tight end and defensive end

Question
I'm joseph and I'm 16 6'1 and 155 and I have played defensive end b4 in 7th grade but I stopped football to get better at basketball..now I'm goin to play both sports this year but I really want to play football because I see a better furture for myself in that area.I started back working out to get bigger I want to weigh 175.I played defensive end in 7th grade I was 2nd string. I was also 2nd string in special teams behind the 8th graders. well im goin to 10th grade and school starts in 3 weeks..what should I do to become a better defensive end and tight end to be a starter. Do you have any exercises I can do and dieting tips. I do work hard when I want to do something I put my mind to it. I have great motivation so whatever tips you give me I will do them and really appreciate it.

Answer
Dear Joseph:
I think you should give tight end a try. If you are going to start on the varsity level you are going to have to improve your over all skills. You will need to improve your speed, conditioning, and strength. You are also going to have to lose some body fat and put on more muscle. Let's start by getting you in shape.

REMEMBER ONLY A DOCTOR CAN TELL YOU IF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE STARTING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. You need to get your PARENTS, your COACH, and your DOCTOR involved.

1. GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE. THEY CAN BE OF GREAT HELP TO YOU.

2. TALK TO YOUR COACH HE IS THERE TO HELP YOU. HE WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED. HE CAN GET YOU STARTED ON THE RIGHT PROGRAM.

3. BEFORE YOU START ANY PROGRAM MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND YOUR DOCTORS OKAY.

REMEMBER ONLY A DOCTOR CAN TELL YOU IF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE STARTING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN TO BE SORRY!!!!!!!!!!

You want to be quicker than everybody else. Keep playing basketball it will help you get into football shape. It will teach you how to run back, forth, and side to side without thinking about it. Basketball will also help your coordination, quickness, conditioning, and improve your foot work. This type of workout is especially good if you want to play half-back, tight end, and or defensive back.

You also might want to add handball to your workout schedule. Just like in basketball, handball forces you to run back, forth, and side to side without having to think about it. You just react to the ball much like in football. Handball can be of great help, to a football player, for all the same reasons as basketball.

Try playing these two sports, as part of your routine workout, and you will get into fantastic football shape. You will also improve your coordination and reaction time. If you do not want to play basketball or handball try some running.

You want to be fresh in the fourth quarter when everybody else is exhausted. Start by running a 1/2 lap around the football field everyday. Be sure to sprint the last 100-yards of your run. This way you work on your wind sprints and long distance running at the same time.

After a week or so, when you feel up to it, add a half a lap to your workout. Keep adding a half a lap, every week or so, until you reach 3 or four miles per workout. Only workout once a day, you do not want to over do it. You want to build your body up not use it up. Be sure to drink lots of water, you will need it. And do not do all three work outs together. Just pick one and do it.

By the time you start football camp, you will be in the best shape of your life. TAKE IT SLOW. Do not push too hard and make sure that you get checked by a Doctor first.

DO NOT DO THIS WORK OUT IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING OUT REGULARLY.THIS WORK OUT WILL CAUSE YOUR MUSCLES TO CRAMP UP FOR A MONTH IF YOUR BODY IS NOT READY FOR IT. I AM NOT KIDDING.

You need to get your PARENTS, your COACH, and your DOCTOR involved.

1. GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE. THEY CAN BE OF GREAT HELP TO YOU.

2. TALK TO YOUR COACH HE IS THERE TO HELP YOU. HE WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED. HE CAN GET YOU STARTED ON THE RIGHT PROGRAM.

3. BEFORE YOU START ANY PROGRAM MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND YOUR DOCTORS OKAY. REMEMBER ONLY A DOCTOR CAN TELL YOU IF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE STARTING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN TO BE SORRY!!!!!!!!!!  

Try Hundreds it is a muscle blaster to the max. The way to do hundreds is to lift 1/4 of what you normally would lift for 100-reps.

For example if you normally lift 200 pounds on the bench press you would cut that amount to 50 pound more or less. Your goal would be to bench press 50-pounds 100-times. Your first few reps will seem easy but before you get to a total of 100-reps your muscles will give out. Rest for only a minute or so and then continue from where you left off.

Lets say that you were only able to do 25-reps before your muscles gave out, then you would need another 75-reps to finish your workout.

