Understand this about football. The only way a football player gets better mentaly and physicaly is by going up against the best. Not to knock any ones comments but running routs alone only does one thing…pacify the players and coaches ego into thinking they are doing something. But in reality they are doing something- burning calories.
Endurance training is best done after a long hard practice with the pads on. Down here in Texas we call them “Gasers”-across and back and back and across the football field 5 times. It was hell to pay, you are tired, beat up and all on your mind was gatorade and sleep. The Mental aspect of the game is introduced to you as that point. After doing this after every practice during 3-a-days your mind is on another level (certain players). When its saturday afternoon and the 4th quarter comes and its hot, humid and you hear the whinning and complaining about the conditions by teammates…You never hear that from (the players) because they ready to bring the wood to whoever wants it because they can only visual those “Gasers” they had to run and remembering hearing that certain coach yelling this exact moment while they were pain from running those Gasers. So this is my recipe for endurance training for football players Gasers & a coach that understand how to program his players to play on another level of the game.
The only way a football player gets better mentaly and physicaly is by going up against the best.
Well what does this have to do with running “gassers”. Is this the only way to develop good football players?
As I have wrote before, willpower workouts have there place from time to time in training.
They will develop a certain mental toughness.
So does growing up in the inner city, having cancer, swimming in the ocean in January and being the youngest of 6 brothers.
How about the very nature of playing the game? Taking hits, giving hits and going over the middle?
Running “gassers” has little to do with the will to win. In quest of victory, with a win within reach, most athletes, I feel, are motavated by the prize not by reflecting on the turmoil that got them there. This may be individually based and everyone has their own motavation.
How do athletes in other sports develop a will to win without running “gassers”?
Weather is a factor if you aren’t acclimated to it. Do you think the athletes that come out of cold weather climates or moderate weather climates are more or less mentaly tough than hot weather climates.
How has the NCAA and NFL been able to field teams of players that haven’t come from warm weather climates?
Up here in CharlieFrancis-land we call them “too hard for recovery and too slow for speed.”
Seriously, there is more to training than “mental toughness.” If there wasn’t, then the Strength and Conditioning Field would be a pretty boring one.
Nice speech, but how do you know what football players are thinking about when the game’s on the line? If I was the coach, I’d rather have them thinking about ripping someone’s head off than thinking about gassers.
I’m not trying to hijack this thread, but I always enjoy reading Thomas’s responses. As a reciever, if i don’t have anyone to throw me the ball that day, would it be benificial for me to go out and run routes by myself??
And when trying to get better at the routes, would i perhaps run like this: Explode off the line, easy stride, explode out of the cut, easy stride??
If routes arent run at full at full speed, then why is 40 time so important??
I would think that reactivity and explosive cuts would be the key to running good routes. The ability to change your pace from 75-100% in an instant is important as well as deceleration.
40 time isn’t that important. It’s just a measure of straight ahead speed which isn’t used very much in football. Just as the 225 lbs bench press test is pretty much useless and means nothing on the field.
AMG needs to check out Renegade Training for Football
““It’s not a game, it’s a war!” Coach Davies drills into his athletes”
"The sheer brutality of my work is probably the reason why my work is so controversial. My approach to work thresholds is unquestionably the crux of arguments against my training philosophy. My athletes are constantly reminded of the relentless, violent nature of their sport and our training reflects that. "
Thomas and Shnig you missed the point. Some get it and some dont.
Regardless of the surface, climate, or what ever may enter the mind and be a handicap to you when its game time is what seperates the pre-madonnas from Real Players.
Shnig Gassers are not meant for speed (point missed agian) They are for mental Toughness and conditioning.
Nice speech, but how do you know what football players are thinking about when the game’s on the line?
Read very carefully, I said you hear the whinning and complaining about the conditions from teammates-( the ones on the sidelines with clean uniforms on) But For that slpit second the player knows in his mind that he is mentaly and physically ready to bring the wood to who ever.
And Thomas you have some good points I agree with. But you and I both can agree on this. The will to win is useless without the desire to prepare.
As a reciever, if i don’t have anyone to throw me the ball that day, would it be benificial for me to go out and run routes by myself??
Absoultely, you have to ingrain the routes in your brain so at game time there is not thinking who many yards do I run, when do I look back, when do I look off a defender, where is the sideline, etc… only of catching the ball. I would still like you to run and catch and with a defender, but if it can’t be done it can’t be done.
And when trying to get better at the routes, would i perhaps run like this: Explode off the line, easy stride, explode out of the cut, easy stride??
No. Everything should be at 70%. Now remember, your speed in May won’t be the same as in August. If all goes right your 70% speed in August is faster than your 70% speed in May. When camp starts in mid-August up the tempo towards game speed you’ll be very surprised at the speed at which you run your routes.
If routes arent run at full at full speed, then why is 40 time so important??
Football coaches still want athletes that are fast. I think I realistic time is to test at 20yd.
How hard is the reciever position to learn??
If you can catch the ball everytime and anywhere on the field, no offense is hard to learn. The coach will make sure of that.
As a receiver would it be more benificial for me to do my routes rather than agility drills?
Include a few agility drills in your warm-up.
And if my routes are only done at 70% then how many times a week should i do them?? Take a little time out of everyday maybe??
Right now you can run them once a week.
June 2x week. Late July and early August 3x week. Someone should be throwing the ball to you when you run your patterns. Helment and shoulder pads are mandatory. If you have a hard time catching the ball, we can modify things and have you catching the ball more often.
All the speed and bunnies in the world will do you no good if you don’t have the hands.
