The 40-yard dash is a combine and football test more than a track event, but it is one of the most searched speed benchmarks, and it rewards acceleration above all. Average times come down through the teens as athletes get stronger and learn to drive out of the start. The numbers below are typical for developing athletes. Here is how the average moves with age and what separates average from good.
The 40 is over before most athletes reach top speed, so it is almost entirely a start and acceleration test. Average times drop through the teens as athletes build the strength and drive-phase mechanics to leave the line hard.
These are typical times, not the marks that turn heads at a combine. A fast high school 40 is well under the age-18 average here, around 4.6 for boys, which is genuinely quick. Hand timing also runs faster than electronic.
Acceleration work and a strong, patient drive phase, the same things that make a fast 100 start. Standing up too early out of the stance is the most common time killer.
Average shows the ballpark. Film your start from the side, the AI grades your drive-phase angle and first steps, and shows whether you are standing up too early, the most common cause of a slow 40.
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Typical boys' times by age, girls' times in the table below. The 40 ends before top speed, so it is a start-and-drive test.
Typical developing-athlete times. Hand-timed.
| Age | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6.5 s | 6.9 s |
| 12 | 5.9 s | 6.4 s |
| 14 | 5.5 s | 6.0 s |
| 16 | 5.1 s | 5.8 s |
| 18 | 5.0 s | 5.6 s |
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
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