What is the single best other sport to help kids with football going to High School?

[SintonFan]

Any coaches have opinions on how to help kids get an advantage to High School Football from Middle School? What sport(s) should the kids join in the off-season? Besides weightlifting, what can kids do in the summer to help this transition?
Any tips?
Thanks for any response.:)

[jason]

have him walk 18 holes in sweats, carrying his bag, any time between noon and 5 pm....

will build stamina and balance and a good golf swing...

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by jason
have him walk 18 holes in sweats, carrying his bag, any time between noon and 5 pm....

will build stamina and balance and a good golf swing...
I agree - and to add a bonus - after playing those 18 holes, have him change clothes and haul butt to the baseball field and practice/play baseball. I can tell you from experience, he will sleep REAL GOOD at night......;)

[coach]

Originally posted by jason
have him walk 18 holes in sweats, carrying his bag, any time between noon and 5 pm....

will build stamina and balance and a good golf swing...

i like everything but the sweats...thats not good for you

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by jason
have him walk 18 holes in sweats, carrying his bag, any time between noon and 5 pm....

will build stamina and balance and a good golf swing...
.
Every day? That's kinda expensive, even here.:eek:

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
Every day? That's kinda expensive, even here.:eek:
usually, the local golf courses waive the green fees for the high school golf team. (another reason to try out for the golf team) :D

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
usually, the local golf courses waive the green fees for the high school golf team. (another reason to try out for the golf team) :D
.
Doesn't that conflict with track?:D

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
Doesn't that conflict with track?:D
it conflicts with track and baseball but it can be done (it ain't easy believe me but it can be done) :D

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by 44INAROW
usually, the local golf courses waive the green fees for the high school golf team. (another reason to try out for the golf team) :D
.
But we're talking about kids going to High School, still in Middle School.:(

[GreenMonster]

Gymnastics or tumbling because they build flexibility (injury prevention), agility (necessary for every position on the field), and teaches how to take a fall (more injury prvention). Summer track is another great program for young athletes. Working in the hay fields will build work ethic, toughness, and will make him strong as an ox. Tennis is another great sport because it builds hand eye coordination, stamina from all the running, and the ability to change directions quickly while going all out.

[SintonFan]

Tennis IS fun for 13-14 year olds even in 95+ degree weather.:cool:

[firstdown]

Wrestle.

This is a character builder period. Your son will learn to win his battles and not to look to others. It takes balance, strength, endurance, flexibility and mental toughness.

[BILLYFRED0000]

I recommend learning a couple of sports like Hockey or Soccer for the endurance of running / skating and the stamina and balance it builds. Also Hockey is a fast game and helps develop vision which is very good for skill position players. And it is indoors and cool.

[Buffgal]

For that age, I would highly recommend martial arts.

Flexibility, core strength, balance and most important at that age in development.........discipline and respect.

Doesn't hurt to develop the athlete's mind control as you enhance his control of motor skills.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Basketball. You work on your burst and agility. It's really good for you, and our coaches up here even encourage us to play intramural basketball.

[c-town_balla]

basketball really helped me go from a fat blob....to a not-as-fat blob

but, baseball (our coach ran us alot) really got me over the top in terms of being in shape

[SintonFan]

I kinda figured that one or two sports would be recommended but it's seems like any sport would help...:(

[TexasHSFootball]

A couple other sports to consider..
Lacrosse and Tennis

[kaorder1999]

Wrestling and Track

[Electus Unus]

track...

[Pmoney]

lacrosse if available

[Black_Magic]

No Doubt its Track.

[kepdawg]

Swimming

[kaorder1999]

For improvement on running and just flat out competing track. For leverage, toughness and also competition...wrestling.

[Electus Unus]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
For improvement on running and just flat out competing track. For leverage, toughness and also competition...wrestling. a lot of small schools don't have wrestling though ;)

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by Electus Unus
a lot of small schools don't have wrestling though ;)

But even the small schools have their share of cute girls!

[kaorder1999]

Originally posted by Electus Unus
a lot of small schools don't have wrestling though ;)

yep! that is correct! But if they do have wrestling its good for football kids...especially defenive players in my opinion

[Electus Unus]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
yep! that is correct! But if they do have wrestling its good for football kids...especially defenive players in my opinion When I played, on Fridays, our coaches would tape up a towel and put it the middle of two of us and we'd have to wrestle for it. We'd also wrestle without the towel just for fun on that day.

