what is the best way to improve my 40 yard dash speed?
493276
If your only goal is improving your 40 time, concentrate strictly on running sprints. The resistance band mentioned above is a good idea, but there are other ways also. First, you can use a weighted vest when you run, and it should help you some. The best method I've seen is using a runners parachute. If you haven't seen one, it is a small parachute attached to a harness that you wear on you chest/back when you run. When you take off, the wind catches the parachute which causes heavy drag/resistance. It operates on a similar principle to the resistance hose, but it doesn't have the limitations that come with tieing yourself to something. I had a couple friends who used them in high school, and they had real nice 40 times (4.3 - 4.5). Of course, they had natural speed to start with, but they used to train with the parachute almost every day. Hope it helps you.
849496
4 things\n1. Run long distancelike 400 meter sprints \n2. run 200 and 100 meter sprints\n3. Stretch and relenghten your stride\n4.  Do field work such as high knees butt kicks etc. this will strenghtne yuour psoads muscles and make your stride longer stronger and faster
844469
Do a lot of sprints and ladders (25 m,50 m,75, m, 100m, then back down.)  also a good thing is getting a 45 pound weight (Plate not dumbell) and tying to your waist with a long rope and running sprints on the field with it dragging behind you.  Also power lift in other words go for more weight for less reps.  Also first response is kind of right running on hills is hard but works Great.  Push Yourself all the time
280091
First of all, train yourself by running in longer distances. Like train in running the 300 meters. That way, if you do it right, you'll never have to stop sprinting the whole 200 yards. You'll also have to learn how to run properly. Be sure you're running on the balls of your feet and that you're leaning forward a little.
895854
Lots and lots of running! That's the only way to really improve your times.  I run the mile in school.\n\nYou want to run short/medium distances so I'll assume that's anywhere between the 400 meters and the mile so I'll suggest this training routine:\n\n1) Warm up with 15 minutes of easy jogging, stretch your quads, hamstrings, and calves thoroughly, jog easily for five minutes, and then run 200-metre intervals in about 28 seconds each, with two minutes of light jogging between intervals. Over a period of several weeks, progressively reduce the recoveries to about 30 seconds or so. The idea here is to learn to function at about two seconds per 200 faster than one's current best 400-metre time.\n\n2) Follow the same warm-up procedure outlined in workout No.1, and then run 400-metre intervals, with the first 200 of the 400 completed in about 33 to 34 seconds and the second in 28. Recover for three minutes between intervals. Over a period of several weeks, progressively reduce the recoveries to one minute. The concept here is to develop the ability to run faster than current 400-metre pace when one is already somewhat tired.\n\nIt's tough to have the commitment , but try your hardest and you willl improve.  Find some time during the week to run and MOST importantly, have fun!
1112567
As you can see, there are a lot of people who don't know squat about training. Practice, practice, practice is not an answer.\n\nI was a sprinter in college (back when they timed races with an sundial) . I'm going to give you links to web pages the look like they have sane workouts.\n\n    University California at Santa Clara\n    http://www2.ucsc.edu/slugtandfclub/sprin...\n\n    Central Park Track Club\n    http://www.centralparktc.org/trackies200...\n\nIn addition, you might want to do exercize that will increase you acceleration out of the blocks. Running hills or running against resistance like a bungy cord are exercizes that you might want to try. \n\nSomeone above said that you can't increase your stride length. Well, you can. Improving your knee lift and the amount of thrust you get when you push off are going to increase your stride length.
906557
you could run with weights around ur legs or do high steps with weights. That will help you extend your stride and run faster!
942267
leg press, squats, and speed training\n50 yard sprints, walk 50 yards and sprint again.\nrunning up hills, preferably grassy hills -sprints on the beach, and more leg press and squats-jump rope, lots of side to side training.
424078
to gain speed, try filling a tennis ball with pennies and slowly go thru your pitching motion. this will add strength and speed and always remember to release right at the knees.
1156388
Get low, don't aim low. If you dive at their shoetops (or knees), they are going to truck you.\n\nGet someone on your team your size or smaller to help you practice. Stand facing each other from 20 feet away, and then you kneel down. Have them walk slowly towards you with the ball as if they were going to pass you (on either side). Plant your shoulder into their hip, head behind them, face up, wrap your arms, and then roll to take them down. If they come straight towards you, you won't be able to roll; wrap just the same but fall backwards and drag them down as you do. Keep repeating until you're comfortable, and then start increasing the speed. \n\nWhen you're comfortable at speed, start working on exploding your shoulder up into them. As you wrap behind their legs, the effect should be to lift them off the ground. If you do lift them up, drive them back down into the ground to complete the hit. How much you can practice that is going to depend on your teammates' tolerance. \n\nOnce you're comfortable with all that from your knees, work on getting into a similar position standing. Some people will actually touch a knee to the ground before contact; some people are comfortable getting into a low squat. Making contact with someone big, 95% of the time, whomever gets lower will win. Play around with what stance both allows you to feel comfortable and allows you to explode forward. \n\nOnce you have that down, the trick is getting into position during a game. It's tough in open play, and most of the tackles will be stopping them however you can. Pursuing a kick, get there fast but under control, so you can get to your tackling stance when you need. Around the scrum, the hits tend to be better lined up, but with the crowd, clean hits are rare. But they're worth it when you get them.\n\nIf someone bigger than you takes a run at you, use the same technique, but rather than exploding, just wrap and drag them down. Make the tackle, don't be a hero.
