Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Tips for running faster in the sports day relay: from baton passes to running form!

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

When it comes to relays, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’re one of the most exciting marquee events at a sports day! While it’s common for people confident in their speed to take part, the fun—and the challenge—of a relay is that you can’t win on individual speed alone.

In addition to each runner’s pace, smooth baton passes are crucial for relay speed.

In this article, we’ll share tips for running faster in relays, touching on basic sprinting form as well as baton passing, which is the key to success in relays.

Practice is essential for improving your baton pass, but we’ll also introduce tips you can implement right away just by being mindful—so please use them as a reference!

Baton Pass (1–10)

Don’t switch the baton

Even beginners can do it! How to pass the baton in a relay [Baton Pass] Relay

Don’t switch the baton

The final baton-pass tip is not to switch hands after receiving the baton.

As I’ve mentioned several times in this article, strong arm drive is crucial for running fast, and switching hands can hinder your arm swing.

To avoid that, the baton should be passed alternately: the first runner uses the right hand, the second the left, the third the right, and so on.

Practice this repeatedly as a team so you can execute smooth baton passes even during competition!

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Other tips (1–10)

Up to now, I’ve introduced tips for running faster in relays, such as form, running technique, and baton passing.

Finally, I’ll share a few more relay tips that I couldn’t cover earlier.

Some will be effective just by keeping them in mind, and others can be used strategically, so please use them as a reference.

Keep the same pace until the end.

In a team relay, it’s easy to get carried away with the desire to win and go all out from the start, but it’s also important to focus on maintaining your pace through to the end.

You’ve probably seen scenes at past sports days where someone leans too far into their eagerness and their legs get tangled, or they run out of stamina in the latter half and slow down.

Staying calm and running without mistakes so you can pass the baton securely to the next runner is also crucial in a relay.

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When running on the outside, gently move to the inside before the corner.

In a relay, since you run on a track, it’s advantageous to take the inside on the bends.

However, if you’re still some distance from the corner and running on the outside, suddenly switching to the inside line right before the turn can cause you to slow down or risk colliding with other runners.

Therefore, as the corner approaches, gradually moving toward the inside allows you to watch the other runners and smoothly take the inside line.

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Overtake on the straights; don’t overtake in the corners.

Lastly, let’s talk strategy: where to make your pass.

As mentioned in the first half of the article, you often can’t build much speed in corners, and if you don’t have the inside lane, overtaking from the outside is tough.

So, if you’re not strong in corners, it’s better to give up on passing there and go all-in on the straights.

Conserve your energy through the corners without forcing it—just enough not to fall behind—and then make your move all at once once you hit the straight.

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In conclusion

We’ve thoroughly introduced tips for running faster in a relay, focusing on a few key points.

In addition to techniques that can change your form and running style just by being mindful individually, we also explained baton passing—the most crucial part of a relay.

Use this article as a guide, practice with your team, and aim for victory in your relay!