I honestly think that scheme and philosophy hurt more than S&C over the past two years. I don't know if what Heupel plans will work. But I do believe that UT's OL's were big enough and strong enough not to be abused like they were these past two seasons.
There was a time when "pound the rock" really worked. Even if your opponent knew what was coming, OL's could physically dominate front 7's over the course of a game. In this era of CFB, you cannot line up and dominate every opponent. You have to have a scheme that gives your guys the advantage. If you try Fulmer ball... you are behind by 6 TD's by the time you wear out the opponent's D.
I believe when Heupel mentioned putting offensive players in a position to succeed he included OL's. Play calling and scheme can either help or hurt your OL.
You know, I like listening to David on the radio when he calls in. But if you're gonna get on here and pimp your articles, you could at least make the specific ones your linking free to read, maybe then I might get hooked and want to buy a subscription to read all the other ones that are on your site.
Thanks for the work you out in. I see some posters give you crap simply because you don't write puff pieces all day. Glad to have your perspective. Keep up the good work.Hey everyone, I spent a good chunk of last week talking to a bunch of Josh Heupel's former players about how he operates his program.
Earlier this week, we wrote about what it's like off the field.
In early team meetings, he asked his players for their feedback. What was working? What wasn’t working? What needed to stay the same? What needed to change? How could game days improve?
“I thought it said a lot about him that he respected players enough that he wanted to use what worked, not just what was his idea,” said Wyatt Miller, a four-year starter at offensive tackle who moved from the right side of the line to the left side for his senior season. “He gave everybody a voice.”
The team already had traditions like taking a trip to the beach or going bowling for various team outings under Frost. But players wanted their teammates to face punishment if they didn’t show up to those events. Heupel instituted the rule at players’ request.
Today, we wrote a follow-up story on how he installs his offense and builds/operates his program on the field and in the weight room.
“As a punter, I squatted 585 pounds,” Mac Loudermilk said “We were trying to be big and fast, and you had to be strong. We were squatting houses. We were hang cleaning, power cleaning 300 pounds. We were moving some serious weight for a decent number of reps. Was our form always the best? No, but we were strong enough to get away with it.”
Once Heupel instituted his weight program, he dialed back the amount players lifted. He put an emphasis on refining technique to prevent injuries. Every lift was focused on developing explosiveness over simple, pure strength.
“Nobody was squatting six or seven plates at a time during max-out days,” Loudermilk said. “Everything was about keeping bodies and legs fresh, staying healthy and not risking those offseason injuries.”
Hope you all enjoy both pieces if you're interested in checking them out.
Hey everyone, I spent a good chunk of last week talking to a bunch of Josh Heupel's former players about how he operates his program.
Earlier this week, we wrote about what it's like off the field.
In early team meetings, he asked his players for their feedback. What was working? What wasn’t working? What needed to stay the same? What needed to change? How could game days improve?
“I thought it said a lot about him that he respected players enough that he wanted to use what worked, not just what was his idea,” said Wyatt Miller, a four-year starter at offensive tackle who moved from the right side of the line to the left side for his senior season. “He gave everybody a voice.”
The team already had traditions like taking a trip to the beach or going bowling for various team outings under Frost. But players wanted their teammates to face punishment if they didn’t show up to those events. Heupel instituted the rule at players’ request.
Today, we wrote a follow-up story on how he installs his offense and builds/operates his program on the field and in the weight room.
“As a punter, I squatted 585 pounds,” Mac Loudermilk said “We were trying to be big and fast, and you had to be strong. We were squatting houses. We were hang cleaning, power cleaning 300 pounds. We were moving some serious weight for a decent number of reps. Was our form always the best? No, but we were strong enough to get away with it.”
Once Heupel instituted his weight program, he dialed back the amount players lifted. He put an emphasis on refining technique to prevent injuries. Every lift was focused on developing explosiveness over simple, pure strength.
“Nobody was squatting six or seven plates at a time during max-out days,” Loudermilk said. “Everything was about keeping bodies and legs fresh, staying healthy and not risking those offseason injuries.”
Hope you all enjoy both pieces if you're interested in checking them out.
Technique in the weight room doesn’t equal technique on the field.
It is somewhat concerning that he advocates for lower weight. I’ve always heard that high weight low rep leads to explosiveness by strengthening twitch muscles, but I’m also not an expert and that’s just from reading I’ve done in the past.
Extreme Ownership is a fantastic book and Jocko has an incredible podcast with some of Americas heroes. Nice connection!It reminds me of the Jocko Willink style leadership... for those who don't know, Jocko is a former U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander who has written multiple books on leadership and founded one of the world's best leadership consulting firms. He preaches "decentralized command", which basically just means developing decisive leaders below your rank and empower them to be aggressive
I reupped my script just to read that and it was worth it...keep up the great work.Hey everyone, I spent a good chunk of last week talking to a bunch of Josh Heupel's former players about how he operates his program.
Earlier this week, we wrote about what it's like off the field.
In early team meetings, he asked his players for their feedback. What was working? What wasn’t working? What needed to stay the same? What needed to change? How could game days improve?
