A major theme in all the training blogs I have posted thus far has been the emphasis on speed, agility and quickness. No more are the days of when football players should be focusing on gaining weight and muscle mass, rather those athletes that succeed/WIN in today’s competitive football environment must center all workouts and exercises to increase speed, agility and quickness.

As a result I would like to share another simple workout and exercise routine that will definitely increase speed but also enhance coordination. Coordination involves the development of syncing the mind and the body into one continues movement. As a football player, especially those in a skill position such as a QB or RB, coordinating your movement with your legs and feet will greatly enhance your ability to avoid tackles and evade defenders. Over the past several years professional and collegiate athletes have begun using strength shoes as a way to accomplish this. Strength shoes are phenomenal training aide that involves natural movement and does not require weird equipment of apparatus. In addition, they can be used as a substitute for your normal training shoes to lift weights, run and even practice.  The real concept around the strength shoes is the theory that they will enhance the “quick twitch” muscles that translate into speed and quickness. (Please visit www.touchdownskills.com or click on the following link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/strengthshoes.html to receive more information on this item.)

The following is a very simple workout that if done correctly could decrease your 40 by half of second and increase your vertical jump by 12 inches, in just a matter of weeks.

Workout - Simple Plyometrics

Vertical Jump – Standing in place, jump as high as you can 10 consecutive times without stopping to reset your feet. Repeat for 2-3 sets

Standing Long Jump – With your feet less than shoulder width apart, jump as far as you can in front of you. Set your feet, and jump again. Repeat until you have completed 5 maximum jumps. Once complete turn around and broad jump back to the start.

Get Up N’ Go- Lying flat on your stomach in a push up position. Fire up and sprint 20 yards as fast as you can. Repeat 5 times with a 45 second rest in between each one.

Get Up N’ Go Shuffle – Start in the same starting position, but rather than sprinting, shuffle sideways. Do not cross your feet and keep low. On the way back face the same direction and repeat. Go down and back 3 times.

Back Peddle – Facing your back to the finish cone, back peddle as fast as you can 20 yards. Take a 45 second rest and back peddle to the beginning. Repeat down and back 3 times.

A simple theme that I have established through most of my training blogs is the emphasis Division I coaches are placing on foot speed and quickness. No longer do coaches want high school players that are just big and strong, they are placing much more emphasis on agility when evaluating players. Since this skill is in such high demand, I have included several blogs that focus on exercises that football players at all levels can utilize to enhance their personal foot speed and agility, regardless of your position or size.

In this blog I want to focus on an exercise that I have done since I was in high school (Class of 96) and have been an integral part of my weekly workout routine since. This exercise is called the “Dot Drill”. It is simply a place mat or area on the floor outlined with 5 dots. Although you can create your own “Dot Mat” I would highly recommend purchasing one. They are fairly inexpensive, easily mobile and provide an optimal surface to do the agility drills. You can find more information about a “Dot Mat” by going to www.touchdownskills.com or click on this link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/agilitymat.html and it will take you directly to the product page.

Since I am firm believer of the benefits of a dot map I would like to my favorite exercise that can be done as a warm up or part of your conditioning workout.

Inside Out Drill

Step 1: Place each foot on the bottom two dots of the mat.

Step 2: Jump to the middle dot with both feet.

Step 3: Jump to the top 2 dots by placing your feet on each dot.

Step 4: Jump backwards to the middle dot, with both feet.

Step 5: Jump back to the bottom two dots with one foot on each dot.

Step 6: Repeat, getting faster through each repetition.

Repeat the process 3-4 times until you get a feel of the coordination. Once you have the “feel” down then do the drill as fast as you can going up and down the dots. The key to this drill is to touch each dot as fast as you can. Try to jump as low to the ground as possible and then once your feet hit the designated dot immediately jump to the next set. You will repeat this drill for 30-45 seconds and you can do it for 2-5 sets.

There are several variations of this drill and others can be utilized with a Dot Map. Continue to check with the www.touchdownskills.com blog each week and I will include new workouts and exercises for all featured training products.

Foot speed is as valuable to a football player as the vertical jump is to a basketball player. As a result, when Division I coaches are evaluating high school players, regardless of their position, they are critiquing how quick one’s feet are. The logic lies with the understanding that foot speed translates directly into a player’s versatility. To coaches versatility gives them several options when evaluating talent. Think about it if a Division I coach could recruit  a player that has the foot speed to play both wide receiver and corner back or a defensive lineman that can play offensive lineman, the coach definitely will chose the player that has that dual ability. Again the coach’s judgment will lie within the players foot speed.

