Flying 20 m Sprint: Work Out Your Speed

Students measure their top speed over a 20-meter flying zone after a 20-meter build-up and convert it to kilometers and miles per hour. They compare flying speed with their speed over the first 20 m from a standstill to understand the phases of a sprint.

How to play

1. Mark two back-to-back 20-meter sections with different colored cones: acceleration and flying zone (3 min).
2. Groups of four: runner, acceleration-zone timer, flying-zone timer and recorder (1 min).
3. Each student runs 40 m all out twice, with three minutes of recovery walking back (9 min).
4. On the worksheet, calculate the average speed for each section in m/s and in km/h by multiplying by 3.6, and in mph by multiplying by 2.24 (4 min).
5. Compare both sections and connect the difference to the acceleration and top-speed phases (3 min).

Rules

• A specific warm-up with at least three build-up runs is required first.
• The slowdown zone has 20 m clear of people and objects.
• Timers stand off to the side, lined up with the cones.
• Anyone who feels a twinge in the thigh stops without finishing the run.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: calculates their wheelchair speed over the same sections.
• Visual impairment: runs with a guide and a partner reads out the results.
• Injury: does the calculations for the whole group and suggests comparisons with other sports.

Learning goals

• Tell the acceleration phase apart from the top-speed phase.
• Calculate speeds and convert units from their own data.
• Assess their own speed objectively.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 18
• stopwatch: 14
• worksheets: 28

Teacher tip

Hand timing over the flying zone has a fair amount of error; if you have extra students, use two timers per section and average them. Comparing their speed with an elite sprinter's is very motivating.

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