Andy Hepler

As HS football winds down, college recruiting ramps up. Recruiting boards are changing. Coaches are evaluating & preparing for January visits Teams are managing the transfer portal. College staffs are planning their next moves. Recruits and families should be doing the same

Is 20MPH really that fast? I’m convinced more and more that our perception of what sounds fast often gets in the way of logically breaking down what fast really is 20MPH sounds fast. It is also a difference maker in team sports It’ll get roughly a 4.9-5.0s 40yd dash However, many colleges won’t offer a skill or big skill player who isn’t at a 4.7 or faster. Meaning, the majority of football recruiting classes are likely capable of eclipsing 21-22MPH on a regular basis. 11.00s 100m requires ~23MPH. 11.00 to 10.90s MIGHT get you into your state final. It might also get you college attention for track. But… some recruiting standards won’t even let you walk on if you’re not 10.7 and under. Meaning, to get an opportunity at the collegiate level as a male sprinter, you will need to be capable of ~23-24MPH+ or your track career is over at 17-19 years old. All of this to illustrate — 20MPH is a nice round number that will help to separate from most teammates, local, and state competitors in team sports. It’s a great goal to shoot for to improve your ability to make an impact for your team and earn a starting spot on varsity in a meaningful role. It will probably get you onto your varsity track team and possibly onto some relays. If you want to be recruited for team sport, 21MPH might be a better goal to shoot for along with 4.7 or faster. If you want to sprint in college, a 20MPH ceiling simply doesn’t get the job done. Sub 11.00s opens the door at ~23MPH. 20MPH is RELATIVELY fast compared to most male HS peers… but it isn’t very fast in the grand scheme of varsity high performers.

What cut is fastest way to change direction? NOT cutting! It feels the slowest, however, turning while maintaining stride length and stride frequency is the fastest cut!

Some athletes stop developing when practice ends. The ones who separate? They make development a top priority. Team practice isn’t enough to build greatness, there’s not enough time, reps or opportunity. If you want to rise above the rest, keep leveling up when no one’s watching.

Knee pain can only be resolved with 3 things. No, it’s not using a bag of ice after every practice. No, it’s not slapping on some KT tape. No, it’s definitely not pushing through MORE SOCCER. Oddly enough, the activity that causes the knee pain to get worse is playing more soccer, yet girls still continue to play full minutes. Read more on what to do: ericasuter.com/growing-pains…

CNS Fatigue and How to Avoid It Central Nervous System fatigue, what is it and how do we avoid it? It occurs when an athlete does excessive volume of highly taxing explosive work in a short period of time. CNS fatigue can lead to a temporary reduction in their ability to generate force. This will look like a 10-20% (or more) drop in power output and they'll look and sound tired, because they are. But let's clarify further. Some seem to think that CNS fatigue leaves an athlete completely exhausted and unable to move. That's not the case. The key to avoiding CNS fatigue is common sense: Don't crush them with ridiculous volume on highly taxing training. That's 90% of it. Safe Zone Here are some appropriate volume guidelines to stay within to avoid excess fatigue: Jumps and Plyos: - 10-20 total reps for per day or 40-60 total reps per week Max Effort Sprints: - Between 200-400 total yards for speed per week Lifts: - 20-25 total sets per day in the offseason - 15-20 in-season - 2-4x per week It all comes down to dosage. Do enough to get the job done then stop. Common sense really.

This line from Atomic Habits isn't ready to leave my head: "It doesn't make sense to continue wanting something if you're not willing to do what it takes to get it. If you don't want to live the lifestyle, then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process is to guarantee disappointment."

This is the easiest way to explain the two most common cuts used to change direction! @Tony_Villani_ makes this so easy, think about your brake foot…so much in this video.

Sprinters should be bounding Yes not “perfect” bounds like a jumper, but should be pretty close with good foot contact as to not injury them I give them a goal # of contacts to hit and count them so they stay honest and get something out of it

Don’t Fear Sprint Volume! The timeless 300m workout is great because of the simplicity and flexibility. Want to accelerate really well? Do a 100 accelerations a week to gain that skill and capacity. You can do this workout with nearly any level of athlete. A thread 🧵-