Training

We have talked about camps and combines so I think it's only fitting that we discuss training next. Not just for combines and camps, but for the offseason as well.

In today's game of football speed is king. Speed is of course relative to your position, and the fasted OL will be a far cry from the fastest DB. So what can you use as a guideline to see where you need to be to be considered among the top at your position?

A great place to start is with the previous season's Rivals 100 and Rivals 250 lists. You can find these on the Rivals web site and there is a link to the right. Look at last year's top prospects at your position, and you will get a good idea of what the "measurables" are for the top players. A word of caution: If their profile does not have a little "R" beside their numbers...then those numbers have NOT been verified at an official event. Those are just numbers that the athlete and or his coach submitted to Rivals...they HAVE NOT been verifed. Remember when we discussed combines and I said if your game film is making you a top prospect STAY AWAY from the combines unless you KNOW you will test well? Well these top players without the verified numbers have done just that. If you can convince everyone that you are a 4.4 DB, and your film looks like you're a 4.4 DB then leave it alone...don't go to a combine and run a 4.6 just to hurt your stock. That being said don't be a big liar to colleges and recruiting services either...you will only hurt yourself. It is common knowledge though that most programs, and athletes "stretch" the truth a bit. A 5' 11" kid may be listed at 6' or a 4.5 guy may be listed at 4.4. Just let them take your word for it if that's what everyone believes. Otherwise follow my advice in the combine blog.

So now that you have a good idea of where you need to be at your position to be considered in the top how do you get there? Obviously you can't grow taller by training, but that doesn't mean give up. You may be overlooked by most DI programs because your height isn't what they want for that position, BUT there are exceptions to every rule AND you still have a great shot at a lower division scholarship. That being said: SPEED IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER.

There are several places on the web where you can lookup different training techniques to make you faster and quicker. Most of these drills are even sport specific so they allow you to become a faster, quicker, stronger, player.

Sparqtraining.com, Nikefootball.com, and CoachTom Shaw.com are the sites I have linked to this blog. The Sparq site and Nikefootball will show you drills you can do on your own, and they have dvd's and training tools for sale. It's a small investment to make when you consider the cost of a college education. You can also search the web for other sites that offer training techniques that will meet your specific needs.

If you want to be trained by a professional then I recommend Coach Shaw. You can visit his web site to the right, and see his second to none list of clients. You will train side by side his NFL clients at Disney's beautiful Wide World of Sports Complex. Most of his top NFL prospect clients and pro clients pay around $900 a WEEK for his services, but high school kids can get 6 weeks of training 4-5 days a week for $450 (total cost). If you live out of town or state then housing arrangements can be made for an additional fee. Tom is a Sparq master trainer, he does every Nike Camp around the country, and he has 3 Super Bowl rings with the Patriots when he trained them. Please visit his site if you are interested in learning more about him.

Coach Shaw will also be conducting some camps for high school players, and they will be held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Comlex. Camp 1 is: June 23 - 25 and Camp 2 is: July 7 - 9. All sports are welcome, and you will train with pro athletes. The camps will run each day from 8:30am - 11:30am and they are $185.00 each. Boys and girls are welcome from every sport. If you're interested in these camps or his 6 week program email me at RECRUITINGINSIDER.MARK@GMAIL.COM.
I will get you all the information.

I hope I have given you a good starting point to see where you need to be, and a few ideas on how to get there. As always if you have a question...post a comment.