Acceleration Training Tip #1: Foot Contact is Crucial

Acceleration Training Tip #1: Foot Contact is Crucial

Most athletes focus on leg drive and arm mechanics when working on their acceleration — but one of the most overlooked factors is where your foot contacts the ground. Get this wrong and you're leaving serious speed on the table before you even get started.

When accelerating out of your start, your foot should strike at the back of the ball of your foot. Here's why placement matters so much:

Too far forward (on your toes) and your contact is soft and unstable — you lose the ability to apply force effectively into the ground. Too far back (midfoot or heel) and your body position becomes too upright too early, robbing you of the forward lean and drive angle that acceleration demands.

The sweet spot — the back of the ball of the foot — allows your body to take full advantage of its natural elastic response. Think of it like a spring: you're loading and releasing energy with every step, maximizing ground reaction force and staying explosive throughout your initial strides.

The result? A faster, more powerful start that carries momentum through your entire acceleration phase.

Whether you're a team sport athlete, a track competitor, or a coach working with young athletes, dialing in foot contact is one of the quickest technical fixes you can make for immediate speed improvement.