High School Football Off-season Training Tips
Off-season exercises for football players.
Nov 24, 2008
The high school football circuit is all about who wants it the most and who works hardest in the off-season.
The four-year window most high school players have closes extremely fast and it will be over before you know it. With that in mind here are exercise tips for the high school football player's off-season:
High School Football Workout Tip #1: RUN
Speed kills. College football scouts won't pay attention to you in today's day in age unless you're either fast or a massive hulk of a player.
Even in the northern states, nothing substitutes for a good run. Since there will be plenty of time for conditioning runs in the summer during two-a-days, focus on quickness and explosion in the off-season.
If you can't run outside and the temperatures are too cold then go to a gym and run on the treadmill at an extremely high speed for sprints or better yet go to an indoor training facility and find an indoor track to run on.
Sprints are probably the most important since they simulate football-style body reactions.
Also consider running in the shapes of letters such as A,B,C, etc. Run the whole alphabet. Running in the shape of each letter will give you better short-area quickness for your high school football season. It's a simple-but-effective high school football workout.
High School Football Workout Tip #2: Focus on Legs
Leg exercises are not very fun to most people. It's a simple fact. But they're great for high school football off-season workouts because they lend themselves well to translating power on the football field.
Do legs twice a week and learn to like it or at least tolerate it. No questions asked.
The foundations of your workouts should the squat and deadlift exercises. Lunges are also very good as are plymometrics like box jumping.
Don't waste time with machines unless you use them as a supplement to the main power lifts mentioned above. Machines are good if you really need straight bulk to hold up at the point of attack but your time is better spent doing squats or deadlifts.
High School Football Workout Tip #3: Have a Partner
Don't just go off on your own once the season ends. Work out with a friend who knows what they're doing. This will push you to achieve more in your high school football off-season workouts.
High School Football Workout Tip #4: Communication
Make sure you know what your coach wants from you in the coming year. Study the depth chart of your high school football team. You may be a tight end coming up but the varsity team could have a star already there and a young guy behind him ready to play.
High school football coaches are very conservative by nature and usually play more experienced players so make sure you are working towards gaining a spot in a position that is not already filled unless you're just an incredible talent.
Talk to your coach every day in school if possible and ask him for advice. And let him know you're working hard and willing to do anything for the team.
With 60-80 kids on every high school team many kids get lost in the shuffle. Use the off-season to workout, get stronger and faster, and to get in the good graces of the coaching staff.
If one of your coaches is also a high school coach in track or another sport you like, try out for that sport and show them what a great athlete you are. Little things make all the difference when it comes to getting playing time in high school football where politics are often an unsavory part of the whole experience.
Above all else, always remember to have fun and work hard.
