Speed Training for Children in Dublin: How to Improve Acceleration in Young Athletes (Ages 10–14)

Author: Hao Yan

In team sports, speed is one of the most sought-after athletic qualities. Athletes who move quickly can create space, break through defences, and change the game. Research shows that explosive strength plays a key role in short-distance sprint performance (Comfort et al., 2014),especially during the critical early steps of acceleration. So it is no surprise that many parents ask:

“Why isn’t my child fast enough in games, even after all the sprints in training?”

It can be frustrating to watch your child work hard but still struggle to keep up. But the truth is, game speed is not just about natural talent or running laps — and certainly not just about more effort. The key lies in how we define, train, and support speed development in young athletes.

Speed Training Is More Than Just Running Fast

Many parents (and even some coaches) assume speed is about sprinting in a straight line. In reality, speed comes in multiple forms, including:

• Acceleration (starting from stillness)
• Transitional acceleration (speeding up while already moving)
• Maximum speed (top-end sprinting)
• Deceleration (slowing down quickly and safely)
• Change of direction or multidirectional speed

 

In this article, we focus on the most fundamental and trainable component of speed: acceleration, specifically how to improve it safely and effectively for youth athletes aged 10–14.

What Is Acceleration – and Why Is It So Important?

Acceleration refers to how quickly your child can go from stillness to movement, especially over short distances like 5 to 10 metres. In sports like GAA, football, rugby, athletics, hockey, and tennis, these quick bursts are constant.

There are two key types:

• Pure Acceleration: Starting from a complete stop (e.g. a sprint off the mark)
• Transitional Acceleration: Speeding up from movement or changing direction (e.g. breaking away from a defender)

 

In most youth sports, acceleration determines whether your child gets to the ball first, makes the tackle, or gets beaten to the play.

Why Isn’t My Child Getting Faster?

Your child’s speed depends on three key ingredients:

1. The ability to get into the right body positions
2. Enough strength and power to push off explosively
3. Smooth, efficient movement coordination

If one of these is missing, your child might appear slow, clumsy, or wobbly, but it is not due to laziness or lack of effort. It simply means their body has not yet developed the specific tools to accelerate powerfully and efficiently.

At Performance Dynamics, we use a proven approach called the 3P Model:

• Position – Can they get into the right posture to move fast?
• Power – Do they have the strength to produce force quickly?
• Pattern – Is their movement smooth, well-timed, and efficient?

 

Let’s break each one down.

Position: Getting Into the Right Shapes

 

What It Means:

Position refers to your child’s body posture, joint mobility, and control. To sprint well, they need to lean forward (around a 45° angle), push from behind the centre of mass, and apply force in the right direction.

What We Look For:

• Can they bend and extend their hips without losing posture?
• Do they land and absorb force with control?
• Is there enough hip, trunk, and ankle stability?

 

How We Train It at PD:

We start with safe, simple movements that teach landing, control, and positioning. Once the basics are there, we layer in more complex drills.

Example Exercises:

• Drop Landings (postural control)
• Glute Medius Activation (side-lying glutes)
• Anti-Rotation Core Holds
• Load and Smash Starts
• Step-Ups onto Boxes

 

What This Means for Your Child:

• If they cannot hold the right positions, they cannot apply force efficiently.
• We help them build stability and body awareness before pushing intensity.
• Moving well always comes before moving fast.

 

Power: The Strength Behind the Speed

What It Means:

Power is how quickly your child can produce force. Stronger muscles help push against the ground harder, which means faster acceleration.

But power is not just strength, it is also speed of movement.

 

How We Train It:

We develop strength gradually, using bodyweight and light resistance. We also introduce ballistic movements like jumping or medicine ball throws, research (Mangine et al., 2008) shows ballistic training can improve strength, and combining it with traditional weight training may boost muscle activation and max strength more than weight training alone.

 

Example Exercises:

• Goblet Squats (full range and technique)
• Romanian Deadlifts (hip strength)
• Dumbbell Snatch on a Box
• Acceleration-to-Ball Medicine Ball Drills
• Hurdle Leaps and Pogo Jumps

 

What This Means for Your Child:

• Strength training is safe when supervised and age-appropriate.
• Good technique builds confidence, coordination, and real-world speed.
• We do not overload growing bodies, we build smart, strong athletes.

 

Pattern: Putting It All Together

What It Means:

This refers to how well your child’s movements are coordinated, how each joint and limb works together during acceleration.

Think of it like dancing or music: the timing and order of movement are everything.

How We Train It:

We use smartly designed drills to teach the feel of acceleration, letting the body self-organise under the right conditions.

Example Exercises:

• Stick Acceleration Starts (front and back loaded)
• Resisted Acceleration with Bands or Sleds
• Sprint Starts with Constraints

 

We use principles of ecological dynamics, which means we guide the athlete without over-coaching, so they learn to solve movement problems naturally.

What This Means for Your Child:

• Sprinting is a skill, not just raw effort.
• We build movement patterns that transfer to sport.
• Drills are engaging, purposeful, and age-appropriate.

 

Key Takeaways for Parents

• Speed is not just natural talent, it can absolutely be trained.
• Acceleration is the most important part of speed for ages 10–14.
• We build it through our 3P model: Position, Power, and Pattern.
• Everything is tailored to young athletes, safe, effective, and fun.
• Our academy supports athletes in GAA, football, rugby, athletics, hockey, basketball and tennis, from Sandyford and across Dublin.

 

Want to Help Your Child Get Faster, Stronger, and More Confident in Sport?

 

If you’re looking for expert-led, age-appropriate speed training for children in Dublin, our Youth Athlete Academy provides a safe, structured environment for athletes aged 10–14. We focus on developing acceleration, strength, coordination, and confidence across sports like GAA, football, rugby, athletics, hockey, and tennis.

Click here to explore the Youth Athlete Academy

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What age should kids start speed training?
Children can start learning the foundations of speed at any age. At Performance Dynamics, we support athletes aged 10–14 with age-appropriate drills that build coordination, strength, and technique.

Can speed really be improved, or is it genetic?
Speed is absolutely trainable. While genetics play a role, acceleration relies on strength, coordination, and movement patterns, all of which can be improved through structured training.

Is strength training safe for children?
Yes — when it is properly coached. We focus on movement quality and full range of motion before adding load. Our sessions are developmentally appropriate and supervised at all times.

What sports benefit from acceleration training?
All major youth sports — especially GAA, football, rugby, athletics, hockey, basketball, and tennis rely on short bursts of speed and quick direction changes. Acceleration training improves performance in all of them.

Where do you offer youth speed training?
Our Youth Athlete Academy is based in Sandyford, and we work with young athletes from all across Dublin, including Dundrum, Stillorgan, Leopardstown, and surrounding areas.

Want to Help Your Child Get Faster, Stronger, and More Confident in Sport?

Visit our Youth Athlete Academy page to learn how we support young athletes with structured, safe, and effective training that builds game-speed, power, and resilience.

Click here to explore the Youth Athlete Academy

 

References:

Comfort, P. et al. (2014) ‘Relationships Between Strength, Sprint, and Jump Performance in Well-Trained Youth Soccer Players’, The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(1), p. 173. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e318291b8c7.

Mangine, G.T. et al. (2008) ‘The Effects of Combined Ballistic and Heavy Resistance Training on Maximal Lower- and Upper-Body Strength in Recreationally Trained Men’, The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 22(1), p. 132. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31815f5729.