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THE COLE HARD TRUTH
Launching "Ever Stronger"
After 24 years in coaching, 18 as a collegiate head strength coach, I have launched my twofold "Ever Stronger!" consulting - personal workout programs, and clinics for school S&C programs. MORE
A football high: out-physical the opponent
Our six-man team, in its first two games, brought back memories of dominating wins over big powers in college football by demonstrating how an off-season strength and conditioning program pays off. Never mind it wasn't Nebraska or Texas; satisfaction still runs high over a job well done Feb-to-Aug leading to success in the fall. HERE'S HOW
Scant Equipment, Big-Time Workout for Kids
Details of the makeshift equipment and big-time football workout regimen, out behind a church....TUGGING STARTS HERE
You don't need fancy
A dozen youngsters, 11-18, a football/soccer field behind Steep Hollow Baptist Church, rigorous workouts. Not impressive. But the workouts are.....READ WHY
Please send questions, suggestions, or comments to WEBATT@coachrodcole.com
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Strength, Endurance and Winning
September 6, 2008 - Physical dominance in first two six-man games
During my college coaching career, I have been blessed to be a part of a lot of victories. Let's face it, we all love to win. Especially against biggies like Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, or Southern Cal -- a Power Four that teams I worked with have an edge against (18-17). When you're playing those cats, if you are above .500 you are doing pretty well.
As I think back on those big wins, a favorite phrase in football circles comes to mind: physicalness. The greatest satisfaction for me, as a strength and conditioning coach, came when we would out-physical the opponent. That appears in many forms:
- Blowing them off the ball (smashmouth football is another popular term);
- Superior conditioning, flat-out playing harder all game long;
- Showing outstanding speed and agility.
It's all good. As a strength coach, game day is when your efforts undergo the most scrutiny -- not those countless hours in the weight room with nobody watching. Your evaluation takes place before 80,000 critics, give or take.
When you see the fruits of your labor, it is a highly satisfying.
I have experienced some of those same great moments the last two Friday nights. In front folks numbering 1/1000th as many (if that) as a typical major-college game. Earlier, I blogged about our off-season training program. Well, in the home opener for the BVCHEA Mustangs, the home-school six-man high school football team I am blessed to be coaching this year, and our subsequent first road game we out-physicaled both opponents.
The opener ended on the "mercy rule" - 48-0. When you don't give up a point in six-man football, that's physical.
We had our moments. One of my senior captains blew the coin toss and gave the opponent the ball at the start of both halves. My freshman back-up tailback went the wrong way on a sweep. Neither glitch mattered. We didn't give up a first down all night. And that young tailback scored on the wrong-way play to end the game.
The satisfaction of the opening night for me, a strength coach posing as a head football coach, was how we were able to out-physical our opponent. So, it wasn't NU, OU, TU, or USC; but it's all relative. We played the game hard all night long, and the other team's tongues were hanging out. That's the payoff from a summer of some days when our tongues were hanging out, pushing, pulling, running, lifting, and exercising.
Second game, we gave up points, quite a few points, but we dominated the second half with scores on our first four possessions to break the game open. Second-half dominance is another of those payoff signs -- four full quarters of strong effort and postive results. We gave up a TD on the final play in a 43-30 game.
It proved to be a big advantage for our Mustangs to have been on a well-planned, well-rounded speed, agility, strength, and conditioning plan since last February. I don't know how they will do the rest of the year in terms of wins and losses, as the opponents get tougher.
What I do know is that we have a physical advantage in preparation.
* * *
I love helping other teams get that same advantage -- high school, middle school, college, large or small, it doesn't matter. That's what my "Ever Stronger!" consulting program is designed to do. It doesn't matter what sport, either.
I've been a football guy much of my career, but I'm not just a football guy. Name the sport and I can help in the physical preparation.
- Speed is speed.
- Power is power.
- Strength is strength,
- Coordination is coordination.
- Agility is agility.
You get the idea. Athletes, young and older, small and larger, have the same basic needs: simply a good, all-around developmental program that addresses all the components of performance and becoming a better athlete.
Coaches, athletic directors, phyiscal education programmers -- shoot me an email. Let's put our heads together on how to out-physical the opponent.
Let's face it, we all love to win.
P.S. -- Having the physical edge demonstrated in the first two games has not been my only satisfaction. I am blessed to be coaching some fine young men who represent their families and their faith very well in all that they do. We all love to win, but it is much sweeter when you win with the right attitude and the right approach. Athletics can be cutthroat, but when you are around people that have things in perspective and enjoy success because of their character, not in spite of it, then you are truly surrounded by greatness.
As I look at future consulting with middle schools, high schools, and colleges, I desire to lift programs up to just such greatness -- a greatness that that is about winning, yet engenders behavior that says people are more important than points on the scoreboard.
Because they are, you know.
and loves photography. This is Kressyn.)