Pigskin Prep- The Definitive Youth Football Training Program

PIGSKIN PREP

THE DEFINITIVE YOUTH FOOTBALL TRAINING PROGRAM The ultimate guide to injury prevention, speed development, and strength training for the “14 and under” youth football athlete

REVIEW by COACH BIRD

Sweat. Smiles.
Cheers. Tears.
Dirty faces. Dirtier uniforms.
Red cheeks. Black and blue bruises.
The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat.
These are all part of what make youth sports such a tremendously unique life experience. 

Within the first 37 words of his book, you get that Coach Ryan Burgess is a coach that "gets it" As a high school football coach, and someone who has spent years around coaches of all levels, you know there are the ones that "get it" and the ones that don't. 

Coach Burgess and his partner in writing the book, Coach King, have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to training, and they have put together a CONCISE, INTERACTIVE, WELL THOUGHT OUT, COMPREHENSIVE training manual. 

For the authors/book's website, click here

A little bit about the authors:

Coach Ryan Burgess is the Director of Football Development at Fitness
Quest 10 in San Diego, California. A highly respected physical preparation
coach, Ryan has been a key figure in the growth of FQ10 since beginning
as an intern in 2006. Recently named one of the “Top 10 Training Facilities”
in the country by Men’s Health, Fitness Quest 10 continues to deliver
on its first class reputation. Under the leadership of gym owner Todd Durkin
and Coach Burgess, Fitness Quest 10 now has athletes represented on more
than half of the teams in the NFL, over 30 different college and junior college
programs, and countless high school and Pop Warner teams throughout San Diego County. Coach Burgess’ true passion is in developing athletes over the long haul, having taken multiple athletes from High School to the college level and beyond. Prior to his arrival in San Diego, Ryan studied at Colorado Sate University, earning a Bachelors of Science Degree with a concentration in Health Promotion, a specialized program that blends traditional classroom courses with internships and hands-on programs. In addition to earning his degree, Coach Burgess was an offensive lineman on the CSU football team under the leadership of legendary coach Sonny Lubick. When not coaching others, Coach Burgess continues to push the envelope in his own quest for high performance, competing in both Strongman and Powerlifting competitions since the fall of 2010. 

Coach Jeff King has been in the fitness profession for over 10 years. With a
bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of California-
Davis, and a graduate degree in Exercise Physiology from San Diego
State University, Coach King has a very strong scholastic background which
has allowed him to publish his research on “Plyometric Training for the High
School Population” in the National Strength & Conditioning Association’s
Journal of Strength and Conditioning; findings from his work are often
requested by researchers from around the world. In addition to his scholastic
accomplishments, Jeff has accumulated thousands of hours of practical experience training pre and post adolescent children as well as designing comprehensive programs for sporting coaches in multiple disciplines. For the past three years Coach King has utilized his personal and professional experiences in directing the Summer Camps at Fitness Quest 10, overseeing the training for youth athletes in multiple sports ranging in age from 8 to 18. Jeff’s passion is not just improving the athletic ability of young athletes but in sharing valuable lessons that will aid their life development outside the athletic arena. Above all Coach King believes in a systematic approach in training youth athletes resulting in long term success and is committed to helping every child he has the opportunity to lead. 

I have known Coach Burgess for a long time, and long respected what he has personally accomplished as well as the various endeavors he has put forth, most notably coachburgess.com as well as his year long "Humanity WOD" endeavor, where he gives tips not only on physical achievement and success, but success as a human being (something all us coaches hope to inspire in our players). 

I have also used some of his training videos for my own blog, as well as workout programs for the offseason, as well as clinics and camps. I highlighted his work on my post about Combine Prep. 


ABOUT THE BOOK:

This is the first time I have seen an endeavor put forth such as this and here are a few reasons why....

1) You are getting a YOUTH FOOTBALL based training program from start to finish
2) The program includes both written and video demonstrations of the exercises to be completed
3) It includes simple, easy to follow training tips, nutrition information, program and training philosophy
4) It is all put into format by esteemed trainers who train NFL PLAYERS on a regular basis but felt the need to transition this to the youth football enthusiast. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE INFO AND PURCHASE THE PROGRAM

To me, when I see youth football, I still see the old adages of toughening kids up, of running gassers or bear crawls until kids are ready to cry. Maybe this is from misinformation, or maybe it is from a lack of knowledge, or who knows, maybe there are even some sadistic youth coaches out there...but this is the opposite...This is a full program, from start to finish, to make your youth players the best on the field, to "toughen them up" while accomplishing something. This program is not a cakewalk, but it serves a purpose. And I cannot stress this enough.....

IT IS ALREADY COMPLETELY DESIGNED....you have to do no work but make it happen. 


THIS IS A SAMPLE PAGE...THE EXERCISES (once purchased) ARE LINKED AND TAKE YOU TO VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS........
This sample does not even begin to show the vastness of this work, there are 3 categories of kids, 9 and under, 10-13, and 13+, all with their own training schedule and exercises. 

