Mahalo 03.13.09

I have to tell you that I am so very glad it’s Friday. (Lol) I’m tired!, this is hard stuff and we are getting closer to the end, Hawaii here I come. After this is over I am off to the East Coast to work with Eddie Curry of the New York Knicks. So there won’t be much rest in between.
Our day was light today, the guys will all lift after practice. We worked on hip girdle strength, starts and abs and flexibility. All the guys going off on Wednesday got thoroughly worked on by Ann and Karla. Karla got the easy job of working on Mika. I heard she was taking all weekend and the first part of next week off. (lol)
Burl tried to turned down the rub down. He was sure happy I didn’t let him. Demetrius returned from his protesting date in Montana to tell us the good news. He has been given permission to participate in Cal’s pro testing date on Wednesday. Seems Cal has no running backs coming out this year so they allowed him to run…..Can you say, “Track Meet?” I only wish Kenny could join them, that would be too fun! As it is this will be a very exciting day. It’s going to be hard to keep these horses corralled. The ACES Bowling event on Sunday at Albany Bowl should be a nice break for them. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s at 4pm and is for Lorenzo Alexander’s Foundation. If you need more information about the event go to: http://www.lorenzoalexander.org/events.html








Mahalo everyone!, hang loose this weekend.

Speed is King 03.12.09

Today we used the pool as strictly a warm up for our drills and sprints. We immediately left the pool for the field to run through shuttle, three cone and 40 yard sprints. There were only five guys left for next weeks pro testing dates. Tashaka, Burl, Sean, Mika, and Kenny. We ironed out some kinks and cleaned up our technique. I have posted the 40yd films so that the guys and all of you may scrutinize them. The first one is the slowest time and the second one is the fastest. The best thing about them is there isn’t much of a difference in time from worst to best. The guys are really ready to test! What you should be looking for in the sprints is first the start. Their plant hand should stay connected to the ground till they are in motion. Scouts begin timing on hand movement. If you lift your plant hand before you begin your motion, the clocks will have started while you are still in your set position. Their lead arm should drive out and up giving them the proper body position for take off. Look for the back foot on the first stride, is the leg fully extended all the way through the hips. If so, they should be at a 45 degree angle to the ground and the lead thigh should be parallel to the ground. When they begin the drive phase, their arms should be very active and they should be pushing away from the start by pushing their feet down and back behind their hips. (I like to use the example of pushing a sled.) Each stride should have full extension getting every inch they can without over striding or reaching. Pushing down and back at this phase of the race determines how long their strides will be and how fast they will be able to turn them over. As they begin to accelerate they still should be in a slight lean forward in that 45 degree angle. The foot begins to travel higher from the ground, so the push is no longer down and back but just down. If you see the athlete standing straight up he is in very poor position and causing himself to decelerate early. Needing to lean back to drive your knees is a sign of weak hip flexors and abdominal muscles. At the end of the race the athletes stride tempo should increase. If you see them taking elongated strides to reach the finish line, once again they are in poor position and adding hundredths of a second on their time. Reaching for the finish line is a very common mistake. I have slowed down the sprints so you can see the differences from the worst sprint to their best sprint. It’s time for everyone to play coach. Post your observations on the comment board. I’m sure the guys would appreciate it. Every little bit helps and it’s getting close to crunch time. Guys you better all be studying yourselves cause there are valuable seconds you all could be shaving by cleaning up your technique.

Yes Sean, "We're done!" 03.11.09

This morning we worked on the shuttle drill and the three cone drill. Two drills required in the pro testing workout. At the end of practice we did the broad jump and the bench press. Sean put up 18 reps at the end of practice…WOW. I guess he’s ready. He must be cause at the end of today’s workout he said, “I know we aren’t done yet!” There goes that OCD again…

San Ramon High 03.10.09

San Ramon High was in full affect today. Welcome back Garrison and Kyle! And you came back even more flexible than last season. Combine guys are winding down. Practice from here on out will be short and to the point. That should screw with Sean’s OCD for a little bit.

The Zohan 03.09.09

Today we need your help. We had a good day of practice but a very confusing question arose. Has anyone heard from Larry Beard? None of our calls have been answered. So if anyone knows where our missing athlete is please get in touch with us. Lol And Larry if you are reading this call the gym: (510) 769-7372.





We now know what it is that makes Adam so strong. We found out today that he really is the Zohan! After viewing the video you will see why he benches 225lbs more than 40 times.

