Off-Season Speed Tip

Jim Kielbaso, MS, CSCS

While I was watching the Super Bowl, it was hard not to notice what a huge impact speed has on the game of football. Every year, I have the pleasure of watching a whole lot of high school football, and I always notice what a tremendous difference speed makes. It doesn’t matter what position we’re talking about, speed is a physical quality that can make or break a football game. The good news is that the long-held notion that speed can’t be coached is absolutely false – you can get faster.

I’m not saying that we can turn a slug into a cheetah, but there are certainly ways to make just about anyone faster.

At a recent conference, I spoke to a room full of coaches about the importance of starting a speed development program right now, during the off-season. If you’re a coach, you may have started to implement some new ideas. If you’re an athlete, I hope your coaches have a program in place for you. If you have nothing in place, don’t waste another minute - now is the time to take matters into your own hands and start getting faster.

Whether you’re preparing for an upcoming combine or simply hoping to make an impact next season, now is the time to improve your speed. It doesn’t matter what position you play, because getting faster will make a difference in your ability to play the game of football.

I know a lot of guys in my area have gotten a jump-start on their development because my training facility, the Total Performance Training Center, is jam-packed with athletes trying to reach their potential. If you don’t live near Total Performance and your team doesn’t have a program in place, there are a few things you can do to take matters into your own hands.

First, starting immediately, you should be strength training 2-4 days per week. If you aren’t already doing this, you’re losing ground because just about every football player who wants to get better is in the weight room religiously this time of year. And, don’t just lift weights so you look good at spring break. Your chest and biceps are going to look just fine if you follow a well-rounded program, but you should dedicate plenty of time to training your legs.

A lot of guys don’t like training their legs because it’s difficult. But, if getting better was easy, everyone would be an all-star. To be the best, you have to be willing to do things that other guys aren’t willing to do.

Second, you need to dedicate about 20-30 minutes, twice a week to a brief speed development program. Your speed training should take place BEFORE you engage in lower body strength training so your legs are fresh. A great time to perform this work is just before you train your legs. That way, you have plenty of time to recover from the strength training before your next speed workout.

Warm up with some jogging, backpedaling, shuffling, skipping and stretching for about 10 minutes before you begin intense speed work. Once you’re ready, simply perform a series of 8-10 short sprints with about one minute rest between sets so you can perform each rep with maximum effort. Good sprinting mechanics are absolutely essential, so make sure to get some help in that area if you’re unsure of your technique. Keep the sprints short (10-40 yards) and the intensity high. If you’re preparing for a combine, begin each rep from a good 40-yard dash start. If not, begin each sprint from your positional stance. This workout will be performed once a week.

For your second speed development workout each week, incorporate some agility work into the routine. After your warm-up, pick 2-3 drills that involve several changes of direction and some starting & stopping. The Pro-Agility Shuttle and 3-Cone L-Drill are good examples of this, especially if you’re going to a combine. Again, rest long enough between reps that you can perform each rep with maximum effort.

Can’t think of any agility drills? Just pick a letter of the alphabet, pretend like it is on the ground in front of you, and run that pattern. If you have enough room to incorporate some of the movement patterns you use on the field (for example, receiving routes, drops into coverage, etc.), by all means put them in the drill.

Remember, NOW is the time to develop your speed. If you wait until 2-a-days this summer, someone else is going to have an advantage over you. Always keep in mind that someone else is out there right now, getting better. Start now and everyone else will be playing catch up.