You want to have a total of 100-reps.You do not want to count sets you only want to count reps. Do as many sets as it takes to reach a total of 100-reps.

You can only do hundreds on two major body groups at a time and never on the same day. Try this workout.

Do your chest workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only. On Tuesday and Thursday workout you back. Rest on Saturday and Sunday.

Do one exercise of 100-reps a day (only) and you are done with that muscle group for the day. NO MORE! You DO NOT WANT TO OVER DO IT.

This is a major wake up call for your chest, back, or what ever muscles you want to work on. You can do the same type of work out for your other body parts. For example, try working out your biceps and triceps together or quadriceps and calves. Do not do all these work outs in one day because it is too much for the body to recover from. You will need plenty of rest to go along with your workouts. Remember that your body needs to rest in order to build muscles. Your muscles grow when you give then time to recover.

Short (45-minute) naps during the day are great to help the body grow. Drink lots of water, get lots of sleep, and do not over do it. Remember your body needs time to recover from the workouts. And this is also the time, during which, your body grows.

If you have any questions on how to do your work out just let me know. I will be more than happy to help you in any way I can. Here are some tips on how to play tight end.

Receiving a Pass
- Form a triangle with your hands (between your index fingers and thumbs)
- Keep your eye on the ball at all times
- Keep the ball away from your body
- Keep your hands soft so that you can cushion the ball
- Once you have caught the ball, tuck it away so that you don't fumble it.

There are 3 characteristics a receiver must have. A receiver must demonstrate a strong ability to block the other guy, consistently get opened on pass patterns, and he must be able to prove (time and time again, to all) that he has sure-hands. If you can consistently turn a third-down into a first-down you will be the go to guy on any team.

Let us start with blocking; blocking is nothing more than hard work and never giving up. What you need to do is spend some time in the weight room (during the summer) this will make you stronger.

I would also work on my conditioning and my ability to react to the ball. Playing a lot of handball and basketball will help you develop these skills. Handball and basketball will make you quicker and better conditioned.

Next, I would work on pass patterns. A receiver must get opened before he can catch the ball. I would work on the quick out, slant, and the seam pass. These quick patterns are a must have on most teams. And great tight end patterns.

Remember when running your patterns, the biggest mistake you can make is to slow down when catching the ball or after making your break. If you slow down before you catch the ball or after your break, you will be giving the defensive back time to catch up with you.

You must run your pattern as fast as you can, while still keeping under control, and let the quarterback lead you. It is up to the quarterback to get you the ball when you are open.

Quick Out (1):

This is a 5-8 yard route forward then the receiver cuts out towards the sideline then looks for the ball.

Slant (2):

This is a 3-5 yard route forward then the receiver breaks towards the middle of the filed on a 45 degree angle and looks for the ball.

Seam (3):

This route is run straight up the field with the receiver looking for the ball after he gets past the line of scrimmage.

The most important skill that a receiver can master is strong desire to catch the ball. A receiver should concentrate on looking the ball into his hands (all the way into his hands).

A receiver must be able to shut everything out of his mind by focusing all his attention on looking the ball into his hands.

A receiver must watch the football until he catches it and puts it away before he starts to run with it. The catch is more vital than the run after.

The last twelve inches of the flight, of the ball, are the most important of all, this is where most receivers take their eyes off the ball and drop it.

Here is a list of drill you can work on. You will need someone to play quarterback. All passes will be no longer than 3-5 yards at first. When you get good, at catching the ball, at this distance, move up to 8-10 yards.

1. Have the quarterback throw the ball over your left shoulder (catch the ball with your right hand only) 5-10 passes per-practice.

2. Have the quarterback throw the ball over your right shoulder (catch the ball with your left hand only) 5-10 passes per-practice.  

3. Two handed catch over your right shoulder (5-10 times).

4. Two handed catch over your left shoulder (5-10 times).

Always catch the ball with your hands only (do not trap the ball against your body it will bounce off your shoulder pads. Try this for about a week or two, 20-30 minutes a day. Short passes only. At first you will drop a lot of passes but don't give up. When you are ready, move on to (a little) longer passes.

Before you start any program, make sure to get all the help you can from people that care about you and want you to succeed. They can make sure that you do not over do it and that you reach your goals.

I hope this information will be of help to you. Remember, take it one step at a time there are no short cuts to being an impact player.

Your friend, Coach Louis