“I thought it said a lot about him that he respected players enough that he wanted to use what worked, not just what was his idea,” said Wyatt Miller, a four-year starter at offensive tackle who moved from the right side of the line to the left side for his senior season. “He gave everybody a voice.”
The team already had traditions like taking a trip to the beach or going bowling for various team outings under Frost. But players wanted their teammates to face punishment if they didn’t show up to those events. Heupel instituted the rule at players’ request.
Today, we wrote a follow-up story on how he installs his offense and builds/operates his program on the field and in the weight room.
“As a punter, I squatted 585 pounds,” Mac Loudermilk said “We were trying to be big and fast, and you had to be strong. We were squatting houses. We were hang cleaning, power cleaning 300 pounds. We were moving some serious weight for a decent number of reps. Was our form always the best? No, but we were strong enough to get away with it.”
Once Heupel instituted his weight program, he dialed back the amount players lifted. He put an emphasis on refining technique to prevent injuries. Every lift was focused on developing explosiveness over simple, pure strength.
“Nobody was squatting six or seven plates at a time during max-out days,” Loudermilk said. “Everything was about keeping bodies and legs fresh, staying healthy and not risking those offseason injuries.”
Hope you all enjoy both pieces if you're interested in checking them out.
You know, I like listening to David on the radio when he calls in. But if you're gonna get on here and pimp your articles, you could at least make the specific ones your linking free to read, maybe then I might get hooked and want to buy a subscription to read all the other ones that are on your site.
The subscription is cheap and has a free trial period that you can cancel. It's worth the money imo.
I'm not so certain this is great news. That works great until you play some of the teams on our schedule that have refined technique AND massive strength. While I don't necessarily prioritize strength over technique, our team has been pushed around on the field for years, even by lower-level teams. We've been dealing with the worst of all worlds - our opponents have been physically stronger, they've had better technique, and they've actually known what their assignments were for every play (who would have ever known that was important?)
Our OL and the rest of the team would not have gassed out and been pushed all over the place if they were strong enough. The OL was fat and not as strong as they had been in prior years.I honestly think that scheme and philosophy hurt more than S&C over the past two years. I don't know if what Heupel plans will work. But I do believe that UT's OL's were big enough and strong enough not to be abused like they were these past two seasons.
There was a time when "pound the rock" really worked. Even if your opponent knew what was coming, OL's could physically dominate front 7's over the course of a game. In this era of CFB, you cannot line up and dominate every opponent. You have to have a scheme that gives your guys the advantage. If you try Fulmer ball... you are behind by 6 TD's by the time you wear out the opponent's D.
I believe when Heupel mentioned putting offensive players in a position to succeed he included OL's. Play calling and scheme can either help or hurt your OL.
I suspect some gray matter in this guy's head. We haven't had a strategic coach since Kiffin. Sounds promising.What does the inside of Josh Heupels head look like?
Was coming here to say this. Great explanation. Had an old coach that was in his 60s and jacked always state, High weight / low reps = size and strength, low weight / mid-high reps with proper technique-purpose = explosiveness.As a lifelong off and on weightlifter I can say for a fact proper technique supersedes maxing out weight any day of the weak. Improper technique causes tendon and ligament tears. Improper technique targets large muscle groups and ignores the smaller ones which causes injuries.
Explosiveness comes from using lighter weights, being in complete control of the lift the entire time, pausing at the bottom of the lift, and exploding through the lift. Afterwards using plyometrics with explosiveness through the movement.
As an example, way too many guys in the gym lift the bench press way too fast. They drop the weight down on their chest as fast as they can, bounce weights off their chest, and then press the weight up. While it appears impressive, that’s not building explosiveness and it hurts their max lift because they didn’t properly develop the muscles needed to actually press the weights within the first 3 to inches of the lift coming off the chest.
I could go on and on but, no, explosiveness is not built by always lifting heavy.
Just talk to one of Stucky’s assistants and do what they do/did. No one at Tennessee has produced the strength and agility that Stucky‘s players had.Was coming here to say this. Great explanation. Had an old coach that was in his 60s and jacked always state, High weight / low reps = size and strength, low weight / mid-high reps with proper technique-purpose = explosiveness.
You seem to disagree with people who were close to the team and who reported on it have said. I have no direct knowledge... just what I glean from various sources.Our OL and the rest of the team would not have gassed out and been pushed all over the place if they were strong enough. The OL was fat and not as strong as they had been in prior years.
As a lifelong off and on weightlifter I can say for a fact proper technique supersedes maxing out weight any day of the weak. Improper technique causes tendon and ligament tears. Improper technique targets large muscle groups and ignores the smaller ones which causes injuries.
Explosiveness comes from using lighter weights, being in complete control of the lift the entire time, pausing at the bottom of the lift, and exploding through the lift. Afterwards using plyometrics with explosiveness through the movement.
As an example, way too many guys in the gym lift the bench press way too fast. They drop the weight down on their chest as fast as they can, bounce weights off their chest, and then press the weight up. While it appears impressive, that’s not building explosiveness and it hurts their max lift because they didn’t properly develop the muscles needed to actually press the weights within the first 3 to inches of the lift coming off the chest.
I could go on and on but, no, explosiveness is not built by always lifting heavy.