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.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from or about Neil Clark (top photo) and Vladi Nikiforov (bottom photo).

With hockey season in full-swing, they’ve both seen the benefits of their hard summer of hockey training pay off. Here’s a story about Neil being called up to the AHL Rochester Americans.

Neil is possibly one of the hardest working athletes I have ever worked with his resilience, attitude and pure passion for the game makes him a leader on and off the ice. He has made incredible strides in his game and continues to move up the hockey food chain. – Tad O’Had VP of Hockey Athletic Republic

Utah Grizzlies Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Kevin Colley recently announced  that forward Vladimir Nikiforov has been recalled to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Grizzlies are proud to be the ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders and their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. Nikiforov, 21, was named an ECHL All-Star last week and leads Utah rookies with six goals and 12 assists in 29 games. He played four games with the Sound Tigers earlier this year.

Vladi Nikiforov did an incredible job this summer training, his persistence and attitude are outstanding and we couldn’t be any happier with his success. — Jake Laime BlueStreak Sports Training Hockey Director (A Proud Member of Athletic Republic)

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.

The photo at left recently was posted on Habs Inside/Out–the online source for absolutely everything about the Montreal Canadiens. The title of the post is Getting Into Hockey Shape, and tells the tale of the Silver brothers bring Athletic Republic’s patented Hockey Treadmill to the Sportplexe Quatres-Glaces in Pierrefonds.

If you’ve ever wondered what hockey treadmill training was all about, this article is a must read.

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 CEO Charlie Graves

Like a kid in a candy shop, Athletic Republic CEO Charlie Graves proudly shows off his own U.S. Army All-American Bowl East Team jersey. He’s a little older than the 90 high schools seniors on the East and West teams, but he’s just as enthusiastic about being in San Antonio for all the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week activities, including the U.S. Army National Combine, the Football University Youth All-American Bowl and, of course, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl itself.

All three Football University Youth All-American Bowl games will be Web cast live on Sunday, January 4th on www.FootballUniversity.org, and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be televised on NBC Sports at noon (CST) on Saturday, January 3rd.

The new Brand Jordan football spot, Become Legendary, may only be playing on U.S. television sets, but, thanks to YouTube, it’s getting global exposure. So, too, is the Athletic Republic Super Treadmill that is featured early in the spot.

If it looks like the athlete in the spot is running awfully fast, he is–over 20 mph–and he ended up running at that speed for quite a bit longer than the typical short bursts an athlete would run during a training session at Athletic Republic. Seems as if the director got carried away just watching someone run that fast.

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.

FBU Alumni Playing in 209 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Of the 90 high school seniors participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this Saturday, 19 of them are Football University (FBU) alums: Cliff Harris, CB (CA); Tajh Boyd, QB (VA) Shaquelle Evans, WR (CA); Kevin Newsome, QB (VA); Larvez Mars, OLB (FL); Je’Ron Stokes, WR (PA); Patrick Hall, S (CA); Christine Michael, RB (TX); Chris Whaley, RB (TX); Edwin Baker, RB (MI); Tom Savage, QB (PA); Gabe Lynn, CB (OK); Chris Metcalf, OLB (CA); Cierre Wood, RB (CA); Zeke Motta, OLB (FL). FBU Alum U.S. Army All-American’s not pictured: Bryce Brown, RB (MI); Randall Carroll, WR (CA); Michael Carter, CB (FL); Byron Moore, CB (CA).

In the lead-up to Saturday’s game, which will be televised on NBC at noon (CST), you can keep track of all U.S. Army All-American Bowl week activities via daily Web casts at www.allamericangames.tv.

It may be the height of “bowl season,” but at Athletic Republic, every season is football season. Bowl games just attract more attention than post-season skill development sessions, combine preparation, spring practice, pre-season training, or even regular season games do.

In the lead-up to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which will be televised from the AlamoDome in San Antonio by NBC Sports at noon (CST) on January 3rd, Athletic Republic trainers will be working directly with the 90 seniors on the East and West U.S. Army All-American Bowl teams. And, Athletic Republic will be providing technology  support for the U.S. Army National Combine—an event for the top 500 underclassmen in the country—which is also being held this week in San Antonio.

Once bowl week is over, Athletic Republic and its network of performance sports training centers will extend the Football 365 message to football players across the country through its sponsorship of Football University (FBU).

The 2009 Football University season kicks off in Dallas on January 30. The complete 2009 tour will take FBU to 30 cities around the United States. Invitations are being sent in the mail to athletes’ home or school addresses throughout December and January. If have not received an invite and would like to be considered, nominate yourself online at www.footballuniversity.org.