The short answer
The average 40-yard dash for a 12-year-old is about 5.9 seconds for boys and 6.4 for girls, hand-timed. A good time at 12 is under 5.6 for boys and 6.0 for girls. The fastest 12-year-olds in the country run 4.9 to 5.0 and 5.2 to 5.4 on a hand watch.
Key takeaways
- Typical 12-year-olds: 5.7 to 6.2 for boys, 6.1 to 6.7 for girls, hand-timed
- An untrained 12-year-old running from a standing start is usually 6.3 to 7.3
- Under 5.3 for a boy or 5.7 for a girl is a fast time that stands out at a youth combine
- Laser timing reads 0.2 to 0.3 slower than a hand time; compare like with like
- At 12 the start and the first ten yards decide the time more than top speed does
What is the average 40-yard dash for a 12-year-old?
Twelve is the age when the 40 first shows up in a kid's life: a youth football camp, a soccer testing day, a coach with a stopwatch at the end of practice. Almost none of those times are laser-timed, and almost none of the kids have been taught to start. Among 12-year-olds who get timed, a typical boy runs about 5.9 seconds and a typical girl about 6.4, and the middle half of the group sits within a quarter second of those marks.
The chart splits the age into tiers so a parent or coach can place a specific kid rather than compare them with one average that describes almost nobody.
40-yard dash benchmarks at age 12 (hand-timed)
| Tier at age 12 | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| First timed 40, no sprint training | 6.3 - 6.8 | 6.8 - 7.3 |
| Typical (plays a running sport) | 5.7 - 6.2 | 6.1 - 6.7 |
| Good (top quarter of the age) | 5.4 - 5.6 | 5.8 - 6.0 |
| Fast (top 5 percent, stands out at a combine) | 5.1 - 5.3 | 5.5 - 5.7 |
| Elite for the age | 4.9 - 5.0 | 5.2 - 5.4 |
Hand time versus laser time
Every number on this page is hand-timed from the athlete's first movement, the way a coach with a stopwatch at practice does it. Laser or electronic timing, the NFL combine standard, starts the clock earlier and reads about 0.2 to 0.3 seconds slower for the same run. A hand-timed 4.8 is roughly a laser 5.0.
Source: NFL Scouting Combine timing procedure; coaching practice
Ages 11, 12 and 13 side by side
The 40 drops fast through these years because leg length and stride frequency are both improving. A boy who runs 5.9 at 12 will usually run about 5.7 at 13 without changing a thing, which is why a time from last year is not a fair benchmark for this year.
The 40-yard dash at 11, 12 and 13
| Level | Age 11 (B / G) | Age 12 (B / G) | Age 13 (B / G) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical | 6.2 / 6.65 | 5.9 / 6.4 | 5.7 / 6.2 |
| Good for the age | 5.65 / 6.05 | 5.5 / 5.9 | 5.3 / 5.8 |
| Elite for the age | 5.15 / 5.55 | 4.95 / 5.3 | 4.8 / 5.2 |
What is a good 40-yard dash for a 12-year-old boy?
Under 5.6 is good and under 5.3 is fast. A 12-year-old boy running 5.0 on a hand watch is one of the quickest kids in his state for the age and is usually already winning 100m races at USATF meets. The typical band, 5.7 to 6.2, describes a boy who plays sports and has never been coached to sprint; it is where most future high school athletes are at 12.
What is a good 40-yard dash for a 12-year-old girl?
Under 6.0 is good for a 12-year-old girl and under 5.7 is fast. Girls and boys are close at this age, roughly half a second apart at the typical level, and a fast 12-year-old girl beats most of the boys on her team. The gap widens from 14 as boys add strength, so a girl should be measured against the girls' column, not the boys' one.
How these numbers were built
- Population. Athletes who were timed in a 40 at a practice, combine or testing day, drawn from published youth combine results, high school testing data and coaching records. A child who has never sprinted from a stance is usually slower than the first-time row.
- Typical band. The middle 50 percent of that population for the age, rounded to a tenth.
- Good, fast, elite. Roughly the top 25 percent, top 5 percent and top 0.5 percent of the age.
- Timing. Hand-timed from first movement. Subtract nothing; if your time came from a laser, take about 0.25 off before you compare it here.
- Cross-check. The bands were checked against the same athletes' 100m times using the standard 40-to-100m relationship, so a 5.0 boy and a 12.8 100m boy land in the same tier.
How a 12-year-old takes two tenths off
- Learn a real start. Most 12-year-olds stand up on the first step. A proper three-point or staggered start with the weight forward is worth a tenth by itself.
- Drive, do not pop up. The first five steps should push the ground back with the body at a lean. Kids who are upright by step three lose the race in the first ten yards.
- Arm action. Elbows at 90 degrees, hands from cheek to hip. Crossing the arms over the chest slows the legs.
- Film it from the side. A single clip shows the pop-up, the arm cross and the short steps. At 12, seeing the fault once fixes it faster than any drill.