Happy Birthdays 03.07.09

We didn’t have practice this weekend. Some of the guys left for home and their Pro Testing Dates. Brandon Mosley test on the 10th so he left Saturday. Demetrius Crawford goes on the 9th so he left as well.
We also had birthday celebrations in Las Vegas this weekend. Happy 36th Jerome Bettis and Happy __ , Priya. (We won’t tell your age. Lol)




It was a time to see old clients who we haven’t seen in a while and new clients we are working with this year. Hope you guys all made it home safe and sound. It was good seeing the family, Trey, Derrick and Brian. See you guys in a couple of months.
Ann caught up with some of her kids, (as she calls all the athletes) and we got some great pics. Shout out to everyone in case you didn’t get a pic with Ann. Lol Derrick Stanley/Rams, Brian Calhoun/Lions, Keyaron Fox/Steelers. Takeo Spikes/49ers,

1-3-5-7-9........ 03.06.09

In laymen terms today would be called a mind f____. Well if you are older than twelve you get my french. (Forgive me by the way.) But just when the guys think they are coming in for our normal day of flexibility and drills, we tell them it’s a beach day. Ouch! It’s a trip to see how well they adapt. Some do it better than others. When we got to the sand there were some very long faces. I told them it would be a day of technique so not to worry. We had some start drills and practice the first phase of the 40. It went well and quick. Afterward we had partner stretches and abs. Adam lead the ab workout with a pretty unique counting cadence, 1-3-5-7-9. At this rate we’ll have to do ten thousand abs to get our daily 2500 in.

Reversing The Aging Process 03.05.09

Our pool day was very easy. We did our water work and then moved upstairs for start work and abs. We call these are superstar workouts. They are used for fine tuning and keeping the guys on point condition wise. And speaking of on point I have to mention Julian again. Each day this athlete amazes me at his change. I will put up some fresh photos but you have to see what this guy did in three weeks. Here are his before and after photos. Keep going Julian….proof that you can reverse the aging process. Especially if you are aging prematurely.

The Art Of The Finish 03.04.09

Today we would try to master the art of the finish. IN anything we do at the end, if we pick up the pace we finish strong. This means far less mistakes that normally occur with a lazy finish. In the sprints in means being out of position and leaning at the tape at the wrong time or reaching with your feet at the end. We worked on creating stride frequency throughout the final phase of the 40 yard dash. I take cones and separate the last 10 to 12 yards into segments. The segments are at such a length that the runner has to put his feet down as quick as possible to step into each segment. When this is done properly it accelerates the stride frequency of the athlete and propels them through the finish line. We had a remarkable day and some very fast times. Kenny O’Neal in my opinion will be one of the top three fastest times in the country, if not the fastest. And we have three others that can legitimately run 4.3 or faster. It will be interesting in the next few weeks as they test. I have to say that though there were some incredible times out there today, I saw something that blew me away. Thomas, our marathoner, had the most improved stride of anyone in camp. I had to slow his video down for you cause he was such a blur. Keep your eye on him he looks fantastic. Don't blink you might miss him. Way to go Thomas, you've come a long way.










Steve leaves for spring baseball Friday so today was his last day. And Demetrius will leave tomorrow for Montana State for their pro testing date. They both are ready and anxious about leaving. Speaking of spring ball, I have to make another comment on Julian's transformation. Each day this kid gets younger and younger looking. He honestly looks as if he was 19 all over again. Great job Julian!

Full House 03.03.09

Full house today, with Langston getting his work in earlier and then the high school guys returning. Welcome back Joey Southwick. (Quarterback from San Ramon High) With Langston we are working one area at a time until he get’s his wind back and can work more. Rina jumped in today and did some of the drills with him. It’s hard when you are working alone cause there is far less rest. Thanks Ri! I’m sure Langston appreciated it as well.





My NFL guys are getting really antsy. It’s getting close to their pro testing dates and their workouts are far less demanding so their energy levels are high. There is a lot of nervous energy in the house tonight.
In the beginning of practice it was hard to get them to focus. I introduced some drills that they had only done once before and it was hilarious the execution I got. I’ll let you see for yourself. Our camera woman tonight is the one laughing hysterically. The NFL guys are really ready to go…it will be hard keeping them reigned in.




Steve finally signed the Wall of Fame. Say cheese Steve!

Goodbye Ron, Hello Langston 03.02.09

We say goodbye to Big Ron today and say hello to Langston Walker, OL, Buffalo Bills. We had another rain delay that kept us indoors. So we worked on the lateral movements for the upcoming drills. This is the final week for Demetrius before his first pro testing date and Brandon, who leaves for Indiana soon.
Langston’s first day was interesting. I don’t think I have seen him at this weight before. He’s a very big guy naturally at 6’8” So we have work to do to get him ready. Our first day went well.
Before Ron left we talked about the plan for him to go pro in the NFL. He told me his coach is of the same mind set, that it’s time for him to move to the next level from arena to the pros. Ron has developed into a great athlete but primarily a phenomenal young man. Take care Ron and Godspeed.

Thanks Tapia Family 03.01.09

Rain canceled being out doors but we had a very casual day planned already. We were going to have a celebration of sorts and say farewell to, Larry but he had to leave one day earlier, and Big Ron who leaves on Monday back to Omaha. We had a big Mexican meal planned by the Tapia family, Isaac and Jackie with their three sons, Isaac, Isaiah and Elijah.
The guys had some idea it was going to be an easy day, so when I came in and said let’s get to work, everyone was shocked, even the staff. When asked about the lunch we had planned I pleaded ignorance to the whole thing and said, “At least they will have worked up an appetite.”
I wanted to include drills and exercises that would require use of the entire body, so we would at least use the amount of muscle used while sprinting.
Afterward we ate like kings, thanks guys. Then we talked about the upcoming pro dates for each athlete.