Yo BigAnt...Time to train for football....

[brandona]

Hey big guy...

I know you are busy and involved in your cut so i don't want to take up much of your time...My brother in law, (well he will be once I ask for her hand....) is going to be a freshman in high school this coming year. He is going to play some ball...He want to play the d-line, on the nose...yea my favorite position myself, down and dirty.....

He has started coming to the gym with me and is putting in some serious work..He is doing the same workout as me and right now, I have him working on form and getting used to the movements...heavier weight to follow, want him to ease into it...

So my question is this...what kind of stuff should i have him doing other than lifting to get him in to shape? He is going to need explosive power to play the nose...I want to get him on some power cleans soon...but as far as cardio?

tire pulls, wind sprints, box jumps?....I will post up a journey for him so everyone can see how it's going...

Thanks for your help big guy...hope your diet and cardio are going well..

Oh by the way...Danny is 14, weighing in at about 190lbs, standing about 5'-5' (i guess), he is a pretty stout little guy..

-B

[Beast Genetics]

Hey Brandona, I know the question was not for me but I may be able to help somewhat. I finished all- district linebacker at my highschool and could have played at a good college but my head was wedged up my ass, anyway. He needs to run, than run, and run some more. Im telling you man his lifting and some of the drills you have listed look good but the thing that is gonna whip his ass is cardio and good old fashioned running. D- line you also wanna do the explosion drills, just make him get into stance give the count dont let him know the count hike the ball like your the center and make him react to the ball not your voice. Also make him react to false start type ball movement it will give him a sharper reaction to ball movement. Focus on running , explosion, and reaction to ball movement not hard counts, you might wanna throw that in there to. Thats just scratching the surface but its a very good starting point for a freshman. hope this helps

[brandona]

Hey Brandona, I know the question was not for me but I may be able to help somewhat. I finished all- district linebacker at my highschool and could have played at a good college but my head was wedged up my ass, anyway. He needs to run, than run, and run some more. Im telling you man his lifting and some of the drills you have listed look good but the thing that is gonna whip his ass is cardio and good old fashioned running. D- line you also wanna do the explosion drills, just make him get into stance give the count dont let him know the count hike the ball like your the center and make him react to the ball not your voice. Also make him react to false start type ball movement it will give him a sharper reaction to ball movement. Focus on running , explosion, and reaction to ball movement not hard counts, you might wanna throw that in there to. Thats just scratching the surface but its a very good starting point for a freshman. hope this helps

Helps a ton Bro...Thanks...BigAnt and I had talked about this before and he offered to help when the time came that is the only reason I posted to his attention..I know that there are many fine football players here, such as yourself, and appreicate any and all advice that comes my way....I played the nose, but that was a long, long time ago...lol......thanks for the ideas....

-B

[Beast Genetics]

Helps a ton Bro...Thanks...BigAnt and I had talked about this before and he offered to help when the time came that is the only reason I posted to his attention..I know that there are many fine football players here, such as yourself, and appreicate any and all advice that comes my way....I played the nose, but that was a long, long time ago...lol......thanks for the ideas....

-B

No prob brother thats why were in here. Cool so if you played noise you already know the lifts he needs to focus on thats good. I cant emphasize enough for you to make him run and focus on his ball movement reaction time man, Im sorry im a broken record Im just a defensive minded ball player I love seeing a D-lineman pancake someone on the O-line and crush the QB or RB still in the back field. If anyone reading this played offense sorry...

[G Diesel]

Bounding, broad jumping, 40s, running steps, lateral movement drills as well as power cleans and a steady diet of the big three and other compound multi-joint classics. Plus consider getting him a pair of Strength Shoes--they are phenomenal for adding explosive speed. Peace, G

[naturalguy]

Keep in mind his lifting style should be different than that of a bodybuilder. He should use much more explosive, faster reps (while still maintaining good form).

[brandona]

Keep in mind his lifting style should be different than that of a bodybuilder. He should use much more explosive, faster reps (while still maintaining good form).

Right on, I will incorporate that soon...Lifting is new to him, so we are going slow right now....thanks bro...

-B

[BigAnt]

Hey big guy...

I know you are busy and involved in your cut so i don't want to take up much of your time...My brother in law, (well he will be once I ask for her hand....) is going to be a freshman in high school this coming year. He is going to play some ball...He want to play the d-line, on the nose...yea my favorite position myself, down and dirty.....

He has started coming to the gym with me and is putting in some serious work..He is doing the same workout as me and right now, I have him working on form and getting used to the movements...heavier weight to follow, want him to ease into it...

So my question is this...what kind of stuff should i have him doing other than lifting to get him in to shape? He is going to need explosive power to play the nose...I want to get him on some power cleans soon...but as far as cardio?

tire pulls, wind sprints, box jumps?....I will post up a journey for him so everyone can see how it's going...

Thanks for your help big guy...hope your diet and cardio are going well..

Oh by the way...Danny is 14, weighing in at about 190lbs, standing about 5'-5' (i guess), he is a pretty stout little guy..

-B

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Wishing Danny the best, and he has to like this, please do not force it on him...