 With so much emphasis being placed on this aspect of high school player’s game I want to introduce a drill that can greatly enhance a young player’s foot speed despite their position on the field. This drill will require a speed ladder and an area with at least 20-25 yards to run. (To view or purchase a speed ladder go to www.touchdownskills.com or click on the following link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/ladders.html )

Quick Step Drill

This drill was taught tome when I played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is something that I attribute much of my speed and lateral quickness.

Step 1: Set the speed ladder flat on the ground and place a cone at each end 5 yards from the beginning and end of the ladder.

Step 2: Warm Up: In order to get used to the foot work, do this part at 50-60% of your full speed. Begin at the first cone in a good athletic stance. Start running through the ladder with each foot alternating going in between each rung. It should feel like your running in short choppy steps. Run through the last cone to finish.

Step 3:  Take a 30 second rest and go back. This time run through the ladder but by stepping in each rung with both feet. Repeat until you are getting used to the footwork.  

Step 4: FULL SPEED. Now that you are getting a feel of the footwork, repeat step 2 and 3 but go through 80-90% full speed. While running through the ladders try not to look at your feet and pump your arms as fast as you want your feet to move. Finally make sure you sprint to each cone at the end of the ladder.

Repeat this process 5-8 times with each rotation trying to get faster and without looking down. You will want to give yourself 30 seconds in between each repetition. For maximum results integrate this workout at least 2 times a week.

Many youth football players always ask me how they can get faster and reduce their 40 yard time. To their surprise I provide them a simple but powerful statement, “Practice running fast”.  Clearly, to “practice” running fast is a combination of good coaching and technique. For that reason I would like to share a little coaching to any youth football player that would like to “practice” running fast so they can then translate that speed into game time situations.

To start all youth should understand that speed is something can be taught and it is not just something you are born with. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that “no matter how hard you try or train you will never be faster than what you were born with”.  You are as fast as you want to be.  No matter how un-athletic your parents may be or you have always been over weight, YOU determine your athletic speed capabilities.

With that in mind here is a very simple but powerful way to enhance your speed in dramatic a way where you will see results in a matter of weeks. This drill is going to utilize a running chute (you can find one at www.touchdownskills.com by clicking on the following link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/runnchute.html )

Step 1: Find a park or field that gives you 60-75 yards to run straight. Get a stopwatch that can measure your rest intervals.

Step 2: Place 2 cones 40 yards apart. For most people one yard is the same distance as a elongated walking stride.

Step 3 (Warm Up):  Without the running chute begin at the start and run at 80% your maximum speed. Focus on driving your knees high, looking straight ahead and keeping your arms pumping straight up and down. Go down and back 2 times. Rest 1 minute between each 40 yards.

 Step 4: By following the running chute instructions place the chute on your body. Begin at the start of the 40 yards in a get off position.  Run at the a gradual pace for the first 10 yards and then go 100% to finish. You should feel a lot of resistance and to some it may be difficult to run. However, do not lose focus on your technique. Keep arms driving, high knees and looking straight ahead.

Step 5: Run 8-10 40’s with 1 minute rest in between each interval.

To see instant results you must implement this workout at least once during your training week and for a 6-8 week period.  

One of the newest and hottest items to be part of football training has been the incorporation of strength vests. As a featured item at www.touchdownskills.com the strength vest (http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/strengthsuit.html) is a very popular piece of workout equipment that can be incorporated in several phases during your daily workout regime. The vest provides a unique way to increase explosion, strength, and agility while at the same time reducing the risk of injury through an even distribution of weight throughout the entire upper body. As a former NFL player and a current workout aficionado, here are a few ways I would recommend a football player at any level can use the strength vest to better himself or herself as an athlete.

Upper Body Development – One thing I try to do when I work on my punch and upper body explosion is I use the weighted vest in conjunction with variations of the standard push up. First I like to use it when I do the push up and clap (3 sets of 10-20), single arm medicine ball push ups (2 sets of 10) and in combination with stability ball core punches (3 sets of 25).

 Lower Body Development – Instead of doing the standard squat or power clean, which can be very stressful on your back, hips and knee, I like to use the weighted vest as a safe substitute.  I primarily use it to do lunges, single leg step ups, single leg squats and split squat jumps. For each of the lifts I do 3-4 sets of 6-8 repetitions. For each consecutive set I add another weighted vest. During most workouts I can have up to 3 vests strapped over each other, thus giving me enough resistance to increase my strength and explosion.

Core Development – This is where the weighted vest can be best utilized. Since it is made out of neoprene, the vest is flexible and does not provide discomfort. As I result I use it in almost every core lift I perform. My favorites include, stability ball work, stability abs, and hyperextensions.

Even though I did not mention the many benefits the weighted vest can enhance your conditioning regime, it is safe to say it is a very effective, efficient and safe tool increase your strength, power and agility.

You can purchase yours at www.touchdownskills.com and clicking on the following link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/strengthsuit.html.