A whole bunch of stuff about Football Training

This was written by Tom Myslinski from elitefts.com

"Daniel,

Think of RFD as the maximal amount of tension that you can voluntarily obtain in the shortest amount of time. The goal is to "turn on" as many high threshold motor units, thus fast-twitch fibers in order to contribute to the resulting maximal voluntary force. Muscle fiber recruitment, regardless of activity, is always the same, slow to fast. Higher firing rates equal a greater RFD which in turn equal greater power.

It is trained utilizing speed-strength movements such as plyos, ballistic, bands, chains, overspeed eccentrics, and rebounds.

Personal further investigative research should include:

Zatsiorsky's, Corridor Theory, and Henneman's, Principle of Muscle Fiber Recruitment

van Cutsem,M et al. (1988). Changes in single motor unit behavior contribute to the increase in contraction speed aftre dynamic training in humans. Journal of Physiology, 513(1):295-305

Hey this is great, I can answer about 3 posts (Ralph 3/8,Jack 3/8,and Arnoud 3/9) with 1 long answer.
After attending the University of Tennessee on a dual scholarship (football and track), I believed the only way for an offensive lineman/shot and discus thrower to become explosive was to Olympic lift. I carried this philosophy with me to 1996, until I met Buddy Morris (then-Univ. of Pitt's S&C coach, just recently-Cleveland Browns). Growing up admiring the tradition of Pitt's offensive lineman (Russ Grimm, Jim Sweeney, Bill Fralic, Mark May, Mark Stepnoski) I eagerly sought his advice. My major question to him was "Why are my cleans/snatches ceasing to increase?" The first thing Buddy asked me to do was to back off on the Olympic lifting. Hesitantly, I did. He then preceded to increase my absolute strength levels. I noticed that as my max strength levels increased, so did my cleans and snatches. Experiencing these results, my Olympic exercises dwindled further and farther between. As we now say, my conversion to the "dark side" was complete. Prior to training camp that year, I post-tested myself on the clean and snatch. I substantially increased all of my Olympic lifts rarely performing them. This was my initial introduction to the Westside Way. That off-season changed my whole perception on strength development and coincidently produced the best years of my NFL career. Since that off-season, the conjugate method and I have become inseperable. The same cannot be said for me and Olympic lifting.

Now, what the hell were your questions? Oh yeah, do you Olympic lift your athletes? The answer is no and yes. I believe Olympic lifting is overrated. Any and all exercises can be done explosively if sub-maximal weights are being used. Football is essentially played horizontally and laterally, not vertically. It is important to remember three things if you intend to Olympic lift your athletes. (1)Olympic lifts are general movement patterns applied specifically, not movement patterns specific to the intended sport movement itself.(2)Judge explosive movements by bar speed and do not percentage base them. Percents are only used as guidelines(see Prilepin's chart,1974, in Dave's article the Periodization Bible part 2, page 7). (3) Over-emphasis of the triple extension movements lead to low back problems with inexperienced athletes.
Now, personally my athletes use A)shrug pulls from the floor up to their toes or heels, B)variations of DB snatches to a press, and C)high pulls just below knee level as a WARM UP to their dynamic effort method days. Remember you do not have to pull from the floor to be explosive. As joint angle increases favorably (second pull zone), so does maximal force production.

Next question- What type of squats do I perform with my athletes? We box squat year round, because it is less fatiguing on the athlete. As a player I was constantly reminded that I get paid to play football and not powerlift. The only modification we make from Westside is that we do not position our feet as wide. Buddy and I feel it is more applicable to football this way. Usually we will just get our feet as wide as we can inside the rack. Approximately 1-2 feet wider depending upon the size of the individual. Your bigger guys will have to turn their toes out more due to flexibility restrictions in the hips.

The effects of box squatting on our athletes has been two fold. Not only have we increased their overall explosive force production, but it also has been the easiest way for us to teach the athletes how to squat properly. It teaches them to "sit back" and not "sit down" into their squatting position. This forces them to really pull in their posterior chain muscles, which are notoriously weak on football players. That is another story!

Our max effort days especially early to mid off-season involve various forms of the squat. They range from shoulder width squats (our close), to traditional athletic stance toes slightly out squat, to suspended chain dead stop squats, to the safety squat bar squats, to all forms of max effort box squatting. Essentially each individual is treated individually depending upon their strength needs or constraints due to injury rehabilitation from the prior season, spring practice, or mini-camp.

Matt,
Know wonder you cannot recover, I got tired reading the post. I love the work ethic and respect the dedication, but you sound like me in my younger days. And I have many a coach to veify that! Now, you got to trust me. I understand what you are going through. I have been there, been wrong, but still did it, because I believed more is always better. Eventually I realized that is not the case (on a personal note - I still have trouble with it, eventhough I know).

