Saban's conditioning program

[quietfan 233]

Long (3 page) article on Strength & Conditioning in the off-season at UAT:

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama players will hold up four fingers this season heading into a game's final quarter. That's nothing new.

But Alabama football coach Nick Saban hopes the gesture will remind players that they survived the intense running and agility program - called The Fourth Quarter Program - employed by the new staff during its first offseason.

"We're trying to get effort, toughness, for people to be responsible for their job, for them to (react) correctly and transfer it onto the field," Saban said in his office last week. "You have to be in very good condition to be able to sustain that."

Alabama's 15-workout spring practice begins on March 24 and ends with the A-Day game on April 21. Saban's plan is to work the team into physical and mental shape before it begins.

Will the program do it? Listen to the coach who taught it to Saban in 1983.

"It's about busting your tail, and putting effort and commitment into your program," said Carl "Buck" Nystrom, a former Michigan State offensive line coach. "Everybody does it, from the quarterback to the last guy on the bench. The idea is, `Hey, we're going to war together and (heck), we're just going to die together.' It's a little bit of a Marine thing."

That Fourth Quarter conditioning program runs twice a week for endurance and speed improvement and twice a week for agility and football-related movements. The team also lifts weights three times a week.

Holding up four fingers of his own, Saban explained: One finger is discipline, another for effort, another for toughness, and another for commitment. The thumb stands for pride.

(more....)

This in particularly interested me:

As far as conditioning goes, he believes in training players by using football-specific drills. Cornerbacks do sprints by backpedaling. Linemen run in 5-yard bursts.

While Saban said there is no actual coaching involved - that would violate NCAA offseason rules - the assistant coaches are present and quite vocal.

To assist him, he hired former LSU assistant strength and conditioning coaches Scott Cochran and Bo Davis (also UA's defensive line coach). Saban also retained the services of Colburn, who is now spearheading the effort.

...

One station may entail laying down two 2-by-4s to form an X. One player is the cat, another is the mouse, and they chase each other around until the whistle blows.

Sooo...coaches are "present and quite vocal" and somebody is blowing whistles, but no coaching is being done that would violate NCAA offseason rules? Sounds like a borderline situation to me--wonder what the NCAA would say if they saw a videotape from the practice field?

[SKCAUB 0]

Uh...that's NOT a violation???!!!

[WAR EAGLE!!! 0]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

[AUChizad 0]

Holding up four fingers of his own, Saban explained: One finger is discipline, another for effort, another for toughness, and another for commitment. The thumb stands for pride.

I'm just trying to figure out exactly what hand gesture entails holding up four fingers for the symbolic representation of this 4th quarter drill in which your thumb is extended?

[80Tiger 904]

It is all over for the rest of us in the SEC. NS has implement an extremely tough regimen of off season conditioning called "cat and mouse". Any opposing team that was planning on running the always wildly succesful play of " ball carrier running in a circle around his linemen" will be crushed by the mighty crimson tide. I only wish TT had thought of this. I don't know how many times over the years our defense has been befuddled by "ball carrier running in a circle around his lineman". That NS is a genius.

[AUdad4kicks 0]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

Your so right. The fact that it is news worthy that uat is doing offseason conditining is the sad part. This was a couple weeks ago so I don't have the link, but I read that one of the O-lineman said that he was sore for the first time since he has been there.

[Tigermike 3,067]

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama players will hold up four fingers this season heading into a game's final quarter. That's nothing new.

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama fans will talk ad nauseam heading into this season about how great the conditioning is. That's nothing new. They did it during the Stallings era, the Dubose era, excessively during the Price Spring, for four years during the Shula era. Why would they NOT do it during the first two months of the Saban era.

[Bama My Heart 5]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

Your so right. The fact that it is news worthy that uat is doing offseason conditining is the sad part. This was a couple weeks ago so I don't have the link, but I read that one of the O-lineman said that he was sore for the first time since he has been there.

Why are ya'll getting so upset about this statement? Coach Saban did not say that he was doing something that other coaches were not doing. He only stated what he is doing here. It has nothing to do with Auburn or any other university. He was not comparing us to any other program. He personally doesn't care if you have been doing it for 100 years, he is just saying what he is doing. Even if other schools are doing things, and he decides to put those things in our program. What is wrong with that. If you think that everything Coach Tuberville does is original, I am sure that you are mistaken. He may have picked it up from somewhere else, but hey if it works for ya...use it.

I do think in a statement he has made about how it will take us a while to get where we should be, should end people saying that we think that we are going to win every game next year. We know that it will take a while, and even though we have said that in the past. I believe that this is the first time that we honestly believe it.

We may have a lot of catching up to do, but don't put us down because we are starting to do something.

Coach Saban wasn't making the statement to say, "hey look at us and what we're doing" he was telling the Bama fans what is going on with the program. I hope he always keeps us posted as to changes that he is making. I guess he wants us to feel like we're getting our money's worth. I think that he coaches year round and is always working on something. I believe that may have hurt Coach Shula, because I think when recruiting was over, he started spending more time with the family, and not with the coaches. This is understandable being a man with a young family, but it didn't help our program very much.

[ssgaufan 0]

Long (3 page) article on Strength & Conditioning in the off-season at UAT:

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama players will hold up four fingers this season heading into a game's final quarter. That's nothing new.

But Alabama football coach Nick Saban hopes the gesture will remind players that they survived the intense running and agility program - called The Fourth Quarter Program - employed by the new staff during its first offseason.

"We're trying to get effort, toughness, for people to be responsible for their job, for them to (react) correctly and transfer it onto the field," Saban said in his office last week. "You have to be in very good condition to be able to sustain that."

Alabama's 15-workout spring practice begins on March 24 and ends with the A-Day game on April 21. Saban's plan is to work the team into physical and mental shape before it begins.

