Football players need a combination of speed, dexterity, plyometrics, power and explosiveness to be successful on the field. Today’s players are stronger and faster than ever before and no matter what position they play, all-around athleticism is required. Players give it their all for 2-15 seconds for a play and have to be ready to do it all over again only 30 seconds to a minute or two later. As a result, the days when players only focused on size and strength are gone, as now more types of training are needed to reach maximum competitiveness and prevent on-field injuries. Even if you don’t make it to the pros, you don’t need to be an elite athlete to work out on the turf. The combination of cushion and traction provides a lower impact and softer surface, an excellent way to reduce the chances of impact-related injury. This means that you can increase your workout intensity, while decreasing your chance of injury. Below are three exercises you can do to build a combination of power, explosiveness and athleticism.

Box jumps

Box Jumps are a great plyometric exercise that builds explosive power and trains your body to be more athletic.

To do a box jump, you will need a stable surface—preferably a plyometric box between 12-36 inches, depending on your abilities. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and at a comfortable distance from the box. Drop into a quarter squat, then extend your hips, swing your arms and push your feet through the floor to propel yourself onto the box. Don’t try to “stick” the landing, instead imagine the way a cat jumps – gracefully and softly.

Sets: 5
Reps: 2 Rest as needed

Battle ropes

Battle ropes offer full body strength training as well as a killer cardio workout. What makes using the battle ropes so challenging? Battle ropes create tension from angles that are harder to achieve with basic weight training.

  • The wave is the most common battle rope swing. You can achieve the wave by alternating pumping your arms up and down to create a wave.
  • To increase intensity, try slamming the ropes. Lift both ropes overhead and then slam the rope with full force to the ground.
  • To up your intensity even more try a burpee slam: alternate double row slams with burpees.

Try pumping the battle ropes for 30 seconds at a time and work to increase your time.

Sled training

Sled training builds lower body strength, endurance and athleticism. It is a simple exercise to do but it will work you hard.

Load up the sled with a weight that is challenging but will let you sprint. Push the sled while sprinting the entire time. Reverse course and do another sprint with the sled. Do 10 reps, resting as needed in between reps. You can add variations by pushing more explosively for shorter periods of time or pushing at a steady pace for longer intervals.