Lift weights
Lift weights
Lift weights
Yes, free weights, not that guided nonsense. Jump-push press, deadlifts. When weights are done properly you do a concentric lift and then an eccentric lift.
You alter weights, heavy-medium-light, then medium-light-heavy then light-heavy-medium. When you do that you break through plateaus.
Start acceleration drills, jump change drills, and modified plyometrics for the jump rebound reflex condition. The really big guys not so much.
For the lineman, the seated shot is a great way to develop explosiveness, and the standing long jump is great to develop start acceleration.
I think with the S & C guy coming in, the pros are cutting-edge training methodology. I imagine the training methods will be totally different than what the returning kids are used to.
They will break down muscle and retrain it.
I know you need the raw material to work with is critical, but NU has enough good athletes to make some of them perhaps great athletes. Yes, we do have some great athletes, so that helps.
They will likely work to exhaustion, but it won't be from doing half-squats.
I would like to see them do what is called a hang after a hard upper body day. You just jump onto a bar and hang for a minute. It allows gravity to move the pooled blood in the muscles into the overall body and prevents soreness and tiredness which allows the next heavy day of upper lifting to start off with a freshly repaired set of muscles.
OT. It's the one thing any baseball pitcher should do prior to icing the arm. Sore arms were never an issue in the 25 years I coached. Doing the hang doesn't allow the blood to pool in the shoulder area and basically scab over and make for sore arms. There's also a method called a shake-out.
A great S & C or speed acceleration coach is worth as much money as you want to pay them. It's important to not use a cookie-cutter approach for all athletes. Skill people have to be trained differently from the big guys. I'm hopeful NU now has a real pro in charge of developing these athletes.
FWIW
