short shuttle

**JJEB2** · 04-19-2006, 06:35 PM

at combines is it hand or electronic timed?

**timtim** · 04-20-2006, 03:07 PM

depends. i've been to afew where they were and afew where they werent. the nike combines were hand held.

**JJEB2** · 04-20-2006, 04:04 PM

yea i just re watched all the nfl combines and they do the 3 cone, LS and SS with a hand held which is good an d i dont think they add on any time.

**timtim** · 04-20-2006, 04:59 PM

yeah they shouldnt on that. this is pro combines you are talking about? i know they add time on the 40 if its hand held. hows your form on the shuttle? you have the tricks down pat?

**JJEB2** · 04-21-2006, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by timtim

yeah they shouldnt on that. this is pro combines you are talking about? i know they add time on the 40 if its hand held. hows your form on the shuttle? you have the tricks down pat?

yea the pro combine.

i knocked off a tenth off of my SS but the two surfaces i have done them on arent the best of surfaces. one was a turf field that hasnt had maintance in a year and a half and the other was the on a grass field day after a light rain. i talked with buckeyefootball and he gave me some pointers. stay low as possible, cross over run, shuffle then spider and transition and run then same to the other side and run through the line. i ran a 4.4 with slipping twice on the turf and i ran a hand held at 4.31 on the grass with one slide. with some more practice and hoping the the weather is good i can break a high 4.1 or low 4.2.

**timtim** · 04-21-2006, 03:43 PM

sounds good. remember 1st step pull across your body and try and explode out. depending on height you should be looking at 2 to 3 cross over strides. dont turn your body in the direction you are going first. pull to the side and crossover, drop low and get your hand to the line. then first stride out is the same, pull across and try to stay at 45 degree angle. 10 yards should be no more than 5 strides including the first crossover (depending on height) if your angles correct. i'm 5'5" and averaged 5 steps. remember stride length is much more important in the first 10 yards than stride frequency.

i wish you the best. if you have any questions please ask. if you want professional assistance check out www.defrancostraining.com. his video is insane. i know him pretty well and he is the best, can answer any and all questions. he is 100% legit. check the site for fun, you may end up buying the video.

**JJEB2** · 04-21-2006, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by timtim

sounds good. remember 1st step pull across your body and try and explode out. depending on height you should be looking at 2 to 3 cross over strides. dont turn your body in the direction you are going first. pull to the side and crossover, drop low and get your hand to the line. then first stride out is the same, pull across and try to stay at 45 degree angle. 10 yards should be no more than 5 strides including the first crossover (depending on height) if your angles correct. i'm 5'5" and averaged 5 steps. remember stride length is much more important in the first 10 yards than stride frequency.

i wish you the best. if you have any questions please ask. if you want professional assistance check out www.defrancostraining.com. his video is insane. i know him pretty well and he is the best, can answer any and all questions. he is 100% legit. check the site for fun, you may end up buying the video.

yea he definately knows his shit. i did alot of westside training prior to even knowing who defranco was. then i started to read some of his articles on elitefts and then saw that he posted at t nation. i got around to his site a while ago and he def has a good knowledge of training for athletes. i heard his vid is unreal.

as far as the SS i actually want a cross over step comming out of touching the line? can u get in depth with that a little more please. i actually when doing thge spider i have my momentum and feet already turned to the side i am going and i touch and go. i may subconsciously do it but have never had it taped to see my form. my stride at 6'1 is at the 5 step mark within 10 yards. i just have the habit to get high when i come out of my break.

**timtim** · 04-21-2006, 04:21 PM

the reason for the crossover step from your first turn is because if you crossover stride the first 5 yards you are still facing forward. turning takes time. so as you touch the line you are facing forward. logical first step is the crossover and then turn in that first stride. the spider touch will work on the second turn but can cause slipping.

i have to go now, let me know if this is clear, i'll clarify later.

**JJEB2** · 04-21-2006, 09:01 PM

makes sense bro. i just figured either way it would take time off the clock. the crossover being that you are crossing your feet which is alot slower than a run. but then i understand how you can explode right from that position almost like a back peddle into a sprint with the hip rotation which gives alot of momentum and explosiveness

**timtim** · 04-22-2006, 01:03 PM

what i'll do is list everything i know and you see what makes sense. i dont want to negatively affect your times so this is just as an aid. if anything hits you as useful that is great. you obviously have to be very athletic so these things may be common knowledge for you.

start position:
shoulder width stance. the direction you intend to go (should be your weak side - makes the second turn which is the hardest on your strong side, more stability) the foot that is in that direction is back at a heal:toe ratio. hand goes down.

1st step:
you push with the lead leg as hard as you can in the opposite direction. at the same time pulling the outside leg over and almost jumping. the reason for the heel toe stance is to avoid having to step in front of your opposite leg as you crossover. the lower you stay the further you go and the less time spent in transition. 2 crossovers and touch the line. the whole time you are facing forward in the same direction you started. any turning will only add time. as you reach for the line keep the ankle, hip and shoulder in align - they will be at a very sharp angle but if their aligned you'll be in control.

10 yards:
simple, stay at 45 degree angle and low (you said, i think that you tend to pop up, practice avoiding this). picture from your start at the mid line that there is an imaginary line coming out from your shoulders in both directions. these lines go down to the ground like a pyramid. the closer you stick to these lines, the faster the time. any deviation is added time.

2nd turn:
your second turn should be in the same direction as the first. turning 180 degrees takes alot of time. the key is hitting the turn in a near identical position as the first turn. using your inside hand for stability drop and hit the line. the quicker you get down and up will dictate the plyo push your inside arm will make. too long on the ground and its no longer explosive and becomes time consuming. after you hit the line, explode with a crossover step and fly through the line.

all in all your probably looking at 10 to 13 strides all together with the crossovers.

if this is confusing let me know. the pyramid analogy is a very good one. once in your stance picture the lines going down to each 5 yard marker.

the crossovers are like a lateral jump. this can be practiced by facing forward and doing lateral jumps for 20 to 30 yards. set your stance like the ss without the hand down and do 1 jump at a time. focus on the push pull of your legs making the jumps and getting as far as you can as fast as you can.

other exercises to help with explosive movements would be complex training. this form of training would be a 10 set workout. you would squat 3 to 4 reps at the max weight you can do. this lasts for 20 seconds, no longer. immediately following the squats you go to forward broad jumps for 20 yards forward and back then rest 3 to 4 minutes. the jumps are to be fast and explosive but 1 rep at a time. reset your stance quickly and jump. there should be little time between jumps but they should not blend together into a bounding exercise. there is then a 3 to 5 minute rest between sets. same can be done for upper body with a flat bar bench combined with plyo push ups between 2 six inch boxes. defranco taught me this stuff like 5 years ago so things are propbably adjusted to make everything smoother and more efficient. check his site for any articles on this stuff. works awesome.

hope i'm helping you out and not sounding like a know it all. any other questions please ask. i miss wotrking with athletes as i've changed professions.

**buckeyefootball4** · 04-22-2006, 01:22 PM

thats to much vol for complex training too many jumps no stick to about 3reps of vj or bj

**JJEB2** · 04-22-2006, 04:18 PM

for the lateral jumps am i practicing distance or height? i would assume distance.

**timtim** · 04-22-2006, 10:39 PM

for the lateral jumps am i practicing distance or height? i would assume distance.

all distance and explosive. how quickly you cover the longest distance.

thats to much vol for complex training too many jumps no stick to about 3reps of vj or bj

i'm certain there are many variations of the same method, yours could work just as good. this is the one i was taught and saw in action with many athletes and the results were evident.