It is important that we convert the velocity into m/s so that we may gain a better perspective of how fast these players are relative to the fastest human beings in the world: elite-level 100-meter sprinters. ![]() Thus, if we calculate velocity for these efforts using distance over time, the units are in yards per second (yd/s) rather than in m/s. Football sport performance coaches will almost always prescribe sprint training distances by measuring yards, not meters. American football, however, measures the game in yards. In most sports, the distances measured on the track or playing field are recorded in meters, so we easily understand the unit of m/s. Technically speaking, any unit of distance over any unit of time can be used (e.g., miles per hour, feet per second, kilometers per minute, etc.), but the unit that is used in the metric system (and most commonly found in sport science) is meters per second (m/s). The magnitude of velocity is a scalar quantity and is expressed as distance over time. In physics, the kinematic quality of velocity, specifically when observed as a scalar quantity, is the truest measure of speed as it relates to a body in motion. But is the 40-yard dash the best test for coaches to use to determine raw speed ability for their football players? Velocity: A True Indicator of SpeedĮven though sprint times can give us a reflection of an athlete’s speed ability, the truth is that these times won’t always tell us how fast an athlete can move. But no one can argue that most of the players in the NFL that play with great speed are the same players that posted impressive 40 times at the NFL Combine. Is the 40-yard dash the best test to use to determine raw speed ability for your football players? Click To TweetĪgain, we know this isn’t always the case, as some players struggle to show great game speed despite having very impressive raw speed ability. ![]() Reason and logic can indicate that if you draft players with raw speed ability, there’s a great chance that they will play fast for you on game day. ![]() It makes sense that coaches and scouts have put the 40-yard dash on such a pedestal. There’s no question that the fastest players on the field are typically (but not always) the best performers in the 40-yard dash. In fact, you’re more likely to hear a scout say, “He only jumped 28 inches in his vertical but that 4.45 he posted for his 40 shows that he’s got some nice burst. He’s definitely slow, but his shuttle was impressive!” It just doesn’t happen this way. You will never hear a scout say, “Well, he’s a wide receiver and ran a 5.02 on his 40. However, the 40-yard dash is king, and seems to be the only test that matters. The time that appears on the stopwatch seems to be the most important number for these scouts, despite several other tests that are also performed at the Combine. The players are described as the “4.3 guy” or something similar. Scouts representing all 32 teams sit in rooms with coaches and front office personnel, sharing the results of their stopwatches and labeling players based on their 40 time. ![]() It can literally determine whether an athlete has a career as a professional football player. Anyone who has worked with NFL draft prospects knows how important this test is. In American football, the 40-yard dash has always been the traditional test of speed. If we really want to know how fast our football players are, it’s time for us to think bigger than the 40-yard dash.
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