By Don Sommer
See the issue: October 2007

Midway through the season, we begin conditioning again, because practices are shorter, so the players’ conditioning levels begin to fall. We’ll condition the day after a game to work out the soreness, and also on Tuesday or Wednesday. To make our conditioning position-specific, our defense performs a pursuit drill, the offensive line performs 20 to 30 15-yard sprints and the skill guys run 10 to 15 fly patterns during special teams. We use a 3:1 work-to-rest ratio on all conditioning drills.

I always tell our guys: “You never know if you’re going to play five or six quarters, so you have to be as fresh on play 120 as you are on play one.”

10s, 20s, 30s, 40s Ladder

After each sprint through the yard line, jog to next starting point and immediately perform the next sprint.

• Start on goal line; sprint through 10-yard line
• Start on 10-yard line; sprint through 30-yard line
• Start on 30-yard line; sprint through opposite 40-yard line
• Start on 40-yard line; sprint through goal line
• Start on goal line; sprint through 40-yard line
• Start on 40-yard line; sprint through opposite 30-yard line
• Start on 30-yard line; sprint through 10-yard line
• Start on 10-yard line; sprint through goal line
• Use 3:1 work-to-rest ratio
• Perform 6 reps

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