Saturday, March 6, 2010

Reverting to Prior Technique

One of the things that is interesting at the NFL Scouting Combine is the chance to catch up with coaching friends and meet new ones.  It's a great opportunity to discuss approaches to training.  Of course because of the setting, discussion of training the 40yd dash comes up.

I've talked about my approach to training 40 technique before.  We can modify what's there a bit, but not huge wholesale pattern changes. 
How much can you change technique in maybe 12 weeks, but often more like 6 weeks? 

Not much in most cases.

Even if you get a guy to make some changes, will they stick when the pressure is on?  Coaches are always lamenting how we taught the player this and that, but when they got out there they went back to the same old technique they used not what we taught them. 

And we're surprised? 

They have been doing those previous patterns for years.  They have accumulated thousands of reps.  They have myelinated the the right circuits (ala The Talent Code).  They have had some level of success (they were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine afterall). 

For example, every year there is at least one or two players who come in that have great "quickness."  When we first test them they have a very high stride frequency and put in 9-10 steps in the first ten.  It looks like Fred Flintstone with the feet spinning but not going far.

In reality we need to understand why some do this.  Higher stride frequency means their feet are on the ground more often.  In a game setting, if they can move at nearly the same speed, then having your feet on the ground more often is an advantage.  It's an advantage because you can only change direction when your feet are in contact with the ground.  In most team sports, the ability to react to the environment and change directions is an advantage.

However in the 40yd dash there is nothing to react to.  Maximal speed is the key and that athlete needs more stride length in that initial 10.  They need it for more speed, but to also set up the continued acceleration into the transition phase.

This year I had 4 guys like this.  During training they all got the concept.  In the 2nd week the group had a collective "ah-ha" moment when we were doing starts. 

We had already done some bounding, and bounding 3 steps directly out of the 3pt starting stance.  After several of them saw the electronic timers and reverted back to their habit's of high turn-over in the first 10, we stopped the group.  "Don't go fast, focus on driving like the bounds" we told them.  To a few we emphasized the longer, aggressive arm action.  Immediately the entire group saw the change when the first one dropped his time by 0.15 in 10 yards.  Now they were buying in and got it. 

Over the weeks we strove to build this consistently.  I wanted to see it happening rep after rep.  I wanted them to visualize it that way.  I wanted them to associate that feeling with "feeling fast."  After all this, we knew they could do it.  We knew they could do it when they are calm and confident in the practice setting. 

The problem; that is not the setting at the NFL Combine.  They have been through 3 days of ineterviews, MRIs, medical exams, and lots of stress.  They have the eyes (and watches) of GMs, head coaches, and coordinators on them when they line up on the Lucas Oil field.   They have no roar of the crowd or support of the teammates.  They have only 2 attempts, not 4 quarters.

What we see consistently is that the ones who can remain Calm and Confident, can use the technique they have been practicing for only a few weeks.  If they don't, I can guarantee they will revert to their old habits.  The good news is that 3 of the 4 were calm and confident and they stuck to it.  They acheived new PRs when it mattered.

1 comment:

Stevy FARCY, Basketball Coach said...

Hello Ken,

I'm from France. I train young basketball players (9-14 years old). I'd like to know how I could improve their stride frequency. As you explain in this article, "higher stride frequency is an advantage in a game settings". That's why I'm interested in improving their stride frequency.
Thanks.