BJ Maack Testing, Teaching & Training @ Football University - Orlando

The first weekend of April found me in sunny Florida “working” at the FBU - Orlando event.   While I was away from my family for my second Football University camp, and putting in some long hours, I can hardly say that it was “work” because it was such an amazing event.   I was immersed in a 100% athletic environment for three days, around some very talented and driven athletes who were being coached by former athletes sharing the same desire.   Along with AR staffers Jen Davidson, Jon Drenckhahn and All Star Sports Director Todd Robinette, I found myself in the midst of near football bliss!

Simply stated, we had a great weekend!   I was most excited to see a great mix of what we do best at Athletic Republic:  testing, teaching and training.   The Fusion timing and reaction system, combined with the Dartfish software, put on a great show in front of the parents, coaches and athletes!   It was amazing to see the folks’ light up when we showed the video segments captured by this next-generation testing and evaluation system.  It’s no exaggeration to say that Athletic Republic is unmatched in this area of sport!

It was also fun to be able to demonstrate some tangible take-home teaching points to the athletes over the weekend.  Whether it was about arm angle in the 40-yard dash, nutrition tips, ways to get faster, whatever … we were being asked all weekend about WAYS TO GET BETTER.  And we delivered.   The athletes gained a lot of benefit from our staffs’ ability to communicate practical things they can do at home.

Having done two of these FBU events now, I am impressed with the FBU staff’s talent and methods of communicating football expertise to the athletes.  I can say without reservation that I believe that Athletic Republic’s army of trainers and staff are unparalleled when it comes to being able to teach an athlete how to be a better athlete.

I am so excited to see what the future FBU events will bring.  It is clear to me that Athletic Republic continues to gain stature in the sports world as the leaders in performance sports training!

BJ Maack
Athletic Republic – Arkansas Sports Performance

Offense vs Defense Reaction Drill

As I stood waiting to speak to a high school gymnasium full of parents and athletes, my father asked me if I was nervous.  I gave him a quizzical look and said, “No way, I’ve been waiting for this since October when they announced the FBU partnership.”  I spoke for only 5 minutes but I guarantee every person walked away with one new piece of knowledge.

I brought up the idea of separation on the football field and how at Athletic Republic we out TRAIN the competition so that you can out PERFORM yours on the field.  I asked the entire audience if they knew what the separation was in an athlete who is 0.2 seconds faster on a 40 yard sprint.  I stuck the microphone in the face of a shy kid in the first row and he quietly said, “A foot?”  I repeated his answer to the audience and then one of our local Athletic Republic athletes raised his hand and after I called on him he proudly stated, “6 feet!”  I could see the surprised reaction in the audience.  I quickly added that we have a published, scientific study showing that we can produce average gains of 0.2 seconds on 40 yard times.   No less than an hour later I asked the athletes on the field what 0.2 seconds was and they all said 6 feet!

The entire weekend was a great mix of working with the athletes and answering questions for the parents.  The sprint cords were a great draw and all the athletes were amazed at the difference they could feel in just 4 quick starts.  We believe that this weekend will be a great boost to our business and provided a platform to get our brand in front of very influential coaches, parents and athletes in the Phoenix area.  In the first week we have already seen an influx of those athletes whose parents were in our tent all weekend.

Kristopher Birkeland
Director of Training
Athletic Republic Tempe

Hello Blog Fans!

I just finished up my first FBU event in Southern Cali’s own, San Diego.  The camp was held at Cathedral High School, whose football team won the State Champs of last year.  The brand new campus was awesome as it had an Aztec look plus a monastery feel to it.  The camp started off great because I had the chance to individually meet every kid.  All seemed nervous, yet super excited  at the same time.

