The 40: CrossFit Football

The 40-yard dash is the gold standard for measuring an athlete’s ability to accelerate, and his official time can make or break a prospect at the collegiate and professional levels. Shaving a few hundredths of a second off the time can often mean scholarships and millions of dollars at the NFL Draft. Being able to run a hot 40 can also be the difference between a Super Bowl touchdown and being tackled on the five-yard line.

John Welbourn and the CrossFit Football staff aim to provide coaches with the tools necessary to ensure the success of their athletes in the challenges they will face on the field and in physical testing at any level of the game.

When training the 40, Raphael Ruiz teaches athletes to be proficient with two different starts: a rolling start and a shotgun start. Both have very specific points of performance, and when it’s time to perform, the athlete must be comfortable with his chosen method, and he must “pull the trigger” no matter what.

With college coaches or NFL scouts watching, athletes can freeze up and then let one mistake unravel their entire run. Ruiz says it’s up to coaches to prep athletes for the pressure so they can move past mistakes and finish strong.

“Wrong step, right step, bad step, good step—go!”

9min 34sec

Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Weekend Edition 12, aired May 11, 2009.