High School Football mom needs suggestions

[CowboyPrincess]

Some of you here know my son Erik and will remember the hardship of getting him to get back into sports after his daddy died. Well, he pulled a fast one on me this year... He joined the high school football team. He's a freshman this year (my baby's in high school ) I went and watched his first scrimmage today. He has speed and I can see natural talent but he's got some area's that he is worried about... he's having trouble with remembering play calls and is really a newbie at football. He's playing reciever. He's a bit disappointed cuz he wanted TE. But the coach said he likes his speed and ability to pull one out of the air.

Any suggestions on what I can do or get to help him learn the game better.. both mentally and physically???

Thanks for any suggestions...




side note... Hey Hos and TB.. Goodbye soccer and hello football... YEAH!!!!

 

[the kid 05]

tell him to learn how to keep one on on the qb and the other on the db that way when the qb hikes the ball he can swat away the db hands' alowing him a clean break of the line.

you could also watch game film with him like the GREAT wr's of the past and present, i watched alot of randy moss and Micheal Irvin. those two are two of the best to play the game and they are really good at using their hands to get off the line

also tell him when he goes for the ball don't try and and do a clap style catch (where it looks like your clapping the ball) or dont let it hit your chest plate cuz most of the time it will bounce off and you can't catch it, refure the jay-z roc-a-fella sig that roy and larry johnson do that is prefured by most coaches as a catching tech

hope this helps

tim

 

[Hostile]

Some of you here know my son Erik and will remember the hardship of getting him to get back into sports after his daddy died. Well, he pulled a fast one on me this year... He joined the high school football team. He's a freshman this year (my baby's in high school ) I went and watched his first scrimmage today. He has speed and I can see natural talent but he's got some area's that he is worried about... he's having trouble with remembering play calls and is really a newbie at football. He's playing reciever. He's a bit disappointed cuz he wanted TE. But the coach said he likes his speed and ability to pull one out of the air.

Any suggestions on what I can do or get to help him learn the game better.. both mentally and physically???

Thanks for any suggestions...




side note... Hey Hos and TB.. Goodbye soccer and hello football... YEAH!!!!

Hey Princess, I am so glad to hear this. Especially the goodbye soccer part.

Okay, first tip I'd give him is to try and wrong foot the DBs. Try and get them to bite on a fake then cut the other way when they do. This creates separation. If he has speed then they need that much more speed to cover the lost ground. At the HS level a lot of kids will buy a "hand fake." This is where he quickly throws his hand out and acts like he's going in that direction, then he goes the other way.

There's only one way to learn the plays and that is to study them in his mind over and over. I even used to go to the field by myself with my playbook. I'd run the plays over and over until I had them down.

Tell him to lay off soda pop. The carbonation steals your air. WRs really need endurance. Distance run, stationary bike (shout out to TO), stair climbers, and anything else that will get his cardio up. Stretch a lot. Before and after every workout and practice is best. Flexibility is his best friend because it will reduce the chance of injuries.

 

[CowboyPrincess]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. He's watching this thread and is taking this all in. Erik is a cardio workout freak so he was happy to see that suggestion also. But he's now in mourning about the soda pop thing.. LOL

Keep the suggestions coming.

We thank you

Princess

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

Some of you here know my son Erik and will remember the hardship of getting him to get back into sports after his daddy died. Well, he pulled a fast one on me this year... He joined the high school football team. He's a freshman this year (my baby's in high school ) I went and watched his first scrimmage today. He has speed and I can see natural talent but he's got some area's that he is worried about... he's having trouble with remembering play calls and is really a newbie at football. He's playing reciever. He's a bit disappointed cuz he wanted TE. But the coach said he likes his speed and ability to pull one out of the air.

Any suggestions on what I can do or get to help him learn the game better.. both mentally and physically???

Thanks for any suggestions...




side note... Hey Hos and TB.. Goodbye soccer and hello football... YEAH!!!!

Heya Princess,

Glad to hear your son is trying to make the team! I was the stereotypical slow white guy in high school so I never had a chance to play at that position. First off, no need to be disappointed with TE. Those fellas don't get any glory until the pros. He'll pull in a lot more chicks at the glorified wideout position which is always a good thing for a teenager!

