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Quick Feet
Ron
R. Richmond
I am not a medical expert.
I hold a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M in Kinesiology with twelve
years of coaching experience. With
these disclaimers out of the way, I found something that works for me. Several
years ago I noticed that most speed training is based on straight line running,
targeting the quads and hamstrings. I
usually coach linebackers and rarely is our first step straight ahead. Playing LB, like most positions on the
field, is about angles. I came up with
a circuit that targets the inside and outside of the leg, especially the groin
muscles. Our groin injuries decreased
to zero the last couple of years and
after a six week phase our 40 times dropped an average of .2 of a second. My 4.7 LB now ran a 4.5.
The circuit takes a total of
15 minutes. It is comprised of 5
stations at 3 minutes per station. The
circuit requires a timer, either a coach with a whistle or student trainer with
an air-horn. Once the circuit begins
the whistle/horn is blown every 30 seconds.
When the 1st whistle/horn blows all athletes are working, on
the 2nd whistle/horn everyone rests. Continue…. On the 6th
whistle they stop and rotate to the next station. When the 7th whistle blows they begin the next
station. Continue the rotation through
the circuit. The circuit consists of
the following stations: 1. Lateral
Running (the most important one).
2. Dot drills. 3.
Box drills (telephone poles or railroad ties can be substituted). 4.
Speed Ladder-Ropes. 5.
Hurdles. The rotation is clockwise. It is better to do the circuit 3 days a
week. Rotate the starting position so
the groups start at different stations every time. I like to do the Circuit after we come out of the weight
room. Reasoning being we have just
spent 30 minutes doing static lifts and it is a great way to finish with
explosion, especially on lower body day.
Fatigued muscles develop quicker when worked than muscles with too much
rest time.
1. 
Lateral Running – Place a line
of cones 15 feet apart. Everyone in the
group lines up on the left line facing the coach. On the whistle the athlete sprints to the next cone and back and
again and again until the whistle blows.
Coaching points: If each line of
cones represented the sidelines then shoulders
must stay square to the line of scrimmage (face the coach) and the coach. Legs must stay bent throughout the entire drill (athletes will want to
straighten up as they get tired-don’t let them). Emphasize the starts and stops-explode in and out of the plant.
Plant foot should be square to the L.O.S.. Athletes do not have to touch the cones or ground with their
hand; it shifts the weight too far and takes away from the explosion of the
plant.
2. Dot
Drills— I recommend buying and using the dots and drills from B.F.S.
3. 
Box
Drills – Utilize plyo boxes that are 18-24 inches. Athletes need to do 1st Step-ups
and down, 2nd Hop-up and down with both feet, 3rd
Step-ups and down. If you are using
telephone poles or railroad ties then; substitute jumping side to side over the pole or tie for the hop-up and
down.
4. 
Speed
Ladder-Ropes-Lay down a speed ladder and at the end of it set up the ropes
so the athletes go straight out of the ladder and into the ropes then jog to
the beginning and begin again. Utilize
your favorite drills ie quick feet, crossover, in-out-crossover etc…
5. 
Hurdles-I
will admit that I stole this from Mike Clark who is the strength and Conditioning
coach at Texas A&M. It helps to
stretch the groin and develop better hip flexibility. 2 sets of hurdles (20 total).
The1st set is placed side to side lengthwise with the height
set at the lowest. The athlete is
required to bear crawl in and out of the hurdles not allowing his knees to
touch the ground. The 2nd
set is set up with the base to butt throughout with no room between the base
legs and the butt. The 1st
hurdle at its lowest and 2nd hurdle at its highest continuing to
alternate through the set. The athlete
is required to go over the 1st and under the 2nd stepping
sideways. After every two hurdles turn
and face the opposite direction (perpendicular to the tops of the hurdles) then
go back to 1st set and continue until the whistle.
The circuit can also (recommended) be used during two
a days through pre-season to bring the athletes up to full speed. It is recommended because…have you ever
noticed that your athletes seem to be at their slowest during the season…most
of your athletes do not do enough in the Summer to maintain what they gained in
the Spring. By doing the quick feet
circuit you will enhance the muscles on the inside and outside of the leg,
improve hip flexibility and decrease your 40 time by an average of .2.
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