor patterns and stimulate neurological and muscular adaptations.

The Fix: Prioritize quality over quantity. Two focused sprint sessions per week with full recovery, focusing on perfect technique at 95-100% effort, will do more for your speed than slogging through daily, tired runs. You can break this up on one acceleration day (hill sprints) and one max velocity day. 

Mistake #4: You’re Missing the Foundation (GPP & Periodization)

You can’t run a race car with a bicycle engine. General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is that engine—it’s your base level of strength, work capacity, and resilience. Trying to build speed on a weak foundation is a recipe for plateaus and injuries. You wouldn’t throw a novice athlete under a heavy back squat if they’ve never back squatted before. The same applies to sprinting. 

The Why: Without a solid strength base, your body lacks the force production capability to propel itself faster. Without periodization (structuring your training into phases), you’re just randomly exercising, not building toward a peak.

The Fix: Dedicate time in the off-season/in-season to building a robust strength and sporting exposure base. Then, structure your year so you transition from general strength to power, and finally to sport-specific speed. If time is an issue, micro dosing and chasing small goals can be very effective when training speed. Tempo runs, 10-20 yard dashes, plyometrics are all very effective and safe at building up the foundation you need.

Mistake #5: You’re Training Wrong in the Gym

The gym is your workshop for building the tools for speed. But if you’re only doing slow, bodybuilding-style lifts, you’re building a strong—but slow—athlete.

The Why: Speed is explosive. Your gym work must develop your Rate of Force Development (RFD)—how quickly you can produce force.

The Fix: Integrate explosive movements into your strength training.

• Strength:  Mid range Heavy Squats, Hip Thrusts, and Step Up’s build the engine.

• Power: Plyometrics (box jumps, bounds) and Olympic Lift variations (clean pulls, kettlebell swings) teach that engine to fire rapidly.

The Bottom Line

Getting faster isn't about working harder; it's about working smarter. By fixing these five critical errors—prioritizing rest, honing your technique, increasing your high-quality exposures, building a strong foundation, and training for power in the gym—you’ll stop spinning your wheels and start seeing the explosive results you deserve on the field.

Ready to apply these fixes with a structured plan? [Link to your Contact Page or Coaching Services]

Source: Tomlin, D. L., & Wenger, H. A. (2001). The relationship between aerobic fitness and recovery from high intensity intermittent exercise. Sports Medicine, 31(1), 1-11.