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Hill Sprints, Heavy Sled Drags Or Sled Sprints For Sprint Acceleration?

Texas Ranger

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Any athletes or performance enhancing specialists out there? I'm training my 16 year old son and a few of his high school teammates for the upcoming football season. We're following the Westside lifting protocol ala Louie Simmons. I really want to focus on improving their sprint acceleration(10-20 yards).

We have access to a steep hill that's 15 yards tall nearby our house and a few homemade tire sleds that weigh roughly 25lbs each. In YOUR opinion, which is better? Thanks in advance for you input, guys!
 
Power training (Westside fits the bill, although a 5x5 program may develop more mass which is an asset for football), flexibility, agility, plyometrics, and regular sprints.

Not sure how easy it would be to find it, but if I recall correctly the best option for modifying sprinting would actually be positive assistance as it trains the nervous system to fire faster. Running with resistance improves ones ability to run with resistance, but doesn't really translate into football speed.
 
for sprint/acceleration... powercleans will help, especially for the get off. but there is something else that will help a ton, i used this to train for football as well. i know my dad got it out of those eastbay catalogs, but i am sure you can find it on amazon. it is a parachute you attach to yourself. so it creates drag when you are running. i used to use this when doing 100yrd sprints. you throw the parachute behind you as you start running, it creates drag and becomes harder. about half way through there is a release belt. you pull it and the chute falls off, sprinter has instant acceleration.

if you want some more help i would be happy to answer any questions. i was an all state linebacker and went to college on scholarship before getting injured. PM me if you would like.
 
Ok bro!
I am your guy.

Hill sprints are awesome!

Also, do things like sprint the hill, then at the top do 8 sandbag clean and presses. then walk down. repeat.

sled pushes are awesome!
You can also get a car tire. attach a tow rope from walmart to it.
Have him get in the tow straps and sprint dragging the tire behind him.

Also, and this is evil. But will make him a monster. The kettle bell half mile sprint.
This is the rules. get a kettle bell. I use no less than 40lbs.
The rules are:
#1 you can't stop
#2 you can't put down the kettle bell.
#3 go for a half mile.

He will inevitably sprint the half mile. Because all you want to do is stop or put the kb down and you can't. Do this once a week only and have a toilet close. I end up with explosive shits at the end of it.
oh and you just hold on to the kb with one arm and keep switching hands.
If a half mile is too much, start with 400m.

You want these kids to have strong legs and lungs, but also strong legs and lungs when it's the fourth quarter!! That's when the games are won and lost, at the end of the game when everyone is tired.
 
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much of success in timed events such as 40 speed is due to reaction timing.

work on that.

hills are great ways to get injured.

a buddy of mine focuses on football conditioning stuff, the panthers trainer has him on speed dial. lol

ill try and read through some of his stuff.
 
Power training (Westside fits the bill, although a 5x5 program may develop more mass which is an asset for football), flexibility, agility, plyometrics, and regular sprints.

Not sure how easy it would be to find it, but if I recall correctly the best option for modifying sprinting would actually be positive assistance as it trains the nervous system to fire faster. Running with resistance improves ones ability to run with resistance, but doesn't really translate into football speed.

That's my thought too. Sprints up hill teach proper forward lean and explosiveness. In my readings and experience the mechanics are changed somewhat with resistance sprints.
 
As Bigpapa stated number 1 exercise for explosion, hang cleans power cleans. If not able to due to equipment, box jump plyometrics.

40 time is lot about technique training and many parts to it. There are good video on the net about start alignment first step placement and form running. Different start positions , Pushup starts ,rolling starts etc all help teach shin angle.

Competative sprints are great for speed training. 3-4 per session .

USC old warm up (on the net) is great for core and flexibility training. Will help lessen the chance of hamstring issues.

Ak
 
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What you use greatly depends on the current speed and overall development of the person. A 16 year old that is a normal 16 year old should not be using positive assistance yet. From what you listed Hill Sprints are your best bet FOR NOW. It puts the kid in a forward lean that mimics proper sprinting form and makes them drive there knees up and propel themselves forward. It does these things without making the kid think about it.

Jumps and med ball throws will be extremely beneficial as well.

It's also very important to separate your speed and conditioning work. DO NOT combine them. It also typically helps if you program your speed work on the same day as weight training because the kids end up getting more useful rest days.
 
whenever i would do conditioning for football, i never ran miles. some may say well that is stupid, but it actually isn't. football is a game of 4-5 second bursts, 30-40 second breaks (unless you are playing the eagles) which is why alot of emphasis is placed on the 40. i was always a heavy supporter of situational conditioning. in the conditioning you should also take into account the position he is playing. i was a linebacker, so most of my conditioning revolved around 5-10-5 sprints, shuttles and sled driving. with that position you only need to be quick and explosive within 5-10 yards. rbs, wrs, a little different. more concentration on 40s, 60s and 100s. honestly when is the last time you saw a lb run 40 yards on one play? or a lineman making blocks all the way down near the endzone? was always a big fan of situational conditioning. look what they do at the combine..situational.

for weightlifting, 5x5, circuit work, and explosion movements like cleans and box squats will help tremendously.
 
