Youth Football Player: Drills/Techniques to increase speed.

[Stewie]

My golf buddy's son is an 8th grader and is big for his age. That means he's been playing O-Line and D-Line since he started playing. He would like to improve his game so he could at least play TE and LB. His coach said at this point he's not fast enough.

My buddy was big for his age at that point too, but everyone caught up to him or passed him by the time he was a junior. Being an average (or less than average) sized lineman when he gets to HS does not equate to much playing time.

Do any of you CPers have suggestions on what he can practice on his own to improve his speed?

[CrazyPhuD]

Meth

[Titty Meat]

Roids.

[BigCatDaddy]

Theft.

[CrazyPhuD]

But seriously the biggest response would probably be to lose weight. Power to mass ratio really matters. Then you'll need to focus on specific drills for speed, but understand he may have physical limits and that, while sad, is a fact of life. It may be best to find a professional near you if he's serious about committing. I'm guessing primary focus will be on legs and 'burst'. Remember for both TE and LB, top end speed is nice, but acceleration in a short term is far more important, shuttle drills/times etc.

[tooge]

running with a rope tied around your chest and tied to a tire builds speed and power. It is the ultimate football excercise. Start with an old small tire and graduate up to a larger on. the tire just drags on the ground for resistance. It beats the crap out of you cardio-wise too. Wrap a towel around the rope part that is against the chest or the rope digs in to you.

[The Franchise]

Ehhh....he should stick where he is at and work on strength.

[Titty Meat]

If you're in the KC area i'd have him give 68sports a call if he's serious about improving they can work with him.

[Dayze]

HGH.

or antifreeze /obligatory

[Stewie]

running with a rope tied around your chest and tied to a tire builds speed and power. It is the ultimate football excercise. Start with an old small tire and graduate up to a larger on. the tire just drags on the ground for resistance. It beats the crap out of you cardio-wise too. Wrap a towel around the rope part that is against the chest or the rope digs in to you.

Thanks. This is the sort of thing I was hoping to learn. My buddy is poor and can't afford "paid" help. He scrapes to play 9-holes of golf once a week at a cheap public course. It's the one thing he gets to do that gets him out of the house.

[DBOSHO]

Google search "Fast twitch muscle fibers"

[MOhillbilly]

Jump rope X 10. Will make your hand and feet movement much quicker. My uncle started me on this early.

[Bump]

I would start with running, lots of running and combine that with weights.

[Ace Gunner]

lose weight

[MOhillbilly]

If you're in the KC area i'd have him give 68sports a call if he's serious about improving they can work with him. that where ya got them big guns?

[BigCatDaddy]

Weight loss
Interval training
Lunges
Plyometrics

[Rams Fan]

Lunges


This.

[Stewie]

Thanks for the input, guys.

BTW, he's not overweight, just a big kid with a big frame.

[CoMoChief]

But seriously the biggest response would probably be to lose weight. Power to mass ratio really matters. Then you'll need to focus on specific drills for speed, but understand he may have physical limits and that, while sad, is a fact of life. It may be best to find a professional near you if he's serious about committing. I'm guessing primary focus will be on legs and 'burst'. Remember for both TE and LB, top end speed is nice, but acceleration in a short term is far more important, shuttle drills/times etc.

This is just non-sense.....simply not true at all. Speed is everything.

Sincerely,
Al Davis.

[CrazyPhuD]

BTW, he's not overweight, just a big kid with a big frame.

No one is saying he is, but there is a reality that the heavier you are the slower you tend to be. If speed is really the goal, the fastest way is to drop weight while losing muscle is not really ideal if he can get < 10% bodyfat then he *should* be faster. But that will take quite a bit of workout and if he wants it faster, diet discipline.

That's one other bit to look at, check online but try to find out how to create a more optimal diet. Not saying you need a bunch of supplements, but focus on lean meats fruits/veggies etc and cut out a lot of crap that all kids like to eat. That can be helpful in the training routine.

[MOhillbilly]

Ju,p rope is a easy cheap solution. First steps and fast hands will take a big man a long way.

[Titty Meat]

that where ya got them big guns?

Indeed.

[MOhillbilly]

Paleo diet,raw milk, kiefer. You owe me a hundred bucks.

[ModSocks]

Google search "Fast twitch muscle fibers"

This

[ModSocks]

Weight loss
Interval training
Lunges
Plyometrics

And this too

[Stewie]

Google search "Fast twitch muscle fibers"

This

I'm pretty sure you can't change the physical attributes you've been given. BUT, there are ways to improve what you have.

[ModSocks]

I'm pretty sure you can't change the physical attributes you've been given. BUT, there are ways to improve what you have.

That's what we're talking about. He needs to focus on training his fast twitch muscles. Any type of explosive exercise will help with this.

Hence the reason people have mentioned things like jump rope, sprinting with a tire, Plyometrics etc.

[redsurfer11]

My golf buddy's son is an 8th grader and is big for his age. That means he's been playing O-Line and D-Line since he started playing. He would like to improve his game so he could at least play TE and LB. His coach said at this point he's not fast enough.

My buddy was big for his age at that point too, but everyone caught up to him or passed him by the time he was a junior. Being an average (or less than average) sized lineman when he gets to HS does not equate to much playing time.

Do any of you CPers have suggestions on what he can practice on his own to improve his speed?


Tebow pushes a truck down the street while the driver pushes on the brake. When I ran track in HS, we pulled a large section of chain link behind us on a cinder track. State and National Champs.

[Backwards Masking]

Of course they're focusing on speed, they aren't allowed to hit hit anyone without 20K fine in Roger Goodell's business, er, i mean NFL.