Football Speed & Agility Training Workouts

Football is a game of intense physical activity involving strong, fast and athletic players. Training for speed and agility is essential for any football player, regardless of position. Players with superior speed and agility will often outperform players with superior strength. Training for speed and agility does require some strength training, however.

Strength Training

Powerful legs are essential for speed on the football field. Strength training is important for producing powerful legs. Power cleans and squats are two major lifts for increasing strength. Both lifts involve a barbell and should be done with a spotter to help with lifting in proper form.

Power cleans won’t increase muscle size, but will help tone your fast-twitch muscles. These muscles are essential for producing explosive and powerful legs. Squats help increase your leg size and strength. Consult with a trainer on the proper techniques of each lift.

Footwork Drills

Football agility is the ability to change direction quickly. Elusive football players are valuable because they are hard to tackle and block. Football players with above-average agility also tend to have above-average footwork. Small training spaces and simple equipment can be used to increase footwork significantly. Speed ladders are used by many football teams for improving players’ footwork. Dot drills are also very popular and effective training drills. Dots in the pattern of a five on dice are marked where the drill will take place. Players must make their feet perform a fast and complex motion.

Running Mechanics

Training smarter rather than harder can also enhance speed and agility. Improving running mechanics will help increase speed and agility without modifying your training routine. Leaning your body forward when running is a simple modification that increases acceleration. Drive your feet off the ground with the balls of your feet instead of the heels or toes. Keep your head still.

Conditioning

Practice your new running mechanics when conditioning. Football is a game of short bursts of intense activity followed by small resting periods. These short bursts occur throughout the game. Sprint at a distance similar to the average play, about 20 yards, and then rest for the average amount of time between plays, about 30 seconds. This will get you body acclimated to game conditions. Find a way to run uphill if possible. Legs will get a better workout when running uphill rather than on flat ground.

Considerations

Train your legs often, but not every day. Legs will burn out eventually if you train them too hard. Allow proper resting time so your legs will be strong for the next workout. Allow at least one day of rest between workouts. Training legs on back-to-back days will increase the chance of injury because of fatigue. Tired legs might lead to improper lifting techniques. Serious injury can occur when lifting with an improper technique.

References

• Sports Fitness Advisor: Speed Training for Football
• BodyBuilding.com: Sport Specific Training for Football