Football is a game that demands hard hitting, power and strength. It is also a game that depends on speed and agility. Wide receivers must have the speed to get down the field and the agility to jump, catch a high pass and keep their feet inbounds when landing. All players need speed and agility and specially designed workouts can help players gain those characteristics.
Function
Football success is almost always determined by blocking and tackling. These are the building blocks of the game. However, blocking and tackling is not always about using raw strength and power to overpower your opponent. When blocking, it is about having the speed, quickness and agility to get to a spot before your opponent so you can screen him and keep him from tackling the ball carrier. As a result, coaches will ask all players to do speed and agility workouts that allow them to play quicker and faster and make more plays.
Significance
Building quick feet allows a player who knows what is expected of him on a particular play to get to the spot before the opponent. One of the most common ways of improving agility is for all players to do ladder workouts. In a ladder workout, a coach will spread out two rope ladders for players to improve their foot quickness. In the first workout, the ladder is set up in two rows of six. The player must jump with both feet in the first square on the left and then jump quickly to the first square on the right. From there he moves to the second square on the right and goes horizontally to the second square on the left. Continue through the ladder in this manner as quickly as possible. This builds leg strength as well as quickness. The second rope workout should be set up with one row of 10. Put a football at the end of the last rung of the ladder. The player sprints through the ladder, putting one foot in each square, picking up the football and then sprinting back.
Wide Receiver Agility Drill
Wide receivers need speed, jumping ability, hand-eye coordination and agility to be effective. In the sideline agility drill, the wide receiver runs 15 yards and then sprints hard to the sidelines. As he approaches the boundary, the quarterback throws a high pass near the sidelines. The receiver must jump high for the ball, catch it and tap one or two feet in the field of play to make the catch. Do this drill five times with all of the receivers.
20-Yard Shuttle Drill
Success in football may be determined by a player's ability to change directions quickly and maintain his speed. The 20-yard shuttle drill will help any player -- and especially running backs and defensive backs -- improve their agility and ability to change directions. Set up three cones over a 10-yard span. Start in the middle at the cone between the two that are stationed 10 yards apart. Sprint five yards to one cone, then reverse field and run 10 yards to the far cone, then run five yards to the cone in the middle. Have each player do this two to three times in practice.
Expert Insight
Knowing that you are faster, quicker and more agile than your opponent will give you a feeling of confidence every time you step on the field. It takes work and effort to get to that position. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice did speed and agility work throughout the offseason during his career by running hills. "I always knew I had to prepare as best I could every year," Rice said. "I knew what I had done in the past didn't matter to my opponents. I ran hills so I could be at my fastest and it worked because I didn't get caught from behind too many times."
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