Help! (Football)

[hestolemyshoe]

Hey guys, here's the deal. I'm 5'9", 190 lbs. I want to play inside linebacker next year on varsity (it's my senior year) and I have high hopes on starting. The thing is, I've always heard that you need to be really quick to play linebacker. Not amazingly fast... but quick.

I need to know how I should go about developing that brutal quickness associated with all great linebackers. I don't care about long sprints... just want good speed within 30 yards, and hopefully _really_ good speed within 15-20 (where linebackers usually need to patrol during a play).

My lateral movement is lacking and so is my explosion, but I don't know how to go about improving this. The football season is still a good three months away so I figure I have time to work on these things. I'm willing to work out 5 days a week, and currently I'm doing some heavy lifting to hopefully bring my weight up to 210 lbs before camp (August 28th).

My weight lifting split is based around:

Monday:
Power Cleans
Deadlifts

Wednesday:
Bench
Incline
Rows

Friday:
Squats
Straight leg deadlifts.

I'm thinking of incorporating some speed work on Tuesdays and thursdays but don't know how to go about this.

Remember, I want to be extremely quick within 20 yards and laterally. Help would be greatly appreciated.

[Trunzo]

Plyometrics, that's it boy! Jump on those boxes like some killer ants are at yer feet.

[hestolemyshoe]

Yeah, I knew I had to incorporate plyometrics into it... but wasn't sure what kind of exercises would you best to give me that quickness within 20 yards that I desire.

And also, what can I do to work on lateral speed?

[tantilizer33]

you should do agilities and speed development drills also. sports specific drills would be most effective for developing that lateral speed your looking for. like pro agility two cones 10 yards apart, with one directly in the middle, sprint right touch the cone turn and sprint left all the way to the other cone and touch then sprint back through the middle. this is the most popular drill for lateral speed. there are many more, go to mattpoe.com he is a good friend of mine and is a really popular speed coach and has some good tips there.

[hestolemyshoe]

Hey, I checked out the site and didn't see any drills on the site... just an order form for his program.

[tantilizer33]

email him and let him know that you heard of his website online and that you might sign up for his program, it works well. tell him that MT told you to contact him.

[hestolemyshoe]

Alright man, will do... Thanks!

But... where are all the other football players? What plyometric exercises should I work on?

[Pirate50]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz.htm
Check out this site, it has a 12 week lifting program as well as a 12 week running/agility program.

[RockECU]

Originally posted by hestolemyshoe
Hey guys, here's the deal. I'm 5'9", 190 lbs. I want to play inside linebacker next year on varsity (it's my senior year) and I have high hopes on starting. The thing is, I've always heard that you need to be really quick to play linebacker. Not amazingly fast... but quick.

I need to know how I should go about developing that brutal quickness associated with all great linebackers.

-set up a box of cones, about 10-15yds apart in each direction... have a person in front of you, outside the box, while you are inside the box facing the person (AT ALL TIMES).. have the person point to various directions nonstop, and you peddle to that direction as soon as you see him point to a diff't direction.. after a while of him pointing, let him throw the football somewhere to imitate an interception, or have him drop the ball to imitate a fumble...


I don't care about long sprints... just want good speed within 30 yards, and hopefully _really_ good speed within 15-20 (where linebackers usually need to patrol during a play).

-try doing shorter distance sprints (15-30yds) accentuating the start of the sprint in diff't directions from a linebacker stance. If you want, you can invest in a weight vest to use to help your speed.

My lateral movement is lacking and so is my explosion, but I don't know how to go about improving this.

-work on the first drill I talked about, as far as explosion goes- this is where the weightlifting should come in..

The football season is still a good three months away so I figure I have time to work on these things. I'm willing to work out 5 days a week, and currently I'm doing some heavy lifting to hopefully bring my weight up to 210 lbs before camp (August 28th).

-i wouldn't worry so much about your weight, worry moreso about your athletic abilities and improving them ... a smaller man who can hit harder is better than a bigger man who doesn't know how to hit/hit hard.

My weight lifting split is based around:

Monday:
Power Cleans
Deadlifts

-good, i'd incorporate some clean and presses though... use a weight that you could normally do 4-6 reps for, but do them AS FAST AS POSSIBLE for 2-3 reps, or even just singles, accentuating going as fast as possible.. This will help you with your explosiveness.

Wednesday:
Bench
Incline
Rows


-Good - but I'm not sure how much the Rows are really helping your sport specific strength...

Friday:
Squats
Straight leg deadlifts.

-hit some hammy curls too (1 leg at a time) to mimic the sprinting motion, or just do some sprints...