13 AND UP TRAINING TEMPLATE WEEK 4, DAY 2

Day 2	Exercise	Sets	Reps/Distance	Time
Dynamic Warm-Up and Cooperative-Based Game	60’s Rock & Roll Stretch Windshield Wipers Sit to Stand Torso Twists Arm Circles Hangdowns Balance Reach Line Drills	1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1	60 5 10 3 each side 5 each side 10 big 10 little 15 seconds 5 each side 15 seconds	4 min
Integrated Flexibility and Movement Prep	Dirty Dogs Hip Circles Mountain Climbers Inchworms Forward/Reverse Bear Crawls Orangutang’s 3D Skips 3D High Knees Lateral Shuffles	1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1	5 each side 5 each side 20 seconds 10 yards 10 yards 10 yards 10 yard round trip 10 yard round trip 10 yards each side	10 min
Speed, Agility, and Quickness	Deceleration: Linear Deceleration: Reverse Deceleration: Lateral Cone Drills	4 4 4 1	5 yards 5 yards 5 yards 2 drills	2 min 2 min 2 min 4 min
Jump Training	Single Leg Broad Jump and Stick	1 1 2 2	5 jumps per leg 5 jumps per leg 2 triple jumps 2 triple jumps	1 min 1 min 2 min 2 min
	Single Leg Lateral Jump and Stick Triple Broad Jump Triple Lateral Jump
Strength Training Circuit (2 times through)	Squat with Toss and Sprint Deadlift McGill Sit-Ups Stationary Lateral Lunges Loaded Carries	2 2 2 2 2	Variable; based on time	2 min 2 min 2 min 2 min 2 min
Energy System Development	Position Based Sprints	1	12	10 min
Cool Down and Stretch	Core 4 Stretches	1	N/A	5 min

I have said it a few times and it bears repeating, this is completely comprehensive. There is no work to be done other than put it in action and watch your kids do this work.  

I know I will work closely to the nearest youth football program to put this into effect, and even try to carry it on in our offseason workouts with the high school team. 

BUY THE PROGRAM HERE

Perfect 40 Yard Dash Start

In light of the NFL Combine taking place this weekend, I wanted to look further into the 40 yard dash.  So far this has been a record setting year, with a lineman running a 4.6 at 305 lbs., and Tavon Austin running a 4.2 (both unofficial).  This is obvioulsy part given ability, but also, I believe, a product of the increased coaching going into the testing of measureable.
I asked our Special Teams Coordinator, also a track coach, and speed and agility specialist, Jeff Papcun, to write on how to gain tenths, if not full, seconds on the 40 with a perfect start.  Below is his article:

Coach Papcun's Perfect 40 Stance and Start

 

The biggest thing before you do your 40 is a proper warm up where you break into a sweat, doing this will get your core body temperature up.

 

Determine what foot you want forward. If you are a righty you usually put your left foot forward and lefty, right foot forward. Find out which one is more comfortable for you.

 

Where do we place our front foot?

We want to be as close to the line as possible where we are really running a 39 1/2 yard dash. The shorter the athlete the closer they can be, most likely around 6 inches, maybe closer from the line. For taller athletes, you will be a little further back, around 8 inches.

 

This setup will allow your body to lean over the line.  There is no penalty for your body hanging over the line and doing this will cut a tenth of a second off of your time.

 

Play with your stance to see what's more comfortable for you.

 

Where to put your back leg?

What you are going to do is literally put your back foots toes against the heel of your front foot. You will then slide your back foot so it is in line with your hip.

It is a key to have your feet lined up with your hips; this is where you will generate your power to have a explosive STRAIGHT start.

 

Before we get into our stance make sure our toes, knees, hips, and shoulders are all squared and facing forward.

 

8 Steps to a Perfect stance and start

 

1: Get up on your toes

 

2: Creep out as far as you can over the line. The reason we do this is to mimic a forward lean as much as possible in your stance so we can get used to having our body leaning over the line

 

3: Start creeping back a few inches by putting your opposite hand of your front foot behind the line, we are going to try to hold this body lean position that we are in for about 2 seconds. Doing this will already put our weight forward so we can shoot out of our stance.

 

4: Where to place your arm:

Most athletes put there arm straight up in the air. Instead we are going to put our arm at a 90* angle next to our hip.

*Remember, during most 40s, the timers go by the first movement and if not it is electric timed so having your arm straight up you're being timed by your arm swing when most athletes haven't even broken out of their stance*

 

5: Proper angles:

We want our shins with the most forward lean as possible. We do not want our butt too high. If it’s too high it will hurt your time, because going on first movement, the first thing you will do is drop your butt before you even move off the line.

 

6: Keeping your head down:

While in your stance we want to keep our head down and look at your first step. This will help keep your body down. Head should stay down and low for the first ten yards. From there we will gradually stand up so by 15-20 yards we will be in perfect sprinters form.

 

7: We want to get the biggest first step possible. We want to cover the first ten yards in the least possible steps.

 

8: Breathing:

When you first reach out over the line to get into the stance you should take a deep breath and hold it. Hold it through the first ten yards. 

The reason for this is because it will build up your nerves and actually make you run faster

* Think about when you are swimming from one end to another in your pool underwater. When you want to come up for breathe you start swimming faster to get to the wall. This is the same concept as when you are running the first ten yards*

 

 

Jeff Papcun

 

 

Thank you to Coach Papcun for his article, and best of luck to all of the players fighting for their futures at the combine.