How to Run a Faster 40-Yd Dash

Whether you are a lineman or a wide receiver, if you play football you know how important speed is. Most coaches use the 40-yard dash as the main indicator of how fast a player is. The best way to improve your time is to simply practice the 40 over and over, since you will naturally learn what techniques work for you. But if your practice stops showing results, there are other techniques that can help shave a few valuable tenths of a second off your time.

Instructions

    • 1

      Do exercises to increase your leg strength several times each week. These exercises include sits, squats, jumps and lunges--but any exercise that uses your leg muscles will work. Between exercises, do some light jogging to keep your heart rate up and increase your cardiovascular strength. Don’t do the leg exercises every day; give your legs two or three days of rest each week.

    • 2

      Run up and down stairs. Stair climbing is one of the best exercises you can do to increase your leg strength. You can use a stair-climbing machine if you have to, but you'll likely get better results by climbing actual stairs. Football players often run up and down the stairs in the bleachers, but you can also use the stairwell of a large building or other area that's convenient for you.

    • 3

      Assume the correct stance. Start by crossing your arms to determine your stronger leg--the hand that is tucked under your bicep is your power side. Keep your power leg beneath you and your other leg behind you, separated by a little more than half of the length of your leg. Bend your front leg and place both hands on the ground. Keep your back straight and your head up. Bring your hips up a little higher than your shoulders, but not so high that you start to lose your balance. Remove the hand on the same side of your body as your power leg. You are now in the correct 40-yard dash starting position.

    • 4

      Push down on your power leg to start moving out of the starting position. Drive your rear leg forward in front of your body. Try to keep your body at a 45-degree angle for the first 10 steps, but don’t force yourself down. If you come upright too early, you will need to improve your leg strength to really improve your 40 time.

    • 5

      Extend your legs behind you as you accelerate during the first 30 yards. You want to move your legs as fast as possible, but if you stop your motion before you fully extend, you will slow down--even if you feel like you are going faster. Make your strides about 2 1/2 times the length of your legs and try to have your foot hit the ground just in front of your body. Move your hands from your hips to your ears while you are running.

    • 6

      Relax your body muscles while you are sprinting. It seemingly makes sense to think that if you tighten your muscles, it will make them work more and you will go faster, but the opposite is true. Your leg muscles may be tense because they have to work, but the rest of your body should be relaxed. If you find yourself squinting or tightening your face while you run, you are probably tightening your whole body, which will lead to bad form and shortened strides.