Speed is what we need! Greasy fast speed⚡️
May 12, 2022 7:25 pm
Coach ,
When training his boxer in the movie Rocky, Mickey says “We need speed. Speed is what we need. Greasy fast speed.”
We all share that thought as we take a look at our team and what we need to win on the gridiron, but unlike Rocky, we don’t have to chase chickens.
Football is a sport that rewards speed. The faster a team is, the better the chance of success on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons.
Having a Why for Off-Season Development
In the off-season process of building football athletes, the focus is on building racehorses, not plow horses! That’s something Garrett Mueller, Head Football Coach at Stewartville HS in southeast MN, believes in and is why he’s taken a “Feed the Cats” approach to developing his players in the off-season.
He lists the main benefits like high performance and preventing injuries, staying fresh and preventing burnout, and how it helps him get the best athletes and have fun. He explains his philosophy in this video (click on image for video):
Pick One Thing
It starts with ensuring that the work you are doing is the most productive in accomplishing your objectives. Chris Korfist, consultant for multiple NFL teams including Jaguars, Bengals, Jets, 49ers, and Eagles and NCAA football programs Texas, Ohio St., and Clemson,
explains what that means here (click on image for video):
Video: Why the weight room isn’t working
Coach Korfist points out that it starts with picking one thing. To him that is speed. Doing that will help you hit your target. He explains how to break that down by a group here:
A Focus For Improvement + Examples
The approach to the weight room seems to be simple enough for anyone to understand and implement. We do the lifts that everyone does - bench, squat, deadlift. Coach Korfist points out that there are some flaws in this thinking with slow-motion analysis of an athlete (click on image for video):
Video: Why weight room isn’t working for speed development
A big area of focus for improvement is core strength. Coach Korfist takes a new look at core in this video. He wants to be sure that core work is dynamic (click on image for video):
One tool that seems everyone is using in some fashion is the sled. With any piece of equipment, getting the maximum amount of benefit from its use is the goal. Coach Korfist shares insight here (click on image for video):
Video: Use sled more effectively
As you head into better weather and the ability to get out and have your athletes run, think about your one specific goal for developing your athletes. This will help you focus and maximize all the work you do on the track, the field, and in the weight room.
Thank you for sharing these cutting-edge resources from the Track Football Consortium and Tony Holler - Feed the Cats.
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski