ACL Injuries in Football – Why The Increase?
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears have become the focus of much attention across the nation as football programs on all levels have seen an increase in a knee injury that used to be pretty rare among young athletes. There are…
Weekly Opponent Preparation Plan
Many of us are through the first third to half of the season and as we continue to attack the schedule, the emphasis increases on teaching our players equally as much about our opponents as we do ourselves. What follows…
Temple Football: Non-Travel Squad In-Season Training
Some of the most common questions I receive as a strength and conditioning coach focus on in-season training. Head Coach Matt Rhule and I believe in-season training is as important as any other period of training that occurs during the…
Coach Russell’s Ruminations – September
I hope everyone is off to a good start for the 2015 season. A new year is always exciting. It’s a chance to see what your incoming players bring to the program, as well as to evaluate how everything you’ve…
Mississippi State Football In-Season Strength Training
By Rick Court, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Mississippi State University We take great pride in how we coach and administer our in-season strength program. In-season training is the most important time to train because you must continue to make…
Building Blocks of Zone Pass Defense
With the multiple coverages that are employed by defenses, there are various individual techniques that the coverage players must master and then employ versus specific routes, patterns, and concepts. What follows is a simple checklist to teach ANY form of…
Catching Up – A Great Time of Year and Being Thankful for the People That God Brings Into Your Life.
Not surprisingly, it has been several days since I posted this blog. We have our first Sunday staff meeting after church today and I will work this in before our family goes to church. We had our first scrimmage at…
Coach Russell’s Ruminations – August
Welcome to August, football season, and my “Camp Edition” of Coach Russell’s Ruminations. My first thought for this month is something I think far too many men in our profession struggle with. There seems to be an eternal struggle between…
Common Blocks Against the D-Line
As we all prepare for training camp and put together our technique boards and drill menus, we must stay conscious of the different types of blocking patterns that our front people will see given our schemes. This is the next…
Coach Russell’s Ruminations – July
For college football coaches, and many high school coaches, the summer means one thing: camps. Summer football camps are not only a good way to supplement your income, but they’re also valuable for the opportunity to be exposed to high…