play linebacker or safety?

[alexandersub]

hi, i just turned 15 and are 5,7,165 lbs, im not slow but not either fast. I am playing football in sweden where it is a really small sport,but i want to be good at it so i am asking you for advice. Right now i am a linebacker, but should i go for strong safety instead? And how can i be good at it? I am allready lifting weights alot and trying to get faster by doing uphill sprints etc.

[DCSpartan]

Hard to say becuase you are still growing. Check out Joe Defranco's website for some very effective football training programs that have worked well with people in your exact same circumstances.

[alexandersub]

yeah but the thing is that i don't think i am going to get so much taller, both my parents are short so there is a very small chance that i am going to be more then 6 feet, i will probably be like 5,10 or something like that, but thanks for the tip

[Blackjack68]

My own personal opinion:

Linebacker is the most fun and challenging position in the game. Safeties get to make bigger hits sometimes, but Linebackers do everything, and if you're not really fast, linebacker may be a better match for you.

Do heavy, compound lifts. Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, etc.

And plyometrics for explosiveness.

Work speed and agility. Stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRWMR...eature=related
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk-I_...eature=related

Just youtube "football agility drills" or other like terms, and you'll get some great stuff.

[rbbeef1995]

what is your 40 time?

[alexandersub]

i have never done a serius 40 yard dash but i have.done it with a stopwatch so something between 5-5,3. i dont know but i think i am to short for linebacker but to slow for safety. i dont know if i should bulk to be a bigger linebacker or start working more on my speed to be a safety.

[kraftjd]

Young man play safety. Based on what you've posted, you're not gonna get much taller, you're not slow, and you have a good frame for the safety position. The only thing you need to improve is your speed and agility. Some easy ways to improve speed are uphill, downhill, and resisted sprints. Agility examples are working on 180 degree turns, change of direction from shuffle/ back peddle into a sprint. Basic drills for that include your pro shuttle, speed ladder going into a sprint, lateral movements etc...
In terms of strength training, you need a functional approach, a program that's going to help you not only increase strength, but help you move better. Defranco has the right idea in terms of training, he's terrible at teaching form though, so you could take his ideas but watch your form. Good luck.

[alexandersub]

thx man that helped alot

[alexandersub]

how about my weight? if i want to play safety should i cut weight and improve my speed or should i still bulk and do speed workouts this offseason?

[riongardner]

It's all a matter of your competition. I was 5'9 207 with low bf% in highschool and started at inside linebacker. I ran a 4.8 (which is probably a 5 something NFL 40). But I went to a small 3A school in Texas. At a Texas 5A high school, most linebackers are a little taller, maybe even little heavier, and even a little faster. At a 5A school, I probably would have played safety, and I definitely wouldn't have started because a 4.8 is just too slow.

At linebacker, I was just fast enough to go sideline to sideline, but my bread and butter was between the tackles fighting off fullbacks and guards.

I guess Im just saying shoot for the position that physically you have the greatest chance to start. If you are slower than the other safeties at your school but bigger than the other linebackers, be a linebacker. If you are faster than the other linebackers, but smaller, be safety.

If you are the bigger and faster and stronger than all the linebackers and all the safeties. Then the best chance to be famous is at linebacker because of the number of times the loudspeaker will say your name when you make a tackle!

Remember speed and explosion kills in High School football. Work on your 40 time above all else for the high school level.

[riongardner]

I wouldn't fret too much about it right now anyway. When I was 15 I was about your height, a little heavier and a little slower. I remember seeing many physical improvements in myself from 9th to 10th grade.

[kraftjd]

how about my weight? if i want to play safety should i cut weight and improve my speed or should i still bulk and do speed workouts this offseason?

A common misconception with speed is losing weight will make you faster. Through my own experiences, my weight didn't change but I dropped fat and gained muscle and my speed increased tremendously. I would focus on losing fat and gaining muscle.