I'm thinking of incorporating some speed work on Tuesdays and thursdays but don't know how to go about this.

just worry about your weaknesses (what you said earlier - lateral speed, explosiveness, speed within 15-30yds) Focus on the start from a base stance... Preferably on grass.. With cleats.



Remember, I want to be extremely quick within 20 yards and laterally. Help would be greatly appreciated.

hope that helps... give it a shot.

[bighig]

there are a ton of other things you can do t get faster. but i honestly feel that the one excercise i would choose is squats. if you can afford the equipment and have a partner then buying one of those giant rubber band tings and having them hold you while you run like hell then letting you go will help you get fast too. but if you don' have the dough, sprinting down hill can help you get fast as well.

as a not to readers of his thread, sprinting up hill will do nothing for your speed. and don't underestimate the effects of good football instincts making up for a lack of speed of the field. some of the very best fotball playes were not fast. jerry rice, ronnie lott, walter payton, dick butkus. and even some of the best players today aren't awesome on "D" because of their speed, it's because of their instincts and their football smarts. brian urlacher may be the fastest linebacker to ever play the game, but he's great because he knows where the plays are going.

[RockECU]

Originally posted by bighig
sprinting down hill can help you get fast as well.

-it isn't anywhere near what sprinting on a football field is like.. you have to have something that will have positive transfer.. if running downhill works (like you said) then I have no idea why running uphill wouldn't work as well.. you're talking out of your ass.

as a not to readers of his thread, sprinting up hill will do nothing for your speed.

-look above


and don't underestimate the effects of good football instincts making up for a lack of speed of the field.

-true

some of the very best fotball playes were not fast. jerry rice, ronnie lott, walter payton, dick butkus.

-with the exception of butkus, all of those athletes were fast.. i don't know where you came up with the idea that jerry rice isn't fast.

and even some of the best players today aren't awesome on "D" because of their speed, it's because of their instincts and their football smarts. brian urlacher may be the fastest linebacker to ever play the game, but he's great because he knows where the plays are going.

[bighig]

http://www.waikato.ac.nz/education/ls/leisure/Rugby/spdtrn.htm
http://www.prosport.net.au/guide_13nutritional.html
http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/RUSSIAN.HTM

Above are just some of the few articles I have found that highlight the efficacy of downhill sprints. I hate it when people who don't their ass from a whole in the ground attempt to challenge my training acumen.

I wasn't born the best genetics, but I turned myself into a 6'0" 260 man that can run a 4.65 40 and bench 475 ponuds through years of hard work, and SMART training. So stick you "positive transfer" up your arse!

And Jerry Rice was NEVER fast. But he ran the best routes of any receiver to ever play the game. He can still get separation from best corner backs that the NFL has to offer today. He ran a 4.75 40 at the combines when he came out of Mississippi Valley State. I'm sorry, is that fast?

[RockECU]

Why you can't make 2 separate replies to these 2 threads is beyond me... But ah well..


Originally posted by bighig
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/education/ls/leisure/Rugby/spdtrn.htm
http://www.prosport.net.au/guide_13nutritional.html
http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/RUSSIAN.HTM

Above are just some of the few articles I have found that highlight the efficacy of downhill sprints. I hate it when people who don't their ass from a whole in the ground attempt to challenge my training acumen.

-just curious as to your profession/academic background??

I wasn't born the best genetics, but I turned myself into a 6'0" 260 man that can run a 4.65 40 and bench 475 ponuds through years of hard work, and SMART training. So stick you "positive transfer" up your arse!

-thats great that it worked for you, but will it work for everybody else just because it worked for you? do you even know what positive transfer is?

And Jerry Rice was NEVER fast. But he ran the best routes of any receiver to ever play the game. He can still get separation from best corner backs that the NFL has to offer today. He ran a 4.75 40 at the combines when he came out of Mississippi Valley State. I'm sorry, is that fast?

-those #'s are nothing but heresay.... do you truly think a big (hell.. any) ass lineman who has been clocked at 4.6 before, is faster than Jerry Rice?? Those #'s mean absolutely nothing.. Is football a 40 yard sprint in 1 direction? no...

