How to Get Faster for Football

Watching Broncos Return man Eddie Royal take a punt and a kick to the house last night just reaffirmed the old adage when it comes to football – Speed Kills.

 

With all the football training info out there, you’d think it would be easy to figure out how to get faster for football. However, it isn’t. Well…it is, but not in the way most think.

For those who read this site, you’ll know that many-a-thing about the world of  strength training for football pisses me off. But, if there’s one thing that reaaaaalllly makes my head explode, it’s the topic of football speed training.

Why?

Well, because of an all-too-big group of “speed coaches” on the internet, players are led to believe that in order to get faster for football is to run around in some stupid parachute, jump around in “strength shoes,” or tow their teammates around like idiots.

You know what all that stuff is? Work avoidance.

 

Running with a parachute is fun…it’s cool looking. You feel like you’re doing something high tech and cutting edge. And, after all, Nike and UnderArmor have plenty of slick ad campaigns showing male models running around through cones while towing a parachute and wearing a space helmet. “It looks soooo cool, coach! I must work!”

 

Just because someone looks good doing something doesn’t mean it’s effective!

It’s funny. I see how many people land on this site after Googling “how to get faster for football.” Then, I get an angry email.

Therein lies the problem. Most young players are unwilling to accept the following fact about speed training for football:

 

• How strong you are and how much strength training you do determines how fast you are.

 

If you’re one of those people…if you landed here and you expect to get advice on what color parachute will make you faster or you’d rather hear about the latest UnderArmor shorts that will have you jumping higher, then…

 

either get ready to learn how to really get faster for football by working hard or get the hell off of this page.

 

We are about making football players faster, not running through cones in the hopes of looking good. The people who read this site are hard-core and dedicated…I don’t want my name or the names of any of my readers associated with losers who don’t work hard. So, make your choice now.

 

Simple, eh? Guess not since no one seems to get it.

 

Want to get faster for football? Here’s 4 Simple Ways…Check these out, then learn how to build Insane, Blazing Game Speed for Free at the end of the article.

 

1. Train Your Hamstrings Like Your Life Depends on It.

 

Your hamstrings and glutes are your football speed muscles, not your calfs. Not your pecs. It’s all about the hams.

Exercises like Deadlifts, Snatch Deadlifts, Box Squats, Romanian Deadlifts, Kettlebell Swings and Power Cleans are what build football speed. Not running over hurdles in a tinfoil hat.

But, that’s why no one likes to hear what I have to say. What’s harder…

                                                  or

 

 

 

 

 

Just looking at the build of the guys in those two pictures tells you a lot. I’d much rather try to block the idiot in the hurdle picture.

Your hamstrings must be worked with heavy, low rep sets.

• Exercises like Box Squats, Front Squats, Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, and Power Cleans can be done either for multiple sets of low reps, i.e., 8 sets of 3 reps.

Or,

• You can work up to a heavy single, double or triple. These movements should be the focus of your strength training program. Do them first and THEN go on to the accesory work.

 

2. You Must Train Your Legs Dynamically

 

Building crazy stength in your legs is the first step in getting faster for football. But, as many a disapointed lifter has found out, it’s not the only one.

You must also work your legs in a dynamic way…or, simply put, you must do speed-specific exercises. No, I don’t mean “speed exercises” where you run with a vest on or pulling your teammate around.

I’m talking about speed exercises in the weightroom.

Things like:

 

• Box Squats
• Kettlebell Swings
• Cleans
• Snatch Pulls
• Box Front Squats

 

You must, after a certian point, add chains or bands to the bar as well. This is not for the beginner, so we’ll save that for later. But, the point is, you must train for speed. How do you do this?

3 or 4 days after your heavy leg day, you do a speed day. Simply use your main exercise for the day, i.e., Box Squats, and do them for speed. Take about 60% of your max Box Squat and sit back and explode off the box as fast as humanly possible…then go a little faster. Keep rest periods short (around 60-seconds)

Do this for 12 sets of 2 reps. I know; sounds easy. But, by set 6 the “WTF” factor comes into play.

There’s been debate over using the Olympic Lifts in place of Dynamic Effort. There’s no debate. Use both and shut up about it. Power Cleans and Power Snatches are great ways to build…hmmm…POWER!

Follow up your speed work with accessory work for the legs and lower back in a more moderat rep range.

 

3. You Must Build Starting Strength

 

Remember that kid you used to play sandlot football with…he was fast but when he went out for football, he never made it. Wanna know why? Beause he was fast after a 10 yard ramp up. He had no starting strength. Starting strength is a fancy way for saying explosiveness. Know when the announcers talk about a guy’s “explosive first step?” They’re talking about starting strength.

Too many football players lack this. If you’re a lineman and you don’t have sufficent starting strength, forget it. You’re done.

Building this type of strength is actually very uncomplicated…though it’s not easy. It, of course, takes hard work and balls.

There’s 3 ways to build crazy starting strength -

 

   1. Deadlift and Pulls off the Floor and Box Squatting

   2. Squat from a Dead-Stop the Bottom of the Rack

   3. Squat/Pull with lots of band tension added to the bar

  

Starting to see a pattern here? How many times have I already mentioned Squats and Deadlifts? Yes, these are what make you faster for football my friends.

We already covered doing Deads and Box Squatting, so we’ll skip #1.

#2 is pretty easy to set up. Set the bar on the saftey catches in the power rack right where the bottom of a Squat or Front Squat would be for you. Now, get under the bar, get tight, and explode up. Simple and extremely effective.

 

It takes a lot of muscle fiber firing all at once to move that bar from a stop to the top…thats the type of firing you need to run faster, jump higher and knock the crap outta people.

Stick with singles on anything “Bottom’s Up.” 6 – 8 HARD singles will be plenty. You can use this as your Dynamic Effort main movement.

 

4. You Must Be Flexible in the Right Muscles

 

Simple. If your hamstrings, hip flexors or hips are tight, you won’t be fast. Tight Hip Flexors have been called “breaks.” If you wan to get faster for football, go stretch. I realize it’s not hardcore and it’s not the most fun, but, it must be done.

The only thing more boring than stretching is talking about it, so let’s keep this short.

Before and after lifting…and anytime you have some free time, do these stretches, 2 per leg for 30seconds each.

• Lunge Stretch

• Seated Hip Stretch
• Sit and Reach to the Right and Left

 

There you go. 4 Simple ways to get faster for football…nothing fancy, just proven methods for football speed. Now, if you want to build crazy fast game speed in 7 easy steps, Sign up for the Free Game Speed Report below…

Get 2 Free sample chapters of the Explosive Football Training Program And a 7-Part series on "How to Build Insane Game Speed" and "How to Add 3 Inches to Your Vertical!"