Free Football Speed Training

In football, the fastest players on the field often have the most success, since the game remains speed based. Therefore, all players should attempt to improve their speed as much as possible, as this can improve the player's overall ability. Players can complete a number of different drills to improve their overall speed without it costing them any money whatsoever, as football teams already have any needed equipment.

Acceleration Phase Training

When playing football, you want to accelerate to top speed as quickly as possible. A good method of improving your acceleration involves attaching a sled to yourself and then running for 10 yards. After you have completed one resisted run, you can complete a normal sprint. You will do this six to 10 times during your workout, while taking about one minute of rest between reps. The sled should weigh about 15 percent of your overall mass. If your team does not have a sled, you can attach a tire or another object with a mass of 15 percent of your body weight to yourself to provide this resistance.

Power Training

The more powerful your legs become, the faster runner you will become. Power comes through both functional strength and the speed at which these muscles contract. You can become stronger by doing basic strength training exercise like squats and leg extensions. You can improve the speed of your contractions by doing plyometrics exercises. These exercises focus on things like explosiveness, jumping, kicking, hopping and bounding, as each of these improves the speed at which your leg muscles contract without costing anything.

Acceleration Mechanics

If you do not know how to sprint properly, you will probably have trouble improving your overall speed. Even after you have become a more powerful runner, you must drive off the balls of your feet, lean your whole body forward, keep your strides short, pump your arms and keep your head square while you accelerate to maximize your speed. Practice these techniques over the first 10 to 15 yards of your sprint to help with your acceleration for free.

Top Speed Mechanics

Once you reach top speed, you must continue to land and push off from the balls of your feet, as flat-footedness will slow you down and lower your top speed. You can then lean forward a little bit less and make your strides longer as you finish your acceleration. Remember that you do not want to push away from the ground, but rather keep relaxed as you run. Your head should also remain still and your arm motions should become less noticeable. Practice this technique every time you run, and you should begin seeing improvements to your 40-yard dash times for no cost.