Developing a Specific Training Program to Improve 200-meter Sprint Ability for Middle School Students in Chaozhou City

Runjia Weng; Chanchai Siriphan

doi:10.60027/iarj.2026.e293351

Authors

Runjia Weng Bangkokthonburi University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4265-1112
Chanchai Siriphan Bangkokthonburi University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9981-655X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e293351

Keywords:

Specific Training Program, 200 Meter Sprint Ability, Middle School Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Sprinting plays a central role in youth physical education in China, with the 200-meter sprint serving as a key component of entrance assessments at both middle and high school levels. Despite its importance, training programs in many schools remain repetitive and lack a scientific foundation, often failing to incorporate event-specific principles. Current approaches are largely generic and do not adequately address the unique physiological and technical demands of the 200-meter sprint. Consequently, students struggle to achieve substantial improvements in their sprinting performance. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and evaluate a structured training program designed to improve the 200-meter sprint ability of middle school students in Chaozhou City.

Methodology: This research was mixed-method research. The population of this research was 1,860 students and 24 physical education teachers from four middle schools in Chaozhou. Through the purposive sampling method, a total of 40 students from Zhengrong Middle School were selected as a sample group and participated in a 200-meter sprint test; their performance times were recorded. After that, 40 students were divided into two groups using the systematic sampling method. The training was conducted in 8 weeks, three times per week, and 60 minutes per session. To evaluate 200-meter sprint ability, this research used the sprint start reaction test, the 30-meter running test, the 100-meter curve running test, and the 200-meter sprint test. In this research, mean, standard deviation, independent t-tests, one-way repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc were used to analyze the data.

Result: The results showed that all ability indicators in the experimental group improved significantly at the 0.05 level compared with the control group. Sprint start reaction time decreased from 0.26 seconds to 0.24 seconds. The 30-meter running time was reduced from 5.08 seconds to 4.64 seconds. In the 100-meter curve running, times improved from 14.25 seconds to 13.75 seconds, and for the 200-meter sprint, times decreased from 27.99 seconds to 27.26 seconds. In addition, within the experimental group, all ability indicators demonstrated significant improvements across each stage (pre-test, mid-test, and post-test) at the 0.05 level.

Conclusion: The findings confirm that the developed training program effectively enhanced the overall 200-meter sprint performance of middle school students in Chaozhou City.

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