PERFORMANCE PYRAMID

THE PERFORMANCE PYRAMID REPRESENTS ALL TARGETED ASPECTS OF A TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN AN ATHLETES PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL.

GAM E

PRACTICE

ABILITY

CONDITIONING

CHARACTER

Each Block signifies a different component of training, structured at its core to maximize an athletes potential.
{Derived from the principal concepts of John Wooden}

CHARACTER

Belief

Resolve

Discipline

Courage

Perseverance

Unity

CHARACTER:
A sound character is the basis for being the best person/player you can be. It assures a solid foundation. Character is a persons attitude and behavior, based on the individuals values. {Whats in it for me VS- How can I best help my team} BELIEF: In order for any football program to be successful, you have to first believe in it. It is my belief that if we are the most physical and most fundamentally sound team, we will win games. Based on this belief we will structure our system to such style of play. The players must believe in this as well, and feel they will win the game before they even take the field. {I am convinced that when a team gets physically dominated they start making mental mistakes. Their execution breaks down, and this leads to disarray across the board} UNITY: Unity means putting your team first and yourself second. A lot of people talk about this but often times it is not reflected in their actions. Prosperity doesnt challenge the unity of a team, adversity does. And its during those adverse circumstances that a team must truly display, and rely on its unity. {A team that has strong unity unleashes the greatest effort possible from each of its players} RESOLVE: Is a fixed purpose of mind to focus all actions on the accomplishment of specific goals. The basic question is, how can we eliminate any and all bad habits that are counterproductive, and incorporate the necessary trademarks that are essential to us being a great team? {Each player must make a concentrated effort to give his all in pursuit of attaining his goals} DISCIPLINE: Discipline means following through on your resolve. Discipline is doing the right things the right way, all the time. Discipline is a matter of replacing bad habits with good habits. {Your habits are going to determine your future} COURAGE: To do what you believe is right, even when its not the most popular thing amongst your peers requires courage, and such courage goes directly to the heart of character. When someone is fatigued, or faces a new challenge, or is afraid to attempt something at a given time, it requires courage to face these fears head up. There will be times when we are forced to deal with peers, and our fears. This is when we must overcome our problems, and conquer our fears. {Each time you meet a new challenge it is an opportunity to strengthen your courage} PERSEVERANCE: Perseverance is the ability to believe in yourself and your system when facing adversity. There are many different adverse type situations that can discourage you and cause you to give up, but perseverance is what gets you through. Training and conditioning can become especially difficult at times. Every athlete has reached a plateau where no further progress seemed possible, but you cant get discouraged when such situations arise; they are normal and they are necessary for your progress. You must persevere and be resilient, because a break through is not far away. Take one step at a time. {The great pyramids of Egypt began with a single stone}

CONDITIONING

Stretching

Lifting

Running

Eating Right

Resting

CONDITIONING:
Conditioning is often confused with training. Training is the process of improving performance, whereas conditioning is improving the bodys force capability, energy utilization, and energy recovery. In order to best condition your body to the point of maximizing your potential, and to be highly effective competitively, you must include stretching, lifting, running, proper nutrition, and appropriate rest. {Regardless of your natural speed, quickness and strength, you can become better through a good conditioning program} STRETCHING: It is extremely important to get a proper stretch when preparing to perform, whether in live competition, practice, or working out. It is also important that during your stretch you get full range of motion. This prepares your muscles for the strains of a particular sport, and allows you to have flexibility as well as mobility, which is very necessary in competitive sports. {The mobile - full range of motion- stretching is what prevents athletes from playing tight} LIFTING: The basis of any serious football conditioning program is weight lifting. The purpose of lifting is primarily to train your muscles to become more powerful, and improve your speed to become a better athlete. Increasing muscle hypertrophy and improving muscle size is directly correlated with improved speed and power. Lifting weight also minimizes potential injury, and also helps in the rapid recovery of existing injury. {While lifting weights, remember to be just as mentally prepared as you are physically} RUNNING: A football running program should be in accordance with the demands of a football game. The running program should develop football related skills. It should also emphasize endurance. Endurance as it relates to football is the ability to sustain maximum speed, agility, and power on each play for an entire game. It is key to use interval running as opposed to continuous, long distance running. A work-to-rest ratio should also be applied. {You want to be as fresh on the last play as you were on the first} EATING RIGHT: Having enough energy to work and practice should be a primary concern of any athlete who wants to become a better player. Usually a decrease in performance can be traced back to poor eating habits, or improper nutrition. How you eat determines how you supply energy to the body, which directly attributes to how effective you perform. {Treat your body right and it will return the favor} RESTING: The body can not recover between workouts without enough rest. Getting proper rest should be high on any athletes priority list, especially during periods of physical and mental stress. Proper rest during workout period should be eight hours. It is also very beneficial to get rest shortly following an intense workout. {For every strand of muscle torn during workout, three strands grow back, and its during time of rest that those strands recover}

