Football Speed Training

By Mickey Marotti, Head Strength Coach of the University of Cincinnati

Our philosophy at the University of Cincinnati for football speed is

simple. We work to increase total body strength (with a focus on
running muscles), to increase functional and static flexibility, to
improve overall conditioning. (with emphasis on the anaerobic energy
system), to improve specific football agility, to follow a complete sports
nutrition diet, to get plenty of rest, and, most importantly, to RUN
FAST. Throughout this article the term RUN FAST will be used. It
means nothing more than running as close to 100% speed potential as
the athletes can—no gimmicks, no devices, just basic stuff, as bread
and butter. The determining factor in our program is work, simple hard
work. We feel our speed program is easy, productive, and very
efficient.

Basic strength training is the corner stone of the program. Every

aspect of our football program is based on the strength program.
Stronger muscles produce more force, thus increasing the body’s
(power) potential to enhance speed, as well as his level of performance
on the field. Strong athletes are less susceptible to injuries, and if
injury occurs, rehabilitation time is cut in half. Not only does the
athlete benefit physically from an effective strength program, but an
athlete who is stronger has more confidence. If the confident athlete
believes in himself, he probably believes in his coach and the program.
Since speed training and football are so physically demanding, the
muscles and surrounding joints must be properly strength trained. Our
strength program covers the entire body, focusing on the "running"
muscles. We work the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors and
extensors, lower back, muscles of the inner and outer thigh, the
muscles of the lower leg as well as the abdominal twice per week.
Strength training, especially lower body work should not be done prior
to speed work. Strength training can be done at the conclusion of the
speed work. No ballistic exercises are used. All exercises are done slow
and controlled. Try not to make the strength training more than it is—
simple exercises done hard and progressive. Complicated technique
exercises are difficult to teach and can become dangerous if done
wrong. Keep the strength program basic yet productive. A good
strength program that elicits results is one of the keys for speed
enhancement.

Flexibility is another area that we will work on to help "speed." Range

of motion throughout a joint with strength is called functional
flexibility. Functional flexibility is the determining factor in injury
prevention. This is improved from proper strength training, working the
muscles around the joint throughout a full range of motion. Static
flexibility, which most of us do prior to practice, should be done after
the body is warmed up. To improve this flexibility the athlete's body
temperature must be increased. It’s good practice to stretch post-
practice as well. Hamstring and hip flexor flexibility is used through the
routine. Flexibility exercises must be taken seriously and done on a
regular basis.

As in any training program, eating right and getting plenty of rest can
effect performance. In a comprehensive training program, the athletes
are only going to perform well if their bodies are completely nourished
and well rested. We want our training program to be very demanding
on the athletes, both physically and mentally. If energy levels fall, then
the training intensity will decrease. Eating a well balanced sports
nutrition diet, while giving the body plenty of rest so the athletes can
train hard, is as important in the equation of speed training as any
other variable.

Overall conditioning becomes very important in speed training. Better

conditioned athletes not only will run with more efficiency (using less
energy), but they will run faster for a longer period of time. We will
begin the program with a basic aerobic conditioning program that will
last 2-3 weeks. Two times a week, between 20-30 minutes, is sufficient
as long as the intensity is high enough to challenge the system.
Anaerobic conditioning, which is specific for football, is the next energy
system that needs to be trained. During the winter we will work on this
energy system twice per week. We set up 8-10 stations of specific
football drills with 8-12 athletes per station, each station lasts 4-5
minutes. This is the workout that we will do before and after the
specific speed group training. The better-conditioned athlete can run at
or very close to 100% speed potential. We feel that just being fast is
not enough. We want our athletes to run fast every play. We want our
athletes to run hard and fast for four quarters for every game during
the season.

Because this program is designed for football, all aspects of training

need to be stressed. Agility programs must be used frequently
throughout a training period. The athletes need to put their bodies in a
position that they will be in during a game. The muscles need to be
worked in all angles. Improving quickness and agility is done by
repetitions. If an athlete improves agility, then football speed will be
affected. Very rarely does an athlete run in a straight line. Most
movements are zig-zag, turning, twisting, lateral, backwards, change
of direction, up and down, etc. The body needs to be trained through
these movements. Speed training will help agility movements, as well
as agility movements will help straight-line speed. The affects of
learning to run hard and competitive will carry one into all aspects of
training. That’s how "speed group" training can benefit from agility.
 Many talk about speed in the sense of being a skill. We all know that
speed is dependent upon genetic factors and much of the
improvement is based on that fact. We like to call speed a genetic skill.
Speed is a skill that is affected by genetics. Since it’s a skill, there are
some steps we can take to help improve the skill. Like any other skill,
there’s a process that we can use to help improve our technique. We
use part to whole teaching, where we break down the mechanics of
running by body parts. Every body part will be involved in running. We
take the mechanics of each body part and stress it at _ speed until it is
learned properly, then at _ speed, then at full speed. Skills are
improved by repetitions. We learn each body part mechanics and
repeat the skill over and over. We will use a 30-50 yd distance. The
mechanics system consists of 14 terms. Each term represents where
each body part should be during sprinting. Starting from the head,
then working down toward the foot area. While the athletes are
running we will give them constant verbal commands and the athletes
will have to correct that part, if needed. They must learn it at half
speed before they run at full speed. If only one of the mechanics is
corrected in the program, speed will be improved. The athlete will run
more efficiently, if mechanics can be improved. Speed experts talk
about two areas that need to change to increase speed potential:
stride length and stride frequency. Thus, speed mechanics works more
on the stride length area. A quality repetition is the key. If the athlete
is in poor condition, then the quality of repetitions will be poor. The
learning process is definitely affected by conditioning, or lack of it. As
soon as the athletes are laboring and fatigue has set in, discontinue
the learning of the mechanics until another day. Spend time on the
mechanics of speed. High school athletes need to learn and improve
their running form.

