Chasing Speed & Athleticism Over Conditioning | Sprint-Based Football

[@impersonator35]

I love your philosophy coach. One of the things that can't be understated is how much fun your athletes probably have at practice, which makes them want to play/work harder I'm guessing? In the long run, this pays off in spades for everyone!

[@coachtonyholler]

@@impersonator35 Makes me a better coach, too.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Coach might nag me. But depending upon how the athlete manages his or her life, training can be a huge pleasure in it. An example is Kobe in basketball. He didn't hang out after the rape accusations he got his pleasure from training.

[@coachtonyholler]

@@dennisrobinson8008 No one ever said training shouldn’t be fun. But the mythology of Kobe is BS.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

@@coachtonyholler Everyones mythology is usually overstated if they are "popular" and understated if they are unpopular. A Lot of teammates and friends of his did have a problem because he literally wasn't 'hanging out",, partying or going on the trips with the rest of them... They complained about this and it's documented. And the story goes that he usually did at least one extra session on top of his team prescribed training and sometimes two additional sessions. This is also talked about by peoplee outside of himself. One additional session or mini session would give a technically minded person some CONTROL over their performance and what they want to work on versus only being directed by another. So I am a fan of at least a mini session over things you want to hit on your own to give you more control over it as long as they don't go against the program.

[@coachtonyholler]

@@dennisrobinson8008 The problem is… athletes have tried to go “Mamba” and got broken. The idea that you can do excessive work without a cost is 100% bullshit. Never copy the training of FREAKS & CHEATS.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

I Love coaches view.

[@mr.e8226]

Coaches do talk about having a motor that is consistent play after play in the first and forth quarter and being able to make plays being in 80% of the snaps and guys that can play both sides of the ball. Obviously you don't need to be able to run a marathon, but the type of power perseverance drills that soccer players do to be keep up top sprint sprint might be worth it. They also don't like to train for hours and hours and only play once a week and train 5 or 6 days.

[@CoachFellows]

Amazing!

[@flyfishingguide1991]

Hear you mention a lot of kick back from soccer coaches. Understandable. Sprinting is not the only element in the game and high level players will run up to 8 miles in a single game. Do you have videos or thoughts on how to adapt the feed the cats approach to balance these physiological needs? Thanks and respect from MT.

[@coachtonyholler]

@@flyfishingguide1991 NO ONE EVER SAYS IT IS ALL SPEED. But, soccer detrains speed. If the best soccer players are FAST and EXPLOSIVE, you better train it away from soccer. Let soccer train endurance.

[@flyfishingguide1991]

@@coachtonyholler thanks, actually running the atomic speed workout with my HS team this year. Hope to kaizen it in years to come. If you have a game Tuesday and Friday, would Monday and or Thursday be best for speed training? Know you’ve got a bunch of content and look forward to learning more through the seasons to come

[@coachtonyholler]

@@flyfishingguide1991 As long as your team is FRESH when sprinting, it doesn’t matter. The 60 seconds of work literally creates energy! You could do it pre-game.

[@CoachFellows]

Here in Brazil we only train twice a week. The training sessions are usually tactical, with specific drills and a game simulation. Could speed be used pre-training, to meet the need to train speed at least twice a week? Another question would be how to balance American football, xfactor and gym training? We just finished the season. Thanks Coach.

[@coachtonyholler]

@@CoachFellows I would start by adding my Atomic Workout to the beginning of practice. Make sure you time the sprints!

[@CoachFellows]

@@coachtonyholler Appreciate it.

[@Clemsnman]

What would you recommend for an old guy doing Masters track to get faster.

[@coachtonyholler]

@@Clemsnman Start with my ATOMIC SPEED WORKOUT 2-3 times a week.

[@AnandaGarden]

Look up Pete Magill's training. You might not want to do 100-mile weeks, but he found the secret to staving-off age-related speed decline (see my reply to samserwadda253 below).

[@nickfedor210]

Don't get hurt is what I'd say

[@jonathanfeagin1010]

How many days would you lift (general) vs sprint during the week in the off season? Could you do sprint session before a lift session on the same day?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@jonathanfeagin1010 sprint is the perfect warmup Sprint 2, X-Factor 2, Lift 4

[@Xaxaxa43]

What are your thoughts on CMC having this achilles issue?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@Xaxaxa43 He’s human. Played 33 games last 2 years. He’s a multi million dollar racehorse. He will be back. SF 3-3 without him. He will be there when it counts.

[@agwhoneedsaphd2643]

My boy is in 5th grade. How do i get a designed program from you?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@agwhoneedsaphd2643 Consult $150 an hour. Will get you guys set up.

[@jbech]

does this theory translate to baseball, or would you take a different approach?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@jbech Build athletes and stop conditioning.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Agree with build athletes

[@samserwadda253]

Not even a 20 minute run in the off season?😂

[@coachtonyholler]

@@samserwadda253 Nope

[@samserwadda253]

@@coachtonyholler I understand but does doing a few 20 minute runs in the off season affect your speed or your fast twitch muscle fibers.?

[@coachtonyholler]

@@samserwadda253 total waste of time… why would you want to hardwire jogging mechanics?

[@AnandaGarden]

Depends on what your goals are. If it's football, not necessary. As Tony has shown, regular all-out sprinting builds endurance sufficiently for young people who play 5-7 minutes in a game. If you're aiming for a fast 800, 1500, 5K, 10K, or marathon, things get very different. Example: Pete Magill ran a sub-15 5K at age 49. He ran 100-mile weeks, but he also did Feed the Cats stuff: fast short sprints uphill, lots of plyo on grass, heavy deadlifts (lift and drop) at 85% 1RM 3x3. He maximized his central nervous system activation, and he took advantage of the research that found age-related speed decline is related not to stride length or frequency but "power to the ground." Hence the deadlifts, which have been shown to improve PTG. Specificity is huge. On the other hand, at long distances multi-sport athletes have had some spectacular results, winning Nike X-Nationals, running a high school sub-4:00 mile, etc. Thankfully, there's lots to explore. But for football, just watch the great HS football teams on NFHS network to see what max speed can do. E.g., spectacular breakaway runs by running backs on my favorite De La Salle's veer offense. Anecdotally, I ran my fastest times in my 60s after doing a weekly 20-min tempo run (85-92% MHR). It was painful, but then I was able to run at up to 95% MHR when well rested for 3-5K pain-free and not breathing hard after a long warmup. Something the best marathoners can do, only a heck of a lot longer and faster. The body has many mysteries it hasn't yet revealed, but energy is key, thus developing the CNS is cutting-edge (along with RPR).