Combines

There are a ton of combines out there so how does a parent or athlete decide which ones they should attend or if they should attend one at all?

I think I should start out by saying this: If your game film is awesome, and you are getting attention from colleges maybe even offers based on your film...unless you KNOW you're an awesome tester (40, vertical, shuttle, etc...) LEAVE THE COMBINES ALONE. You don't see top college players who know they'll be drafted in the top of the NFL draft compete at the combine do you? Well maybe a few, but again they KNOW they will test well. Most of them don't want a bad combine performance to adversly affect their draft status. If you're already annointed as a top pick...why take a chance at hurting your stock? This applies to high school athletes as well...if you're already getting your offers based on your film...it might be best not to do the combines. It is important to note that if you have a bad combine (at least at the Nike combine and maybe the Scout combines) you do not have to turn your scores in...AND YOU SHOULDN'T if they're bad.

Believe me when I tell you...THE TIMES YOUR HEAD COACH GIVES YOU WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT THEN YOUR COMBINE SCORES. There are a lot of 4.6 kids at combines who swear they run 4.4 because their coach said they did. For most kids a combine will give them their first real times and scores.

So what about the kid who is a great player, but hasn't got an offer based on his film yet? Well again...if he does well at a combine it could give him the publicity he needs to catch the eye of college coaches. The combines worked great for my son...they got him a great deal of press from the major internet recruiting sites, and in turn the colleges took note of him.

So how do you decide which combine to attend should you choose to attend one? I recommend the Nike Combines because they are covered by the Rivals network, and give great exposure to the top performers not to mention it's open to everyone FREE OF CHARGE who is a freshman up to a rising senior (juniors about to be seniors) in high school. The second one I recommend is the Scout combine because they are covered by the Scout network. It's also FREE and open to the same group listed above.

There are links to StudentSports.com on the right side of this page and to Nikefootball.com. You can find all the information about Nike Combines there. They are currently under way. There is also a link to Scout.com and you can find information about their combines there. They have not started yet.

I really don't see the point in spending money on combines when you have these two FOR FREE, and they're covered by the two largest recruiting networks in the U.S.

So what do they do at these combines? First they get the athlete's height (without shoes) and take their weight. Next will be a series of different events depending on which combine you attend. You can go to the afore mentioned websites to see a current list of what they will be doing.

When my sons competed at the Nike combine and the Scout combine (just last year) they did their vertical jump (jumping straight up on an electronic pad). The athletes should wear very light shoes (flats...cleats are not allowed on the mats). They will be allowed to jump until their scores begin to decrease.

At the Nike and Scout events they ran their 40. This is done on turf in cleats NOT ON A TRACK, and track spikes are not allowed. The turf will most likely be grass. WEAR THE LIGHTEST CLEATS YOU CAN FIND. I don't care if they're soccer cleats as long as they're cleats. Be sure to run all the way through the finish and don't dive or lung at the end...this will only slow you down.

The Nike combine has done away with the 185lb bench press and replaced it with a SPARQ ball toss. The athlete throws the 3 pound ball while on both knees. The throw is a two handed chest pass (like the basketball pass) and throwing it at a 45 degree angle works best. Avoid "lobs" and low throws.

The Nike combine and the Scout Combine do a 20 yard shuttle. There are 3 cones (one in the center and one to each side of the center cone that are both 5 yards from the center). The athlete begins at the center cone and then runs to the cone (right or left athletes choice) touches the ground sprints past the center cone touches the ground at the far cone, and then sprints past the center cone. For instance: you line up at the center cone facing forward (not in the direction of the cone you're about to run to) you run 5 yards to your right...touch the ground by the cone, run to the far cone past the center cone, touch the ground, and then sprint past the center cone (your staring point). Keep a wide base in your turns when you touch so you don't slip, and be sure to sprint through the end of the drill. Again...cleats must be worn (use the light ones from your 40) and it will be done on the turf...likely grass.

The Scout combine also does the L or 3 cone drill. The Nike Combine does not do this. The Scout combine also does a standing broad jump...Nike does not.

To see how to do these drills and read about them...visit the sites I mentioned above. The links are to the right.

So how do you know what a good score is? Simple: visit the above sites and look at last years results. You'll see what the top scores were, and you can even see what the best scores for your position were. Obviously a good 40 time for an OL is a far cry from a good 40 time for a DB.

I hope this information on combines was helpful. If you have any questions then post a comment. The next blog will cover camps.