Strength Report: Ohio University’s Spring Conditioning

At Ohio University, we go through a systematic approach to enhance speed, agility and football specific conditioning during the spring. We have four weeks to train in May after spring practice is completed. We then have a three week discretionary period due to finals and the break between spring and the summer quarter in June.

    Our main focus in May after practice is on linear speed – both acceleration and max velocity for skill players and just acceleration for linemen. Since the team just completed spring practice, we do not spend a lot of time on change of direction and other position- specific drills. For schools like us who lack an indoor facility to train, this is a great time to work on linear speed and we conclude the four week session with a series of performance tests such as the 40-yard and 10-yard sprints, the 5-10-5 pro agility drill, and the vertical jump.

    Each workout starts with a dynamic warm up and then we move on to sprint drills such as our ‘A’ series and progress to more complex drills for skill positions. For linemen, we keep it very simple. The first week we review sprint mechanics so that the players can perform drills properly (See Chart). For the max velocity (top speed) they include: 

1. Body position – hips tall, tummy and glutes tight and eyes straight.

2. Arm actions – elbows roughly 90 degrees, hands relaxed, elbows back, rotate at shoulder.

3. Recovery – toe up, heel up, knee up, eliminating dangling time behind the body.

4. Ground preparation – negative foot speed, minimize breaking force.

5. Impulsion – use ankle like spring board.

For acceleration:

1. Body positions – 40 to 45 degree powerline (from head to toe) with positive shin angle.

2. Power – make each step powerful (think about squashing empty cans).

3. Quickness – legs move in a piston-like fashion.

    At this point we make sure our athletes understand the difference between acceleration and max velocity mechanics.

    For the typical week, on Monday we work on accelerations. We also work on legs in the weight room after the running session. On Tuesday, we spend time on lateral movement and change of direction drills. Wednesday is our non-lifting day and especially for our skill position players, we put heavy emphasis on max velocity development. After a dynamic warm-up and sprint drills, we divide the group into four stations.

    The first station is stick runs. We put 2 X 4’s on the field with a five foot interval and progress to a distance of 6’ 6’’ by week four. The athlete will have a fifteen yard acceleration zone before running into the 2 X 4’s. The emphasis will be on good max velocity mechanics while sprinting with fairly high intensity. Each week we increase the stride length which increases speed while maintaining proper mechanics. 

    The second station is the 60-yard build up with the weighted vest. When sprinting at top speed, there are always vertical components although the center of gravity does not move up and down. Therefore, adding extra weight challenges this component and elastic response during the impulsion phase. The simple rule is that you do not exceed 10 percent of your body weight. We use 15 to 20-lb. vests.

    The third station we call ‘Ins and Outs.’ We go with a 20-25 yard distance, alternating stride and sprint for a total distance of 80-100 yards. 

    The fourth station is over the speed station with a bungee cord. It takes proper coaching to execute this drill, and, if you have a pulley system, it works easier. Our athletes sprint about 40-50 yards and for the last 20 yards they would be in real over-speed mode. Again, the 10 percent rule applies. They should not be exceeding 10 percent of their max velocity to maintain the proper sprint mechanics. 

    Each station lasts about ten minutes with athletes performing three-five reps at each station. They are encouraged to take as much time as needed between each rep and every rep should be executed with the proper technique and great intensity. On Thursdays, we run in the sand pit with barefeet. Then we finish the week with an early morning team conditioning session. This session contains ladder-type straight ahead running and is the only time the athletes run longer than 110 yards throughout the year.  u


About the Author: Sonny Sano is now into his tenth season as Director of Strength and Conditioning for Ohio University. He previously worked as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Virginia Tech from 1996-2001.