How to Run a Faster 40: Stance, Drive Phase and Top Speed
Updated · Fact checked
A 40 starts from a dead stop. An NFL.com guide to the combine (2008) says players are timed at 10, 20 and 40 yards to see how quickly they explode off the line and how quickly they reach top speed. So training for a faster 40 means training both: the start and the top speed you reach.
Nobody can promise you a number. What follows is the technique 440 coaches for each part of the run, what sprint research actually reports, and the two weekly speed sessions 440 uses to train it.
40-yard dash: the published numbers
NFL Combine, 2000 to 2018, by position (average ± standard deviation)
| Position | 40-yard dash |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | 4.82 ± 0.19 s |
| Running back | 4.54 ± 0.10 s |
| Wide receiver | 4.50 ± 0.10 s |
| Tight end | 4.75 ± 0.15 s |
| Offensive line | 5.24 ± 0.17 s |
| Defensive tackle | 5.08 ± 0.15 s |
| Defensive end / edge rusher | 4.81 ± 0.14 s |
| Linebacker | 4.69 ± 0.12 s |
| Cornerback | 4.48 ± 0.09 s |
| Safety | 4.54 ± 0.09 s |
Frank DJ, King MJ, Dennard CD, Macnamara BN. Discriminant Function Analysis Reveals Which Combination of Measures from the NFL Scouting Combine Predict NFL Performance. Journal of Expertise 2023;6(2):130-163, Table 4. The study's analysed samples were 117 to 462 players per position; it does not say whether these averages use that sample or every participant.
High school combine players, all positions: 40-yard dash 5.3 ± 0.4 sGillen ZM, Shoemaker ME, McKay BD, Cramer JT. State Population Influences Athletic Performance Combine Test Scores in High School-Aged American Football Players. Int J Exerc Sci 2019;12(6):256-262, Table 1 (raw values). Pooled across the paper's three groups.
440's 40 targets by plan
| Plan | High school | College | Pro reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 5.13 s | 4.93 s | 4.85 s |
| Running Back | 4.83 s | 4.63 s | 4.55 s |
| Wide Receiver | 4.78 s | 4.58 s | 4.50 s |
| Tight End | 5.00 s | 4.80 s | 4.72 s |
| Offensive Line | 5.58 s | 5.38 s | 5.30 s |
| Defensive Line | 5.23 s | 5.03 s | 4.95 s |
| Linebacker | 4.98 s | 4.78 s | 4.70 s |
| Defensive Back | 4.78 s | 4.58 s | 4.50 s |
| Kicker | 5.23 s | 5.03 s | 4.95 s |
| Punter | 5.23 s | 5.03 s | 4.95 s |
| Athlete | 4.88 s | 4.68 s | 4.60 s |
440 Football's own targets: a pro reference per position, plus 0.28 s for high school and 0.08 s for college.
Rank your 40-yard dash in the free calculatorHow it is run
Warm up
440's sprint warm-up: jumping jacks, lateral shuffles, glute bridges, the world's greatest stretch, leg swings, walking knee hugs, 2 x 20 yards of A-skips and 2 build-up sprints over 30 yards at 70 to 80% effort.
Wall drives
Acceleration day: 3 sets of 5 per side. Lean into a wall at about 45 degrees and punch each foot down and back under the hip.
Falling starts
3 x 10 yards. Stand tall, lean forward as one piece until you have to step, then drive out low.
Starts from your stance
5 x 10 yards at full effort from the stance you play in, with 60 seconds rest. In 440, tight ends and linemen start in a 3-point stance and defensive backs start from a backpedal.
Longer acceleration
Finish the day with 3 x 20 yard sprints and full rest. Offensive and defensive linemen do 4 x 10 yard sled sprints instead.
Top speed day
On a second day: 4 x 30 yard wicket runs (linemen skip these), then 4 flying 10s (a 20 yard build-up, then all out for 10) with 3 minutes rest; linemen do 3. Some offseason weeks add 2 timed 40s.
The stance and the first two steps
440 coaches the 40 start with three cues: start low, push the ground back behind you, and rise gradually over the first 10 to 15 yards. The first mistake on its list is standing up in the first two steps.
