Hip Height

Why do you guys think so many football players struggle with hip height when sprinting?

Because they are playing football

i’m a high schooler, so i have a lot less knowledge than you guys, but as jd said, its probably from football

just looking at the games, there is rarely a chance to hit top speed, and accelrating is done from an upright position, so to compensate for the lack of tilt (compared to exiting blocks) they can achieve, while, say, taking a handoff, i know at least the football players at my school lower there hip height so they can add a little “push” so maybe they just cant get out of this habit

robert griffin from baylor said running when playing football was a lot less like running through a garden like he would feel like when running on a track.

if that makes sense.

sounds like the vertical propulsion is diminished from running on grass their whole lives.

Lack of upright running, grind mentality, overdoing the horizontal component, air time is a big negative when navigating through the box, etc.

They upright run plenty when the condition etc. Its an issue of rarely, if ever, being put into proper position etc. It’s a sport of staying low, pads low. RB, I agree, nearly all starting football guys I have, both HS and college, have this problem. Only a few have not, and they were track guys in high school with sub 11 100m speed.

Good answer!

How much hip height does anybody achieve when conditioning or performing tempo, especially relative to top speed sprinting? As a matter of fact, I’d add conditioning (gassers and the like) to the list of issues compromising hip height, specifically the death march technique that typically takes hold when fatigue sets in.

Wouldn’t you say it is mainly position dependent. A lot of WR look pretty good when they are opened up. Primetime was always a pretty runner.

Maybe, many of our athletes have this issue. Could it also be a mobility issue along with all the quad dom squatting?

I think it has more to do with the nature of running in football. I see a few ball players whoi get positive hip elevation after accel phase. Most have to keep their feet close to the ground and their hips low a great deal of the time. I think it becomes a pattern. It’s like taking a 100m sprinter and putting him on a gridiron. I imagine the guy would get smashed until he learned to lower his C.O.G. Then over time I would think that once pretty running stride would get ugly. Also, as far as DB and WR looking better, I would attribute that to the fact that they rarely have to play low. It is more about what you do most often becoaming your dominant movement pattern.

You may be right but with our guys I think its more hip mobility related then anything else…

I fell you. Some of my kids are super tight. ESTI has seen some superior results with his athletes doing deep tissue work. I guess I am going to have to dust off my massage therapy license and put my steel thumbs back to action. Hate doing a lot of it, but maybe doing 20 min sessions once a week would be highly beneficial. Some of my guys look like they would trip over a 6 " hurdle. Haha

someone disagrees, they suggest i take it easy.

i often wonder wonder how much hip height a track athlete will get wearing football boots and all the padding.:wink:

And someone trying to knock their head off every rep!

and if you try running wide someone on the sideline will take you out.

Foamrolling my friend - Takes the pressure of your sore thumbs - and you can get the entire squad doing it (or how ever many rollers you have…)

My friend we are not talking about in games - offseason/combine training.

What did you decide with Brown and Furr? No indoor season?

Head coach said no, Brown is the number 1 OLB for next years draft. :wink: