Various running drills can help runners and athletes across different sports improve key abilities like speed, running form, and overall efficiency.
Drills such as A-skips and high knees, for example, are excellent for reinforcing good running mechanics. They’re often used in dynamic warm-ups to activate muscles and prepare the neuromuscular system for the workout ahead.
One of the most effective speed-focused drills for runners of all levels is the floating sprint. Whether you’re a sprinter or a long-distance athlete, floating sprints are a powerful tool for building speed and sharpening neuromuscular coordination.
A floating sprint is a structured sprint workout that alternates between short bursts of all-out sprinting and controlled “float” segments, without allowing for a full recovery. This continuous variation trains your body to maintain rhythm and speed under fatigue.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to perform floating sprints, explore their benefits, and share sample workouts so you can start incorporating them into your training to boost your running speed and efficiency.
What Is a Floating Sprint?
A floating sprint, also known as a float sprint, is a type of speed work training for running used most commonly by sprinters, track and field athletes, and athletes from other sports, such as soccer, football, basketball, and ultimate frisbee.
Floating sprints are often used in a “sprint float sprint” workout format, which is more commonly referred to as “ins and outs” sprinting by some running coaches.
Typically, the sprint-float-sprint workout involves sprinting all out or accelerating to top speed for a certain distance, then easing up or relaxing to feel like they are “floating while running” before hitting maximum velocity and sprinting again.
The float sprint speed or effort level is generally about 90-93% of your maximum sprinting velocity and effort, so it’s not vastly easier than an all-out sprint.
Think about relaxing your jaw, shoulders, hands, and so on, and envision yourself “cruising” rather than “crushing” the distance with full-out effort.
The specific distances for floating sprint drills will depend on the athlete, sport, and goals.
However, because maximum sprinting speeds are typically included in floating sprint drills, the total distance of a floating sprint is generally short.
For example, the athlete might accelerate for a 20 to 30 meter sprint and then try to hold maximum sprinting velocity until the 50m mark on a track and then relax the pace (decelerate) with a float sprint for the next 10 to 20 m before accelerating back to maximum velocity to finish 100m for the total float sprint drill distance.
A sprinter who runs longer distances, a middle-distance runner, or a soccer player might do a total distance of 300 meters for a sprint float sprint drill.
He or she would start at the straightaway, accelerate for the first 30m or so, and try to hit maximum velocity by sprinting through the first part of the turn.
Then, float sprint for 25 meters or so before accelerating through the rest of the final turn and sprinting all the way to the finish line.
Distance runners or endurance coaches often try to associate sprint float sprint or floating sprint workouts as the sprinting counterpart of fartlek workouts.
The term “fartlek“ is Swedish for “speed play “ and involves a runner deliberately changing his or her pace in a continuous run by throwing in hard intervals and then easing up the pace before beginning the next surge or hard interval.
There are some similarities between fartlek workouts for distance runners and floating sprints. Still, aside from changing running speeds and effort levels without stopping, there isn’t much overlap between fartlek and float sprint training.
During a fartlek workout, the differences between the pace and effort level between the “on” or hard intervals and the “off” or recovery intervals are drastic.
The runner should really feel like they are downshifting and easing up significantly on the pace and effort level. A coach or someone watching the runner could visually see a difference in stride rate (cadence) and running velocity.
In contrast, with a floating sprint, the difference in float sprint speed versus maximum sprinting velocity or acceleration into maximum sprint speed is very nuanced.
The runner should feel a little more relaxed, but a floating sprint is still a sprint, indeed.
The sprinter should be sprinting hard while float sprinting, but just pulling back a hair or two on the effort level; again, the floating sprint should be about 90-93% of the effort and sprinting speed.
A trained coach who works with the athlete regularly would likely be able to see a difference in the float sprinting mechanics and running speed.
On the other hand, a regular spectator would probably be unable to detect much difference during the float sprint portion of a floating sprint sandwiched workout in which the athlete alternates between floating sprints and all-out sprints.