A small study of sprint mechanics points the same way. Researchers measured the ground forces of 12 physically active men, two of them sprinters, during sprints on an instrumented treadmill. The total force they put into the ground was not tied to how fast they ran 100 meters on a track; the horizontal part of that force was. The authors concluded that the orientation of the force seems to matter more than its amount. Twelve people is a small sample, so read it as one supporting finding, not proof. Train the stance itself with the 3 point stance start if you put a hand down, or the 10 yard sprint start from two points.
The drive phase
After the first steps, keep pushing and let your body come up a little with every stride. Falling starts and wall drives in 440's acceleration session rehearse this lean without the pressure of a stopwatch. Rest a full minute for every 10 yards you sprint. 440's rule for these days is quality reps only: stop if you slow down.
440 uses a light sled, about 10% of body weight, for offensive and defensive linemen. A 2016 review of 11 sled training studies found results that changed with the load and the athletes, and whether sled sprints beat plain sprinting was still unsettled. Treat the sled as one tool, not a shortcut.
Why top speed matters in a 40
A study of the 2016 NFL Combine used each player's published split times to model his 40 and estimate his top speed. That estimated top speed was strongly correlated with the full 40 time (0.94), and with the 10-yard split too (0.72). A correlation shows the two go together, not that one causes the other. Fast and slow players accelerated in a similar pattern relative to their own top speed. The authors suggested that more max velocity training may be warranted for players preparing for the combine.
That is the job of the flying 10 sprint: build up over 20 yards, then run all out through a 10 yard zone, tall and relaxed. At the end of a 40, 440's cue is to run through the line, and it lists leaning for the finish too early as a common mistake.
Strength work and how to measure progress
Speed is not only sprinting. A 2014 meta-analysis pooled 15 studies with 510 people and found that gains in back squat strength carried over to sprint performance; the resistance training in those studies improved sprint times by 3.11% on average. That is an average across studies, and the authors found the size of the gain depended on the athletes and the training. It is not a promise for you. In 440's offseason sessions, the acceleration day and the max velocity day each pair sprints with lower body lifting, and the sprints come first after the warm-up. Find yours in the position guides.
To see if any of it is working, time the same way every time. Read how the 40 yard dash is run at the combine, why a hand time and a laser time are not the same, and rank your result in the 40 yard dash calculator.
FAQ
How much faster can I get in the 40?
No one can tell you in advance. In the research, the size of the gain varied with the athletes and the training, and your number also depends on how you are timed. Track the same test with the same timing method over months instead of chasing a promised number.
Should I practice the full 40 every day?
No. 440 trains the parts instead: starts on one day and top speed on another, with full rest. Timed 40s show up only as 2 optional reps in some offseason weeks.
Do sled sprints make you faster than normal sprints?
The research has not settled it. A 2016 systematic review of 11 studies called sled training a method with potential to improve sprint performance, but said its benefit over unresisted sprinting remained to be conclusively demonstrated.
Why do my first steps feel slow even when my 40 is fine?
Check whether you stand up too soon. Standing up in the first two steps is the first mistake 440 lists for the 40 start. Its cues are the fix: start low and push the ground back.
Build my position plan
Pick your position, level and schedule. Get a daily position plan with loads, timers and demo videos, adjusted for your equipment, training phase and readiness.
Build my position planSources
- Combine events: 40-yard dash (2008-02-23), NFL.com
- How The NFL Combine Works: The Drills (Tony Drovetto, 2016-02-22; descriptions courtesy of NFL.com; no live NFL.com original found), Seattle Seahawks (seahawks.com)
- Technical ability of force application as a determinant factor of sprint performance (Morin, Edouard, Samozino; Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43(9):1680-8; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Resisted Sled Sprint Training to Improve Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review (Petrakos, Morin, Egan; Sports Med 2016;46(3):381-400; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Sports Medicine
- The National Football League Combine 40-yd Dash: How Important is Maximum Velocity? (Clark, Rieger, Bruno, Stearne; J Strength Cond Res 2019;33(6):1542-1550; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
- Increases in lower-body strength transfer positively to sprint performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis (Seitz et al., Sports Med 2014;44(12):1693-702; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Sports Medicine
- Comparison between hand and electronic timing of 40-yd dash performance in college football players (Mayhew et al., J Strength Cond Res 2010;24(2):447-51; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
- Comparison of speed and agility performance of college football players on field turf and natural grass (Gains et al., J Strength Cond Res 2010;24(10):2613-7; abstract via NCBI E-utilities), PubMed / Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.