Probably the most important aspect of the total speed training

program is the speed group system. Track coaches all agree the best
known technique for speed training is to "RUN FAST." The body needs
to be stressed at full speed to receive any benefits of speed training.

To maximize one’s speed potential one has to run fast. Running fast is
hard. High school, as well as college athletes, need something to push
them to their limits. This is done in the form of competitive sprinting.
Athletics are truly competitive. For an athlete to gain benefits of speed
the athlete must run fast. We try to put the athlete in a position where
he is running at or close to 100% speed. We want our athletes to learn
to be competitive and to learn to run at maximum speed all the time.
Football is played at full speed. We will train at full speed.

The Program Speed Groups

 This speed group system is ideal for 4-6 weeks in the off-season and
3-4 weeks in the early summer prior to pre-season. The speed group
training is done twice per week. The first day of training is done before
the agility drills or conditioning workout, while the second is done after
the agility or conditioning workout. Our agility workout consists of 9
stations, all specific football drills done four minutes at a time, with 8-
10 athletes per station. The rotation is fast and done without rest. We
want the athletes to run completely fresh and get them used to
running maximally while they are less fatigued. Speed, being a genetic
skill, must be trained when the body is fresh so it can retain all the
motor learning information. The second workout has more of a
conditioning effect on the system.

Also as the athletes learn to sprint post-fatigued, it will give them a

competitive edge in the 4th quarter of a game.

We will run 8-16 sprints per workout, ranging from 20-40 yards. You
could also determine distance by position i.e. lineman 20-25 yards
while skill players run 30-40 yard sprints. This is totally dependent on
the team’s needs.

After you have determined what you will run, then the team needs to
be divided into groups or "speed groups". We rank the team from
fastest to slowest. You may rank by position, but you may lose the full
effect of the process. Five to eight members should compose a group.
Group 1 should be the 5-8 fastest members of the team (20 or 40 yard
times).

During each sprint a coach must chart at the finish line who wins each
race and who loses each race. At the end of the workout, total up wins
and losses for each athlete. The athlete within each group that wins
the most for the day moves up to the next-fastest group. The athlete
who loses the most should move down a group. If a tie occurs, then
those who tied should move up or down together. These results should
then be posted in the locker room or weight room by the end of the
day. This will motivate the athletes who see their name up on the wall
and where they stand with their teammates. This speed group system
benefits every player and position. It gets your team working together
while, competing against each other. You will be amazed how fast and
how hard your athletes are sprinting. This is true speed training.

Results

From speed group training, a coach can determine work ethic,

accountability, speed while fatigued and competitiveness. Ultimately at
the end of your training program the order of finish should be the same
exact order that you started with 4-6 weeks before. But if it is not, the
finish order will be a direct reflection of work. Sometimes the "fast"
guys don’t always run as fast as they can all the time. Sometimes
"slower guys" run harder than the "fast" guys. This is great for team
toughness and attitude. Positive peer pressure will work. As players
start seeing guys that are not working hard, hopefully they will become
leaders and push them rather than the coaches always motivating.

Overtraining

There comes a point where the coach has to determine how much is
enough. Sometimes we as coaches get carried away and overdo it.
Sense how your athletes are doing and then determine how many
sprints are going to be beneficial. Remember you’re sprinting to get
"fast." Athletes cannot run at 100% speed all day. Use other modes of
training for conditioning. Every sprint has to be run at 100% speed,
100% quality, 100% effort. You will see your athletes running harder
and faster than ever before.

Give the athletes enough rest time between sprints. If you do not give
sufficient rest time, then quality and speed will be negatively affected.

Do not attempt to do speed group sprinting, immediately after

strength training. It should be done on the off days so the muscles are
recovered.

Alterations

Other techniques that can be used include relay races. This would be
a great change of pace. Use football specific drills within these races.
Carioka shuffling, backpedaling, turning, and weaving are all good
modes. Relays can be very competitive and fun. If there is something
on the line for the athletes, such as pushups, sit-ups, etc., the
competition will be fierce. Have a goal or something for them to work
for.

Conclusion

"Speed group" or competitive sprinting is a great system for

increasing speed. John Harbaugh, an Assistant Football Coach at the
University of Cincinnati, and I devised this program after talking to
retired coach and professional scout, Frank Lauterbur. It’s funny how
training methods have changed through the years. What Coach
Lauterbur did in the late 60’s is what we feel to be the most beneficial
speed program in the 90’s. Basic things that are done well and hard
are more beneficial than being overly complex. All positive training
results are dependent on one common trait, HARD WORK.
 Speed Group Review

1. Rank team from fastest to slowest.

 Run 4-6 weeks in the off-season, 2-4
2. Place 5-8 players in each group.
weeks in the early pre-season.
3. Determine the distance of the
 Rank who wins and who loses each
sprints.
sprint.
4. Run twice each week, on the off
 Post daily results.
days of strength training.
 Reward those who move up or
5. Run one day before and after
maintain their position.
conditioning workouts.
 Do not over do it.
 Post final speed group standings.
6. Run 6-14 sprints each workout.