Many football training programs put a great deal of emphasis on strength training, and game-related skills practice (blocking, passing, etc.). But performance tests have shown time and time again that the most successful players are not only the biggest, or the ones who can throw or catch well; the best football players are fast. Therefore it is important to include relevant speed workouts in a comprehensive football conditioning and training program.

Football speed workouts should emphasize explosive speed and acceleration in order to help a player practice for game day situations. The greater an athlete’s overall leg strength and the more quickly his muscle fibers are able to contract to propel him along the field, the better equipped he will be to make lightning fast movements when necessary.

For increases in general leg strength, a good resistance training program is essential. The good news is that most serious football players are already spending a significant amount of time lifting weights in the gym. Working out all of the major leg muscles in turn and together (with compound exercises like weighted squats, lunges, or leg presses) will give an athlete more power potential. The stronger he can push off of the ground with each stride, the more powerful his movements can be.

Strength training alone, however, is only the first step in training for explosive power. Football speed workouts should also include some plyometrics exercises. These exercises incorporate compound movements (like squatting or lunging) with power push offs, or jumping. Incorporating some plyometrics into a training routine will resurt in faster muscle contractions, and help translate a player’s raw strength into fast, powerful movement.

Football speed workouts can include sprint sets, but should focus much more on acceleration than distance or top speed. In a football game an athlete rarely runs even 30 yards; which means that he will likely never reach top sprinting speed on the field. The more quickly and powerfully a football player can begin a run, and his speed of acceleration, are the most important considerations when developing effective football speed workouts.

Tags: football conditioning, Football Speed Workouts, leg muscles, leg strength, speed workouts, strength training

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 11:58 am and is filed under Football Speed Workouts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.