BYU strength and conditioning

I know this topic has been rehashed at least a dozen times but Andrew Rich's tweet caught my eye.



http://twitter.com/andrew_mdb_rich

andrew_mdb_rich profile



andrew_mdb_rich Getting faster!! Gotta keep grinding! Thanks to fischer sports..

I know these speed factories do things 1on1 that would be difficult or costly to do for a whole team. However, if every player that leaves BYU for the NFL draft gets faster (at least the ones I can think of off the top of my head), doesn't it seem to reason that something is not being done correctly while they are at the Y? I guess there's always a little room for improvement of form and fast twitch muscle response but it does bother me that it seems like these guys leave and get drastically faster.

I'm not looking to bring back old arguments and spark those that are already upset about this as I remember some pretty heated opinions over the last couple years about coach omer and all the injuries to hamstrings... Basically, I'm just curious if anyone knows if this is being addressed somehow in the program and if so by what means.

:whistle:

While there is a question as to whether BYU is doing the best that they can in improving speed, this might be a slightly different topic.



After the season, the training is specific to the combine or senior day. One of the biggest things that they try and do is get a low 40. The training is specifically for the 40, and not necessarily for the football skills.

BYU can work to improve speed with certain skill positions. Less emphasis on bulk, more on fast twitch. Pretty much everyone agrees. Omer does a great job getting guys really strong. Combine stats prove it. BYU are strong. But BYU guys are generally not as fast or quick as they could be. That is a training weakness.

Coach Omer for president! Coach Taekwondave for his read-headed whipping boy! :crazy:

This is a topic that gets kicked around from time to time. I was a hurdler & 400 meter guy in high school & college. I was always trying to improve my speed. It is really difficult to do - a lot. Speed is something you can improve incrementally. But it takes a lot of work - speed work - technique - specific weight room work.



Basically - it is real frustrating because you kinda have the speed you have. You work hard to shave tenths. You can improve somewhat - but not in leaps and bounds (unless you jump into the steroid world).



Just my experience - frustrating as it was. 8)

Agreed. But a .1 improvement might be the difference you need. Going from a 4.6 to a 4.5 is a nice leap, and from a 4.58 to a 4.48 great. Small changes can make a yard or two of separation difference.

stuckinbig10country wrote:
While there is a question as to whether BYU is doing the best that they can in improving speed, this might be a slightly different topic.



After the season, the training is specific to the combine or senior day. One of the biggest things that they try and do is get a low 40. The training is specifically for the 40, and not necessarily for the football skills.

I completely understand this point. It is different preparing for a football season as opposed to the combine, no question. I guess I'm just curious what will happen with the whole independence thing. Bronco has been pushing so hard, it seems, trying to get things set up for success in independence and he has a grasp of how crucial it is not only for the program but in a way the church to be successful at this quickly. Speed has got to be a part of it.



In regards to another post on this thread I saw about increasing speed and how difficult it is. We're not talking about cutting seconds off of 40's and 50's and 20's... we're talking about tenths of a second, even less than that some times and that makes a huge difference. I'm 6'4" and have been since high school and way back then I ran a 4.55 40 (no big deal... :whistle:) and never had any form speed training. I'm very confident that with some help on form and striding properly it could have been better. I never would have been a burner but could have been faster than that if instead of such a focus on weight training I would have had some direction on improving my speed.



I guess my point is that these guys are head and shoulders (in many cases, heads, shoulders, knees and toes) above me athletically than I ever was. With the move to independence, pushing for change and improvement on all levels, I'm just curious if Bronco sees a need for speed improvement and if so what he is doing about it.



Basically, it's February and I've watched Furious' highlight reels a dozen times already and am needing a football fix and I started thinking about speed and the teams that byu will be playing this next season and into the future.

Lawboy wrote:
BYU can should work to improve speed with certain all skill positions. Less emphasis on bulk, more on fast twitch would be a good thing. Pretty much everyone who is sane agrees. Omer does a great job getting guys really strong. Combine stats prove it. BYU are strong. But BYU guys are generally not as fast or quick as they could be or as BYU needs them to be to bring the program to the next level. That is a training weakness that could and should have been fixed by now.

Fixed your post with the bolded words.

taekwondave wrote:
:whistle:

Nominated for post of the day.



Hilarious that it was not only the FIRST response but also that you didn't need to say another word. Well played sir. well played.

Everyone gets faster, stronger, etc. for the combine. It has nothing to do with them getting sub-standard training at BYU, it has to do with what their focus is. At BYU, they are focused on making them the best football players they can be for the upcoming season. Speed and strength are part of that equation, but it has to be balanced with time in the class room, film room, skill drills, practices, etc. etc. etc.



When it comes combine or pro-day time, everything goes out the window except speed and strength drills. You aren't splitting time in the film room, practices, or any of that. You are instead spending every moment available to try and increase your measurables because every other criterion for evaluation is set in stone--they have 3 or 4 years of game film to break down all of that.



Every kid from every school who takes pro-days and combines seriously gets stronger or faster. This is not limited to BYU, nor is it a harbinger of bad training.

Lawboy wrote:
Agreed. But a .1 improvement might be the difference you need. Going from a 4.6 to a 4.5 is a nice leap, and from a 4.58 to a 4.48 great. Small changes can make a yard or two of separation difference.

I agree Law-dawg. Dropping from a 4.58 to 4.48 is big when you are that fast. And yes - it could make all the difference in the world between separating from a defender & remaining covered.



My world was the track world - everything went into speed. We didn't try to build big shoulders, chests & triceps. I know there are world class track athletes that look like they came out of the NFL combine. Those are really gifted athletes. Real freaks - I envy them!! Ha-ha!!



It's a tough "bill to fill" - to keep that upper body size & strength (increased dead weight when sprinting), and also increase your speed - get faster. An extreme challenge.

CougarClaw wrote:

:whistle:

Nominated for post of the day.



Hilarious that it was not only the FIRST response but also that you didn't need to say another word. Well played sir. well played.

:lol:



Agreed!



As if it was meant to be! Like he was waiting for it.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

To quote our beloved Ben Cahoon - speed is over-rated. That is what is being done about it on offense. The focus will be execution of precise routes combined with accurate and consistent throws on offense. I guess we will have to see what the defense does about speed.

Cougarbib2 wrote:
To quote our beloved Ben Cahoon - speed is over-rated. That is what is being done about it on offense. The focus will be execution of precise routes combined with accurate and consistent throws on offense. I guess we will have to see what the defense does about speed.

Not when you want to get to the next level. Speed is everything.



Technique can mitigate speed and athleticism. However, if you can take someone with speed and teach then technique, they become special players.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

CougarClaw wrote:

:whistle:

Nominated for post of the day.



Hilarious that it was not only the FIRST response but also that you didn't need to say another word. Well played sir. well played.

[/quote]Agreed. I thought that was awsome. Good job on getting the point across with no effort.

We need to hire the JETS former strength and conditioning coach. He is on the market and he'll do anything to help the team succeed.

taekwondave wrote:
:whistle:

What Dave meant to say YOGA! ;)