Speed Drills for Wide Receivers

Speed is essential for football players, but no position relies on flat-out speed more than wide receivers. The fastest receivers often run the "go" or "post" type routes, staying near the sideline and burning defenders or spreading out the defense with their speed. But even "possession" receivers must have speed to break away from defenders in the open field.

Drill 1: Ladder Sprints

Foot Ball Drills

These are a coaches favorite and an athletes nightmare because they are so effective but so challenging. Start at the goal line and sprint to the 10-yd line, then jog back to the goal line. Each time, increase the sprint distance by 10 yards until you reach the 40- or 50- yd line, jogging back to the goal line each time. Once you reach the highest distance, begin decreasing the distance by 10 yards each time, until you perform another 10 yard sprint. Then you are done. At the end, your workout should look like this:

10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10, jogging back each time with no rest.

Try increasing the max distance as far as the opposite goal line for a very tough workout.

Drill 2: Hill Running

Jerry Rice famously ran hill sprints throughout his career to keep his speed and endurance at top form. Resisted running not only increases your flat-out speed, it also increases your speed-endurance, or your ability to maintain speed when tired. This will give you a lift in the fourth quarter when everyone else is tired and you still have that spring in your step.

To start, find a hill that is about 400 feet (~130 yards) in length with a medium incline. Sprint up the first 200 feet, take a 30 second break, then sprint up the remaining 200 feet. Once you are done, walk back to the bottom of the hill and repeat the drill. The steepness of the hill is critical. If it is too steep, you will tend to "power" through it and lose good running form. If it is too flat, you won't get a good workout. Experiment with different hills to find one that lets you sprint flat-out while giving you a challenging workout.

Drill 3: Resisted Running

Like hill running, resisted running can give you a great speed and speed-endurance benefit, but can also improve your explosiveness and acceleration. Wide receivers should use speed parachutes to provide progressive resistance, allowing for good explosion, acceleration, and resistance during the full-out sprint.

To do this drill, first buy a running parachute (don't worry, they are cheap!). Start on the goal line with the chute laying behind you, and accelerate to about 80% speed as fast as possible. The chute will deploy and provide resistance. Don't try to hit top speed, just focus on staying at 80% speed and using good form.

You will find that when trying to run at 100% speed, you actually run slower than when you try to run at 95% or 90% speed. Weird, huh?

Anyway, hope these drills help! Check out my site now to get more information on speed training.

Speed Drills for Wide Receivers

Visit my speed training equipment page now for more advice and the best speed training equipment on the market!

Friends Link : dewalt miter saw dw716 dewalt dw718 heavy duty 15-amp 12-inch miter saw