While football is often believed to be a sport of strength and power, coaches also emphasize speed and agility for players, even linemen. The National Strength and Conditioning Association describes speed as the ability to cover a particular distance in a minimal amount of time, while agility is the ability to shift directions quickly with minimal loss of speed. Players can improve football performance by working on speed and agility drills.
General Sprint Speed
You can improve general sprint speed by performing repeated high-intensity runs, followed by complete rest. The 40-yard dash is a common distance used for assessment in NFL training camps. Improve 40-yard dash sprint speed by performing 10 high-intensity repetitions of this distance, with three to five minutes of rest between each one.
Speed Ladders
Speed ladders work to train both speed and agility. Speed ladders are most effective when performed at the beginning of a workout, when athletes are fresh. Countless foot patterns can be used to train agility, and the trick is to be both creative and football-specific when designing a ladder workout. One common ladder drill is to place one foot in a ladder-segment followed by the other, and continue to this pattern as fast as you can through the whole length of the ladder.
Cone Drills
Cone drills improve both speed and agility, especially for receivers learning to run routes. A very simple and effective drill, according to the Sports Fitness Advisor, is to perform figure runs. Set up two cones to act as the start and two cones 25 meters away to act as the finish. Set up two more cones in between and 10 meters to the side, so the athlete has to make a sharp cut when sprinting through.
Assisted Sprints
Assisted sprints train football players to run at a higher stride frequency and accelerate more quickly from the start. Two simple and effective ways to perform assisted sprints are to run downhill or to run with the wind at your back.
Resisted Sprints
Resisted sprints add a strength and power component to speed training and train muscles to fire much faster once the resistance is removed. Add resistance to a sprint workout by using a partner-pull band or a sprint parachute. Resistance training is most effective when there is transfer, the National Strength and Conditioning Association says, so remove the resistance mid-workout so you can feel the difference between the two conditions.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle, editors; 2008
- Sports Fitness Advisor: Sample Agility Exercises
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