The Need for Speed in Youth Football

Fast is fun. Fast can change a game — fast!

Fast intercepts ball and scores touchdowns. And fast makes the highlight reel.

What is NFL REALLY FAST? See Fox Sports report on “The 10 fastest players in the NFL Next Gen Stats era” — all reaching anywhere between 22-23 Miles per hour foot speed!

Football speed starts with the gift of fast-twitch fibers (thank you Mom or Dad). But you must build upon that base.

Our BASEQs approach (Balance, Agility, Speed, Escape and Quickness) from NFL Alumni Hero Youth Football Camps is great development for all athletes in all sports

Here’s an outline of age–appropriate football speed development drills from NFL Alumni Youth Football Camps.

Age 4–6 GOAL: Coordination & play

• Tag games of Sharks and Minnows
• Ladder drills (basic)
• Skip/hop/jump drills

Age 7–9 GOAL: Agility & rhythm

• Mini hurdles
• Ladder patterns
• Cone drills for quick feet
• Jump rope

Age 10–12 GOAL: Foot speed & running form

• Sprint drills (10–20 yards)
• Lateral shuffles
• Reaction drills

Age 13–15 GOAL: All out sprint mechanics & explosiveness

• Resistance sprints (sled/band)
• Plyometrics
• High-intensity ladder drills

Age 16+ GOAL: Speed & Power

• Advanced sprint technique
• Plyometric circuits
• Overspeed training

See how we build speed to succeed.