Football players are dependent on speed, strength, quickness, athletic ability and a penchant for making quick decisions. While all of these factors are important when it comes to being successful in the sport, players who break into the open and run away from the competition seem to make the most dramatic plays. Players can exercise and do drills to improve their speed.
Hill Training
This exercise was used by Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Walter Payton. By running up hills during the offseason, Rice, Payton and other football players not only increased their strength and endurance, they increased their ability to run away from defenders in the open field. Run up a hill 200 feet at top speed and then take a 30-second break. Continue running up the hill another 200 feet. Go back down to the bottom and then repeat the hill running. Do this four times a week during the offseason.
Chute Training
Adding resistance while you run will force you to work harder to keep up your top speed. Doing this three to four times per week will increase your overall speed. Go to your local high school or college track an line up ready to sprint 100 yards. Put on a portable chute. You will wear it over your back as if it were a backpack. A coach or teammate will hold the chute and help it unfurl when you start to run. On the coach's signal, you will start your sprint. You will feel a strong pulling as you run and your instinct will be to stop or at least turn around. Resist that urge. Sprint the 100 yards, then return to the starting line and repeat the drill.
Box Jumping
The most explosive muscles when it comes to sprinting speed and vertical jump are the calf muscles. You can increase your speed by box jumping. Place a 14-inch box in the middle of the floor--no walls that you can touch--and stand to the left of the box. Jump over the box so you end up to the right of it. Jump back over it so that you end up on the left. Do 10 complete side-to-side jumps. Then get behind the box and jump over the top of it so you are in front of it. Then jump backward so you end up in the original position. Do 10 front-and-back jumps as well. Do this three or four times per week.
Member Comments