Managing Stress

Years of learning methods to load athletes' muscular and neurological systems.  Research into nutrition.  Therapists and coaches with years of schooling and masters and Doctorates.  Planning, training, measuring and monitoring.  All of it, SECONDARY.

All of the training is secondary in importance during Combine preparation.  The primary goals are to MANAGE STRESS AND BUILD CONFIDENCE.

Don't get me wrong, the training is important.  However, its only part of the equation.

1. Great training coupled with stress & confidence problems equals poor performance. 
2. Mediocre training coupled with well managed stress & great confidence equals good performance if they are athletic.
3. Great training coupled with well managed stress & great confidence equals great amd consistent performance.

I shoot for the third.  Managing stress and building confidence influences every decision we make.  Environment, loading, recovery, communication, feedback, and more. 

Today our second group of athletes got in to Indianapolis and the goals generally include acclimating them to the environment and whats coming.  We want to get blood flow and mobility so we use the pool first.  Aquatic exercise is one of our normal recovery modalities in training so they are used to it.  We selected a hotel that has a great small pool to use with a good warm temperature.  Great to get that blood flowing, get hip mobility and release stress.

It releases stress because its familiar.  We do the workout basics, but it also lets them have some fun in the water splashing and having contests of jumping up, holding breath and who can bound across in fewest steps.  The guys have a great time and then folow-up with some stretching or tissue work if needed.

The guys on their second day here (combine day 1 of 4 for them) change the routine a bit. We still need to help their system continue to recover from the training and keep the nervous system tuned.  Some have been sitting around a hospital all day getting medical or lots of time in an MRI.  Mobility, blood flow and nervous system tuning are key.  The biggest thing we are doing with the movements (40 starts, 5-10-5, 3 cone) is reinforcing the process and feel of what they have already learned.

Even with that said, the biggest benefit is often keeping something familiar in this circus environment.  The same coaches, warm-ups, and exercises.  Training is a comfort for most athletes.  It's also a chance to ask questions, share stories with other players and visualize whats coming tomorrow.  Go through your set-up routines, cue words, answer questions, etc... 

You have to make sure your players know what to do so they don't end up stressed.  Coaching athletes in competition has really taught me this.  Know every detail you can and have back-up plans.  Take care of little things like "do you know what time you start tomrrow".  Have them stock up on their MuscleMilk bars and rtds so they are fueled during the day. 

Others times like today it can be running interferences with the hoards of autograph hunters if it stresses your guy.

Bottom line, MANAGE THE STRESS and BUILD THE CONFIDENCE.  If you don't, the rest of the work may go to waste.

Here We Go Again

It's late February and we again get to witness the circus that is the NFL Scouting Combine.  Although at times very frustrating, the process of preparing the athletes is a highly condensed, stressful, challenging environment.  Its one where many of the keys to long term sports performance training actually get turned on their ear.  Still, I enjoy the challenge scientifically and even more the challenge to the ART of coaching these young men.

Over the next week here in Indy we will try and make sure guys are prepped and ready to perform their best.  I'll also use this time to write a series of articles on different aspects of coaching them and their preparation.

We had a great year last year and look forward to the same.  While we had five1st round picks last year that really tells that we got some good athletes.  What I am proud of is that out of all of the tests for our 19 guys last year, 93% of results in Indy were PRs.  They were peaked and performed when it counted.  We helped them to perform their best.

Today 7 of our guys got into Indianapolis and after a long plane ride we take them into the warm pool at our hotel and had them go through a recovery workout to loosen hips and get the blood flowing.  A couple guys got massage and a few did core work. 

Looking forward to seeing some former athletes like Donald Brown here in Indy and catching up with other coaches.

One Workout

"You achieve this by having clearly defined training goals, a sound plan to achieve those goals, a thorough knowledge of the athletes physical capabilities and specific competitive goals. Remember one workout cannot make an athlete, but one workout can break an athlete. "  from Vern Ganbetta's blog.

That last line is crucial and one that many coaches haven't learned.  This is especially true of young coaches.  One of the common characteristics of those that become performance coaches, is that they believe in pushing an athlete forward to become the best they can be.  We believe in training to improve performance. 

In contrast to that, are those that come initially from a sports medicine world.  ATCs, PTs, DCs,  and then get involved in training athletes.  They come from a perspective of training to not get hurt.  Nothing wrong with this perspective, just a different one. 

As a young coach, the time I spent training as an ATC and working in sports medicine settings helped me immensely.  I still want to strive for being our best, but I have learned to temper that into a broader, longer term view for success.

When the pendulum and perspective swing too far one way or the other, its the athlete that loses out.  I think that having an environment where coaches and sports medicine staff interact, have respect and understand each others perpsective and realm, is when we have the best team for an athlete.

Training the 40 - Should We Change Them?

Every year it starts. Young football players come in with lofty goals of playing in the NFL. Whether true or not, the hype that surrounds the 40 yard dash makes this first and foremost in their minds. They all have a number in their head they think they can run. It's my job to help get them there.

Let's just set aside the real importance of this test for football, and the whole issue of real and accurate times. Instead, let's look at how we approach this. Bottom line question; should we try and change their sprinting technique?

It's an interesting question because of the many unique circumstances of NFL Draft training. We start with two very different schools of thought. On the one hand is a true track approach focused on technique drills and coaching running technique. On the other, a true strength and power approach that focuses on developing those qualities and combines it with sprints, but little to no technique work.

Here's the approach I have developed over years of training experience and personal evolution as a coach. First, I prioritize the starts and intial acceleration for everyone. I don't mess with max velocity technique for fast skill guys and emphasize their needed strength and power qualities. I work max velocity technique for the big uglies.


I definitely feel acceleration is the most important during combine training.  Out of the 40, its the segment with the largest margin for improvement.  The quality of acceleration carries over into the other agility drills and the position drills as well.  Although we get multiple exposures to sprinting each week, the training time spent on acceleration is about twice that of max velocity.

To work on this we try to improve their specific strength qualities.  Starting strength, explosive strength/bodyweight ratios, and max strength if needed.  This is done in the weightroom and with plyometrics.  Nothing generic here.  Each players strength and plyo program is based on their neuromuscular profile.  We don't have time for general.

We also work on their acceleration mechanics.  We use wall drills, harnesses, sleds, bullet belts and just plain repetitions with video analysis.  For our football players, I find one of the most effective strategies is to use contrast training for its potentiation and kinesthetic awareness value.  Sled, bounds, sprint is an effective series.

When it comes to max velocity we will do a few "technical" drills.  Various skips, straight leg bounds, arm action, butt kick, wall drills.  These are done more than anything else for specific mobility and strength.  We don't over coach them. 

With our fast guys we don't change anything drastic.  They've done far to many reps and have developed this technique for us to try and change it in a few weeks.  Instead we try to provide quality reps, some video feedback to polish-up and let them do it.  We get some specifc strengthening through reps on our Woodway Force treadmill.    It provides some horizontal resistance to encourage proper foot contact and drive mechanics. 

For the linemen and some tight ends (big uglies), we do focus on teaching the max velocity mechanics a bit more.  They don't have the years of engraining here and can be more receptive to instruction.  It may help their time a little, and it helps them look much better (at least they wont fall over themselves) in front of scouts and coaches during the 40.

Nothing earth shattering here.  We don't drastically change anyone's mechanics.  We don't try to stereotype their movement mechanics.  Guided discovery through selected drills and feedback, so they can polish what works for them.  Build the specific strength, power and mobiilty qualities they need to succeed.