ABILITY

Agility

Power

Speed

Endurance

ABILITY:
Athletic abilities are a set of attributes that an athlete has or achieves that relate to his ability to perform during competition. Most athletic ability includes speed, acceleration, agility, balance, strength, power, endurance, and flexibility. Most athletic ability can be objectively measured using related field tests. Athletes with the most of these attributes are more athletic than those with less. So it is key to foster these qualities in each and every single athlete. SPEED: Speed is the ability to cover a certain distance from point A to point B in the shortest time possible. AGILITY: Agility is the ability to stop, start, and change directions quickly, while maintaining good body control. POWER: Power refers to an athletes ability to generate the greatest combination of strength and speed while executing a skill. ENDURANCE: Endurance - as related to football is the ability to sustain maximum speed, agility, and power on each play for an entire game.

PRACTICE

Fundamentals

Technique

Strategy

PRACTICE:
How well you play in a game depends on how you practice. Games are actually won or lost by the end of Thursdays practice, because game day is simply executing what you have practiced during the week. The key 3 elements covered in practice are fundamentals/technique, strategies, and mental aspects.

FUNDAMENTALS/ TECHNIQUE: Every great coach is a firm believer in the fundamentals of their respective sport. In football those basic fundamentals boil down to blocking and tackling. Technique is the medium through which the power of these skills is expressed. Developing upon these techniques require dedication to the individual periods of their sport. {A great football player has the ability to generate high speed & power, and express it effectively through good technique} STRATEGY: Strategy is a general game plan based on your teams overall philosophy. Strategy is devised to take advantage of a teams strengths. An opponents weakness is then determined, and this weakness is then attacked, and exploited with your strengths. The team that implements its strategy with the fewest mistakes generally wins. To eliminate mistakes each player must know his assignments until they become second nature. {Repetition in practicing the plays and the game plan is the key to a well-disciplined and well-prepared team} MENTAL TRAINING: Each time a teams takes the field each individual on that team must have no doubt that they are going to win the game. This confidence comes from knowing they have prepared their bodies well, that they have mentally conditioned themselves to give 100 percent on each and every play, that they know their assignments, and that they are better conditioned than their opponents. {A great way to mentally prepare for a game is to get into a relaxed state and envision the entire game within your mind Go over every detail of every assignment, and see the end results. This prevents you from playing stiff, and it also has subconscious benefits}

GAME PERFORMANCE

Skill

Effort

Play Making

GAME PERFORMANCE:
How an individual plays in a game situation depends on factors that cant be objectively measured with a stopwatch or a tape measure. The intangibles separate who plays in a game and who does not. The two key attributes I look for in a player is skill, and effort. SKILL: A player may have the basic athletic ability of speed, power, agility, and endurance, but this doesnt translate to automatic success on the football field. Athletic ability is merely the underlying parameters of being a skillful player. However, learning proper football techniques through practice combined with ability enhances a players skill level, and this is what I encourage in all athletes. {I am not concerned with how fast or powerful a player is, but how fast and powerful he plays} EFFORT: Effort comes from giving 100 percent on each and every play. Never saving yourself for later in the game. Taking one play at a time, while working to dominate your individual opponent every single play. Combine effort with ability when executing your assignment. 100 percent effort doesnt do much good if you blow your assignment. {Mental mistakes in a crucial situation can prove detrimental, and is often impossible to over come in a competitive game. Every aspect of a game needs to be solidified} PLAY MAKING: This is what it all comes down to Making A Play. Making a play is making things happen, and not letting the situation overcome you, but rather for you to overcome the situation. Focusing throughout competition and expecting great things to happen is the beginning to making a play. Making a play is the culmination of a players character, conditioning, ability, practice habits, skill level, and effort. {If one is able to consistently make a play, his future in sports is promising}