939450
jump rope\nstairs\nrun 50 yard sprints\n\nand you will see a big change
492843
Try track workouts or telephone poles.\n\nSplit the distance into chunks and alternate 60% max speed, 75%, 100%, 60%, 75%, 100%.\n\nTry ending the workout with a walk of the same distance.\nYou can also lift weights to increase your sprinting strength.
668209
There are several workouts you can do to gain speed. There are some that are done in the track and others that are done in the weight room. On the track is do technique training (stuff done at slow speeds). Work on your stride and timing. Pushing off with your back leg, arms 90 deg. front to back not across the body. Do these to warm-up. Then run using good technique at 80% of max for 50meters, then jog 50mtrs, then sprint again at 80 for 50meters. To complete two laps. Then change to 30m at 90% 1 lap then 20 meters 100% one lap. Do this until you can increase the length to 200 meters at 80% then jog. In the weight room do SQUATS! Or explosive but controlled lifts like the Power Clean, Power Snatch (hehehehe), Dead Lift, and Bench Press. Good luck with the speed gains!!
707786
Swat and straight leg dead lift (hope you know what that is<<) every other day. dont run long distance that doesn't help with your speed just stamina if you want to get faster go short sprint with explosive running like a 40 to 100 yard dash. Time yourself and try to beat your best time every run.
68766
There are 3 things that you can do to run faster: You can increase your leg turnover rate.\nYou can increase your stride length.\nYou can increase your overall strength so you can maintain a faster turnover and longer stride for a longer time. That is, you run faster by not slowing down as much.\n\nHere are some things to try to affect one or more of these things.\n\n1.Work on your (running) strength. You should do interval workouts, 100 hard run (not sprint) followed by 100 walk/jog, then repeat. Start with 4 and work up to 10-12 repeats as you get stronger. For some workouts, do the same thing with 200s and occasionally a 400. \n\n2. Work on your upper body strength with weights. Do not go heavy, go light. You want to do a lot of quick reps rather than a few, slow, reps with heavy weights.\n\n3. Run some hills. If you can find a long, gradual hill, do some of your 100 repeats uphill. It will increase your knee lift and leg strength. As an alternative, run steps. Hills are better because running steps, you chop down your stride length to fit the steps.\n\n4. Learn to run “Fast, but relaxed”. Jog 20m, gradually accelerate to full speed over 20m, then slow back down to a jog over 20 m. Jog, then repeat. When you do this, concentrate on your form and staying relaxed through the whole 60m.\n\n5. There a some running related exercises that you can do. Skip like a little kid. Do repeat 50s. First skip for distance, making each stride as long as possible, then skip for height, working on getting your knee up and getting as much air as possible.\n\nTo prevent soreness, stretch out completely after your workout. You want to stay as flexible as possible. You don’t want to have one set of muscles working against another set of muscles.  A good book is Bob Anderson's  “Stretching” (See link below) you can probably find it at your local library, it’s a classic. It has pages of stretches. You may also be sore because you are running to tight and your muscles are fighting each other. If you are clenching your teeth and grimacing, you are too tight.
398247
The following is a good link to help with your 40 time\n\nhttp://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/dash.htm
566399
The above are good, but there's a couple things missing. First, you need to get with one of your coaches and have them teach you how to run proper routes. As a QB, you more than anyone else should realize how important it is to run routes correctly and not round them off. Second, you need to get someone to throw bricks to you (no Im not kidding). Catching bricks will help you learn to catch with your hands first, instead of trying to trap the ball against your body (if you trap a brick against your chest a couple times, I promise it will help break you of the habit.) Good receivers don't wait for the ball to come into their body; they pluck it out of the air, and that's what the brick drill will enforce. Obviously you don;t want someone winging bricks at your head, but I think you understand what I mean. You do have to be careful though, cause it's real easy to break your fingers if you grab it wrong, and of course it's gonna not feel too good if you miss and it hits you in the chest/gut/manbag or lands on your foot. Again, talk to your coach and I'm sure he can show you the right way to run the drill.