Sprint Workouts to Increase Speed for Football
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
Sprint workouts are important for you, as a football player, to increase speed for the field.
Although a game lasts 60 minutes, all football players need to be able to perform a series of sprints in every direction nearly every play.
As the game of football continues to progress and move at a faster pace, you need to be fast.
The average time per play is between 5-7 seconds and 25 seconds for the play clock.
Although you get a short time to rest between football plays, you need to be conditioned enough to sprint all out on every snap of the ball.
To reach your max sprinting ability, you need to be explosive, strong, and quick.
Then, how is this possible? This takes place in the off-season!
Sprint Workouts to Increase Speed for Football
A solid off-season football training program that includes speed training (speed workouts, sprint workouts, sprint training) strength training, and agility training.
Sprint workouts are 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 important, but sprint training is critical to showcase your athletic ability come game time.
Speed training should include speed workouts that focus on form, fast twitch muscle fiber recruitment, turnover, and knee drive.
Add these sprint exercises and workouts into your training to increase speed for football.
If you want the full speed workout plus more workouts for speed, agility, and explosiveness for you to incorporate in your speed and agility training, you can register for our free speed and agility workout series below.
Sprint Exercises - Speed Workouts 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 off that leg as explosive as possible.
- Bounding resembles a sprint but focusing 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 arms 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 a number (2, 3, or 4). As soon as you hear that number, strike your lifted leg down to the floor and drive the leg that’s on the ground up.
Repeat this action as quickly and powerfully as you can keeping your torso at a 45-degree angle and your foot dorsiflex.
Perform 4 x 7 seconds (goal is to call out at least 4 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 speed as you pass each cone.
Start by a 80% run through the first cone (10 yards).
Pick up speed 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 3 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 out into a 10-yard sprint.
- This sprint drill is great for developing acceleration, change of direction, and forward and backward movements.
- Perform 4 x 10 yard sprints (2 each direction).
![GoSports Agility Cones [20 Pack]](https://ejqb5uzbdxf.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/81qbSjfs3OL._SL500_.webp?strip=all&lossy=1&resize=500%2C500&ssl=1)
Hill Sprints
- Perform by driving your knees high, running on the forefoot (not heels).
- Control your breathing and focus on good form.
- As you approach the top of the hill, decelerate and 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.
Want to drop your 40-yard dash time, sprint faster, and become a better football player?
If you need more workouts to do for your speed training workouts, you can read some of 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 all of 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.