[firstdown]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
yep! that is correct! But if they do have wrestling its good for football kids...especially defenive players in my opinion


Wrestling did wonders for my son. (he was a LB)

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

When you wrestle, you risk your shoulders and your joints...Track is good if you want to work on your speed, but you need to be mindful of what types of muscle that you want to build in order to be a successful football player.

[Texasfootball2]

Soccer! I know some of you think it's a communist sport, but for conditioning, footwork, quickness, and balance it's as good as it gets.

[Keith7]

no powerlifting?

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by Keith7
no powerlifting?

Too much bulk inhibits flexibility and makes athletes slow...powerlifting and yoga combined wouldn't be bad though.

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by Keith7
no powerlifting?

I know it's not exactly the same, but I figured the "besides weightlifting" comment took care of that.

[BreckTxLonghorn]

Track Golf (our old basketball coach used to do it for conditioning).

Get in workouts clothes, go to your local muni and only bring one club. Hit, sprint, hit, sprint, even use it as a putter. 45s-1min break between holes; 3-5 min between front & back 9. Goal is speed not strokes.

Gets your endurance up with all the running, also makes you work on mental toughness, concentrating while exhausted, etc.

[nobogey72]

My 2 cents worth. Not necessarily an answer to your question in the thread, but I always harped on my boys about doing their running and some of their lifting out in the heat of the summer. I see so many kids doing their running in the early morining or late evening when it's a little cooler, or even indoors. Then they go to 2-a-days and the heat gets to them for about a week or so till they get acclamated. I just think that it's important to get used to the heat during the summer prior to football starting.

[SintonFan]

Thanks for the response yall. :)
Some of you know my son is in 8th grade(played LB and FB) and is looking forward to HS Football. He is in track now and is going to compete in the 100, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
The kid has plenty of athletic ability but wants desperately to make the freshman team. That's gonna be tough because he is going into a large 5A San Antonio school(Brandeis) with lots of gifted kids from the surrounding area. He might be among the fastest and strongest at HIS middle school, but I've seen some of the other kids he's played against and he has to work his butt off just to be considered.
Can any of you recommend a way in which to increase kid's "football knowledge"? In my son's case, he didn't show any interest in football until just before 7th grade. He didn't play any pee wee, pop warner or any of those when he was younger. What do you think would help in his "football knowledge"?
What do you good folks think of summer football camps? There are several around San Antonio. They are kinda pricey for us now but we want to give him every edge, because he really has been bit by the football bug.;)
I started this thread with more than my kid in mind. I know there must be quite a few parents out there who could benefit from your combined wisdom. Thanks again.:cool: :)

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by SintonFan
Can any of you recommend a way in which to increase kid's "football knowledge"? In my son's case, he didn't show any interest in football until just before 7th grade. He didn't play any pee wee, pop warner or any of those when he was younger.
Neither did my senior, other than he, little brother & a couple of kids from down the street getting together in the yard (the two bigger ones running over the two younger ones :devil: ). As far as PL bulking up too much for flexibility & speed, I think sometimes that might be the case, but it "sealed the deal" for his college coach on him. ;)

[SintonFan]

Please let me know when you are in town, D. I asked Zach about meeting yall after a game and he is looking forward to it.:)

[WTF-82]

Originally posted by SintonFan
Any coaches have opinions on how to help kids get an advantage to High School Football from Middle School? What sport(s) should the kids join in the off-season? Besides weightlifting, what can kids do in the summer to help this transition?
Any tips?
Thanks for any response.:) ..

Basketball believe it or not. The footwork you learn is great for Offensive linemen one high school in Midland has and has had many offensive linemen go pro one of the key things they do is play basketball. Lee High School.

[Fal44]

For me-

I played a lot of basketball, and lifted weights. Not crazy hardcore body building work outs, but kept it simple just working on overall strength.

Basketball, helped me with my coordination, at that age most boys are growing and might have some coordination troubles. Better footwork and agility.

Also, certain footwork drills wouldn't hurt at all. Ropes, etc..?

[squid]

the folks, especially some coaches, that think powerlifting inhibits flexibility have obviously never powerlifted. Squatting and deadlifting take alot of hip and lower back flexibility. The bench also requires it in the shoulders, and lower back if you use a big arch.

