My First Try with Football Sled Drives
So I saw some NFL guys crushing it on the sled during pre-game warmups last Sunday. Figured hey, looks easy enough. Grabbed my cleats, hauled that rusty metal monster from my garage onto the patchy grass in the backyard. Stupid thing weighed a ton.

The Awful First Push
Set my feet kinda wide, leaned forward like I remembered seeing on TV. Tried to explode forward – my cleats just skidded like I was on ice. Face practically smushed into the sled’s padding. Felt like pushing a parked truck. Legs burned immediately. Heard weird wheezing sounds… realized that was me breathing. Neighbor’s kid stared over the fence. “You good, mister?” Mortifying.
- Tried again: Leaned too low, lost balance, kneecap banged the sled. Cursed loud enough to scare squirrels.
- Tried again: Didn’t drive feet hard enough, felt like my spine stretched three inches.
- Actual progress: Made the damn thing slide maybe two yards on the fifth try. Almost cried.
Figuring Out What Actually Works
Next week, I watched real YouTube tutorials this time (no sound, just visuals, phone screen all smudged with sweat). Key things that clicked:
-
Foot Fire
- Thought “quick steps” meant frantic tap dancing. Wrong. Shorter, choppier drives INTO the ground – imagine stomping through mud with anger. Made a dumb “HUT” sound every stomp.
- Stopped bending at the waist like I was bowing to royalty. Held my head up, pushed hips BACK. Back felt straighter, legs took the load.
- Used to let my arms flap around. Now I punch forward and down HARD with each step – like elbowing imaginary jerks. Sled started groaning when I did it right.
Spine Not a Noodle
Arm Fight Club
Sticking With The Grind (Mostly)
Did this stupid routine twice a week for a month:
- 5 x 10-second “sprints” against the sled – each one felt longer than church service.
- Rest? Collapsed on the sled panting like my Goldendoodle.
- Added angle: Put one foot slightly back sometimes, pretending a defender was there. Talked trash to ghosts.
Real Results? Sorta.
Played pick-up game last weekend. Ball snapped, slammed into some dude trying to tackle me. Felt different. Legs didn’t buckle, arms shoved him off like an annoying door-to-door salesman. That little surge? Pure sled rage kicking in. Felt good man. Not gonna lie though – sled work still sucks, just sucks slightly less now.