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I just read an interview with the head strength and conditioning coach at Auburn. He said he seen impressive results in force production and acceleration by pairing heavy sled drags 3x15 yards with 3x10 yard sprints contrasting the two. Joe Defranco also has his players/clients do heavy ass sled drags. So, that speaks volumes!!
 
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Plyometrics are huge for any kind of athletic/explosion training.

Dot drills on a rubber mat are the most underrated training tool.. and are especially valuable for a sport like football where quick feet and precision make the difference between a work-out warrior and a football player.

Sprint intervals on treadmill as well.
 
whenever i would do conditioning for football, i never ran miles. some may say well that is stupid, but it actually isn't. football is a game of 4-5 second bursts, 30-40 second breaks (unless you are playing the eagles) which is why alot of emphasis is placed on the 40. i was always a heavy supporter of situational conditioning. in the conditioning you should also take into account the position he is playing. i was a linebacker, so most of my conditioning revolved around 5-10-5 sprints, shuttles and sled driving. with that position you only need to be quick and explosive within 5-10 yards. rbs, wrs, a little different. more concentration on 40s, 60s and 100s. honestly when is the last time you saw a lb run 40 yards on one play? or a lineman making blocks all the way down near the endzone? was always a big fan of situational conditioning. look what they do at the combine..situational.

for weightlifting, 5x5, circuit work, and explosion movements like cleans and box squats will help tremendously.

I second this and would like to add that when doing squats, focusing on exploding up on the concentric portion of the exercise translates to football movements and builds tremendous hip explosion. I would always make sure to come up to my toes on each rep going up.
 
I just read an interview with the head strength and conditioning coach at Auburn. He said he seen impressive results in force production and acceleration by pairing heavy sled drags 3x15 yards with 3x10 yard sprints contrasting the two. Joe Defranco also has his players/clients do heavy ass sled drags. So, that speaks volumes!!

At Auburn you have amazing athletes that are way further developed, not average 16 year olds.

Defranco was my trainer for a few years in late middle school and high school. All that stuff is great when they are ready for it, but you have to get a solid base and build from there.
 
At Auburn you have amazing athletes that are way further developed, not average 16 year olds.

Defranco was my trainer for a few years in late middle school and high school. All that stuff is great when they are ready for it, but you have to get a solid base and build from there.

A 16 year old on his way to becoming a DI football player does not usually look like a typical 16 year old.

More and more high schools are using advanced training methods for their athletes, and those are usually the schools pumping kids into DI's like Auburn.

I agree you shouldn't over-burden kids with too much weight on more advanced movements, but I don't believe there is anything detrimental to training kids in that manner so far as they aren't complete weaklings that have a total lack of a strength foundation.
 
A 16 year old on his way to becoming a DI football player does not usually look like a typical 16 year old.

More and more high schools are using advanced training methods for their athletes, and those are usually the schools pumping kids into DI's like Auburn.

I agree you shouldn't over-burden kids with too much weight on more advanced movements, but I don't believe there is anything detrimental to training kids in that manner so far as they aren't complete weaklings that have a total lack of a strength foundation.

I am making assumptions here, but the OP didn't make it sound like he is training a group of 5 star recruits. Another assumption here, but it sounds like they haven't done and seriously programmed training. I fully agree that all of those techniques and things are beneficial, but the truth is most younger teens don't even know how to run properly.

It's a pretty long off season for high school kids, so if they do simple things like hill sprints and seem like they are ready for more advanced things then awesome and they should give it a go. I'm just saying you have to start somewhere and they aren't seniors, college athletes, or pro athletes.

So a solid well rounded weight program with compound movements, sprints, hill sprints, any type of jump, and med ball tosses will take these kids a long way and add advanced stuff as needed.
 
I am making assumptions here, but the OP didn't make it sound like he is training a group of 5 star recruits. Another assumption here, but it sounds like they haven't done and seriously programmed training. I fully agree that all of those techniques and things are beneficial, but the truth is most younger teens don't even know how to run properly.

It's a pretty long off season for high school kids, so if they do simple things like hill sprints and seem like they are ready for more advanced things then awesome and they should give it a go. I'm just saying you have to start somewhere and they aren't seniors, college athletes, or pro athletes.

So a solid well rounded weight program with compound movements, sprints, hill sprints, any type of jump, and med ball tosses will take these kids a long way and add advanced stuff as needed.

Ya, I guess it all depends on where the kids are at.

If they are completely fresh to football and are incoming freshman... ya, I'd start with basic compound lifts like bench, squats, cleans, deadlifts... sprints, hills, etc.

I have seen high school kids not be able to move the bar from their chest, I've seen high school kids benching 400, squatting 500 and running legit 4.4's. So there's a pretty wide scale of where an athlete is.

I just think the more you can shock your body,the better results you get. If you're able to get results from more basic exercises, better to save the more advanced stuff for when an athlete is progressing.

As it stands, I don't think young athletes can do anything BUT benefit from body weight only plyometrics, running hills, etc.
 
Once I had the basic power concentrating on tech. Helped the most. Frankenstein runs and lots of bleacher worked helped the most. I ran 100meters, threw disc and shotput in college fwiw..
 

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