Coach Wood S&C and Bodytecz Team Updates
There are a ton of exciting things going on with Coach Wood S&C and the Bodytecz team. Many of our athletes and teams have completed successful seasons with some still going in the playoffs. The Lake Mary High School girls basketball team took home the state title and the Winter park boys basketball team is heading to its 4th state semi final in 4 years.
We are also learning all the applications of the new Keiser Equipment. This stuff is with out a doubt the best equipment you can get. One of my favorites so far is the Keiser runner. I promise you ten seconds in this thing will make you faster, more explosive and whip your butt. Check out the link below to see the Keiser runner in action.
Keiser Runner Speed Training
5 Steps to a Great 40 yard Sprint
The NFL Combine has been around for many years testing future NFL players in drills and test that will help teams determine whether or not they will select these players in the draft. With the growth in recruiting of High School athletes for college, underclassman combines have begun to take place all over the country. These combines are very similar to the NFL Combines in there testing procedures and give High School athletes an opportunity to show off their athleticism. With the NFL and the Underclassman combines the number one test that is talked about and focused on is the 40 yard sprint. There are many techniques and drills that can be taught and trained to help maximize an athletes 40 yard time. Below are 5 simple tips that will help you turn out a great time at your next combine.
1. See it - Never underestimate the power of the mind. Before you line up to run your 40 yard dash visualize yourself running a great time. See your self lining up, getting in your stance, exploding out and running the best time you have ever ran. The more you see yourself running this time the more likely that you will perform on combine day. There is proven evidence that when you focus , concentrate and visualize a physical activity in your mind, your muscles will fire to a small degree. Priming your body for a great time.
2. It Starts with the stance - Your 40 will begin with your stance. The key to a great stance is that it sets you up to explode out of the start. Line up with the lead foot around 4-12 inches from the starting line. Set your opposite knee around the instep of your lead foot locking your back toe into the ground. Place both hands right up against the line like a track start. Pop up into the stance taking the hand on the lead foot side back beside your back hip. Once up in your stance you should feel that your body is loaded and ready to fire out down the track. Slightly lean forward over the down hand as you prepare to take off, count down from 3 --2 --1 and go!
3. Have a Great first 15 - Once you have found a stance that feels good and loaded it is time to work on the 1st phase of your 40 yard sprint. This phase is all about accelerating and is called the drive phase . The main key here is to think about covering ground by exploding your hips forward with every step and not over striding. Think about a sports car, they have to go through 1st and 2nd gear before they can reach top end speed. A 40 is the same way you must accelerate through powerful steps through the first 15. Keep your head down and stay low through this 15. A great first 15 equals a great 40.
4. Changing Gears - After you explode through the 15 it is time to change gears in the acceleration phase 1 . At the 15 yard mark think of yourself going into second gear. Explode your arms as fast as possible and think about exploding though the next 10 yards. Your body should begin to rise but still keep a slight forward lean, running on the balls of your feet and popping off the ground.
5. Finish through 60 - Once you hit the 25 yard mark of your 40 its time to shift into 5th gear (drive phase 2) . Explode through the 25 yard mark and relax and run. Try to accelerate through the 40 yard mark as if you are running a 60 yard sprint.
The 40 is a skill that is taught and learned. It takes constant practice and tweaking in order to perform at your best on testing day. I hope this helps some of you guys who are going to High School Combines in the near future. For more info please email me at coachhunterwood@gmail.com.
