Speed Training Tips For Football Players
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
Speed Training Tips For Football Players
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
In the highly competitive world of football, speed can be the difference between victory and defeat. Whether you’re a professional athlete or an aspiring young player, speed training is crucial to improving your game. In this post, we’ll explore the importance of speed training for football and share some effective drills to help you gain that competitive edge.
The Importance of Speed Training in Football
Speed is a critical element of football, affecting all aspects of the game from offense to defense. Speed training not only helps players outrun their opponents, but also improves agility, reaction time, and quick decision-making. This translates to better performance on the field, as players can swiftly change direction, evade tackles, and create scoring opportunities.
Furthermore, speed training helps reduce the risk of injury by improving muscle balance, flexibility, and joint stability. As a result, incorporating speed training drills into your routine can significantly enhance your overall football performance.
Speed Training To Improve Speed For Football
We have gotten feedback from many athletes who are struggling to improve their speed. Also, coaches have contacted us saying they are struggling to develop their athletes and get them the desired results. That is why we will share three speed training tips to improve your speed for football so that you can be educated on how to get faster.
Now that we understand the importance of speed training in football, let’s explore some specific speed training drills that players can incorporate into their training routines.
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Speed Training Tip #1: Focus On Your Running Technique
A critical point when it comes to sprinting is “arm action.” You want to move your arms as fast as you move your feet. According to Olympic champion Usain Bolt’s coach Glen Mills, “Arms should be loosely held at right angles and driven back at the elbow as far as possible. On the swing back forwards, pump your hands to shoulder level.”
In other words, you want to drive your arms back and forward for momentum. You can implement the drill below to fix your technique if you swing your arms side to side. Remember to keep your shoulders and arms relaxed.
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Here are 8 Important Tips For Proper Running Technique
- Good Posture With Head Up
- Keep Neck and Shoulders Relaxed
- Square Shoulders and Square Hips
- Bend Elbows at 90 Degrees
- Feet contacting the ground under your center of mass.
- Keep your feet under you while moving fast.
- Elevate your front knee high (“knee drive”) with every stride and straighten your back leg to deliver full power.
- As you pick up speed and momentum, begin lengthening your strides.
High Knees
Marching Skips
Kickout to High Knee to Butt Kick
Speed Training Tip #2: Resistance Training Is Key
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A study by “Frontiers in Physiology” proved resistance training enhances stride length.
There are a variety of drills you can do to increase your speed with resistance bands.
Resistance training involves using forms of resistance to improve strength and power. This type of training can help players improve their sprinting speed by increasing their muscle mass and improving their explosive power.
Through these drills, you activate your fast twitch muscle fibers which generate speed and power. Fast twitch muscles are essential for football players because they need fast, explosive power.
Resistance Band High Knee Sprints - 4x10 seconds
Resistance Band Sprints - 4x20 Yard Sprint
Resistance Band Speed Line Jumps Front To Back To Sprint - 4x10 Yard Sprint
Speed Training Tip #3 Add Plyometrics To Your Workouts
Plyometric workout routines are all about utilizing a max amount of force in a short amount of time.
There are many plyometric exercises you can do to increase your speed.
Plyometric jumps are explosive exercises that involve jumping and landing in quick succession. These exercises help to improve explosive power, which is essential for sprinting and accelerating quickly. Some examples of plyometric jumps include box jumps, single-leg hops, and depth jumps.
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Being fast and explosive is vital for all football players. Plyometrics help football players reach max strength and increased speed. A plyometric workout routine is an excellent modification to sprinting and helps improve agility and deceleration.
Plyometric exercises increase lower body power and increase fast-twitch muscle fibers. This will result in a greater stride length when sprinting. Below are two plyometric exercises to increase speed for football players that you can do to build explosiveness and speed.
Pogo Jumps to Sprint - 5 x 20 yard sprint (perform 3-5 pogos per set)
Lunge Jumps - 3x10 each leg
Triple Broad Jumps - 5 sets
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Use these speed training tips by adding these exercises to your training workouts.
In addition to these specific speed training drills, there are several strategies that players can use to maximize the effectiveness of their speed training.
One strategy is to focus on proper form and technique. Proper form can help players avoid injury and ensure that they are using their muscles in the most efficient way possible. When performing speed training drills, pay close attention to your form and make adjustments as needed.
If you need more speed training drills to do for your training, you can read some of our latest posts on “Sprint Workouts to Increase Speed for Football” and “At Home Speed Workouts For Football.”
Suppose you’re a serious football player looking to play at the next level. You can access our sports performance training programs, football drills, workouts, and the Gridiron Recruiting Center inside “The Gridiron Academy“ to help you with your football recruiting.
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Gridiron Elite Training was started to help educate and provide football players with a community to receive proper training and guidance.
We created “The Gridiron Elite Academy” which is an online football performance network that provides football players of all levels with sports performance workout programs, football position-specific drills, mindset coaching, mental toughness training, recruiting guidance and help, and nutrition programs.
