Techniques for the 40-Yard Dash

The 40-yard dash is a sprinting event used by recruiters or scouts to evaluate the speed of football players. Improve your "40" speed on the track by practicing various sprint techniques to increase explosive power. The best techniques to influence speed and timing include stance, flexibility and vertical jump.

  1. Stance

    • If you don't start from a proper sprint stance, your final time can be significantly slower. To improve your stance, test whether a three- or four-point stance works better for you by running a 10-yard dash from each.

      Next, position your hips slightly higher than your head and position your feet less than shoulder-width apart. Experiment with the gap between your front foot and the back foot. You can test with the 10-yard dash again to see what suits you better. Point your toes directly straight ahead and position the ankle of your front leg directly under your hip. Focus your gaze on the ground about 3 yards ahead. For added support, place the hand touching the ground directly under the shoulder carrying most of the weight. Bend your opposite arm at a 90-degree angle and keep it parallel to the torso.

    Start

    • Practice and improve your start technique for a more explosive and powerful forward move. Techniques for the start require rapid movements occurring simultaneously. When stepping out of your stance, thrust your down arm backward while scraping the ground fast and hard. Simultaneously, push your bent arm forward and throw the hand toward your running direction. Propel your body forward and gain ground on the first step. Keep your body forward in a straight line on your first step, because stepping away from your center position can cost you time as you get back on track. Keep each succeeding step in a straight line. Assume the upright position by your second step to recover from the beginning stance quickly. This allows you to take full strides as soon as possible.

    Speed Training

    • Train for speed by doing exercises increasing your fast-twitch muscle fibers. Exercises like lunge and squat jumps increase your vertical jump and shave seconds of your 40-yard dash. To do lunge jumps, start in the lunge position and jump as high as you can while switching your feet in the air. Do two sets of 10 jumps. To perform squat jumps, start at the bottom squat position and jump as high as possible with your legs straightened. Complete two sets of 10 squat jumps.

    Flexibility

    • Improve your flexibility to lengthen your stride and increase your range of motion, improving overall speed. Short, choppy strides take more time and waste energy. Flexibility exercises also help prevent injuries and decrease muscle fatigue and strains. Do exercises like hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, supine hamstring stretch, standing hamstring stretch and standing quadriceps stretch.