TIGHTNESS AND STRETCHES

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TIGHTNESS? IN COMPLICATED TERMS THERE IS CAPSULAR TIGHTNESS, MUSCULAR TIGHTNESS, CHRONIC SHORTENING, AND TONE TIGHTNESS FROM INJURY. BUT LETS JUST TAKE TWO OF THESE AND SIMPLE IT DOWN. BECAUSE KNOWING WHAT KIND OF TIGHTNESS YOU HAVE WILL TELL YOU THE KIND OF STRETCHING TO DO!

THE TWO MAIN TYPES OF TIGHTNESS WE SEE IS MUSCULAR TIGHTNESS AND CHRONIC SHORTENING.

CHRONIC SHORTENING IS WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR 50-YEAR-OLD DAD WHO WORKS A DESK JOB ALL DAY AND NEVER EXERCISES. THIS CAUSES HIS MUSCLES TO BECOME SHORTER, AND THAT’S WHY HE FEELS TIGHT. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ONLY LONG STRETCH HOLDS FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS CAN ACTUALLY STRETCH THESE MUSCLES THAT ARE CONSIDERED CHRONICALLY SHORTENED. 

NOW FOR YOU, AN ATHLETE, IF YOU WERE TO DO THESE LONG STRETCH HOLD FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS, IT COULD POTENTIALLY IRRITATE YOUR MUSCLES AND NOT HAVE ANY TRUE BENEFIT. THAT’S NOT THE ALL-KNOWN BE ALL BUT THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE FOUND. BECAUSE IN REALITY, SINCE YOU’RE ACTIVE IN YOUR SPORT YOUR MUSCLES ARE NICE AND HEALTHY. THESE MUSCLES ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE GREAT ELASTICITY.

SO, WHAT KIND OF STRETCHING WOULD BENEFIT YOU? WELL, THINK OF IT LIKE THIS. AFTER A WORKOUT, PRACTICE OR A GAME, YOUR MUSCLES HAVE BEEN CONTRACTING THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE TIME. THIS MEANS THEY HAVE BEEN SQUEEZING DOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

AND TO GET THEM TO RELAX A BIT AND STRETCH OUT, TYPICALLY ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HOLD STRETCHES FOR 2-3 SECONDS AND GIVE SLIGHTLY MORE PRESSURE. YOU SHOULD FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR STRETCHES BUT THEY SHOULDN’T BE EXTREMELY PAINFUL.

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? THINK OF KNEELING ON ONE LEG DOING A LUNGE AND YOU LEAN INTO THE STRETCH FOR A COUPLE SECONDS WHERE YOU FEEL IT IN YOUR HIP AND THE FRONT OF YOUR LEG, THEN YOU LEAN OUT OF IT. AND YOU DO THIS FOR 2-3 SECOND FOR 10 REPETITIONS.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FOAM ROLLING AND MUSCLE GUNS ARE ANOTHER FORM OF STRETCHING. THIS CAN ALSO BE BENEFICIAL TO HELP YOU LOOSEN UP.

DB IQ

DEFENSIVE BACK IS A TOUGH POSITION TO PLAY ON THE FIELD. BUT WITH GREAT PREPARATION YOU FIGHT HALF YOUR BATTLE. TO BE AN ELITE DB, INCREASE YOUR FOOTBALL IQ OFF THE FIELD, SO WHEN GAME DAY COMES YOUR FLYING AROUND ON THE FIELD.

LETS START AT THE BEGINNING OF GAME WEEK. SOMETHING YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. WATCH FILM.

STUDY WHAT FORMATIONS THEY LIKE TO RUN PASSES OUT OF. DO THEY GO 2X2, 3X1, BUNCH, UNBALANCED, 12 PERSONNEL, 10 PERSONNEL? LOOK AT IT ALL AND BUILD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLAYS THEY LIKE TO RUN OUT OF EACH FORMATION. NOW YOU’VE FOUGHT A GOOD MAJORITY OF THE BATTLE. BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT ROUTES ARE COMING IN CERTAIN FORMATIONS THEY’RE IN.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF THEIR FORMATIONS AND THE PLAYS THEY RUN OUT OF THEM, SEE EXACTLY WHERE THE PLAYER YOUR GUARDING OR ZONE YOUR COVERING COMPARED TO WHERE THEY ARE LINED UP. YOU KNOW IF A WR IS TIGHT IN HIS SPLIT, ITS EITHER BECAUSE HES GOTTA BOOK IT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD OR BECAUSE HE HAS AN OUT BREAKING ROUTE. NO NEED TO COMPLICATE THINGS FURTHER.

NEXT, KNOW WHERE YOUR HELP IS. ARE YOU IN THE REDZONE AND ARE THEY LIMITED TO SHORT ROUTES? OR ARE YOU ON THE BOUNDARY AND CAN USE THE SIDELINE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE AS ANOTHER DEFENDER? ARE YOU GUYS IN COVER ZERO? YOU KNOW IF YOUR IN COVER ZERO THE QB HAS THE GET THE BALL OUT FAST BECAUSE YOU GOT YOUR TEAMMATES IN THE BOX COMING HARD TO THE QB. KNOW THIS AND TRUST THEY’LL GET TO THE QB.