Off Season Agility Ladder Drill for Football - Icky Crossover

The agility ladder is a time-tested and proven effective tool for improving your footwork. The training effect is similar to jump rope, but with several advantages. First, agility ladder training is multi-directional. In most sports, you are not staying in one spot. You are moving forward, sideways and sometimes backwards. Second, your feet are also allowed to move independently in more complex patterns than a jump rope allows. And third, the cycle time can be increased greatly, because you are not limited by the speed of the rope turn. The end result is that you can train your feet to move quickly through complex footwork patterns. The benefits to any ground-based sport are huge.

Agility ladder training will improve your speed, coordination, timing and balance. Plus, it will set your calves on fire. I’m not a muscle isolationist, but this is seriously effective calf training because it engages the fast twitch muscles. Olympic lifts, sprinting and other power training will help you move large distances quickly and that is a very important component of sports movement. Agility ladder training will add precision to those last few steps that get your body into perfect position. The importance of quick adjustment steps cannot be understated. They are like putting in golf.

Adding it to your workout program is simple. You can throw it in as a warm-up. It elevates your heart rate and awakens your CNS.

Eating for Two-A-Days

Once two-a-days start, players should consume at least three meals per day with snacks in between. Aim to proportion two-thirds of the plate to consist of carbohydrates, and choose foods with higher water content such as fruits and vegetables.

Skipping breakfast is not an option!

Especially when a player has an early morning practice or lifting session. If you feel like you do not have alot of time or money, a smoothie(McDonalds sells them now), yogurt, cereal and fruit, or even a sports drink and sports cheap and fast option

Adequate caloric intake is very important. To support a large, hard-exercising body, this can mean consuming a lot of food. That is okay. Players should not be trying to lose weight during this time.

For the player desiring to gain weight, the most important point is to be consistent, eating more calories every day. Some tips:

- Start a meal with food, not liquids, so have the sandwich first, then the shake.
- Replace low or no calorie beverages with juice, lemonade, milk, and sports drinks instead of water.
- Try to eat one-quarter more at every meal and snack.
- Keep snack food around to nibble on.
- Add higher calorie foods to every meal: granola instead of sugared cereal.
- Add nuts to cereal, or snacks.
- Eat bagels instead of bread.
- Add more protein, but only 4 ounces more a day, through food, not supplements. Choose cheese, low-fat lunch meats, an extra piece of chicken or fish, milk, and yogurt.

To make the most of your talents, MAKE NUTRITION A PRIORITY!