My biggest recommendation would be "attitude!" You can follow all the drills and listen to your coaches about proper technique, but wideout is one of those positions that requires a cocky sob to prosper. You have gotta go out and convince yourself that every down, you are going to make the play. Don't ever let dropped balls get you down, put 'em aside, tell yourself the next one is YOURS, and go get 'em! It's all mental. You play at a position that can have your mistakes magnified, everyone always remember the last dropped ball, so don't let it get ya down, grab a gung ho attitude and impress that coach!

I agree with Dale. Exercise like a madman! If he really wants to make that team, and get some serious playing time, he is going to need to be in some great shape to play receiver. Receiver is one position you cannot physically slack off.

Since your son is new to football, and one thing I didnt' see mentioned, make sure he learns to put the ball away. He may be new to the game and get caught up in the moment, make sure it is second nature to put the ball in a safe place, cause nothing is worse than making a great catch only to fumble it away.

Good luck Erik. I know you'll be a good one!

 

[Hostile]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. He's watching this thread and is taking this all in. Erik is a cardio workout freak so he was happy to see that suggestion also. But he's now in mourning about the soda pop thing.. LOL

Keep the suggestions coming.

We thank you

Princess

Soda pop will be there for him after the season. It's not like they'll quit making it. Tell him the same thing applies to koolaid and other sugar drinks. Stick with gatorade (replaces electrolytes), water, milk, and non sweetened juices. Drinking koolaid and such is just like sugar water. It actually has no nutritional value to the body.

If he likes cardio he will notice a difference laying off this stuff. Especially the carbonation. His endurance will increase by as much as 10 to 15% if he drinks a lot of soda pop.

Avoid fatty foods if at all possible. Like fried stuff. Baked is much better.

I highly recommend calf raises as a great exericse for speed positions. With weight resistance is preferred. He'll be amazed how much weight he can this exercise with. This is a fast twitch muscle which when trained right increases speed and reflexes.

Make sure he does leg curls and leg extensions too, but never without warming up by stretching first. See TO on the exercise bike for a reason why.

Try and get him to run with his mouth piece in. This will help him learn to breath through his nose more. You get better air through the nose for faster recovery, and when you have to have the thing in you breathe more comfortably than those who have to spit theirs out to get air. I've heard guys say the breathe right strips work. I never tried them, but would recommend he try it both ways and see if it helps.

Tell him to treat the QB to lunch, just the 2 of them. Create a bond, even if it's just a rapport. If they can work together on timing it will make a difference. Learn what the QB likes and what he'll listen to.

 

[Dawgs0916]

This might seem a little redundant, but our team nutritionist, who worked as a personal nutritionist with ahem....believe it or not, BOTH Charles Haley and Deion Sanders, emphasizes to us, drink plenty of water/gatorade to keep you hydrated. A big glass when you get up, a glass/cup of accelerade/powerade, etc before practice, AND after practice. Also a huge thing is getting something to eat in your body at least 15-30 minutes after the practice/workout to replace what was lost during the workout. Believe me, it helps a lot. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich will even do the trick. Just as long as you get SOMETHING in there. Hope it helps a little.

 

[Hostile]

This might seem a little redundant, but our team nutritionist, who worked as a personal nutritionist with ahem....believe it or not, BOTH Charles Haley and Deion Sanders, emphasizes to us, drink plenty of water/gatorade to keep you hydrated. A big glass when you get up, a glass/cup of accelerade/powerade, etc before practice, AND after practice. Also a huge thing is getting something to eat in your body at least 15-30 minutes after the practice/workout to replace what was lost during the workout. Believe me, it helps a lot. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich will even do the trick. Just as long as you get SOMETHING in there. Hope it helps a little.

My college team trainer was always trying to push bananas and gatorade. He was fanatical about it. He said the potassium in bananas helped prevent cramps and gatorade kept your system balanced. He was also real big on telling us to eat spinach and raisins. Something about iron in the bloodstream. He wanted us to eat liver, but I refused that one.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

Well, since we're talking about training and supplements, I can tell ya I noticed a definite difference when I was younger and used to take that creatine stuff. It's not a steroids advantage, but the biggest difference is your body can better tolerate the daily workouts without breaks inbetween. I've heard some stuff about how it might affect interntal organs, so digest and research at your own risk, but I would definitely claim that creatine was an advantage for me when I used to care about that physical fitness stuff. *sigh, to be in shape again*

