Football games are won and lost in the fourth quarter. Both teams are exhausted mentally and physically, and the unconditioned body starts to break down. There are two things that can give you an edge over an opposing player. You can make yourself quicker than him, and you can outlast him on the field.
Five Cones
Most football positions will rarely, if ever, reach their top speed on the field. What football "speed" really means is quickness and acceleration. If you can react faster, and cover 15 to 20 yards quicker than the player across from you, then you will have a definitive edge over them. For this exercise you will need a total of five field markers, and a level, open area approximately 20 yards long. Set each marker down at 5 yard intervals, staggering them 10 yards apart from each other. Starting from the first marker, sprint to the closest one, plant, sprint back, sprint to the next one, plant, and sprint back. Continue this until you've reached every marker five times.
Four Cones
The ability to react on the fly without having to think can widening the athletic gap between you and an opposing player. For this exercise you will need a partner, four field markers, and a level field with 40 square yards of open area. Set one marker as your starting spot, place the other markers in a perpendicular line 15 yards away from the starting marker, and allow 10 yards between each. Your partner will yell out random numbers from one to three, and you will sprint from your starting spot, to that marker, then back, after which he will yell another number, and you will repeat the process.
The Gut Buster: Part 1
Football is the only sport where on the same play you can sprint, fall, get up, plant, change direction, jump, and hit someone all inside of 10 seconds. To condition yourself for this, you have to recreate it. This exercise will consist of three steps, and should not be taken lightly. You will need two field markers, and a level open area approximately 40 yards long. Set a marker at each end of the field, and stand next to one of them. Start running in place, fall to the ground face first, catch your fall with your arms, then get back up as quickly as you can and jump into the air. Do 10 repetitions of this movement.
The Gut Buster: Part 2
After doing 10 "up downs," take one large step forward with your right leg, bending your front knee until your thigh is parallel with the ground. Bring your back knee down until it is roughly one inch from the ground, and then repeat the step with your left leg. Continue this movement until you have gone the full distance to the next field marker. Once there, lay on the ground facing up and do 25 ab crunches, keeping your hands down at your sides with your palms facing the ground.
The Gut Buster: Part 3
After the crunches, bend your knees at a 45 degree angle, lift your legs slightly, and point your toes outward so they are just barely touching the ground. Bring your knees back, keeping the same angle, keep your shoulders to the ground, and tilt your hips backward doing a reverse crunch. Stop when your knees are just in front of your chest, then slowly your toes back down so they are just brushing the ground. Do this 25 times, then jump up as quickly as you can. Finish the exercise by sprinting the 40 yards back through the first marker.
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