After the FBU introduction we went immediately down to the dynamic warm up.  Within minutes it was easy to tell who had been working out, and who hasn’t been doing anything but PS3 and nachos all month.  We then went to our “Speed, Burst, Acceleration” drills which included Dice Drills, Hurdles, 40 Yard Dash Technique and Drills, and Pro Agility Technique and Drills.  This went great, as we got a chance to show the kids what we do, and they in return got to show us what they can do. I had a chance to go over with the kids my “38 Yard Dash” technique, a technique which allowed me to run a 4.51 electronic time for NFL scouts at 250 pounds. One kid that immediately stood out was a kid named Kenny Stills.  After talking with Kenny I found out that his dad had coached me when I played in NFL Europe.  His dad played at Wisconsin and went on to play for the Packers. It seems like Kenny is following in his dad’s footsteps, looking to play some Big Ten football of his own in the near future, so I look forward to following his career.

Saturday came fast as it was time to see who can play some football and who is just “bells and whistles”.  The talent was great and the coaches did an excellent job emphasizing proper technique in everything they did.  The position coaches consisted of a group of Techmo Bowl All Stars, including Andre “Full Moon” Rison from the Falcons, and Lorenzo White of the Houston Oilers.  I remember playing as these guys on Nintendo back in the day so it was a great experience to meet them.

Now that the technique aspect was installed, Sunday was more of a competition day.  I had the chance to run into Eric Allen, who left Oakland soon before I joined them, so we had the chance to chat about some Raider football.  After practice we ran the kids through a grueling obstacle course and tested them out in the vertical.  I believe these kids were definitely ready for a long long nap after the camp was over.

Overall I thought the camp was awesome.  I have been to tons of football camps in my life and this had to be one of the best.  Having former NFL players as coaches was a huge plus because these guys have more knowledge about the game than anyone out there.  Plus the mix between technique and competition was a top notch combo.  Most importantly having Athletic Republic there separated the FBU camp from any other camp in the nation.  No matter how good you are at football, it doesn’t mean anything unless you are at your max potential in speed, agility and explosiveness.  Throughout my career, I’ve beaten out numerous football players who were WAY better players than me, simply because I was quicker, faster and stronger than all of them.

I really hope all the kids at the camp take what they learned from all the coaches and apply it to their everyday training.  FBU should just be the beginning of preparation for a successful 2009 season.  I encourage all FBU athletes (and all non-FBU athletes) to find your nearest Athletic Republic to improve your performance, continue to practice the proper techniques of football, and take your game to the next level!

Yours In Speed!

J.R. Niklos

Are you football fast? Do you have the speed to separate from a defender or close the open-field gap? Athletic Republic has been the answer, for more than 500,000 athletes of all ages, looking to improve their speed, power and agility.

Fact is, with Athletic Republic’s help you can train your body to be faster on the football field. Our Acceleration Training program is focused on improving your speed and fundamental movement skills, on developing your explosive power to deliver a blow or gain that first step, and to be in condition to perform as well in the fourth quarter as you do in the first.

Get football fast with Athletic Republic.

FSU's Derek Nicholson

Hi everyone, I’m Derek Nicholson. I played inside linebacker at Florida State University the past four years, and I’m currently training at All-Star Sports in Paisley, Florida, in eager anticipation of FSU’s Pro Day on March 15th.

Over the next several weeks, I’m looking forward to keeping you up to date on my training progress. Before we get started, though, here’s a little more background on my high school and college career.

I graduated from Mt.Tabor H.S. in Winston-Salem, N.C. in 2005. I was a second team USA Today HS All-American, and played for the east squad in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where I led the team in tackles.

Moving on to FSU, I played in all 13 games for the Seminoles as a true freshman, including our ACC Championship victory over Virginia Tech and in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. I also led all first year players with 21 tackles. As a sophomore, I only got to play in five games before tearing my ACL. As a junior, I started all 13 games and led the team with 99 tackles. This past year, I started all 13 games, led the team with 81 tackles, and returned a fumble for a touchdown in my last game as a Semonole–a 42-13 victory over Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl!

