ONE MANS TRASH

PLAY WITHIN YOUR STRENGTHS

PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS IS KEY FOR SUCCESS IN FOOTBALL. MOST COACHES UNDERSTAND THE IDENTITY OF THE TEAM CHANGES EVERY YEAR EVEN IF YOU BRING BACK 22 STARTERS. THEY MOLD THE PLAY CALLS TO THE STYLE OF PLAY OF THEIR PLAYERS AND PLAY TOWARDS THEIR STRENGTHS.

BUT PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS ALSO FALLS WITHIN EACH INDIVIDUAL PLAYER AS WELL. LET ME EXPLAIN BY GOING DOWN MEMORY LANE OF A RETIRED D3 ATHLETE.

MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ABOUT A BUCK FORTY WITH QUICK FEET AND GOOD STRAIGHT-LINE SPEED. I PLAYED IN THE SLOT AND LINED UP IN THE BACKFIELD OFTEN. THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON I TRUCKED SOMEONE, WHICH WAS NOT A BIG PART OF MY SKILL SET. FOLLOWING THAT, THE NEXT COUPLE OF GAMES I TRIED TO DO IT AGAIN INSTEAD OF STICKING TO MY STRENGTHS WHICH WERE JUKES AND SPIN MOVES. BUT THIS LEAD TO A DECLINE IN MY 1 ON 1 BATTLES, MAKING A DEFENDER MISS, AT THE SECOND AND THIRD LEVELS. AS A YOUNGER PLAYER, THIS IS SOMETHING I DIDN’T REALIZE UNTIL MY COACH TOLD ME TO STICK TO MY STRENGTHS OF BEING QUICK AND SLIPPERY.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, IF WE LOOK AT NFL PLAYERS, LIKE JAMES COOK AND DERRICK HENRY, WE KNOW THEY PLAY THE SAME POSITION BUT VERY DIFFERENTLY. BOTH GOOD BACKS, BUT IN THEIR OWN WAYS. JAMES COOK IS A GOOD ROUTE RUNNER AND RUNS SMOOTH OUT IN SPACE. HE HAS GREAT VISION AND PATIENTS FOR A PLAY TO DEVELOP. HES A SMALLER, QUICKER BACK.

ON THE OTHER HAND, DERRICK HENRY IS A LARGE BACK KNOWN FOR HIS STIFF ARMS. HES HARD TO BRING DOWN SINCE HES EXPLOSIVE AND SO DAMN BIG. EVERY NOW AND THEN DERRICK CAN JUKE OR SPIN BUT THAT’S NOT HIS BEST STRENGTH IN THE GAME SO WE DON’T SEE THIS OFTEN FROM HIM. WE SEE HIS MASSIVE ARM BEING DISRESPECTFUL TO SOME FACES. HE STICKS TO HIS STRENGTHS.

I’M NOT THE TRAINER FOR EITHER OF THESE RUNNING BACKS, BUT I’D IMAGINE THEIR OFF-SEASON LIFTS TO LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT. OF COURSE, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE OVERLAP BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO THEY PLAY THE SAME SPORT BUT THEY PLAY THE SAME POSITION. HOWEVER, ONCE IT GETS CLOSER TO THE START OF THE SEASON, I’D IMAGINE THEIR TRAINERS START TO IMPLEMENT EXERCISES SIMILAR TO THEIR STRENGTHS. FOR JAMES COOK, WE WOULD SEE LOTS OF CHANGE OF DIRECTION AND AGILITY EXERCISES. WHILE DERRICK HENRY, WE SEE LOTS OF STRAIGHT-LINE SPEEDS, POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE MOVEMENTS, AND MAYBE DABBLE INTO A RUN AND STICK YOUR FOOT IN THE GROUND AND GET VERTICAL TYPE OF DRILL.

AGAIN, I AM NOT THEIR TRAINER AND I’VE NEVER SEEN AN ASSESSMENT OF THESE PLAYERS, BUT THIS IS THE OVERALL PICTURE I SEE IN THEIR TRAINING PROGRAM. AND THIS IS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT FOR YOUR OFF-SEASON LIFTS. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE OFF SEASON, FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN SIZE (ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A LITTLE TWIG BOY LIKE I WAS). THEN AS THE SEASON APPROACHES GET BACK TO YOUR STRENGTHS OF YOUR GAME. THIS WON’T ONLY GET YOU BACK INTO SIMILAR MOVEMENTS YOU WILL BE MAKING ON THE FIELD, BUT ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE YOUR BEST AT THESE TYPES OF MOVEMENTS.

SPEAKING OF LIFTING, IN SEASON LIFTING IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. MAYBE NOT AS INTENSE OR AS OFTEN, BUT STILL VERY IMPORTANT. RATHER THAN 3-4 DAYS OF LIFTING, 2 DAYS OF LIFTING IN SEASON SHOULD SUFFICE IN MAINTAINING STRENGTH. SETS, REPS, AND MAX PERCENTAGES DIAL SHOULD TURN MORE TOWARDS 1-3 SET, 1-6 REPS, AND 67-85% OF MAX FOR YOUR CORE LIFTS (BENCH, SQUAT AND HANG CLEAN), LEANING MORE TOWARDS THE LOWER END OF THAT PERCENTAGE RANGE.

THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, YOU START TO LOSE STRENGTH NATURALLY. THIS IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO MAINTAIN TO NOT ONLY KEEP PERFORMANCE AT PEAK LEVEL BUT TO ALSO PREVENT INJURY. SO IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHY THE HELL YOUR LIFTING IN SEASON, THIS IS WHY.

YOUR NECK MUSCLES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP STRONG AND DURABLE. NECK STRENGTHENING EXERCISES ARE A GREAT WAY TO HELP PREVENT CONCUSSIONS. ITS ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE STRENGTH OF YOUR ROTATOR CUFF MUSCLES TO PROTECT THE SHOULDER WHICH TAKES A LOT OF HITS IN THE GAME. MOVING DOWN TO YOUR LOWER BODY, HIPS, KNEES AND ANKLES ALSO NEED ATTENTION. SOME STABILIZING EXERCISES AND ECCENTRIC EXERCISES (NORDIC HAMSTRINGS) CAN HELP STRENGTHEN THESE MUSCLES TO PROTECT THE JOINTS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE SEASON.