Here's why running track won't make you a faster football player:

A coach came to me one time and said that a player (WR) looked slow and that I needed to improve his speed. So I looked at his game data. His normal route speed was 17-18 mph a top speed of 21.3 mph which he hit only once in 2 seasons. That's definitely slow but I also knew the guy was a track sprinter so I questioned whether he was actually speed deficient. So I measured his speed in a sprint. He hit 23.1 mph in a 100 yard sprint, 8.2 m/s in top acceleration, and a 4.38 in the 40). Obviously he wasn't speed deficient. To improve performance, we have to address/improve limiting factors. I could train that guy and maybe improve his speed/acceleration 3-5% and it would have no impact on his game speed because he already has more speed than he is showing on the field. Speed potential was not his limiting factor.

Having seen endless amounts of game speed data at all levels, I have never seen a single case where true top speed, or even true top acceleration, is the limiting factor in game speed. Diving into the previous case I mentioned I found two things were limiting his game speed: 1- Confusion or over-thinking & 2- Speed decreases during non-linear running. Both of these are the most common causes with a third being difficulty sustaining speed during pursuit/evasion or when faced with disruptive contact from an opponent.

To address the first limitation, the player needed better preparation for the game in the form of film study and practice reps. Limiting his practice reps to save his legs would have made the problem worse. Players who are more prepared for game situations are more comfortable, less confused, and able to turn up the speed. To address the second limitation, he got a heavy dose of high speed curvilinear running during training which helped him feel more comfortable at high speeds in actual football movement patterns. Players who struggle with pursuit/evasion speeds or when facing contact from an opponent will be placed in pursuit/evasion drills where they can practice that skill and we use dynamic coordination exercises in the weight room, followed by sprint reps where the player must deal with contact and learn to maintain stability without slowing down.

So why does track not make football players faster? Because it doesn't address any of those limiting factors. Running in a lane, straight ahead, without any pursuit/evasion or contact does not transfer to field speed. Instead, speed should be built and refined in ways that coincide with the demands of the game.

Here are the criticisms that will be brought up in a continued effort to get football players to participate in track:

1- Building top speed makes game speeds increase because if you raise the speed ceiling, the floor also goes up. Response: I have seen no evidence of this happening and, in fact, have seen a lot of data where top speed goes up but game speeds do not.

2- Track is a great place to learn proper running mechanics. Response: No, track is a great place to learn track running mechanics. Field running mechanics are very different and if a football player wants to improve his on-field running mechanics, track isn't the place to do that.

3- Football players will benefit from the competition they'll experience in track. Response: True. But there are plenty of other ways to get competition including field sports where they will apply speed in better ways and good competitive situations in an off-season training program.

Now, before anyone brands me as anti-track, I think track is a great sport and I love watching the sprints. If a kid wants to run track, he should run track. There are plenty of benefits from doing so. My issue is misleading kids by promoting track as a great way to improve football performance.