All that is in the past now, as I focus on doing my best when the pro scouts visit Tallahassee in March. Between now and then, I’m working with Todd Robinett, All-Star Sports’ Director of Sports Performance, to improve my agility and 40-yard dash times specifically, while I also try to become a little leaner. Of course, I’d like to improve on everything I work on, but I think the agility and 40-yard dash tests are particularly important for linebackers seeking a high draft position.

Check back regularly as Todd and I update what we’re working on here in Paisley. And, thanks for reading!

Football 365 defines the Athletic Republic training network’s commitment to helping youth, middle school and high school football players maximize their potential and achieve their goals. We’ve partnered with Football University (FBU) and Rivals.com to develop a year-round, systematic approach to overall stamina and speed development, position-specific skill building and the X factor—getting noticed by college recruiters.

The mindset behind Football 365 is that every season is football season—Athletic Republic encourages athletes to train like a football player 365 days a year. From in-season practice and games, to post-season development of movement skills, power, strength and efficiency, to spring practice, to pre-season preparation, to playing a second or third sport, Athletic Republic and FBU present unparalleled opportunities for players to improve their game. And, when the time is right, Rivals.com is there to provide the platform for college-bound players to be noticed by recruiters.

Even though football combine season is already in progress, you can still fine-tune your technique to maximize your results. In the attached video, you’ll learn techniques to improve your 40-yard dash time. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll post other videos with combine preparation tips, so stay tuned.

And don’t forget, training at an Athletic Republic performance sports training center will help hone your testing technique while improving your football speed, power and agility.

On January 2, 2009, 500 of America’s top high school sophomore and junior football players gathered in San Antonio, Texas, to demonstrate their physical talent and football skills in front of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee and college football’s top scouting organizations. Athletic Republic was on the field with them capturing their test results with state-of-the-art technology solutions.

Throughout the day Athletic Republic captured digital video to show the athletes how they were performing and how they  improved with coaching. The end result is a multi-media report that synchronizes test data with video, bringing numbers to life and actually showing what something like two-tenths of a second improvement in the 40-yard dash looks like in terms of separation from an opponent.

Here’s a behind the scenes story from Rivals.com that talks about the benefits of this new approach combine testing: standardizing the measurement of standardized tests.

Looking for coverage of last week’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl activities? Here are links to some of the stories from the San Antonio Express, which covered the goings on from start to finish:

All-American Bowl claims victory in all-star battle

Middle-schoolers take aim at first all-star glory

East quarterback takes advantage of all-star spotlight

Parents example inspires tackle

Q&A: Marshall Faulk

Athletic Republic trainer working with U.S. Army All-Americans

In it’s first year of involvement with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Football University, Athletic Republic is all over the field, literally. Throughout Bowl week, Athletic Republic trainers are working directly with the 90 seniors on the East and West teams as well as providing technical support to the U.S. Army National Combine and the 500 underclassmen participating in it.

Here’s what a couple of the trainers had to say about what they’re seeing on the field:

It is quite an honor to work with the best high school football players in the nation.  They all have great attitudes, which really helps them adapt to the higher overall level of play and quickly learn offensive and defensive schemes. It is great to interact with the players as we do taping and stretching, trying to break the shyness barrier and talk to them about their goals and aspirations. I am amazed at the superior size, strength, speed and quickness of these athletes compared to the Utah high school athletes I have trained for the last 14 years.  Some of the players look just as talented as the college and pro football stars of today.
– Michael Everett ATC, CSCS

It’s been fun to see how the ‘Best of the Best’ are now sizing up to the other ‘Bests’ in the country. Everyone is fast here, everyone is big and strong, so now the players have to step up their physical abilities and use everything they have in order to compete. It’s a privilege to be associated with the elite level of athlete represented here.  I am also enjoying employing some functional rehab techniques to some of the kids with nagging injuries.
– BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS

Looking ahead to Football University this winter and spring, Steve Swanson, Chief Officer of Science and Technology for Athletic Republic, offered the observation that:

The intensity and focus of both the coaches and athletes here in San Antonio is phenomenal—just like what the participants in Football University will experience in the coming months.