Phase 3 - Competition - the final phase of a high school workout program is the competition phase. During the competition phase the football player is in the actual football season including the training camp in this case.
During training camp the primary focus of training will be in position specific football skills and more mental aspects of the game such as plays, assignments, opponent tendencies, etc. The number of strenuous workouts should diminish as the season gets closer to starting.
During the actual in season the number of strenuous workouts should be kept to 1 - 2 a week, with the remaining time focusing on the more technical aspects of the game. The strenuous workouts should focus on keeping an athletes speed and strength near its maximum levels, while also giving the athlete the ability to react to near game time conditions.
In an ideal world the football player will still be fresh or near maximum potential at the end of the football season.
Due to the nature of the game, there are some injuries that are unavoidable no matter how many precautions a coach takes to ensure proper conditioning and safety of his athletes. However, overtraining is one of the top causes of avoidable injuries, especially in athletes who are functioning near their maximum potential.
During the inseason training sessions there will be a large divergence in terms of actual traits of a training session based on the position of the player and the skills that need to be enhanced in that athlete.
Athlete Progression - progression of an athlete year over year is essential to developing a high quality individual athlete and also a high quality football program. Care must be taken by all coaches related to a football program from Elementary and Middle School football leagues up through varsity coaches to interact with one another and to understand the skill level of all athletes involved in the system.
The training age of an athlete (the years the athlete has participate in the said activity) is a key factor in driving the workouts that the athlete should be doing in all 3 phases of the high school workout program. Each level of athlete should be performing workouts that feed upon each other and develops the athlete to the fullest of their potential.
This type of progression usually starts with the basics of strength training form with light weights, proper stretching, light sprint/cardio work and the basic rules and playbook at the lower levels of the football program to sophisticated strength training, plyometrics, speed drills and a dynamic playbook at the varsity level.
A well developed high school football workout program takes into account the individual football athletes needs and level of development and places it within the context of the goals of the program in general.
Stay tuned for additional segments that go into more detail into the specifics of high school football workout program. The next section is on the primary lifts that should be included as the core of your high school football weightlifting program.