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Speed School for Dummies-Part 2: Training Guidelines for High School Football

4/23/2016

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Part 2 of 2 highlighting my recent Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Presentation

Speed Training Guideline #1
"You're only as good as your warm up"

Do you coach up your warm up the same way you coach your base plays or compound lifts?
Make the investment at Home Depot. Spend some cash on self myofascial release tools such as pvc pipe or la crosse balls. Your investment will pay off with a reduction of injuries and improved recovery time (Soft tissue quality, compliance, blood flow)
Ground Based Mobility & "Core" Activation is a necessity to precede every workout (reduce compression, improve length, awakens prime mover, general strength/stability, work capacity, neuromuscular efficiency)
Move laterally! Sport = 360 degrees of play (Transverse/frontal plane is important for lateral movement and also hamstring injury reduction. Side shuffling and carioca movements with varying speeds/hip heights is a perfect start to your standing dynamic component)
Speed Prep/ Potentiation (Marches, skips and sprint drills provide context, general strength/coordination, work capacity and also prime the nervous system for advanced activities)
Preach a "rep to rep" discipline with your warm-up
- Pay attention to hip position, contraction time, tension, range of motion, asymmetry

Speed Training Guideline #2
Train for speed year round
-Early off season (Nov – Feb) = M,W,F

Acceleration, deceleration, work capacity
- acceleration development ( 0-30 yard sprints- horizontal jumps, vertical jumps)
- deceleration (force absorption/landing and stopping mechanics)
- Tempo Sprints (75% of top speed for 50 yards, jog 25 walk 25 back)
  - Build aerobic base, work capacity, create blood flow
  - Allows athletes to feel upright sprinting position while staying relaxed

-Late Off Season (March-June) = M,W,F

Speed development, change of direction
- Acceleration to 40 yards (sleds, prowlers, tuck jumps, hurdle hops, bounds),
- Maximum Velocity (flying 10’s, 20’s, scissors or primetime bounds) – Extra Volume Tempo work
- Change of Direction (pre programmed drills that focus on deceleration>transitions>re-acceleration)

-Pre-Season (mid June to August) = 4 workouts a week M, T, Th, F

Change of Direction, Specific Speed development, Anaerobic alactic capacity
- Acceleration with varied positions and distances (ground, upright, lead in jog, angular acceleration, positional specific work)
- Build volume towards season
- Repeated sprints, change of direction drills, position specific work w/ 30-45 sec rest mimicking play clock
- Change of Direction (reactive agility drills that focus on “acceleration towards or away from a signal or stimulus and involves a deceleration>transition>re-acceleration component)

Speed Training Guideline #3
Set Up For Success---Planning to prosper
-Train fast to be fast --90%-100% intensity of effort

92.5-95% = sweet spot for skill acquisition = relaxed flow state
SAID Principle- Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands
- You become what you train for (General to specific exercises, movements, drills/patterns/ rhythms that will be reflected on game day, "Pfaff" generational exercises)

-Prescription and Recovery

Charlie Francis Rule = 1 min. recovery for every 10 yards or meters of work
30 sec rest is minimum for sprints up to 20 m/y
Mimic play clock/ replicate football "drives" as season approaches

-Appropriate dose =

Off-season = Use minimum effective dose to improve speed abilities
- 6-15 purposeful reps each session & 100-400 total yards
- Plyometric volumes/weight room work should match or balance
Pre-season = accumulate volume appropriately to prep athlete for fall camp and season
- Accumulate volume slowly - use periods, quarters, build extra tempo work
- Understand athletes will have to sprint 5-6 straight days during season but also understand that as sprint volume increases the chance of injury increases as well

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Speed School for Dummies- Part 1: 5 Speed System Principles

4/19/2016

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Part 1 of 2 highlighting my recent Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Presentation

5 Speed System Principles

Speed System Principle #1
“Sprint Genshai” : Treat every piece of your workout and program as the key to speed development

Every facet of your strength and conditioning program can lead to an increase in your athletes performance speed and game speed.
- Results are found in the prescription, the implementation, and the cueing/coaching.
- Make the warm up the key to the workout.

"Never treat anyone as if they are small or meaningless." Imagine if your players treated their teammates this way and viewed each exercise in this context.

Speed System Principle #2
Avoid the “speed traps” that make your athletes slower and improve their chances of injury

5 “Slow Coach” Philosophies
- 1. “Not enough time to warm up & work mobility” -- Mechanical efficiency is the foundation.
- 2. Overfeeding the back squat and bench “beast” --When are you strong enough? Will it transfer?
- 3. Road tripping with the Ferrari -- Can a "gasser" create an acceleration all-star?
- 4. McDonalds and Creatine diet -- Athletes have to earn their supplements!
- 5. Track star idol-ism- What’s deceleration/ reactive agility? Stopping and re-starting is the key to football game speed.

Speed System Principle #3
Quality beats Quantity ..every damn time!

What does hard work mean to you?
- Purposeful practice is the most crucial controllable element to high performance.
Team speed = fast, fresh, powerful, purposeful !
“There is a huge myth in sport that if you train really hard it makes you mentally tough.”
- Dan Pfaff (Coach to multiple Olympic Gold Medalists)

Speed System Principle #4
Plan for team speed appropriately.

Proper progressions promote peak performance
- Results are guaranteed if you teach proper positions, are patient with exercise progressions and keep programming purposeful and concise.
Progress exercises and positions only if the majority of your players have mastered concepts (simple to complex…your kids aren’t ready for bungees and sleds)
"You become what you train for" - S.A.I.D. Principle = Train fast to be fast
Patience + Time + Purposeful Reps = Mastery

Speed System Principle #5
There are no secrets or magic bullets

Train as close to the "real thing" as possible.
- Drills provide context but never supplant the “event” goal.
Set a high standard of excellence and create engagement through the power of the process.
Each rep will make you faster or slower—its ultimately up to the athlete to be accountable to themselves and take ownership of their own experience. Get them to self coach!

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#Synthesis

Speed School for Dummies-Part 2: Training Guidelines for High School Football

Speed School for Dummies- Part 1: 5 Speed System Principles

Matt Gifford

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#Synthesis

Speed School for Dummies-Part 2: ﻿Training Guidelines for High School Football

Speed School for Dummies- Part 1: 5 Speed System Principles

Matt Gifford

Archives

Categories

PARTNERS

Contact Info

Speed School for Dummies-Part 2: Training Guidelines for High School Football