Sprint Workouts to Increase Speed for Football
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
Sprint Workouts to Increase Speed for Football
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
Sprint workouts are essential for you, as a football player, to increase speed on the field. Although a game lasts 60 minutes, all football players need to be able to perform a series of sprints in every direction in nearly every play. As the game of football continues to progress and move at a faster pace, you need to be fast.
If you’re looking to improve your performance on the football field, there’s no denying the importance of having good sprinting ability. Whether you’re trying to outrun a defender, chase down an opponent, or simply keep up with the pace of the game, being able to run quickly and efficiently is essential.
But what does it take to develop that kind of sprint speed and explosiveness? How can you train your body to move faster and more efficiently on the field? That’s where a good sprint workout comes in.
At its core, a good sprint workout is simply a training session that focuses on improving your ability to run at top speed. This can involve a variety of exercises, including sprints of different lengths and intensities, as well as drills that help improve your acceleration, agility, and overall running mechanics.
A Good Sprint Workout: Things To Keep In Mind For
When it comes to sprint workouts for football players, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First and foremost, it’s important to focus on exercises that will help you build the kind of speed and explosiveness that’s most useful on the field. This might include things like hill sprints, interval training, and plyometric exercises that work on explosive movements like jumping and bounding.
Additionally, it’s important to tailor your sprint workouts to your specific position and playing style. A wide receiver, for example, might benefit from more agility-focused drills that help them change direction quickly and evade defenders. A defensive lineman, on the other hand, might focus more on building raw power and explosiveness to help them get past blockers and make big plays.
Sprint Workouts For Football To Run Faster
A solid off-season football training program includes speed training (a good sprint workout, sprint workouts, sprint training), strength training, and agility training.
A good sprint workout is worth it, do not neglect to work on your speed!
Some football players tend to focus on increasing their bench press or squat, which is essential, but sprint training is critical to showcase your athletic ability come game time.
Speed training should include sprint workouts focusing on form, fast twitch muscle fiber recruitment, turnover, and knee drive.
Add these sprint exercises and workouts into your training to increase sprint speed for football.
Suppose you want a good sprint workout plus more workouts for speed, agility, and explosiveness to incorporate into your speed and agility training. In that case, you can register for our free speed and agility workout series here.
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Sprint Workouts : Improve Speed For Football
Bounding
- Perform by jumping off one leg. You want to jump as far as you can off that single leg.
- When you land, land on the opposite foot and drive as explosive as possible off that leg.
- Bounding resembles a sprint but focuses on exploding off the ground.
- When you complete the sprint drill, the muscles of your leg coming into contact with the ground should quickly decelerate your body. The energy is built up in your muscles before changing into the following bound.
- The less time you can spend on the ground and the more power you can create, the better the drill for maximum results.
- Perform 3 x 25 yards sprints.
Wall Drives - Alternating
Begin with your torso at a 45-degree angle, standing arm’s distance away from a wall.
Start with one leg up at hip level with your foot dorsiflex right under your knee.
Have your teammate or parent call our number (2, 3, or 4). As soon as you hear that number, strike your lifted leg down to the floor and drive the leg on the ground up.
Repeat this action as quickly and powerfully as possible, keeping your torso at a 45-degree angle and your foot dorsiflexing.
Perform 4 x 7 seconds (the goal is to call out at least four numbers per set).
Build Up Sprints
Start by placing a cone at the start, 10-yard, 25-yard, and 45-yard mark.
The goal is to pick up your sprint speed as you pass each cone.
Start with an 80% run through the first cone (10 yards).
Pick up your sprint to 90% and run through the second (15 yards).
Sprint through with a max effort sprint through the last cone (20 yards).
Finish by decelerating and slowly bringing your feet to a stop at the last cone.
- Perform three total sprints.
Cone Shuffle Sprint Drill
- Perform shuffling around the cone as quickly as possible.
- Stay as tight to the cone as possible when shuffling around the cone.
- As you approach the last cone, keep your feet moving, and explode into a 10-yard sprint.
- This sprint drill is excellent for developing acceleration, change of direction, and forward and backward movements.
- Perform 4 x 10-yard sprints (2 in each direction).
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XGEAR Speed Agility Training Set - Indoor Outdoor TPE Adjustable Rungs Agility Ladder, Resistance... | Buy on Amazon |
Hill Sprints
- Perform by driving your knees high, and running on the forefoot (not heels).
- Control your breathing and focus on good form.
- As you approach the top of the hill, decelerate, walk back down, and repeat.
- Hill sprints are great for strengthening running muscles, increasing stride power, and building conditioning.
- As a challenge, begin on the ground for a get-up sprint (react on a clap or go call).
- Perform 10 x 10-yard sprints.
Ready For A Good Sprint Workout?
Of course, a good sprint workout is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving your performance on the football field. It’s also important to focus on things like strength training, conditioning, and proper nutrition to ensure that your body is in peak physical condition.
But by incorporating some of the best sprint workouts for football players into your training regimen, you can take a big step towards becoming a faster, more explosive, and more effective player on the field.
Want to drop your 40-yard dash time, sprint faster, and become a better football player?
If you need more sprint workouts, you can read our latest posts on the “Speed and Agility Training Workout For Football” and “Best Speed and Agility Cone Drills For Football.”
If you’re a serious football player looking to play football at the next level, you can access our sports performance training programs, football drills, and 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.
