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Flying 10 Sprint: How to Train and Time Your Top Speed

Updated · Fact checked

Most football speed work starts from a stance, so it trains acceleration. A flying 10 starts already moving. You build up over 20 yards, hit the first cone close to full speed, and then sprint all out through a 10 yard zone. Only that zone counts.

That makes it a simple way to train top speed and to time it. Sprint coach Rad Misko, writing for SimpliFaster, calls the 10 meter version (about a yard longer than 10 yards) "the only simple and cost-effective way" to measure max running speed.

Unlock Your Top Speed: Flying Sprints Explained for Athletes and CoachesMatt Tometz

How to do it

  1. Mark it out

    Set a start cone, a second cone 20 yards away and a third cone 10 yards past that. The zone between cones two and three is your flying 10.

  2. Build up

    Start from a jog or a standing start and build speed over 20 yards, tall and relaxed, so you are near full speed at the second cone.

  3. Sprint the zone

    Run all out through the 10 yard zone with hips high and loose hands, and keep sprinting through the last cone before you slow down.

  4. Walk back and rest

    Walk back slowly and take the full rest before the next rep. Time each rep if you can and write it down.

Sets and reps
4 reps: 20 yard build-up, then max speed through a 10 yard zone, 3 minutes rest between reps. 3 reps for offensive and defensive linemen and in season.
Equipment
Three cones (start, start of the zone, end of the zone), A stopwatch, phone video or timing gates (optional), A flat, open 40 yard space
Muscles and skills
Full body
Used in these 440 plans
Wide Receiver, Defensive Back, Athlete

Coaching cues and common mistakes

Coaching cues

  • 20-30 yd build-in, hit top speed at the cone
  • Tall, hips high, front-side mechanics
  • Stay relaxed - loose face and hands

Common mistakes

  • Straining and tightening up
  • Decelerating before the end cone
  • Build-in too short

Make it harder

  • Flying 20

Why the build-up matters

Top speed takes a while to reach. From a standing start, research on team sport athletes puts it somewhere around 30 to 40 meters into a sprint. A 10 yard start (about 9 meters) ends long before that, so it trains acceleration, not max speed.

The 20 yard build-up gets you rolling before the zone starts. Do the math, though: 20 yards plus the 10 yard zone is 30 yards, about 27 meters, a little short of that 30 to 40 meter range. So the zone is fast running close to your top speed, not a guarantee that you hit your true max. Run the build-up hard but smooth. Straining and tightening up is one of the mistakes 440 flags on this drill, so stay loose from the first step.

Who runs it

440 gives flying 10s to every position on max velocity days, but they matter most where long speed decides plays. Receivers need it to run past a corner, which is why it sits in the wide receiver training plan. Corners and safeties need it to stay on top of those routes, see defensive back training, and athletes who might play either side get it too.

FAQ

What is a good flying 10 time?

It depends on age, size and position, so compare yourself to yourself. Time the 10 yard zone with a partner or timing gates, keep the same build-up and surface every session, and watch the trend over a few months.

How long should you rest between flying 10s?

440 rests 3 minutes between reps. The rest is long on purpose, so every rep can be fast.

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Sources

  1. Maximal Sprint Speed: Evaluating 10m Flys Under Different Conditions (Rad Misko, April 29, 2024), SimpliFaster
  2. Assessment of Linear Sprinting Performance: A Theoretical Paradigm (Brown, Vescovi & VanHeest, J Sports Sci Med 2004;3:203-210; Division I female soccer and lacrosse players), PMC / Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
  3. Effects of the Flying Start on Estimated Short Sprint Profiles Using Timing Gates (Jovanović et al., Sensors 2024;24(9):2894), PMC / Sensors (MDPI)

Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.