Author: Bart

Faster, harder, farther or simply better than during the last season

“From coach’s point of view, sports field equipment do not only make it easier to work – it also improves performance and the quality of the workouts which eliminate all the dangers …” – such a motto appeals probably to every team before the beginning of preparations for league’s struggles. Economic and technological races are the domain and the integral part of a modern sport. American football is not an exception here. Someone may say years ago we also played football in Europe with balls and a few cones only! Of course he is right but were we better than today? And if we are better now, then to what do we owe it?

There are many answers to these questions – the increased awareness and experience of trainers, the impact of American football athletes coming to Europe, hanging up the bar higher and higher, tactics inspiration derived from other sports disciplines such as martial arts or rugby. And finally, last but not least, the access to the most technically advanced sports training equipment, which over the past few years, in many aspects has revolutionized the training system of American football at all levels.

Safety first at practice!

Most of all injuries in American football are caused by inadequate, poorly adjusted or too intensive training. American football players expose their bodies to heavy hits during the matches but also during intensive trainings. This may lead to serious injuries such as muscle ruptures or bone fractures.
Injured reserve often decides about championship in key weeks!

Help your team and reduce injury exposure

One way to unnecessary injuries is to replace the man with proper training equipment at least during practice. Using pop-up or tackling dummies protects athletes from unnecessary injuries during tackling drills. These tools also help athletes maintain proper motor patterns needed to stop opponents effectively. Foam-filled blocking shields imitate plastic protectors and reduce the risk of minor injuries. They also let athletes perform more high-impact repetitions safely. This repetition builds muscle memory and prepares the body for full match intensity. All these conditions can be met only after the proper tuition and coach’s supervision. Every exercise, even with the simplest training equipment should be done under the guidance of a qualified positioning coach.

Psychological aspect in American Football Training

Positioning trainings in American football usually take place in a narrow groups of players. Emotions can strongly influence the intensity of contact exercises. Many young or beginner players struggle with drills requiring physical contact. This challenge often reduces their participation in tackling or blocking practice. Using a pop-up dummy or tackling donut instead of a teammate increases engagement. This approach removes emotional barriers and reduces fear of hitting a teammate. The fear is understandable, especially for inexperienced or hesitant rookies. Mixing strong, skilled veterans with unsure beginners can easily create unsafe situations. Such mismatches often become the first step toward unnecessary injuries. Unfortunately, in many clubs such situations are a daily occurrence and element of introducing new players to the team. 

Improving the workout’s quality

During many years in European leagues, I met athletes and coaches who before signing a new club contract demanded the access to individual training materials they worked on at university leagues or clubs in Germany or France, which spent a significant part of their budget on the investment in training equipment and technical development.
From coach’s point of view, sports field equipment do not only make it easier to work, but it also improves performance and the quality of the workouts which eliminate all the dangers described above. An excellent example of increased efficiency of trekking training is pop-up dummy. The time that pop-ups return to their original form after a hit is few seconds shorter than when the exercise is performed by the players themselves. 2-3 seconds gained on repetition transfer into 2-3 consecutive turns during series or time for coaching points and practice comments. With regard to the entire season, with the proper preparation and structure of the operation the efficiency goes up to 20%.

Klaudiusz Cholewinski
Defensive Coordinator & Defensive Line Coach
From 2017 for Brussels Black Angels (Belgian national champion 2017, 9-0)
Belgian National Team Coach, former Polish National Team Coach
Multiple division and national champion of Poland, Germany and Belgium.

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