Too many people confuse bodybuilding and powerlifting. Take in a HS powerlifting meet sometime and check out the kids in the 165, 181, 198 and 220 body weight classes, where a large number of hs football players are. These kids are moving some impressive amounts of weight, and I believe you'll be surprised by their flexibility.

[gatordaze]

A little late for your son but my twin sons played Winter Select Football in a very competitive league. They have played 4 winters from 5th through this year as 8th graders. These teams would smoke any equivelant aged grade school team as they are the amoung the best and most committed athletes from a given geography. The league here is called the TSFL (Texas Select football League) and this weekend we play a team from the HSFL (Houston Select Football League).

The biggest advantage that I have seen is that it is football repitition so the game slows down for them a bit mentally and my boys are getting a chance to play against inner city kids that have size and speed that we just do not often see in 3A. When they play in district it is clear that there are only a few that could compete on these teams.

My boys have been pretty dominant so far and I definately attribute to these "extra" seasons and level of competition. They also run track and he big one plays basketball.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by squid
the folks, especially some coaches, that think powerlifting inhibits flexibility have obviously never powerlifted. Squatting and deadlifting take alot of hip and lower back flexibility. The bench also requires it in the shoulders, and lower back if you use a big arch.

Too many people confuse bodybuilding and powerlifting. Take in a HS powerlifting meet sometime and check out the kids in the 165, 181, 198 and 220 body weight classes, where a large number of hs football players are. These kids are moving some impressive amounts of weight, and I believe you'll be surprised by their flexibility.

If this were true, you would see college and professional teams throughout America doing powerlifting workouts. The truth is, they don't. It's mostly about the bulk that is gained and the flexibility that can be lost with that bulk. There are specialized workouts that build both muscle mass and improve flexibility. Powerlifting is geared towards one thing, and that is lifting heavy weight. I never participated in powerlifting in high school, but I did play basketball and run track and they both helped me a lot. Just from personal experience, stay away from powerlifting unless you really know what you're doing, and even then it's a risk.

[nationalpastime]

I say get into martial arts. I did it in Jr. High and going into high school and I can tell you it helped me tremendously. The workouts were great, they taught me confidence and my hips and hand placement improved with karate.

[Rocket Dad]

I'm sure all of these are great. For me, my 2 sons just played school sports (with a little summer baseball) and not a bunch of xtra select and winter and fall leagues. They both waited until 7th grade to start football, both have had sucess and a fun time. My oldest is a starter on a college football team that is nationally ranked and he is having a blast. My younger one will be a Sr. next season, and will play ball in college as well. They played soccer when they were 6-9 years old and it was a great experience.

[Texasfootball2]

Originally posted by Rocket Dad
I'm sure all of these are great. For me, my 2 sons just played school sports (with a little summer baseball) and not a bunch of xtra select and winter and fall leagues. They both waited until 7th grade to start football, both have had sucess and a fun time. My oldest is a starter on a college football team that is nationally ranked and he is having a blast. My younger one will be a Sr. next season, and will play ball in college as well. They played soccer when they were 6-9 years old and it was a great experience.

Soccer!:2thumbsup You can't beat it as far as developing foot skills and agility, as well as endurance.:D

[nobogey72]

Originally posted by nationalpastime
I say get into martial arts. I did it in Jr. High and going into high school and I can tell you it helped me tremendously. The workouts were great, they taught me confidence and my hips and hand placement improved with karate.

If Karate helps with "hip and hand placement", then I wish my wife would have taken it. Her hip and hand placement needs improvement.:( :(

[squid]

bigblue you offer an expert opinion on powerlifting, then say you've never done it. And dont say college programs dont do it, many do. Many also incorporate olympic lifts into their lifting programs.

Even A&M's 'Night of Champions' event (boy, theres an oxymoron if I ever heard one) features squats and bench to showcase their athlete's strength levels.

I'm 53 and started powerlifting when I was 29. My workplace has yearly fitness evaluations and one segment of that is flexibility. My levels are always on par with guys 25-30 years younger than me. Not a brag, just saying that even after almost 25 years of squatting, deadlifting and benching my flexiblility has not suffered at all.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by squid
bigblue you offer an expert opinion on powerlifting, then say you've never done it. And dont say college programs dont do it, many do. Many also incorporate olympic lifts into their lifting programs.