 

[the kid 05]

creatine is never good for footballers, all it does is rip the muscle twice as fast BUTTT replaces it with water so the muscles look and feel bigger...but your still the weak little guy you once were

 

[Dawgs0916]

I know a few of my teammates take creatine, and one of our coaches who is just a year removed from being a Div.III All-American O-Lineman at Mary Hardin Baylor told us that creatine, if taken correctly, does help a lot, and there is really no risk involved if taken in the correct amounts and not overdone. Said the worst that ever happened was a little bit of the squirts when he didn't take it with enough liquid haha

 

[Dawgs0916]

And by the way Hos, 100% true on the bananas. They do help with cramps, and im saying this part from complete personal experience.

 

[Muhast]

I play semi-pro football. Im a wide reciever like your son. I played college ball at Blinn college also. Anyways if he's havin trouble with remembering plays the main thing there is repetition. Ask for a playbook if he doesnt already have them, and study it. Tell him to carry it to school with him, and when he gets a free moment in class to read it over. Most of the time u have at least a few minutes in class each period to see it. So if he has BLOCK SCHEDULING thats 4 times a day he can read plays whenever the class isnt doing something( after he finishes classwork/test or w/e) and regular schedule ,if he doesnt have block,he should have around 7 classes. assumin he gets 2-5 minutes of freetime which most classes allow near the end thats 7 chances to look at the plays. I did that every day for a week in high school(graduated 05) and had it memorized quick. tell him to learn passing plays first, and then running last as all he has to do is block. Thats the best suggestion, all my teammates did it also. Anything else he needs help on? WR is all about position on the ball also, it takes time to learn how to get yourbody in position but tell him to find a wide reciever he thinks he is comparable to, and focus on how he plays the game. Focus on what he does to get open, what he does to get in position etc. also T-Bomb (sold at gnc) works great for getting stronger. i suggest it over creatine or anything else.

 

[CowboyPrincess]

I play semi-pro football. Im a wide reciever like your son. I played college ball at Blinn college also. Anyways if he's havin trouble with remembering plays the main thing there is repetition. Ask for a playbook if he doesnt already have them, and study it. Tell him to carry it to school with him, and when he gets a free moment in class to read it over. Most of the time u have at least a few minutes in class each period to see it. So if he has BLOCK SCHEDULING thats 4 times a day he can read plays whenever the class isnt doing something( after he finishes classwork/test or w/e) and regular schedule ,if he doesnt have block,he should have around 7 classes. assumin he gets 2-5 minutes of freetime which most classes allow near the end thats 7 chances to look at the plays. I did that every day for a week in high school(graduated 05) and had it memorized quick. tell him to learn passing plays first, and then running last as all he has to do is block. Thats the best suggestion, all my teammates did it also. Anything else he needs help on? WR is all about position on the ball also, it takes time to learn how to get yourbody in position but tell him to find a wide reciever he thinks he is comparable to, and focus on how he plays the game. Focus on what he does to get open, what he does to get in position etc. also T-Bomb (sold at gnc) works great for getting stronger. i suggest it over creatine or anything else.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We really appreciate everything. He has been practicing most everything y'all have said. He is trying to get a playbook but he's not sure he can get one cuz his coach is hyper on memorizing as you go.

As for the T-Bomb... Not gonna happen. I use to manage a GNC and know a bit too much about T-Bomb to allow him to use it. For now it's all about Gatorade; vitamins and Muscle Milk... and now bananas - Thanks anyway

Keep the suggestions coming......

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

I know a few of my teammates take creatine, and one of our coaches who is just a year removed from being a Div.III All-American O-Lineman at Mary Hardin Baylor told us that creatine, if taken correctly, does help a lot, and there is really no risk involved if taken in the correct amounts and not overdone. Said the worst that ever happened was a little bit of the squirts when he didn't take it with enough liquid haha

Yup, sure does, even in college, after I was done with sports, I would jog about 5 miles and spend an hour on the weights daily and that stuff really helped me recover quickly and also give me enough energy to handle school with a full-time job.

But then again, the older I get, the more I wonder if it was just youth and not any supplements. So much energy back then I took for granted. Getting old sucks. Although I will tell ya that steroids definitely help, although not recommended for Princess' young one. I saw dudes blow up in no time at all with those suckers.