A couple of notes on you program:

XX- Now, personally my athletes use A)shrug pulls from the floor up to their toes or heels, B)variations of DB snatches to a press, and C)high pulls just below knee level as a WARM UP

1- Read and apply "The Periodization Bible - Part II" by Dave. On pages 9-12 is the Summary of the Four Day Program, use it.

2- Or, use Dave's "9 Week Basic Training Program."

3- Move your shoulder work to your DE bench day.

4- Control your volume, back down to plyos 1x a week, and always perform them in the beginning of your workout.

5- Perform your true speed workouts on Monday, and your speed endurance (2/3 speed)workouts (tempo runs, ladder runs) on Thursday or Friday before your DE leg day.

6- Sport specific agility drills the other 2 days (Tuesday, Thursday or Friday). I believe skill acquisition and retention should come as a higher priority. Improvement in the efficiency of movement should increase linearly with strength if they are performed simultaneously and correctly.

7- Throw in body control movements (GPP's - calisthenics, jump rope, etc.) on Saturday (for restoration) and scrap that bike.

8- Football & Rugby is a horizontal game, not vertical. Work for explosiveness in this plane (see my reply to Ralph on 3/11).

9- Take at least 2 days totally off (Wednesday and Sunday). You have to find a little time to read "Ask Dave!"

10- Then, kick someones ASS when you play. You owe it to yourself after putting all that hard work in!

Tony,
Hell no! Do not give your neurological system conflicting information. Keep the ME day and the DE day what they are, max effort and dynamic effort. They are two separate means to develop maximal force. Force=mass x acceleration. The same amount of Force can be generated using a greater mass and a lesser acceleration (ME), or a lesser mass with a greater acceleration (DE).
Some suggestions:
(1) If you want to be fast, train fast, and explosively, but under control.

(2) On your DE days "think speed" of movement. Make sure you use bar speed as your guide, and not percents. Percents are only used as reference points. Personally, I write "fast" in chalk on the mirror, so I "think" it every rep during box squatting.

(3) Use light Olympic lifts for WARM-UP to your leg days. See my post to Ralph on 3/11.

(3) Start a progressive plyometric training regimen. Be sure to control the overall volume.

(4) Throw implements explosively (shot put,med balls,etc.).

(5) Play basketball, but play with a purpose. Stress defense (similiar to pass blocking) and jumping for rebounds.

(6) Use mental imagery. Let him see himself performing techniques explosively. Mac Wilkins, US Olympic discus champion, preaches "If you can see it, you can do it!"

(7) Make him practice his OL techniques faster then he is use to, but with control.

(8) Get him get a new pair of "genes!"

Matt,
In dealing with this issue each and every year, I have to constantly restructure my personal schedule according to the demands of my team. Rarely am I not planning ahead to accomodate some forthcoming inconviences such as meetings, mini-camps, QB camps, team golf outings, or certain individuals.
If you are running on T/R, how about one of these suggestions:

(1) Run as a team at 6am. Lift in the afternoon.

(2) If you perform M-ME upper, T-ME lower, R-DE upper, and F-DE lower - perform speed and/or agility training before ME legs (T), and following DE upper (R).

(3) If you perform (my case in the past due to team requirements) M-DE upper, T-DE lower, R-ME upper, and F-ME lower - perform speed and/or agility training on M before or after lifting, or T before DE lower. On R perform before or after ME upper.

(4) Any aerobic conditioning (that does not elicit rapid neural responses), can be performed after both leg days.

(5) After leg days, as a player, I always found it beneficial to perform simple, short, sport specific tasks (ex. offensive lineman patterns, sets, etc.) under fatigue.

(6) In regards to overtraining, always remember that a inverse relationship exists between intensity and volume. As intensity increases, volume needs to decrease. Additionally, all external stimuli has to be accounted for (ex. martial arts, boxing, racquetball, basketball, etc.) in that equation.

Brody,
Do not drive yourself nuts about speed development. You are still young and developing. College's look more at your overall athletic ability, not your 40 time. Stop believing all those B.S. stats of other athletes from Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Realize that the majority of those H.S. coaches inflate their kids totals so their programs look better. My advice to you is:

(1) Eat healthy and eat alot.

(2) Increase your overall maximal strength.

(3) All training should be functional training. Train to improve your game.

(4) Hit your trunk, and posterior chain hard. See my post to Ralph on 3/11, and Chuck on 3/15, 3/22, and 3/26.

(5) Work on specific positional football drills, agility drills, and body control movements.