[Possy]

why do you want to weigh 210 pounds.....you don;t have to be that big as long as you are fast and strong....in fact the more you weigh the slower you will probably be....

also you could add some more exercises to what you are allready doing and if you could lift 5 days a week instead of just 3...

this is my split...
moday- chest tris
tuesday-legs
wednesday-back and bis
thursday- shoulders
friday- i have a conditioning routine that i do
...i also work abs as much as i can throughout the week
i change the lifts i do for each body part everyweek so i don;t get used to doing the same thing....

you should also try to be able to run a 12 minute 2-mile
but never run over 2 miles at once b/c this will actually make you slower b/c it replaces your fast twitch fibers (sprinting muscles for explosive movements) with slow twitch fibers (the ones used in enurance)...
if you want i can give you a list of some of the exercises i do for each body part

[Powerlifter16]

Originally posted by Possy
why do you want to weigh 210 pounds.....you don;t have to be that big as long as you are fast and strong....in fact the more you weigh the slower you will probably be....

also you could add some more exercises to what you are allready doing and if you could lift 5 days a week instead of just 3...

this is my split...
moday- chest tris
tuesday-legs
wednesday-back and bis
thursday- shoulders
friday- i have a conditioning routine that i do
...i also work abs as much as i can throughout the week
i change the lifts i do for each body part everyweek so i don;t get used to doing the same thing....

you should also try to be able to run a 12 minute 2-mile
but never run over 2 miles at once b/c this will actually make you slower b/c it replaces your fast twitch fibers (sprinting muscles for explosive movements) with slow twitch fibers (the ones used in enurance)...
if you want i can give you a list of some of the exercises i do for each body part


Type IA Fibers: Slow Twitch fibers that are very resistant to fatigue.

Type IIB Fibers: Fast Twitch that are fatigued very easy.

In a mile which do u think would be recruited the most? Id bet IA fibers. IIB wont with stand to much of anything over 100-300m and that is stretching it. What iam saying is once you run 400m IIB have already been fatigued and replaced


lifter

[RockECU]

Originally posted by Powerlifter16



Type IA Fibers: Slow Twitch fibers that are very resistant to fatigue.

Type IIB Fibers: Fast Twitch that are fatigued very easy.

In a mile which do u think would be recruited the most? Id bet IA fibers. IIB wont with stand to much of anything over 100-300m and that is stretching it. What iam saying is once you run 400m IIB have already been fatigued and replaced


lifter

i agree, keep running to small distances for football training. we're not talking about soccer here.. if you're terribly out of shape, then you might want to consider running miles for football, but if you're not, focus on nothing more than 100yd distances..

[Powerlifter16]

The way i train is built to kill 2 birds with one stone. Iam 242lbs iam in very good shape that i have worked very hard to get into. I wouldnt take me long to get out of shape i promise you that. My training is kind of like circut training. I have 4-6 session working speed,agility.mobility,fliexibility,gpp work, plyometrics. Each session can have 2-3 exercises. i will do lets say gpp stuff which i normaly only do 1-2. i will do 5 sets of 40 yrd sprints with a chute w/ 15 sec rest between reps. then i will do tire flips or log drags somthing along that line the same way. then i will go to another session like plyometrics where i will do somthing like 5x3 on tuck jumps very short rest. If u get what iam saying u dont have to run a mile to get into great shape. I hate running anthing over 400m.


lifter

[Possy]

i agree that you probably use slow twitch fibers in the mile to 2mle run....but what i was told is that when you start running over 2 miles your body starts loosing the fast twitch and replacing them with slow tiwitch....
i am pretty sure the guy that told me this knows what he is talking about.....i have been lifting with him for about a month and before he moved here he coached at a couple big name colleges.....and he says you should run 1 and a half miles to 2 miles every other day to improve your stamina.

i have only done the conditioning workout on fridays with him a couple times b/c we are just starting....but the first time i did it we went for 7 minutes and my and all my buddies were pretty much dead....a couple almost puked.....we hadn;t done much cardio in a couple months but still in 7 minutes he kicked our ass..
most of the stuff was done in the weight room with small weights and doing as many good reps as possible in 30 seconds...then we went straigth to a little running the mostly plyo....he told us by the end of the summer we would be doing the workout for 20-25 minutes

[RockECU]

Originally posted by Possy
i agree that you probably use slow twitch fibers in the mile to 2mle run....but what i was told is that when you start running over 2 miles your body starts loosing the fast twitch and replacing them with slow tiwitch....
i am pretty sure the guy that told me this knows what he is talking about.....


-your body doesn't lose the fast twitch muscle or gain slow twitch muscle... your body adapts to the load/exercise that is placed upon it and the characteristics of that certain fiber will change somewhat to accomadate your training... (ex - your type 2b fibers will change their characteristics to something that reflects the activity of a type 2a or type 1 fiber, but the actual type of the muscle fiber will not change (i'm 99% sure of this) to handle the load of your training,) this isn't something that happens overnight either... we're talking weeks/months... so running a mile every other day for a week to a month will make a negligible difference in your muscle fibers..