When I run my sports performance camps, I keep this in mind...Injuries to growth plates can occur while working out with weigths with teens & adolescents but, can be prevented by avoiding 'maximal lifts' - trying to lift as much as possible one time. The greatest benefits and smallest risks occur when 8 to 15 repetitions can be performed with a given weight before adding weight in small increments.

I like med ball drills and speed drills, get him in condition...use a ladder (for speed drills) box drills, have him run with a chute or make him do sprints, keep him fully hydrated at all times, have him take breaks also...

I like my people to do what I call suicides...mark off 25 -20-15-10 yards in a field or grass area...have him sprint 25 yards, than go into jump squats, sprint 20 yards, go into 20 push ups (on knees if he can't do full push ups), sprint 15 yards, go into 20 crunches, sprint 10 yards, have him do med-ball press-passes, and than sprint back to the other end where you started...please watch his heart rate and cardio out put...

Have him do this drill 2x a week for 3 sets...

Have him eat good foods, but, remember he is a teenager, have him also enjoy his teenage years to some degree..

Basic lifts...pull ups, bench press, shoulder press, rows, squats, deads..please watch his form on EVERYTHING! Has to be textbook perfect!

He will want to train arms for the young chicks for summer, let him do some light tricep and bicep work..not a lot!

Also work his core with ab work, use a stability ball, balance disks, wobble board and bosu ball for cool things (squats, push ups, med-ball passes, crunches)

Danny is very lucky to have you helping him, you are a good person for doing this!

Please keep me posted on his progress and let me know if you need more help with football training..

Ant

[brandona]

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Wishing Danny the best, and he has to like this, please do not force it on him...

When I run my sports performance camps, I keep this in mind...Injuries to growth plates can occur while working out with weigths with teens & adolescents but, can be prevented by avoiding 'maximal lifts' - trying to lift as much as possible one time. The greatest benefits and smallest risks occur when 8 to 15 repetitions can be performed with a given weight before adding weight in small increments.

I like med ball drills and speed drills, get him in condition...use a ladder (for speed drills) box drills, have him run with a chute or make him do sprints, keep him fully hydrated at all times, have him take breaks also...

I like my people to do what I call suicides...mark off 25 -20-15-10 yards in a field or grass area...have him sprint 25 yards, than go into jump squats, sprint 20 yards, go into 20 push ups (on knees if he can't do full push ups), sprint 15 yards, go into 20 crunches, sprint 10 yards, have him do med-ball press-passes, and than sprint back to the other end where you started...please watch his heart rate and cardio out put...

Have him do this drill 2x a week for 3 sets...

Have him eat good foods, but, remember he is a teenager, have him also enjoy his teenage years to some degree..

Basic lifts...pull ups, bench press, shoulder press, rows, squats, deads..please watch his form on EVERYTHING! Has to be textbook perfect!

He will want to train arms for the young chicks for summer, let him do some light tricep and bicep work..not a lot!

Also work his core with ab work, use a stability ball, balance disks, wobble board and bosu ball for cool things (squats, push ups, med-ball passes, crunches)

Danny is very lucky to have you helping him, you are a good person for doing this!

Please keep me posted on his progress and let me know if you need more help with football training..

Ant

Thanks Big Bro....Solid advise as always....Danny has a good head on his shoulders and wants to do this...I ask him all the time if he wants to take a break and always get a NO....lol....I was figureing that we would do another week of cardio in the gym and then take it to the park by his house...I am going to do all the sprints with him...I will keep you up to date on his progress...

-B

[gflash77]

everyone who has replied has great suggestions.

I was All-District at OT/DT in high school, matriculating to 1-A Ball on the O-Line. So I feel the need to contribute.

The quicker his hands and feet are, the better lineman he will be. Have him practice fire-outs from his stance, hitting a pad. Also have him practice shedding a scoop block from a C or G, this is the most likely block he will face as a NG. Pursuit drills will get him in very good shape (start him in his stance, have him make a move into the backfield, and place a cone on the sideline about 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and have him run as fast as possible to it.)

Something for for the mental side, reassure him about emphasis on pursuit, form tackling, and not getting scooped. The motor must fly all 12 cylinders blazing until the END of the whistle (I say this b/c you have seven-tenths of a second, the length of the whistle, to get a last hit in) Hope this helps.

[brandona]

everyone who has replied has great suggestions.

I was All-District at OT/DT in high school, matriculating to 1-A Ball on the O-Line. So I feel the need to contribute.

The quicker his hands and feet are, the better lineman he will be. Have him practice fire-outs from his stance, hitting a pad. Also have him practice shedding a scoop block from a C or G, this is the most likely block he will face as a NG. Pursuit drills will get him in very good shape (start him in his stance, have him make a move into the backfield, and place a cone on the sideline about 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and have him run as fast as possible to it.)

Something for for the mental side, reassure him about emphasis on pursuit, form tackling, and not getting scooped. The motor must fly all 12 cylinders blazing until the END of the whistle (I say this b/c you have seven-tenths of a second, the length of the whistle, to get a last hit in) Hope this helps.