(6) Sit down with your coach, tell him your goal, and ask him for his help. I'd love it if one of my athlete's asked me this!

(7) Write your immediate goal(s) on 3x5 cards and place them wherever you frequent (ex. locker, mirror). This way you will never lose sight of them. MOTIVATION IS LIKE A BATH, YOU NEED TO DRENCH YOURSELF IN IT.

(8) Be a team leader. The better your team does, the better you as an individual will do.

(9) Then, have one hell of a season!

Chuck,
In order to provide accuracy for all the questions I answer, I have a theory which can apply in many situations. It reads "If in doubt, look about!" Needless to say, I did some homework for you.
I consulted Mary Ann Watkins. She is better known as the "powerskating coach to the pros." I initially knew the answer was "yes, in addition to", but I wanted to provide you with concise information about training the posterior chain in regards to skating.

Assuming this is your background, I will ignore the vastus medialis/lateralis, abductors/adductors, hip flexors, and stick to the training of the posterior chain.

The actual movement of skating primarily involves the lower body and the trunk. "The functional relationship between the muscles groups is begun by the most powerful muscles of the proximal joints (the key muscles in that movement chain) and is achieved with the support of the distal links and the joints which are rigidly fixed. The distal links participate - while the proximal links produce a stable base for the distal movements to continue." (1)

Eventhough the dynamic movements of these sports are similiar and their goal is the same (speed), there are biomechanical differences. The factor that differentiates them has to be taken into account in training. This is the lateral displacement of force. For example, experienced skaters push "out", while inexperienced skaters push "back".

In regards to the rule "train the chain", I suggest training it with complexes of multi-directional movement exercises, in addition to the core lifts. You want to unite the individual muscles into a single working system.

Some example exercises:
A- Box squatting
B- Reverse Hypers
C- Glute-Hams
D- Power Runner
E- Multi-directional lunges
F- Multi-directional step-ups
G- Complex lunge to a step-up
Two of my personal favorites are 1- Lateral lunges, and 2- Front lunge to a step-up, back down, to a reverse push back lunge.

I will leave you with a quote from an old hockey coach Jeff Blatherwick. He states "faster runners are faster skaters."

REFERENCE
(1) Siff,M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999) "Supertraining." Supertraining International. Denver, CO, USA. p.100

Glynn,
I am not knocking Olympic lifting. I am knocking the way we perform/coach it. The reason it's performed is to achieve the reasons Dr.Siff stated above and the famous cliche "triple extension." Rarely will you see football players attain true hip extension on a FULL powerclean/snatch. The reason being, if you are not neurologically trained as an Olympic lifter (filmed, analyzed, deciphered, coached on a regular basis), you rarely will achieve true hip extension (They will achieve double extension or hyperextension though). We have found that the catch sequence is initiated too quickly to allow for 3EX to occur. Thus rendering the lift incomplete. It has been easier for us to teach box squatting. Plus, at the same time we are achieving and surpassing what we wish to accomplish through 3EX (Also, athletes are less injury prone). We also install a number of different heavy med ball drills to reaffirm hip extension. The KEY is if we can create awareness in an athlete, we created learning, or a permanent behavior modification.

Alot of football Olympic-style S&C coaches get carried away and forget Olympic lifts are general movement patterns applied specifically, not movement patterns specific to the intended sport movement itself (you'll never get an arguement from a HIT guy here). With this in mind, to teach the concept of acceleration or speed development (F=m*A), Olympic lifting is just another tool in your pocket to reaffirm this point, if performed properly.

Another point, athletic ability is neither created nor destroyed in the weightroom, but it can be maximized or minimized.

Brandon,
Your ability to "bend" starts distally. Start from the ground and work up (ex/ ankles to knees to hips). Below are four great exercises we perform 3-4 x per week utilizing hurdles.

(1) Duck Unders - align 5-10 high hurdles in close sequence. Progress from one to the other "ducking under" the center beam. Make sure you "bend" with your lower body and not at the torso. Keep your upper body as straight as possible. Repeat facing the other direction.

(2) Step Overs - align 5-10 low hurdles in close sequence. Progress from one to the other "stepping-over" the center beam. Make sure to keep your upper body errect, by bringing your knee to your chest with your heel leading over the hurdle first. When you land inbetween hurdles it should be on the balls of your feet. Repeat facing the other direction.

(3) Alternating Duck Unders and Step Overs - align a low hurdle and a high hurdle (6-10)consecutively and perform the same drills as above alternating them. Repeat facing the other direction.

