Football fitness conditioning needs to encompass the short bouts of movement and rapid direction changes that are inherent to the sport. Football is an anaerobic sport, which means that sprint training and short drills are the best medium for increasing on-the-field football performance. Anaerobic fitness is the opposite of aerobic fitness, and relies on stored energy within the muscles--distance running, which is aerobic, will not prepare a football player for the rigors of the game.
Receivers and Defensive Backs
Receivers, defensive backs and safeties, although opposing each other on the field, have almost identical fitness requirements. Long sprints while running routs, cutting and jumping, will often make these athletes run hundreds of routes per game at full speed. Conditioning for this type of position requires plenty of repetition practicing the routes they will run or defend during the game. Sprint training, intervals or "suicides," short distance drills and footwork drills will drastically increase these players' performance.
Running Backs, Line Backers and Special Teams
Running backs and special teams players need to approach football with the understanding that power, agility and speed are all needed to excel in their position. Power needs to be developed in the weight room through traditional power-lifting movements (squats, hang cleans, lunges and step-ups, to name a few). Football agility for cutting, direction change and overall body awareness, called proprioception, is developed through a combination of sport-specific drills, position-specific drills and on-the-field speed training. Common practices include weight sleds, resistance harnesses, box jumps and tackling dummies.
Linemen
Offensive and defensive linemen are the unsung heroes of the game. These "big guys" need to have size/weight, quick feet, power and strength. Linemen have the lowest distance training needs of all the positions, so their positions do not require a lot of running, but they do need to have very powerful legs and excellent hand-eye coordination. The amount of full-body activity, such as blocking and rushing the quarterback, calls for power-lifting in the gym, a significant amount of sled and pushing drills on the field, and footwork training. Linemen must be able to initiate contact and break away to create a play; without a combination of quick feet, balance and upper body strength, they will just be taking up space on the field.
Field Fitness
Football fitness and conditioning is a fun and very physical way to train. There are few field sports that require a combination of speed, power, agility, strength and core control. As athletes, football players need to understand that just bench pressing and tackling will not be enough. The rapid cutting and footwork needed calls for a true warrior athlete mentality. Many of today's professional football players no longer train with traditional methods, and instead utilize the latest in sports performance training, such as core conditioning, functional training and kettlebell training, to name just a few.
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