FOAMS AND LONG ARMS

FOAM ROLLING IS A GREAT WARM UP BEFORE GAMES AND PRACTICE. THIS IS SOMETHING I WISH I DID WHEN I PLAYED.

AS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, FOAM ROLLING IS A TYPE OF STRETCHING. MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT IS A TYPE OF STRETCHING THAT IS MOST LIKELY BENEFICIAL FOR SOMEONE IN YOUR SHOES. BECAUSE YOU’RE YOUNG AND HAVE YOUNG MUSCLES. THIS TYPE OF STRETCHING IS BETTER THAN LONG STATIC HOLDS IN MOST SITUATIONS.

OUTSIDE OF THE STRETCHING COMPONENT OF FOAM ROLLING, THIS IS ALSO A GREAT WAY TO REDUCE PAIN AND SORENESS.

THIS IS ACTUALLY VERY INTERESTING (I GUESS INTERESTING TO A NERD LIKE ME) BUT I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN IT.

WHEN YOU HAVE PAIN, FOR INSTANCE PUTTING YOUR HAND ON A HOT STOVE. A SIGNAL IS SENT TO YOUR BRAIN FROM YOUR HAND THAT THE STOVE IS HOT. THEN YOUR BRAIN SENDS A MESSAGE BACK TO YOUR HAND TO MOVE YOUR HAND.

NOW, WHEN YOU DO FOAM ROLLING, ALSO KNOWN AS A WAY OF SELF MANUAL THERAPY OR SELF MASSAGE, YOU ACTUALLY REDUCE THE PERCEPTION OF HOW PAINFUL SOMETHING IS. ITS CRAZY! NOW IM NOT SAYING IF YOU FOAM ROLL, THEN YOU BREAK YOUR LEG YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FEEL ANYTHING. BUT THERE IS A SLIGHT DECREASE IN PAIN FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME.

THE CRAZIEST THING ABOUT THIS, IS THAT IF YOU FOAM ROLL, SAY YOUR BACK, THEORETICALLY YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR PERCEPTION OF PAIN IN YOUR LEG OR YOUR RIGHT ARM. NOW THAT BLOWS MY MIND. AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT SOME RESEARCH IS SHOWING. AGAIN NOT GOING TO COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF PAIN. YOU WILL 100% STILL FEEL PAIN. THERE WILL JUST BE A SLIGHT DECREASE IN HOW PAINFUL IT ACTUALLY IS FOR SOME TIME. ITS KIND OF LIKE HOW IF YOU HAVE A BRUISE OR GET STUNG AND YOU RUB IT, IT FEELS BETTER.

SO IF YOU HAVE TIME BEFORE GAMES OR PRACTICE, I WOULD RECOMMEND FOAM ROLLING TO KNOCK OUT TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. GET SOME FLEXIBILITY WITH SOME STRETCHING, AND REDUCE YOUR PAIN PERCEPTION, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SORE MUSCLES.

LONG ARM

I WILL SAY, ONE GAME IN PEWEE FOOTBALL THEY LET ME PLAY D LINE. AND IT WAS BY FAR THE MOST FUN I HAD ON THE FIELD.

ONE TECHNIQUE I WISH I KNEW THAT DAY WAS LONG ARM. WHICH DOESN’T NECESSARILY REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE LONG ARMS BUT IF YOU DO GREAT, IF YOU DON’T THIS IS STILL A VIABLE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX FOR YOU.

REMEMBER, THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN’S INSIDE HAND IS THE HAND YOU WANT TO BEAT. THE OUTSIDE HAND IS JUST A LATCH ON TO SLOW YOU DOWN IN YOUR PURSUIT TO THE BALL. IF THEY CAN GET THEIR INSIDE HAND ON YOUR HIP OR INSIDE, THEY’RE MOST LIKELY GOING TO WIN THE BATTLE.

LETS SAY YOUR PLAYING ON THE EDGE AND YOU WANT TO CREATE SPACE WITH THE LONG ARM TECHNIQUE. YOU CAN DRIVE YOUR INSIDE ARM INTO THE MIDDLE OF HIS CHEST VIOLENTLY AND EXTEND TO KEEP THE SEPARATION. NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BEAT HIS OUTSIDE ARM BECAUSE YOU HAVE MUCH BETTER LEVERAGE TO SLAP THAT OUTSIDE ARM DOWN. THIS ALSO PUTS YOU IN POSITION TO SWIM, RIP, SLAP AND RIP, IF HES LIGHT ON HIS FEET YOU CAN PRESS HIM, AND IF HES SITTING YOU CAN RIP HIM DOWN ALL FROM THIS POSITION. THIS MOVE GIVES YOU A LOT OF OPTIONS WHILE KEEPING SEPARATION.

EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING IS WITH YOUR ARMS EXTENDED BECAUSE YOU WANT SEPARATION AND THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN WANTS TO BE IN TIGHT. NO MATTER THE WIEGHT, SIZE, AND HIEGHT OF YOU AS THE DEFENDER, STICK TO THE PRINCIPLES OF SEPARATION.

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN WINS THE HANDS BATTLE AND GETS HIS HANDS INSIDE AND YOURS ARE ON THE OUTSIDE. THIS MIGHT BE THE WORST PLACE YOU CAN BE FOR A DEFENDER BESIDES FLAT ON YOUR FACE WITH A BIG ASS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN ON TOP OF YOU.

QUICKLY GET ONE AND ONLY ONE HAND INSIDE. DON’T TAKE BOTH HANDS OFF TO GET THEM BOTH INSIDE BECAUSE THEN HES GOT YOU BEAT, HE HAS ALL THE LEVERAGE TO DRIVE YOU OR PULL YOU IN CLOSE. INSTEAD, DO A QUICK DROP OF ONE ARM BELOW HIS AND GET HANDS INSIDE. YOU CAN USE YOUR ELBOW TO FIGHT FOR INSIDE LEVERAGE AS WELL.

YOUR TRYING TO GET CONTROL OF HIS SHOULDERS, SO COMING UNDERNEATH THE ARM AND GETTING INSIDE, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO HAVE BETTER LEVERAGE THAN WITH HANDS OUTSIDE AND THIS WILL HELP YOU WIN YOUR ONE ON ONE BATTLE