Last updated: 3 October 2026
Reviewed by Jordan Morley, FA Level 2 Football Coach
Rate of Force Development (RFD) is the speed at which maximal force can be generated. In most athletic movements (sprinting, jumping, throwing), the ground contact or impact phase lasts only 80-250ms — too short to reach peak force. Athletes with higher RFD can express more force within this brief window, producing greater speed and power. RFD is trained through Olympic lifting (clean, snatch), plyometrics, sprint training and max-velocity work. It declines more rapidly with age than maximal strength and is particularly important for team sport athletes and sprinters.
- Speed of force production, not maximum force
- Most athletic ground contacts last 80-250ms
- Trained through Olympic lifts, plyometrics, sprints
- Declines faster with age than maximal strength
In practice
Rate of force development (RFD) measures how quickly an athlete can produce force from the start of a muscular contraction — distinct from maximal strength, which measures the total force eventually achievable regardless of time — and is especially critical in sports with very brief ground-contact or action windows, like sprinting or jumping, where there's often no time to reach peak force at all.
FAQ
How is RFD different from maximal strength?
Maximal strength measures the greatest force a muscle can eventually produce given enough time, while RFD measures how quickly force is generated from the very start of the contraction — a critical distinction for fast, explosive sporting actions.
What training methods improve rate of force development?
Plyometrics, Olympic lifting variations, and ballistic/explosive-intent resistance training (lifting lighter loads as fast as possible) are commonly used to specifically target RFD improvement.