St. X Football Week 2

We start our second week of the season. We lost a tough game against Colerain in week 1, but we know its a long season ahead of us. Our goals still continue to be to win the GCL and head up north to the state title game in December.

We play the Pratville Lions from Alabama in Paul Brown Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday at 8:00pm. This will be one of many games on Labor Day weekend at the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Challenge. Pratville comes in with a great team to Cincinnati. They are back to back state champs in Alabama and were the # 2 ranked team in the nation in 2007. We both lost 18 starters during the off-season, but that doesn't mean that they won't bring it. Teams with this kind of tradition don't rebuild, they usually reload. Tjhey have outstanding speed and very disciplined athletes.

On our part, we come in with a loss in week 1. Nothing has really changed in week 2. We still continue to prepare with the same intensity and discipline we do every week. The athletes and coaches have responded with their heads up high and focused intensity. Or conditioning and lifting on Saturday was high volume due to the extra day of recovery. We worked hard on our upper and lower body lifts and our conditioning included a lot of paced runs with adequate rest periods.

We had no injuries during the Colerain game, which is always nice after such a physical matchup. We continue to rehab and reconditioning our players that missed time due to tweaks and injured body parts from doubles in pre-season. We try not to give any of the injured players time off from training to maintain high conditioning levels. Our programs are geared towards training injured body parts without compromising strength levels around the entire body. This allows us to increase strength, flexibility and conditioning throughout rehab time.

We look forward to playing Pratville at the Herbstreit this weekend. For those of you who are close to Cincinnati this weekend, you should try to make some of the games either Saturday or Sunday. It's also the Cincinnati Bell - WEBN Fireworks on Sunday, so that will be about 400,000 people in downtown Cincy hanging out havin a good time . It's going to be great fun.

11 am - Elder (Cincinnati, OH) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

2 pm - Middletown (Middletown, OH) vs. Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN)

5 pm - Colerain (Cincinnati, OH) vs. McKeesport (McKeesport, PA)

8 pm - St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) vs. Prattville (Prattville, AL)

Sunday, Aug. 31st 2008

Noon - Moeller (OH) vs. Montgomery Bell (Nashville, TN)

3 pm - Wayne (Huber Heights, OH) vs. East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)

6 pm - Lakota West (West Chester, OH) vs. St. Rita (Chicago, IL)

St. X Football Week 1

We are only four days from our first game of the 2008 season. The Bombers will be playing city rival Colerain Cardinals. This is a repeat matchup from last years Regional 4 final. This matchup should provide both teams a good first game to see what pieces will continue to work throughout the season.

On our part, we have been preparing since the first week of January. From the very beginning we understood what the goals were; to get a group of juniors that had backed up some quality seniors for two years to beleive they are ready enough with themselves to compete in 2008. We began our training program with basic testing. The testing gave us ideas as to what we would implement in the off-season. Our emphasis from the very beginning was proper kinetics, hypertrophy and strength.

Any time you start a young group of athletes in a new training program, you are going to need a thorough orientation process. So we began educating our kids with the basics. Basic movements geared towards improving ankle, knee, hip and shoulder stability and movement efficiency. Once we were comfortable, we moved them into the hypertrophy and strength phases.

Summer training began the second week of June. This gave us nineteen (19) training sessions to get our guys into playing shape for camp. Our goal was to focus on total development. We took all the most important pieces from the off-season and tweaked them to focus on power, speed and quickness.

During the off-seson we got a chance to participate in the SPARQ Team Challenge. For those of you who don't know, The SPARQ Challege tests athletic teams from around the country in football specific tests. After we tested, our scores showed that we had placed in the elite level with a 90+ score. The funny thing about this was, we had never performed much speed and agility work. Our total focus up to that point in April was hypertrophy and strength. This proved a point that I had thought of months before. Would building hypertrophy and strength, the size and strength of the muscle, help us generate more power output, which in turn improve our scores with just some basic technique work? Well it did. This was good to know, because now we were on the right track.

