More than 30 young athletes joined seven FAST Kids coaches for a morning of sprinting, agility, movement and fun — and we’ll be doing it again in January.
Aranda was looking particularly good on Friday morning.
A beautifully prepared grass oval, a warm Canberra spring morning and more than 30 children ready to run made for a great return of the FAST Accelerate School Holiday Clinic.
Seven FAST Kids coaches were on hand for the morning, allowing us to create smaller groups, keep children moving and, most importantly, actually coach.
There was sprinting. There was agility. There were races, challenges, plenty of encouragement and more than a few smiles.
For us, that combination matters.
Accelerate is designed to show children that serious coaching can still feel like fun.
Learning how to run fast
Children run all the time.
They run at athletics. They run at football training. They run on a basketball court, hockey field or playground.
But being asked to run fast and being taught how to run fast aren’t quite the same thing.
Accelerate introduces children to some of the fundamental movement skills behind sprinting and acceleration in an environment appropriate to their age.
We aren’t trying to turn a school holiday morning into an elite training camp.
We are introducing good habits.
How can we accelerate better? How do our arms contribute when we sprint? How can we move quickly and confidently? Can we react, change direction and control our bodies while moving at speed?
The coaching principles come from the same understanding of running that underpins FAST’s performance programs.
The delivery is very different.
It needs to be.
These are kids.
Seven coaches. More than 30 children. One FAST community.
One of the best things about Friday wasn’t a particular drill or race.
It was the atmosphere.
With seven FAST Kids coaches working with more than 30 children, Aranda felt alive.
Smaller groups allowed coaches to interact with the children rather than simply supervise them. Kids could receive encouragement and technical guidance while still having plenty of opportunities to run.
Some children already had athletics experience. Others came from different sports. Some were naturally confident movers; others were still discovering what their bodies could do.
They didn’t all need to be at the same level.
They just needed an opportunity to participate.
That is an important part of FAST Kids.
Running Excellence isn’t reserved for the fastest child in the group.
For a young athlete, excellence might mean learning something new, becoming a little more coordinated, having the confidence to race somebody beside them or simply finishing the morning wanting to come back and do it again.
A clinic built around kids
There are plenty of ways to fill hours of a school holiday.
Accelerate isn’t intended to be hours of childcare with some running added.
We deliberately focus the clinic on quality rather than duration.
Children are there to move.
The coaches are there to coach.
And the activities need to keep young athletes engaged without turning every minute into formal instruction.
That balance is important.
We want children listening when there is something worth learning, competing when there is something worth chasing, laughing when something is fun and getting plenty of opportunities to actually run.
The result on Friday was exactly the environment we want Accelerate to provide.
Not just for athletics kids
You also don’t need to be a FAST athlete — or even an athletics athlete — to attend Accelerate.
Speed and movement belong to almost every sport.
Football. AFL. Rugby. Hockey. Netball. Basketball. Touch. Cricket. Athletics.
A child who learns to accelerate more effectively or becomes more coordinated at speed takes those skills with them.
For children who do enjoy athletics, Accelerate provides an introduction to the principles they can continue developing through FAST Kids and, as they get older, our broader FAST Running programs.
For everyone else, becoming a better runner is still a useful skill.
Community, fun and Running Excellence
FAST has grown considerably, but we don’t want growth to mean losing the feeling that brought many families to us in the first place.
Friday was a good example of what we want that community to look like.
Children training together.
Coaches who genuinely want to be there.
Parents around the edge of the oval.
Plenty of energy.
Good coaching without unnecessary pressure.
And an environment where children can take what they are doing seriously without everything becoming too serious.
That is our version of a school holiday speed clinic.
Community. Fun. Running Excellence.
Missed this one? Accelerate returns in January 2027
Friday’s clinic might be finished, but the next one isn’t far away.
FAST Accelerate will return during the January 2027 school holidays in Canberra.
We’ll publish the date and registration details once they are confirmed.
If your child loves running, wants to become faster for their sport, is interested in athletics, or simply enjoys being active and learning new skills, Accelerate is designed to give them a positive introduction to quality sprint and agility coaching.
Girls and boys are welcome. Children from all sports are welcome. You don’t need to be an existing FAST member.
And you certainly don’t need to arrive as the fastest kid there.
You just need to arrive ready to have a go.
Friday gave more than 30 children that opportunity on a beautiful spring morning at Aranda.
In January, we get to do it again.
FAST Accelerate School Holiday Clinic
Sprint | Speed | Agility | Movement
Canberra | January 2027
Serious coaching can feel fun.
Running Excellence grows.
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