INTRODUCTION AND QUALIFICATIONS

The speaker, a former offensive lineman (not a track coach), emphasizes that coaches don't need to be speed experts to help their players become faster. Consistency and commitment are more important than perfect form. Football players will never achieve track-athlete-level technique perfection because sprinting isn't their primary focus, but they can still make significant improvements with a dedicated program run year-round.

WHY SPRINTING MATTERS

Speed development is critical for several reasons. The body loses speed within just five days of inactivity, making consistency essential. Sprinting drives neural capacity by engaging the central nervous system at full intensity. Speed reserve—maintaining the ability to tap into maximum velocity when needed—prevents injury and enables repeat sprint ability, which is vital in football where players must repeatedly accelerate and decelerate through multiple plays separated by brief rest periods. Additionally, consistent sprinting serves as an injury prevention tool by conditioning the body properly.

THE OFFSEASON PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The speed development program runs from January through March (approximately 12 weeks), where flying 10-yard sprints are recorded twice weekly using the "record, rank, publish" method popularized by Tony Holler. This approach motivates players by creating competition around their performance metrics. In April and May during spring practice, players are timed running 40-yard sprints, with coaches using catapult data to monitor full-speed efforts. June focuses on seven-on-seven competition, so max velocity work is reduced during this busy period.

KEY COACHING PRINCIPLES

Technique development takes time, and coaches must be patient. Football players will never have perfect sprinting form like track athletes because football technique serves a different purpose. Coaches should learn to recognize acceptable versus unacceptable form rather than demand perfection. Speed training is distinctly different from conditioning—rest periods between repetitions are essential and not wasted time. Finally, coaches must train both acceleration and maximum velocity separately, placing emphasis on both since football demands explosive acceleration while speed reserve prevents injury and enhances performance.