Football Training Aids: Ways to Use the Speed Chute

Of all the variables that help players stand out on the football field, speed can be one of the most important. Whether it is a running back breaking free toward the end zone, a receiver looking to create space from a defensive back to make a catch or a defensive player closing in for a tackle, speed is invaluable on the gridiron.

WHY A SPEED CHUTE?

A good tool to add to your offseason football workouts is the speed chute. The speed chute can help players work on their top-end speed by providing constant resistance during the player’s sprint.

“Depending on the size of the speed chute, you are going to get anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds in resistance,” says Chris Merritt, a high school coaching veteran and founding member of Heads Up Football. “And it is a great linear resistance trainer for any sprinter at any position on the football field.”

The speed chute forces the athlete to engage and maintain their fast-twitch muscles by using resistance instead of gravity.

“The best thing about speed chutes, resistance bands and sleds is that they all require linear or lateral resistance whereas a weight room relies on gravity,” Merritt says. “Giving that athlete independent mobility and being able to run in different lines and different directions with constant lateral resistance is important to improve the speed and agility of your athletes.”

A speed chute is just one of several football training aids a team can add to its arsenal to take training to the next level.

Don’t focus on just your skill position players. It is crucial for linemen to get in plenty of work, too — add sleds to your workouts to help improve their power and speed.