If you grew up around football, you know that there are various sayings associated with the beliefs that old school football coaches constantly preach.
You can probably remember hearing coaches scream…
“Pump your legs! Get your knees up higher!”
Or,
“The low man always wins!”
And probably…
“We’re not in shape. We need to condition more.”
Football coaches will always have some crazy, anecdotal, and experience-driven beliefs or practices that they do because “it’s all they know” or “it’s what we did when I played.” However, sometimes this doesn’t get the team or the players the BEST results.
Here are some of the most popular myths of football training:
1. You can practice every day of the week
If you played youth, middle school, or even high school football, you probably had at least one coach who said…
“If we were allowed to, we would practice every single day. We’d be so much better.”
Fortunately, there are rules forbidding coaches to do this. Plus, it has no justification from a training theory, biological, or common sense standpoint! The body needs to rest in order to improve its performance. If you ask any highly successful coach whether players need “days off,” he/she will give you a most definite, "YES!"
2. Every position should condition the same
Back when you played football, did your entire team condition the same way? Your team probably did. Well, this is completely wrong! Even a person who watches football for the first time will realize that each position covers a different amount of distance on each play. Each position needs individual attention, especially in terms of how far each position needs to sprint and the total distance each position should cover during conditioning.
3. Power cleans are the “best” exercise for football players
There’s a 99% chance you’ve heard this from a coach or a football player. Power cleans ARE NOT the best exercise for football players. The best exercise for a football player is playing the sport! Each position demands individual attention to develop the skills needed to perform on game day!
4. Quarterbacks don’t need a special weight training program
Most quarterbacks in today’s era will throw the ball over 30 times during a game. Add in pre-game, halftime, and in-between drive throws and you’re looking at more than 300 throws per game! This places a very specific type (and a great amount) of stress on their throwing arm and all the muscles, joints, and structures that aid in the throwing motion. In order to properly and optimally prepare a quarterback, special attention should be paid as to what exercises he needs to do in the weight room!
5. Kickers and punters should ALWAYS practice and condition with the team
Take a second and think about what a kicker or a punter “does” during a football game…OK, do you have that in your mind? Good. Now ask yourself, "Does he have to move more than his approach steps? Is he on the field for as many plays as the other players? Does he do anything remotely close to what any of the other positions do?" The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "NO!" Just like quarterbacks (and really all other positions), kickers and punters need to receive individualized (hell, they are called SPECIALISTS right?) attention in terms of their training!
6. 110s, 300-yard shuttles, and gassers are the best conditioning tests
Do you remember when Albert Hanesworth couldn’t pass his conditioning test a few years back? Even if you don’t, do you think that testing a 300+ pound beast of a defensive lineman in an assessment that requires him to cover 300 yards at one time is a good idea? I’d hope you’d answer "no." It’s VERY likely that defensive linemen won’t even cover a total distance of 300 yards in an entire game...let alone in the same manner that is done to complete a 300-yard shuttle! The same goes for 110s and gassers—these tests are far too one-size-fits-all and don’t assess the two primary energy systems that are used in football: the alactic and aerobic systems.
7. The NFL combine is the best way to physically assess a football player
Each year, hundreds of NFL hopefuls will be invited to Indianapolis to showcase their physical abilities, and they all share the same dream of being drafted in the first round and signing a multimillion dollar contract. The NFL combine is a battery of tests that are used to assess a football player’s “physical” ability. Unfortunately, the combine tests DO NOT adequately address a football player’s physical ability. A few of the tests are good at giving a limited amount of information about the players' abilities, but the combine as a whole does not deliver enough information about the player. The combine doesn’t assess maximal upper body strength, aerobic power or capacity, or any type of mobility or suppleness.
Photograph courtesy of Wim Rogers
Hopefully, you now understand more about why football training isn’t as simple and rudimentary as some football coaches make it out to be. There are definitely many myths associated with football training, and they are easily debunked by a sound understanding of training.
Coming Soon!
If you want to learn more about how to properly prepare yourself for football, check out the American Football Physical Preparation Manual by Coach X and Ryan Williams.
