Cancelled Again!!!

Well, today is turning out to be like the rest of the season. Our 2nd game was also canceled due to a forfeit by the other team. So we changed to a practice at our home ground. Then that was canceled due to heavy rain.

I guess that is a good thing for me as it is giving me some recovery time from my injury. I will find out the extent of the injury tomorrow when I have my MRI. I am not too hopeful at this point but I do have 3 more weeks to recover before our next game. I am hoping that will be enough time, but if not, this will be the first season I have played where I will miss a game due to injury in the middle of the season.

In the mean time, I am re-writing my speed training book to make it more extensive and to give a schedule by week for those looking for an extensive workout.

A New Book Available Now

I have just released my Speed Training Workout book for those of you who are interested in it. It covers the entire workout that I use for getting up to speed for the football season. This book is great for the athlete and the coach and provides a quick 1 page sheet at the end which has all of the set counts, exercises, rests and anything else applicable to the workout.

Get it now by clicking the link under the about box in the right column. You will need Adobe Reader in order to view the file.

Game Day ...errr...cancellation!

Well we are now 1-0. Not exactly the way we wanted to win especially since most of us could have used the full contact of a good game. But it was not to be. So we wound up taking it out on each other with a hard full contact practice.

Unfortunately, my ribs seem to be a point of problems for me this season. I really need to get a bit stronger in the chest. But now it is time to get ready for next weekend's game.

All the way to Kofu in Yamanashi to play a team that is from almost right down the road from us. It makes no sense but that is the way the league staff have decided to play the season. Travel for hours, play a game on dirt and then travel for hours home, when there are tons of nice grass fields and stadiums closer to home.

That's it from me this week. I am going to hit the bath and soak my body for a while.

Mid Week Post

Not much to talk about this week other than the workouts which are making me sore. I know that means they are working but one always wonders when you wake up and your chest feels like it has been through the grinder. But for those of you who want to follow my workout a bit, here is my routine:

Stretch (15 minutes)
Basic Squat x 50 x 3 sets
Wide Squat x 50 x 3 sets
Pushup 25 x 6 sets
Situp 25 x 6 sets
Bicep Curls 10 x 3 sets
Overhead tricep curls 10 x 3 sets
Military Press 10 x 3 sets
Basic Squat with weight 10 x 3 sets
Stretch 15 Minutes

Add this to all the steps you can do in the day. That means, no escalators and if you don't have a choice, then run the escalator or take the steps fast. I run the regular steps 2 at a time head down, full speed in order to get the maximum knee lift in the run. In Tokyo, there are tons of train stations with sets of stairs in the dozens. If I don't go to town then I use the stairs in my building to do the same thing. Unfortunately they are shorter than I like and not straight on.

The core of this workout is my stay at home workout and it can be adjusted if you feel that it is too much. This workout will make you sore. I do it every other day at the start of the season and then increase the number of days as the season goes along. By the time we are into the core of the season, I usually only do this 5 days a week and then Saturdays off and Sundays is games or practices.

Practice # 7 -- Week before first game

Today was definitely not a day for practice once again. This crazy weather here in this country is driving me up the wall. It was 100 degrees and we were still out there.

All in all, I felt pretty good today in spite of some morning stomach issues. The conditioning this week seemed to help a good bit, although I was still spent by the end of practice.

40 scripted plays, plus another several dozen snaps and it all made for a long day. I just don't know where my long snap went today but it was disastrous. I really need to focus more on this one.

But we have the game next week and I am just hoping we get through it in one piece. Some minor defensive adjustments today and of course, the proverbial run until you drop thing with kicking. Unfortunately, all the heat did not help me too much as I only lost 0.5 kg overall, leaving me at 109.5 kg.

Mid Week Post

Well, another week of training and getting ready for the season. Unfortunately, this week brought news that no player wants to hear. Kevin Everett of the NFL's Buffalo Bills had a career ending neck injury on Sunday in the US during their game with the Denver Broncos. While this has happened many times over the years, each person has been different with a different prognosis.

While many of the guys with this type of injury have walked again, many have not. The prognosis on Kevin initially was that he would never walk again, later analysis of his condition is promising. He is now moving his hands and feet voluntarily which is a good sign for him. But spinal cord damage is not something so trivial and he will likely walk but not soon.

He also will never play the game we all love again. This is just tragic for someone so young with their entire career in front of them. Of course, it makes every player think about the game and how we can play it safer. Even my team mates and coach got into the fray of this discussion this week.

Although we know that football is a rough sport, the fundamental problem comes down to a couple of issues. First, is the player ready to play? Have they trained and conditioned their body for the brutality of the game? Second, are they using proper techniques when tackling and blocking? In the case of Kevin Everett, he was using his head and he lowered it into a bad position prior to attempting to make the tackle.

This positioning and failure to maintain proper technique contributed greatly to his injury. As players, we tend to forget some fundamental teachings when we are in the heat of battle, but as coaches, we must remember to teach the players not to use their heads for anything other than a guide. That is the fundamental that, failure to adhere to the idea, most often leads to injuries. We have seen it time and time again but it continues.

For those of you reading this, keep this in mind as you practice and play the sport. At the same time, remember to say a prayer for Kevin Everett and the others like him who have suffered this type of injury. It could happen to anyone of us.

6th Practice

This week we had another team come in and practice with us. The Titans brought about 25-30 personnel and looked ready for a full game. Of course, only about 20 of our guys showed up. I hope this is not going to be a trend with guys not showing up. If would be nice if just once, everyone was there to run through the plays.

Of course, the primary purpose in the Titans coming was for both teams to get some real situational hitting in. This type of practice really works well due to the personnel issues we seem to be having. Play walk-throughs, blocking schemes and assignments, pass protection and routes.

It was quite a good time but I certainly was not up to snuff. The temperature being 95 degrees still did not help things but I also took a square helmet check in the chest which aggravated my sternum. Unfortunately, that is what put me out in 2000 when I played for the Atsugi Dolphins. I really must be careful with that one.

Thus I was not particularly set for doing the things that I wanted to do but I went ahead and sucked it up and played about 70 percent of the plays. I must get in better shape if I expect to make it through the season. This thing of huffing and puffing like a stuck pig is for the birds. This will be a hard training week as we only have two weeks until our first game.

At the end of this one, I weighed 110 kg (242 lbs). I am finally getting back to my optimal playing weight.

5th Practice

Today's practice was a bear. I probably snapped the ball 200 times. It was just snap after snap and as I got tired, I started to slip up a bit. When my QB complained, I decided I better take 2 minutes and get my hands and face toweled off so I wasn't getting sweat all over the ball. Then it was right back to the work. Another 20 minutes of snaps.

Of course, these practices aren't getting easier and I am just starting to feel the ball and the pains of being a football player again.

Once we finished out pass route work, it was time to put on the shoulder pads. While it is not as hot as last week today, it is still 85 degrees. The only saving grace is the cloudiness and the breeze that is blowing across the field on days such as this.

Offense went ok for me but I felt like I was just all thumbs. My team mate was getting as tired stopping me on the blocking schemes as I was of running them. I really must get a bit more of a push when I am making the slant blocks. I seem to be lagging and getting nailed by the guy in front of me. It is probably because I am a step slow.

At the end of this one, I weighed 110.5kg. Getting there but still a long ways to go.