CONCUSSIONS AND LINEBACKERS

I hope your Thanksgiving was well and filled with good food! Next week I will be doing a format switch…

• The newsletter will be sent out at 8AM on Sundays instead of 8PM.

• Instead of just health in football, I will focus on overall health in athletes and former athletes (considering most of our audience will be changing to their winter sport, in their off season, or played their last season of football)

  • But don’t worry, topics in football will still be covered, and videos on IQ from NFL players and coaches will still be attached

• I will also be focusing on mindset. Which will include information I wish I learned earlier in my life as an athlete.

Lastly, this will be the last email newsletter with all caps!!! (for now) So enjoy the last time of me screaming information at you. See you next Sunday bright and early at 8AM.

CONCUSSIONS CONCUSSIONS CONCUSSIONS. I FEEL LIKE THAT’S ALL PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH IN FOOTBALL. AS A FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER, I KNOW HOW ANNOYING THIS CAN BE. AFTER EVERY BIG HIT, EVERYONE IMMEDIATELY THINKS CONCUSSION.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD TALK AND LEARN ABOUT TO HELP PREVENT THEM FROM OCCURRING. THIS WILL HELP US KEEP THE GAME AS IT IS AND STOP CHANGING THE RULES.

AND BEFORE WE DIVE INTO IT, A CONCUSSION IS AN ACCELERATION/ DECELERATION INJURY TO THE BRAIN. IT IS NOT DIRECTLY THE HIT TO THE HEAD BUT INSTEAD HOW MUCH YOUR BRAIN MOVES INSIDE YOUR SKULL. SO TO ULTIMATELY DECREASE THE RATE OF CONCUSSIONS, WE HAVE TO DECREASE THE RATE AT WHICH YOUR BRAIN IS MOVING INSIDE YOUR HEAD.

WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY IS THE NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT IS BEING MADE TO HELP PREVENT CONCUSSIONS. THIS IS THE GUARDIAN CAP AND THE Q COLLAR. IF YOU HAVE WATCHED THE NFL GAMES THIS YEAR AND EVEN SOME LAST YEAR, YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN THESE ON PLAYERS.

 MOST PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE GUARDIAN CAP IS. BUT IF YOU DON’T, THIS IS A SOFT COVERING THAT CAN BE WORN OVER THE HELMET TO LESSEN A BLOW TO THE HEAD, WHICH WOULD ULTIMATELY LOWER THE ACCELERATION OF YOUR BRAIN AFTER A HIT BECAUSE IT HELPS SPREAD THE FORCE.

HERES A LINK TO THE GUARDIAN CAP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET ONE FOR NEXT SEASON!

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE Q COLLAR HAS A DIFFERENT MECHANISM OF ACTION TO PREVENTING CONCUSSIONS. WITH NO BIAS IN SALES OR MARKETTING, I PERSONALLY LIKE THIS ONE MORE BECAUSE IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO ME. I’LL TRY TO SIMPLIFY THIS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

BASICALLY THE Q COLLAR APPLIES A LITTLE PRESSURE ON YOUR NECK. THIS SLIGHT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE KEEPS MORE BLOOD IN YOUR HEAD, NOT ENOUGH TO WHERE YOU CAN FEEL A DIFFERENCE OR HAVE ANY KNOWN EFFECTS ON YOU, BUT ENOUGH TO HELP SLOW DOWN THE MOVEMENT OF THE BRAIN DURING ACCELERATION/ DECELERATION MOVEMENTS. I THINK THIS DIRECTLY ATTACKS THE MECHANISM OF INJURY OF A CONCUSSION AND AM EXCITED WHAT WE SEE IN THE YEARS TO COME WITH THIS PROTECTIVE GEAR.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE Q COLLAR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET ONE FOR NEXT SEASON!

LINE BACKER IQ

AT LINEBACKER, EVERY WEEK YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEIR FAVORITE RUN PLAYS ARE AND WHAT THE DEFENSIVE LINE SCHEME IS FOR THE WEEK. THIS WILL HELP YOU READ THE OFFENSE AND IGNORE THE EYE CANDY WHICH BECOMES MORE AND MORE ABUNDANT AS YOU MOVE FROM JV TO VARSITY TO COLLEGE BALL TO THE PROS.

ONE LINEBACKER, FRED WARNER FLIES AROUND THE FIELD LIKE A MAD MAN BUT IN SUCH A DISCIPLINE MANNER. I LOVE WATCHING HIM PLAY THE GAME.

HE HAS SOME SIMPLE BUT VALUABLE FUNDAMENTALS IN HIS GAME. FOR ONE, WHEN A WIDE RECEIVER COMES IN THE BOX TO BLOCK HE MAKES SURE THEY FEEL IT. HE RUNS THREW THEM AND SHOWS THEM THEY DO NOT BELONG IN THE TRENCHES. WE ALL KNOW MOST RECEIVERS ARE NOT BUILT FOR THE TRENCHES. MAKE SURE HE DOESN’T WANNA COME BACK IN THERE TO BLOCK YOU.

ANOTHER KEY FUNDAMENTAL HE HAS BUILT IN HIS GAME IS RESISTING PLAYMAKER SYNDROME. ONCE YOU GET 1 OR 2 BIG HITS, ITS INEVITABLE TO START GETTING A LITTLE TOO HUNGRY. LINEBACKERS ARE SOMETHING ELSE AND LOVE TO HIT. WE LOVE THE ENERGY BUT ONCE YOU GET TOO ANTSY SHOOTING GAPS YOU SHOULDN’T HIT IT BECOMES A PROBLEM IN THE OVERALL DEFENSIVE PLAY. PLAY LIKE A DISCIPLINED MAD MAN AND KEEP YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEYS IN THE FRONT OF YOUR MIND AT ALL TIMES.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR MORE TIPS FROM FRED WARNER