Exercises For A Runningback

In American football, running backs are positioned in the offensive backfield, near or behind the quarterback. The primary function of the running back is to carry the ball down the field, gaining yardage from the line of scrimmage. In addition, running backs serve as a second offensive fortification, blocking for the quarterback against the oncoming defensive line. The combination of running, evading, hand-off receiving and blocking requires an eclectic set of skills. Included among a good running back's attributes are strength, speed, flexibility and focus. Certain exercises common to all levels of play -- from youth to professional -- build up and sharpen these traits.

Strength

The very nature of the running back's job is to overpower oncoming defensive players, particularly in the RB's blocking capacity. Developing and increasing strength in the legs and upper body are key to performing this role adequately. For weight training, a player should consider leg workouts like half squats, upper body resistance with the bench press and abdominal core training by means of lateral pull-downs. Calisthenic drills should involve interspersing sprints with pushups, mountain climbers, crunches and heel touches. These should be done in rapid succession until exhaustion.

Speed

While speed can often follow strength training, it is not necessarily so. Excessive weight training may slow down the contraction of muscles, and it is the rapidity of the contraction that can make all the difference when trying to escape the grasp of a defensive tackle. Plyometric exercises are reputed to enhance the velocity of muscle contraction. Best known of these explosive exercises is the vertical leap, jumping high from a squatted position. Jumping on and off a box from both forward and lateral positions is also effective. Tuck jumps -- lifting knees to chest in mid-air -- and bounding over rings placed on the floor are more advanced plyometric techniques.

Flexibility

Making the first down or, better, crossing the goal line is not always a matter of how fast an RB can run. Sometimes it is a question of how the body can elongate to reach the point of destination. For scenarios like this -- not to mention the crucial issue of injury prevention -- the RBs must keep muscles and tendons as supple as possible. Athletic trainers and players will sometimes incorporate foam rollers into stretching routines to give added massage to particularly tight locations. Abductor stretches from a hands and knees position, lifting one bent leg laterally is an often forgotten but necessary stretch. Additional stretches include calf stretches with hands pushing flush against the wall, glute stretches from a lying down position, and hamstring stretches from a lunge position.

Mental Focus

Focus and mental toughness are mandatory for an RB. Not only must the player have a clear plan of execution and destination, he must also possess the presence of mind not to telegraph that information to the defensive line. Drills for maintaining ball security and for evading oncoming tacklers -- the zig-zag drill -- keep the mind centered of the primary task of advancing the ball down the field. Utilizing cones for directional change, the zig-zag drill tests the players ability to achieve the proper stance when turning. In the same fashion, ball security pressure points -- the mind being point one -- must be memorized if fumbles are to be minimized.