Summer emphasis was on speed, agility and quickness. When working with competitive athletics its important to have your guys ready to perform from day one of camp. During summer workouts our guys worked hard and with good focus. Colerain as a first game matchup can keep your kids focused pretty good on its own.

We went through double sessions the first two weeks of August. As a strength and conditioning coach, this is the time of year when you have to keep your eyes open and your game plan ready for adjustment. Up to this point everyone of your players looks good. But guys are going to get dinged up and hurt once the hitting starts and you have to have a plan for everyone of those players.

Hamilton was our last scrimmage before Colerain. Next day films and conditioning went as planned. We got they guys introduced to the in-season program, loosened them up, stretched them out and finished our day.

Today is Monday, just four days away from our first game. We've been waiting a long time for this matchup and its finally upon us. On that fateful night August 22 at 8:15pm in Nippert Stadium, St. X and Colerain will meet again.

ESPN Rise High School Pre-season Poll

ESPN has just come out with their yearly high school pre-season preview and rankings.

1. Trinity (Euless, Texas)
Last season's record: 15-1, Class 5A-I champion
Key players: QB Denarius McGhee (6-3, 180, Sr.); RB Dontrayevous Robinson (6-1, 205, Sr.); OL Cameron Graves (6-2, 265, Sr.); DB Eryon Barnett (6-2, 180, Sr.); LB Earnest Norman (6-0, 215, Sr.); DL Siosaia Tuipulotu (6-2, 280, Sr.)

Trinity is known for its participation in a 2007 Gatorade TV commercial, in which former NFL coach Bill Parcells asks the athletes if they have what it takes to pay the toll. This season, Trinity will find out if it has what it takes not only to pay the toll but also to sit atop the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national poll.

2. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class AAAAA champion
Key players: RB Greg Reid (5-9, 175, Sr.); DB Gerald Demps (6-1, 195, Sr.); QB Khary Franklin (5-6, 165, Jr.); WR Darius Howell (5-11, 190, Sr.); TE Jordan Black (6-4, 250, Jr.)

3. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Last season's record: 13-0, CIF Division I state champion
Key players: RB Kylan Butler (5-8, 180, Sr.); QB Blake Wayne (5-10, 170, Sr.); WR-DB Noah Perio (5-11, 165, Sr.); WR-DB Blair Wishom (6-0, 190, Sr.); OL-LB Zach Stanley (5-11, 206, Sr.)

4. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class 5A state champion
Key players: WR Duron Carter (6-3, 205, Sr.); QB Ryan Becker (6-0, 185, Sr.); C Brandon Linder (6-5, 280, Jr.); LB Conor O'Neill (6-1, 185, Sr.); Giovanni Bernard (5-9, 200, Jr.)

5. Jenks (Jenks, Okla.)
Last season's record: 13-1, Class 6A state champion
Key players: DB Gabe Lynn (6-0, 180, Sr.); LB E.J. Colbert (5-9, 220, Sr.); WR Tramaine Thompson (5-9, 170, Sr.); OL Brian Mincher (6-2, 270, Sr.); DL Jason Bixler (6-2, 220, Sr.)

6. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Last season's record: 12-0, Non-Public Group IV champion
Key players: QB Brett Knief (6-0, 190, Sr.); RB Dillon Romain (5-11, 205, Sr.); RB Troy Jones (5-9, 185, Jr.); DB Trace McDermott (6-0, 190, Sr.); OL Jack Templeton (6-3, 260, Sr.)

The Ironmen, with eight offensive and five defensive returning starters, take to the road this season to face St. Xavier of Cincinnati and De La Salle of Concord, Calif., and are the only preseason ranked team in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 that is playing two others in the top 10.

7. Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.)
Last season's record: 11-2, WPIAL Class AAAA finalist
Key players: LB Dorian Bell (6-0, 225, Sr.); DB Corey Brown (6-0, 180, Sr.); DE B.J. Stevens (6-0, 235, Sr.); QB Robert Kalkstein (6-1, 180, Jr.); OL Colin Rodkey (6-4, 260)


8. Deerfield Beach (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Last season's record: 11-3, Class 6A semifinalist
Key players: QB Denard Robinson (5-11, 180, Sr.); RB Cassius McDowell (5-9, 165, Jr.); DB Adrian Witty (6-1, 175, Sr.); DB Donte Dotson (5-9, 165, Jr.); DL Johnny Seays (6-1, 240, Sr.)

9. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Last season's record: 15-0, Division I champion
Key players: QB Luke Massey (6-5, 200, Jr.); OL Matthew James (6-7, 285, Sr.); LB Luke Kuedchly (6-3, 210, Sr.); DL Patrick Muldoon (6-4, 255, Sr.); RB Connor Earley (5-11, 190, Sr.)

Outlook: If the Bombers go unscathed and win their third state title in four years, they will be in contention once again for the final No. 1 ranking. Many thought last year's team should have been No. 1 instead of Miami Northwestern, based on strength of schedule, and that would again be a linchpin of any argument this team would have at the finish.

The schedule includes the top-ranked teams from New Jersey (Don Bosco Prep) and Alabama (Prattville) plus a defending Kentucky champ (Louisville Trinity) and an Indiana state runner-up (Indianapolis Cathedral). This doesn't even include the teams the Bombers will play or might play in their own state. Massey returns at QB after passing for 1,200 yards and seven TDs while starting the final seven games last season. Earley is expected to step up at RB after backing up All-American Darius Ashley last season. James leads the offensive line, while Kuedchly and Muldoon should make St. X rugged up front on defense. Kuedchly was the team's top tackle last year, while Muldoon was named to the all-state team.

10. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Last season's record: 15-0, Class 5A champion
Key players: RB Marcus Latti (5-11, 195, Jr.); QB Chas Dodd (6-2, 185, Jr.); WR Ricco Sanders (5-11, 180, Sr.); DB Justin Bright (6-1, 190, Sr.); OL Jamie Dunaway (6-3, 270, Sr.)

Jump Rope Program

Why should you start a jump rope program? Because, 10 minutes of jumping rope can provide the same calorie burn as 30 minutes of running. Rope jumping uses all your muscles and joints and also requires some skill and practice. Here is a sample program: With the basic bounce or alternate step, start with 10 sets of 10 jumps. Increase the number of jumps by 10 per set until you reach 100 jumps nonstop. Gradually work towards 5 to 10 minutes of continuous jumping.

Beyond Over Training

The term "over training" is a misnomer. The physical and mental condition that prohibits athletes from training and performing to their capacities can be caused by a variety of factors other than simply training too hard or too long. The American College of Sports Medicine says that the primary cause of over training is still a poorly conceived training program. Athletes can be at risk when there is a rapid increase in training volume or intensity, as well as inadequate recovery time. Even if those variables are appropriately controlled for one athlete, they may result in over training for another. Beyond those obvious problems, the ACSM has identified seven factors that may also contribute to over training:

1. Frequent competition, especially if it involves quality effort 

2. Monotonous training without resting days 

3. Pre-existing medical conditions such as colds and allergies 

4. Poor diet, particularly when there is an inadequate intake of carbohydrates and fluids

5. Environmental stress factors (high altitude, high temperatures, high humidity) 

6. Psychological stress factors, including difficulty in adjusting to teammates, coaches, or work 

7. Heavy travel schedules 

Take these steps to reduce the risk of over training:

• Periodize your training program by scheduling heavy, moderate, and light exercise days. 

• Build rest days into your schedule, especially during heavy training periods. 

• Individualize your training program. 

• Keep records of practice/competition performance. 

• Recognize signs of over training (anxiety, decline in performance, anger, depression, fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia) 

Don't confuse over training with what the ACSM calls "overreaching," which is limited to poor performance in training and competition. It can usually be treated by rest or reduced training combined with active recreation.