Some cameras have a mode that is a sort of electronic motor drive. These sometimes use a smaller image size or higher compression, but might help capture that action shot you have been trying to get. Be careful with some of these techniques. Some cameras will capture the image whether they have properly set the various parameters or not- that is, half depressing the shutter and waiting does not necessarily mean that the camera will successfully capture a good image. Once the capture has begun the rest is pretty much up to the camera s design.
Some cameras have a decent sized buffer that shortens the time between shots dramatically.
Some cameras have a hard time dealing with larger cards and so will benefit from a smaller card. There are some cards that operate faster than others in some cameras. Again, aks current owners of your camera what works for them. A 640x480 image of the shot you needed is better than not getting the shot at all with the camera set to 1280x960. This one is a reach, but it might be worth an experiment.