Break Away from the Herd

It seems like clockwork, every year a new fad diet or exercise program comes out. There was 8 Minute Abs, then 7 Minute Abs, then 6 Minute Abs, there were Medicine Balls, then Kettle Bells, there was Pilates, and Tae Bo, there was Wii Fit, and Shake Weight. Now there is P90X and Focus T25 and Crossfit.

These are all examples of a phenomenon called Herding. Herding is when people tend to follow what other people are doing.

Examples of this in football include doing the same type of workout as your buddies in the offseason or getting the same kind of gear even though you play a different position, because it looks cool. Or even playing the same position as someone else because you are friends with them.

In the end, everyone is unique, and you need to do what is best for you. No two people are the same and you need to be able to objectively decide what the best workout is for your needs. A kicker shouldn’t be doing lineman workouts and a first year player shouldn’t be focusing on the same skills as someone who has been playing for 8 or 10 years.

In the same way, that linebacker visor may look cool, but is it really meant for a qb?

Stick with your instincts and do what feels right for you, following the crowd gets the leader where they want to go, but maybe you need to be your own leader!