Off Season - WR

Good Morning! Happy to be back with another off season-programming newsletter! With the college football season officially to an end, and the beginning of off season training, it is important to know what and how to deal with our athletes.

Today’s break down will be on the wide receiver position group!

*The injuries discussed in this newsletter are for general educational purposes only. I am not affiliated with the athlete’s medical team, and the information shared does not reflect any insider or team medical details. Specifics about the injury are often unavailable, which can significantly influence the estimated timeline for return to play.

Pelvic Control and Mobility

Pelvic Control and Mobility is a key stone that can not be left unturned with this position group. Starting with hip mobility early in the off season is key. Gaining the range of motion at the hip will allow for better strength gains with different exercises, but most importantly squatting. With a lack of hip mobility, this could potentially put more strain on the low back, knee or ankle.

Performance on the field NEEDS pelvic mobility. It is is extremely important for breaking at the top of the route. Whether that is a hitch coming back down hill at 135 degree break or a 90 degree break on an in route, if there is mobility deficits, this could cause a slower break or an extra step needed to break at the right angle. As far as gaining the mobility with different exercises, I am a huge fan of hip cars and fire hydrants. Additionally, majority of football athletes are anteriorly tilted. Therefore, stretching the hip flexors and quadriceps can improve mobility of the hip.

After gaining pelvic mobility, next we can improve pelvic control. First, if an athlete lacks pelvic control, they can’t produce power as easily which will result in less strength and slower running. Second, a lot of pelvic movement in the sagittal plane could put more stress on the hamstrings increasing the likelihood of a hamstring strain which is more prominent in the position due to the demands for wide receivers. Increasing pelvic control could be with a banded triple extension leaning on the wall, or a tall kneeling knee drive with a static plate hold over head (not a heavy plate). This static hold will engage the core musculature to stabilize the hip while the athlete drives the knee forward.

Rotational Mobility and Strength

Another bucket to cover for wide receivers during the off season is rotational mobility and strength. Increasing rotational mobility will increase the athletes catch radius especially with back shoulder catches.

A couple years ago I was watching old film and the running back came out the back field into the flats. The quarterback got pressured fast and he dumped it off to the check down but the ball was behind the running back. Due to his lack of rotational mobility when he rotated to catch the back shoulder ball he had to bring both legs off the ground to rotate. He caught the ball but unfortunately lost his balance and fell right at the goal line. This is a prime example of lacking the rotational mobility to increase catching radius. To increase rotational mobility, exercises can include thread the needle and sidelying opening and closing of the book.

Once rotational mobility is achieved, rotational strength can be added on top. Rotational strength is important for wide receivers because often times they have to rip through contact to catch balls which generates from the core. This can be accomplished by exercises that are not super complicated and what I’ve mentioned before including rotational landmine press, medball lateral tosses, and russian twist.

Single Leg Power

Single leg power is extremely important for all skilled positions because in reality we run on one leg. Developing this in WRs will improve explosiveness out of breaks as well as overall speed. Of course the best way to develop speed is doing speed work and agility on the field, but as far as in the weight room, Bulgarian split squat and single leg jumps are a great way to attack this bucket.

*Due to my professional association with the Atlanta Falcons during preseason and my current role with the Florida State Seminoles, I will not provide educational content or commentary on any injuries within these programs during or after the season.

Lateral Power

The last bucket for wide receivers I will talk about is lateral power. Specifically developing all the muscles on the lateral side of the leg including the ankle everters (peroneals), and the hip abductors (glute medius and minimus). Developing these muscles can improve explosiveness out of a break increasing their ability to separate from the defensive backs at the top of the route. Outside of doing 4 way ankle and clam shells, we can work these two muscle groups together for better development in the simultaneous contraction which occurs with cutting. These exercises would include a lateral or diagonal box jump, a skater hop or a lateral single leg landmine squat.

Glad to be back in the off season training! Next Monday I will be covering Quarterbacks!