Your kid isn't slow. Nobody's shown them how to run.
3 free drills I use with sport kids aged 8โ16 to fix balance, posture and push off. Plus my Running Red Flags checklist. 10 minutes in the backyard.
Running is a skill. Nobody teaches it.
Nobody would hand a kid a ball and say "just kick it harder" without ever showing them how.
But that's exactly what we do with running. Run faster. Try harder. Get fitter. That's all most kids ever hear.
So they work twice as hard, leak speed on every stride, and get caught by kids they know they're quicker than.
That's not a slow kid. That's a misfire.
These 3 drills are where I start with every kid I coach.
Here's what a misfire looks like
Red is where the speed leaks out. Green is the fix. Swipe through ๐
Drill 3 in the free videos is the push off fix.
What you get
- Drill 1: BalanceSingle-leg control, so every stride lands strong instead of wobbling.
- Drill 2: PostureStand tall, like you're drawing a bow. Stops the speed leaking out the hips.
- Drill 3: Push OffDrive into the ground, don't fall over it. This is where the speed is.
- Bonus: Running Red Flags checklistSpot what's holding your kid back from the sideline in 2 minutes.
3 short videos. Watch them together, pick 1, keep it fun.
Real kids. Real results.
Here's what happens when kids are finally shown how to run.
Working hard and leaking speed on every stride. Push off was the biggest leak, so we fixed that first. No new fitness. He was shown where the speed was leaking, and his body did the rest.
Watch Alex's session
Bowie's before and after
Sore calves every game and a kid getting frustrated all the time. One session on his mechanics.
"As a father it was hard seeing your child getting frustrated all the time. We didn't want a band-aid fix like all the other experiences we have had in the past. The biggest benefit is his running: in one session Mick was able to tweak his running mechanics, and we saw his pace improve."
Carlo, Noah's dad
Watch Noah's story
She'd been told she couldn't run. By her coach, by her peers, and by her mum. We filmed her, measured her running properly and coached the technique. She could run, and she ran well.
Ten minutes into the session, her mum was almost in tears watching what her daughter was actually capable of.
Watch Lilly's story
He walked in shuffling, breathing like he was in a sprint finish. We fixed his posture and push off so he stopped shuffling, then his breathing.
Then he was told he hadn't made the squad for next season. Most boys spiral. He walked into his next session composed. He's now one of the best players in the lunchtime games at school, because he's the calmest kid out there.
Watch Marcus's story
I'm Coach Mick
Myotherapist, running coach, and an ex elite rugby union player.
Nobody ever taught me how to run. I was fast and powerful, but I was tight, always injured, and 3 knee reconstructions later my rugby was done.
I've spent 20 years coaching and treating 10,000+ clients so that doesn't happen to your kid.
"I don't want your kid to run harder. I want them to run smarter."