Good shit bro...thanks alot, i will work up a workout and post it up for you all to grade...thanks for ou help...good luck

-B

[dominate77]

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I like my people to do what I call suicides...mark off 25 -20-15-10 yards in a field or grass area...have him sprint 25 yards, than go into jump squats, sprint 20 yards, go into 20 push ups (on knees if he can't do full push ups), sprint 15 yards, go into 20 crunches, sprint 10 yards, have him do med-ball press-passes, and than sprint back to the other end where you started...please watch his heart rate and cardio out put...

Ant

AHH I HATE SUICIDES, THOSE THINGS ARE HELL..your version sounds about 5 times harder than what we do...what our coaches did were have us all line up and tell us what to go on (1,2, or go), than run 5 yards, back 5 yards, 10, yards, back 10 yards, 15 yards, back 15 yards...we might have gone up to 20 or 25 i don't remember...but if anyone messed up by going on the wrong count, we'd have to run it anyway, plus one or two more for every one of those mistakes...but thats more for offense... going on the counts i mean, not the suicides

i love defense though, can't wait for the season

[sailorjerry]

I played d-end and linebacker when i was in high school and we had a great strength and conditioning coach.... the emphasis for lifting for football MUST be on the lower body and the core... he can bench press all the weight in the world but if theres no base hell get blown off the ball... plenty of squats, deads, lunges, box jumps, stablility ball, and medicine ball work will do the trick and like it was said quick hands for a d-lineman is a must... i wish u and him the best, what i wouldnt give to be a freshman in high school again and know what i know now about working out

[KILLEMALL79]

along with the squat and deadlift power flean and bench she should be doing a lot of olympic lifts too. Snatches are very good for getting explosive out of your stance. Clean and Jerk, Over head squats, High pulls and at least 20 minutes of ladder drills evrey day most of these excersizes can be found at www.athletes.com under the football section

[leafs43]

Tell him to stay with:

Squat (This is THE lift for football)
Dead lifts (great all round all purpose lift)
power cleans (helps provide explosiveness)
Incline press (its a much more athletic angle then bench is in actuallity)
Shoulder press (i learned in college ball you only run as fast as how fast your shoulders can move)

[Young&Hungry]

Don't forget the olympic style lifts, such as split jerks, power jerks/cleans, snatches, hang cleans, etc. I'm a sophmore OG/OLB, but I don't "lift for football" as football isn't my number one priority over lifting.

[jakem]

check out the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. The beginner's program in there is very simple, but highly effective.

[KILLEMALL79]

Incline bench is a cosmetic excersize it is not a football excersize do it in the offseason

[dominate77]

Incline bench is a cosmetic excersize it is not a football excersize do it in the offseason

i've heard that it's a better excercise to do than the flat bench for football, mainly because your lifting them up when you tackle them...but i heard this from a few varsity guys last season so i'm not sure how true it is

[gflash77]

I'm going to agree with dominate77 on this...Incline bench is better for football than flat bench...flat bench develops basic upper-body strength, but think of it this way...the movement on a flat bench is comparable to a lineman trying to push a DT off of him while the OL is on his back...which should NEVER happen.

My favorite example of an off-season exercise is the bicep curl. The bicep curl has absolutely no useful benefit in football. My h.s. had a saying: "Curls for the girls, biceps for the beach."

[Young&Hungry]

i've heard that it's a better excercise to do than the flat bench for football, mainly because your lifting them up when you tackle them...but i heard this from a few varsity guys last season so i'm not sure how true it is

You're right. For my team's BFS style training program (that I will never, ever follow) incline bench presses and close grip presses are more stressed than the flat bench, because both lifts build the muscles that are the key to shaking off a big d-lineman.

The fire and reach blocks for offensive lineman have you grab the inside of the d-lineman's chest protector, which is the exact same position as a close grip bench press with your hands facing vertically.

[brandona]

so here is what we did...

4 cone drill...20 yard square...1st leg is a sprint backwards, then shuffle to your right, then sprint froward and then shuffle to the left...did this 5 times.

then we did some ladder drills...but we did not have a ladder, so we used jump ropes, put them in kind of a ladder pattern...did, high knees every hole, high knees every other hole, sideway left and right, hop step every hole....did this 5 times....

short shuttle...three cones, 10 yards apart, sprint to left or right, depending on my signal, from the center cone, then to far cone and the thought to other far cone.. did this 3 times

then there was a hill...nice, unassuming hill...so we sprinted up it 5 times, about 50 yards.....Danny did not beat me on the last one, so he had to do 5 up-downs....

was a good workout...will do this two times a week, adding one sprint to each exercisers...next week we will do some stance work and ball work...

-B

[Big Wides]

You're right. For my team's BFS style training program (that I will never, ever follow) incline bench presses and close grip presses are more stressed than the flat bench, because both lifts build the muscles that are the key to shaking off a big d-lineman.

The fire and reach blocks for offensive lineman have you grab the inside of the d-lineman's chest protector, which is the exact same position as a close grip bench press with your hands facing vertically.

now your giving away trade secerts