Want to know what makes a winning football program? Just look at the numbers since 2019:
- North Central: 95.77% wins
- Mount Union: 93.06% wins
- Randolph-Macon: 90% wins
That last one might surprise you. But Head Coach Pedro Arruza turned Randolph-Macon into a powerhouse by throwing out the old playbook on training. His secret? Making everything about speed.
A Fresh Start in 2020
CLICK HERE to watch: 2020 – A Shift
When COVID hit in 2020, most teams just waited it out. Not Arruza. He spent that time talking to the best minds in football speed training – guys like Tony Holler (the “Feed the Cats” guru), Mike Tucker from Villanova, and Connor Hughes from Army. What he learned changed everything.
Out with the Old, In with the Fast
Before 2020, Randolph-Macon did what everyone else did: lots of weight room time and those brutal 300-yard shuttles. But Arruza realized something wasn’t clicking. Those long runs and heavy lifts? They didn’t match what players actually do in games.
CLICK HERE to watch: Complete Reboot
So he flipped the script. Now players hit the field first for sprints and jumps, then head to the weight room. The results? Players got faster, jumped higher, and – here’s the kicker – got hurt less often.
“If you’re not practicing at full speed, you’re not getting better,” Arruza tells his players. And he means it. Every drill runs at game speed. Practice stays short but intense. Even the big guys on the offensive line join in – and they’re crushing it. Imagine a 275-pound tackle jumping over 30 inches high!
Speed Works for Everyone
But what about different positions? Arruza tweaked the program to fit each player:
- Skill players run longer sprints
- Linemen focus on quick bursts
- Everyone works on jumping and explosion
CLICK HERE to watch: Program Philosophy
Some new players worried they were turning into track stars instead of football players. Arruza had a simple answer: “We’re not building a track team, a powerlifting team, or a bodybuilding team. We’re building a football team.”
The proof? His players aren’t just faster – they’re better football players. Period. Hamstring injuries, which used to plague their training camps, dropped way down. Players move better, hit harder, and win more games.
Get Started/Learn More with these Sprint-Based Football Resources On CoachTube:
Want More?
Football Playbooks | Throw Deep Publishing Best Books | Throw Deep Publishing Best Videos