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Increasing Speed in Football

Our son is a freshman in high school. My question is; what can he do to gain speed? We've seen the advertisement for "Strength shoes", my son is not to thrilled about the idea of them, do you know anything about them? He played center in junior high and again this past year as a freshman, he is now wrestling and will continue with weight lifting after wrestling season. He's 6'0, 215 lbs. They run a mile every Monday, I think that's helping him with endurance but not speed. He would like to learn a different position but definitely needs to gain speed! He wants to be a "stand out" player but without older brothers or knowing anyone for advice it's hard to help him out with ideas. He went to Notre Dame football camp this past summer, he learned a lot of great fundamentals but, nothing to help speed! Would love your input!

As for improving speed, that is a question is one that is asked frequently (see this question).

A popular misconception of the past is that "you can't teach speed." Things have changed over the years and now there are many sports trainers who focus on increasing an athlete's speed.

I have two good friends who conduct a speed and agility camp here in North Florida, Larry and Darrell Pasquale. They are both former football coaches - Larry coached in the NFL for the NY Jets, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the St Louis Rams. His son Darrell coached in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and at the college level at Army and San Diego State (where he coached Marshall Faulk). He is currently working with the Jaguars in the NFL on strength and conditioning.

I have attended the Pasquale's camp and have seen the remarkable improvements they can make for kids from 9 to 18 years of age.

Without seeing your son in person, it is difficult to assess his particular situation. Still there are some basic things he should concentrate on. So based on discussions with the Pasquale's, here are a few suggestions:

The first thing to stress is proper body position. Improper body position (i.e. standing too upright, without enough body lean) is a common problem. Proper body position depends, of course, upon what sport and what position he is playing so to make things simple, I'll make some suggestions assuming he is a wide receiver on the football team and is starting from an upright 2-point stance.

He should take a position with his chest over his feet, bent slightly at the waist/hips and knees and his head up. As a receiver, his feet should be slightly less than shoulder width apart and comfortably staggered; that is, the inside foot up and the outside foot back several inches (inside refers to the position closest to the ball - if he lines up on the left side, his right foot is his inside foot, if he lines up on the right side his left foot is the inside foot). His arms should be cocked and about waist high and in position to pump when he takes off.

Often runners loose time by standing up - not firing out at the start. Sometimes they will take a step back. His first move should be out, not up. When he strides his toes should be in line (not pointed in or out) and on a line midway between his legs.

There are some drills he can do to help improve his speed. Probably the best are power jumps.

First Step Drill
Starting from a good body position, practice making that first step a strong step in the intended direction - first with the right foot and then with the left foot.

Vertical Power Jumps
Feet shoulder width apart, bend at the knees and explode up as high as he can and reaching up with both arms. Give him a target of some type (a basketball hoop or even a marked pole) to reach for so that he can measure his improvement over time. Repeat several times.

Power Broad Jumps
Instead of exploding up, good body lean forward with the chest over the feet and explode forward, pump the arms forward as he explodes. He can do single ones to start then string three or four together.

Another good drill that you can have him do, with your assistance, is running forward with his eyes closed. He should try to run in a straight line. Spray paint a line on the grass or use a line on a football, baseball or soccer field. Make sure he is in an open area and doesn't run into anything. This doesn't have to be done at top speed, instead use a controlled speed. He should focus on good body lean and visualize the placement of his feet - in line. Soon he will be able to run in a straight line with his eyes closed.

Also have him run some drills running backwards, picking his knees up high. This will help him understand how important it is to have a good forward body lean. Running backwards requires that he keep his chest out over his feet, so that he won't fall backwards.

If he could attend a speed camp, like the Pasquale's, he would have the opportunity to use some of the latest speed training aids such as parachutes and resistance lines, etc.