(4) Wide Leg Swings Walk Overs - align 5-10 low hurdles in close sequence. Progress from one to the other "swinging" your leg wide over the outside of the center beam. Maintain an errect torso and landing inbetween hurdles should be on the balls of your feet.

Pete,
Absolutely. Realize this, everything works you just have to know when to use it, and what you're using it for. Training is a constant battle of finding and eliminating weaknesses.

When I consult my favorite sprinter and coach, Buddy Morris (Cleveland Browns' S & C coach) he always replies, "You got to train the chain." Increased speed comes from increased strength. The stronger you are, the more force you will be able to generate (F=m x a).

Box squats are great for developing explosive power. Especially, starting strength and accelerative strength. The benefits are even greater if you add chains or bands. They increase kinetic energy, which the body transfers to potential energy, which results in increased muscular force production. Essentially, one has to concentrically "out run" the resistance developed eccentrically.

My suggestion to you is to film, analyze, and decipher. Like they say in the NFL, "the big eye in the sky don't lie!"

For more info on training the posterior chain, check out the post to Chuck on 3/15

Oxman,
Make sure you pay attention to technique, and control all the foot contacts you make during your training. More importantly, get a great pair of training shoes. The bigger you are, the harder it is on your body. Start reducing your long distance running, and make it more functional. For example, position specific metabolic conditioning and calistenic like GPP work. Additionally, treat the symptons accordingly (ice, anti-inflammatory) and GET on the GRASS.

Hey Tom, I was vey interested in the post you wrote a while back on multi-directional lunges and their functional use pertaining a while back. I've had our atheletes do those lunges and have gotten some good results. Could you please share some other functional excercises such as the lunges that I could include in our agility program?

Jason,
These are OL skill specific pattern runs. You can perform these anaerobically (walking back to the LOS/GL) or aerobically (jogging back to the LOS/GL). We start with typically 3 sets and increase to 5, using a 1 to 1 work rate if they are performed aerobically. They are great as you near the season. The following patterns were designed using the Steelers OL requirements. Feel free to substitute your specific patterns where and as needed.

1 Shuffle Right (Horizontal) 5 yards
2 Shuffle Left 5
3 Shuffle RT 5(up)- 5(back)
4 Shuffle LT 5 - 5
5 Shuffle RT 5(up)-5(back)-5(up)
6 Shuffle LT 5 - 5 - 5
7 Pass set up (45*) RT
8 Pass set up LT
9 Pass set up RT 5, go to ball 15(straight)
10 Pass set up LT 5, go to ball 15
11 Pass set up and backpedal 10
12 Angle Block RT 10
13 Angle Block LT 10
14 Pull RT 15 (5 around TE corner & 10 up)
15 Pull LT 15
16 Sprint 10
17 Sprint 20
18 Sprint 40

There are 10 reps per set, and every rep starts on the goalline and finishes on the goalline (if jogging back). They should be performed as game-like as possible (We will add a 5-7# weight vest to simulate pads, occasionally). The first set of numbers below is the REP #, and the second set of numbers below corresponds to the pattern listed above.

SET 1 - 1>16, 2>1, 3>3, 4>8, 5>12, 6>11, 7>5, 8>15, 9>2, 10>18

SET 2 - 1>6, 2>13, 3>14, 4>4, 5>2, 6>12, 7>3, 8>2, 9>7, 10>10

SET 3 - 1>18, 2>1, 3>8, 4>5, 5>9, 6>15, 7>4, 8>13, 9>17, 10>14

For SETS 4 & 5, you can repeat a previous set, work them backward, or make up two more yourself. Make sure your kids strive to maintain precision when they get tired. (NOTE, for the horizontal shuffles, turn and face the out of bounds line, so you can work between the yardlines.)

Derrick,
Without getting to technical on this biological process, your answer is yes. All activities conducted intensely produce stress on the nervous system, thus muscular tissue. But in order to handle this stress (which we encounter on the field), our body must be expossed to stress. Once this period of adaptation takes place, the body can now work at a greater capacity and more efficiently, than it did before. The CNS is the greatest computer ever invented. Could you imagine having to voluntarily control all of your bodies processies simultaneously? To top it off, it is evolutionary, thus adaptable.

To answer your second question, strength and conditioning levels are both vital aspects of our sport. You have to realize we won't be as strong as the Westside guys. Conversely, they could not keep up with the physical speed of our game. It is a give and take situtation. I recommend splitting your training sessions in 2. Lift in the morning and run in the evening (EXCEPT conduct all pure speed work before leg training), and pay attention to your intensity/volume relationship.

One final note. All this training requires ENERGY. A proper protein/carbohydrate based diet is of extreme importance. Remember, it takes energy to produce energy (to train, recover, and rebuild)."