Even A&M's 'Night of Champions' event (boy, theres an oxymoron if I ever heard one) features squats and bench to showcase their athlete's strength levels.

I'm 53 and started powerlifting when I was 29. My workplace has yearly fitness evaluations and one segment of that is flexibility. My levels are always on par with guys 25-30 years younger than me. Not a brag, just saying that even after almost 25 years of squatting, deadlifting and benching my flexiblility has not suffered at all.

I never powerlifted not because I wasn't capable, but because I chose to play basketball instead. I'm familiar with what workouts other college programs do, and yes, we do squat and we do bench press, but we do other things aside from that and instead of going in the weight room and focusing strictly on those muscle groups, we do other things. I know because I actually go through the workouts and have had several different strength coaches and we have never done powerlifting-style workouts with any of them. I also know players from other schools and they don't do those workouts, either. And I know my fair share of weight lifting, anyone can look at me and tell that I've put in my work there, but I also know how to run too. Running flexibility is a completely different thing than what you're talking about for your office flexibility examinations. You have to be dynamic and flexible to run. You don't see big, bulky muscle freaks out playing football because they aren't flexible and can't run. What I'm talking about is totally different than what you are, so I'm offering an opinion from a current collegiate athlete who understands what it takes to be successful. You're right, we had a rough year last season, but that doesn't mean that we don't have some amazing athletes and coaches and we aren't going to do anything next season, so we're going to keep working. At least I have the opportunity to be a part of something that is real and am a real enough athlete to be able to provide insight on this topic. You can be able to lift all the weight in the world, but if you can't move it to where you need it to be, then you can't use it. Have fun in the weight room, squid, I hope you don't ruin your kids' athletic dreams with your poor advice, because being strong is just half the battle when it comes to football.

[squid]

lifting is only a part of conditioning, running drills are only a part of conditioning. I'm not saying they lift exclusively.

High school powerlifting is big in Texas, and growing every year. Many programs use it as PART of their offseason football programs. The majority of school districts in Texas cant afford the strength coaches you mention, nor do they have the equipment or facilities that you seem to be advocating. Most have to develop strength training for these kids with limited resources, and powerlifting movements fit that bill. If the kid is talented and fortunate enough to get to play at the college level, then he'll have access to the things you mentioned.

Again, I think you're confusing bodybuilding and powerlifting. Find me a bulked up, inflexible lifter in the 181-198 classes at the high school level. (where the majority of high school football players fall) You're talking about guys in the 275-SHW classes that would be immobile and inflexible whether they powerlifted or not.

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree here. But hey, thanks for the well wishes there at the end of your post:rolleyes:

[Rabid Cougar]

For the topic about what to do for kids going from JH to HS,
organized running and weight programs. You can get this from local professional trainers or from your High School summer work out program, which schools are allowed to have now. None of them will use powerlifting work outs. They will use bench and squats but also a lot of Olympic lifts. They incorporate speed work, flexibility and conditioning.

For instilling football knowledge... surprisingly football video games.

As for what colleges do, They almost work exclusively olympic lifts. Yes they also use bench and squat but you will not find a knee wrap or lifting suit anywhere.

Explosiveness, flexibilty and speed is where the money is.

[Highschoolfan78]

If you want endurance, have the athlete play a 3 1/2 hour tennis match( 2 out of 3 sets). That will definitely build endurance!

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by SintonFan
Any coaches have opinions on how to help kids get an advantage to High School Football from Middle School? What sport(s) should the kids join in the off-season? Besides weightlifting, what can kids do in the summer to help this transition?
Any tips?
Thanks for any response.:)
Does the high school he will be attending have a summer strength & conditioning program?

[bandera7]

Squid, I have a friend. No names to this. But he was a great football athlete his junior year, very strong, running around a 4.7, flirting with 4.6 speed. After football season, he did powerlifting, from the end of the season all the way through summer. Ended up incredibly strong...and running a 5.2. And he competed in the range you mentioned.

[Matthew328]

I would go to the HS he's going to attend and find out what their summer strength and conditining program is and focus on that. Since they are a 5A school they should have it broken down by position.

At that age I'd focus more on agility and core strength...martial arts isn't bad but summer hoops is also great. If he's a receivier, DB or LB hopefully they've got some 7 on 7 also since he can be doing some sort of competitive football