Again, this is because there typically isn’t a significant difference in running speed between floating sprints and strides, or max velocity sprints.
What Are the Benefits of Floating Sprints?
#1: Improve Speed
Float sprints help increase sprinting speed, the ability to accelerate, and how to run at nearly max velocity without tensing up, all of which can improve sprinting biomechanics1Mero, A., Komi, P. V., & Gregor, R. J. (1992). Biomechanics of Sprint Running. Sports Medicine, 13(6), 376–392. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199213060-00002 and performance.
#2: Condition the Neuromuscular System
While floating sprint drills certainly fall under the umbrella of speed training and can help you run faster, a float sprint session is incredibly demanding for the nervous system.2Ross, A., Leveritt, M., & Riek, S. (2001). Neural Influences on Sprint Running. Sports Medicine, 31(6), 409–425. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200131060-00002
Shifting gears with such precision requires tremendous coordination, a mind-body connection, and, of course, neuromuscular firing when sprinting at maximum velocity.
Although the float sprinting we described is somewhat vague in terms of distances, many coaches prescribe very specific points or distances for an acceleration, sprint, and float sprint throughout an in-and-out workout or float sprint repeat.
This requires the runner to stay focused and shift gears incredibly quickly since most of the floating sprints are very short. You have to get the nervous system firing and shift gears super fast.
Additionally, because you are engaging in maximum-speed sprinting, your nervous system is being challenged to coordinate your running stride and cadence as quickly as possible, which is neuromuscularly taxing and can improve acceleration and sprinting speed.
#3: Teach Athletes to Switch Gears
Much like fartlek workouts, another benefit of floating sprints is that they teach the athlete to switch gears quickly and throw in surges even when they are tired.
Adding floating sprints to your speed training can also help you discover that you can dig deeper and reach faster speeds or more “levels” of sprinting while racing.
You can train different energy systems3Magida, D., & Rodriguez, M. (2023). Energy Systems. Human Kinetics Canada. https://canada.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/energy-systems(ATP/PC system vs anaerobic glycolysis) with different floating speed intervals and surges.
In this way, they may also help improve repeated sprint ability4Bishop, D., Girard, O., & Mendez-Villanueva, A. (2011). Repeated-Sprint Ability – Part II. Sports Medicine, 41(9), 741–756. by improving the efficiency of energy systems and the nervous system.
#4: Are Modifiable
One of the most common questions coaches and athletes ask is: “How long should a floating sprint be?”
Although 20-30m is standard, floating sprint distances can be tailored to the athlete and goal.
When to Use Floating Sprints In Training
Floating sprints are most effective when used early in a training cycle or during a speed development phase, when the goal is to enhance leg turnover, running economy, and neuromuscular coordination.
Here are the ideal times to include them:
#1: Early season or base building phase
Use floating sprints to develop leg speed and power without accumulating the fatigue of more extended intervals. They’re great for priming the nervous system and refining running mechanics before adding more demanding workouts later on.
#2: After an easy run or as part of a warm-up
Floating sprints can be used pre- or post-run 1–2 times per week for turnover work. They help reinforce good form and cadence without the strain of a full sprint session.
#3: In place of traditional strides
More dynamic than strides, floating sprints serve a similar purpose: improving speed and coordination. They’re ideal for runners preparing for shorter races (5K to 10K) or those sharpening their leg turnover in marathon preparation.
#4: As a workout on a speed-focused day
Combine floating sprints into a structured session to focus on raw speed, fast mechanics, and sprint endurance.
Example: 6–8 x (30m sprint / 30m float / 30m sprint) with full recovery in between each set.
A key consideration is to avoid scheduling floating sprints too close to race day. Since they involve sprinting, it’s best not to use floating sprints in the final taper weeks, especially before a long-distance race, to avoid residual fatigue or injury risk.
To learn more about the sprinting drills, check out our next guide:
