How fast you can sprint plays a large part in how well you perform on the field when you play football. A wide receiver sprinting up the field to get open for a pass and a defensive player running down the player with the ball to tackle them are possible situations in which how well you can sprint plays a significant impact on achievement. Increasing your sprinting speed requires leg strength, or the ability of your legs to produce a significant amount of force; leg power, or the ability of your legs to produce force quickly; and effective sprint technique.
Speed Training
Step 1
Build up your leg strength. Get in the weight room and develop your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes. All of these muscles work together when you sprint. Building a strength base is necessary before starting more power and sprint specific training. Complete three or four exercises of eight to 10 repetitions of squats, lunges, step-ups, deadlifts and calf raises. Train three days a week with at least a day of rest off in between workouts for eight weeks.
Step 2
Build up your leg power. After eight weeks of building leg strength, incorporate power exercises into your routine. Plyometric exercises, such as jump squats, cone hops and depth jumps, and Olympic weight training exercises such as hang cleans, jerks and the snatch, are used to develop your leg power. Power exercises teach your muscles how to contract with force and at a high velocity, just as they’re required to do while sprinting. Three sets of six exercises should be completed for each exercise. Use power exercises two days a week, though not on your days of rest from weight training.
Step 3
Complete sprint workouts that are specific to the sport of football. It’s very rare for a football player to have to sprint more than 40 yards at a time. Training at distances you normally sprint during sport will transfer better to performance enhancements when you play football. Therefore, complete sets of sprints at 5, 10, 20 and 40 yards. Do 10 repetitions at each distance, with 10 to 20 seconds of rest in between each repetition. Use cones to mark out your distances. Sprint workouts should be done twice a week.
Tips and Warnings
- When weight training to build general strength, concentrate on your form and building the amount of weight that you can lift. Perform the exercises slowly and under control. Power and sprint workouts should be completed at the highest speeds that you can. You must train your legs to contract quickly.
- Prior to any workout, be sure that you warm-up properly. Perform five minutes of cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging or riding on a stationary bike. If you’re going to be completing power or sprint exercises, it’s suggested that you also complete some more challenging warm-up activities, such as jumping rope or squat jumps without additional weight, so that your muscles are adequately prepared for the intense workout.
Things You'll Need
- Cones
- Weights
- Plyometric boxes
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