Will the program do it? Listen to the coach who taught it to Saban in 1983.

"It's about busting your tail, and putting effort and commitment into your program," said Carl "Buck" Nystrom, a former Michigan State offensive line coach. "Everybody does it, from the quarterback to the last guy on the bench. The idea is, `Hey, we're going to war together and (heck), we're just going to die together.' It's a little bit of a Marine thing."

That Fourth Quarter conditioning program runs twice a week for endurance and speed improvement and twice a week for agility and football-related movements. The team also lifts weights three times a week.

Holding up four fingers of his own, Saban explained: One finger is discipline, another for effort, another for toughness, and another for commitment. The thumb stands for pride.

(more....)

This in particularly interested me:

As far as conditioning goes, he believes in training players by using football-specific drills. Cornerbacks do sprints by backpedaling. Linemen run in 5-yard bursts.

While Saban said there is no actual coaching involved - that would violate NCAA offseason rules - the assistant coaches are present and quite vocal.

To assist him, he hired former LSU assistant strength and conditioning coaches Scott Cochran and Bo Davis (also UA's defensive line coach). Saban also retained the services of Colburn, who is now spearheading the effort.

...

One station may entail laying down two 2-by-4s to form an X. One player is the cat, another is the mouse, and they chase each other around until the whistle blows.

Sooo...coaches are "present and quite vocal" and somebody is blowing whistles, but no coaching is being done that would violate NCAA offseason rules? Sounds like a borderline situation to me--wonder what the NCAA would say if they saw a videotape from the practice field?

I thought the THUMB meant FIVE in a row

[80Tiger 904]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

Your so right. The fact that it is news worthy that uat is doing offseason conditining is the sad part. This was a couple weeks ago so I don't have the link, but I read that one of the O-lineman said that he was sore for the first time since he has been there.

Why are ya'll getting so upset about this statement? Coach Saban did not say that he was doing something that other coaches were not doing. He only stated what he is doing here. It has nothing to do with Auburn or any other university. He was not comparing us to any other program. He personally doesn't care if you have been doing it for 100 years, he is just saying what he is doing. Even if other schools are doing things, and he decides to put those things in our program. What is wrong with that. If you think that everything Coach Tuberville does is original, I am sure that you are mistaken. He may have picked it up from somewhere else, but hey if it works for ya...use it.

I do think in a statement he has made about how it will take us a while to get where we should be, should end people saying that we think that we are going to win every game next year. We know that it will take a while, and even though we have said that in the past. I believe that this is the first time that we honestly believe it.

We may have a lot of catching up to do, but don't put us down because we are starting to do something.

Coach Saban wasn't making the statement to say, "hey look at us and what we're doing" he was telling the Bama fans what is going on with the program. I hope he always keeps us posted as to changes that he is making. I guess he wants us to feel like we're getting our money's worth. I think that he coaches year round and is always working on something. I believe that may have hurt Coach Shula, because I think when recruiting was over, he started spending more time with the family, and not with the coaches. This is understandable being a man with a young family, but it didn't help our program very much.

Then why is this a front page article in the sports section of the Birmingham News?? Why is this news at all??

It is reported as if it is some great groundbreaking conditioning method and is if no other school is doing that. You are missing our point in responding and we are not upset. We think it is funny that it even has to be reported and it happens with each new coach. It is being done to prop up your fan base and make you feel good. There is really no substance to what they are doing. It is no different than anyone else. It goes back to "winning the press conference" mentality. As long as you (UA) win the media your base thinks you are winning. Our problem is that the local media is complicit.

[Bama My Heart 5]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

Your so right. The fact that it is news worthy that uat is doing offseason conditining is the sad part. This was a couple weeks ago so I don't have the link, but I read that one of the O-lineman said that he was sore for the first time since he has been there.

Why are ya'll getting so upset about this statement? Coach Saban did not say that he was doing something that other coaches were not doing. He only stated what he is doing here. It has nothing to do with Auburn or any other university. He was not comparing us to any other program. He personally doesn't care if you have been doing it for 100 years, he is just saying what he is doing. Even if other schools are doing things, and he decides to put those things in our program. What is wrong with that. If you think that everything Coach Tuberville does is original, I am sure that you are mistaken. He may have picked it up from somewhere else, but hey if it works for ya...use it.

I do think in a statement he has made about how it will take us a while to get where we should be, should end people saying that we think that we are going to win every game next year. We know that it will take a while, and even though we have said that in the past. I believe that this is the first time that we honestly believe it.

We may have a lot of catching up to do, but don't put us down because we are starting to do something.

Coach Saban wasn't making the statement to say, "hey look at us and what we're doing" he was telling the Bama fans what is going on with the program. I hope he always keeps us posted as to changes that he is making. I guess he wants us to feel like we're getting our money's worth. I think that he coaches year round and is always working on something. I believe that may have hurt Coach Shula, because I think when recruiting was over, he started spending more time with the family, and not with the coaches. This is understandable being a man with a young family, but it didn't help our program very much.

Then why is this a front page article in the sports section of the Birmingham News?? Why is this news at all??

It is reported as if it is some great groundbreaking conditioning method and is if no other school is doing that. You are missing our point in responding and we are not upset. We think it is funny that it even has to be reported and it happens with each new coach. It is being done to prop up your fan base and make you feel good. There is really no substance to what they are doing. It is no different than anyone else. It goes back to "winning the press conference" mentality. As long as you (UA) win the media your base thinks you are winning. Our problem is that the local media is complicit.

I understand what you're saying. I truly believe that the press is setting us up for a big fall. I think that the main reason that they are putting so much emphasis on everything that Coach Saban does is because when he loses his first game(and yes I do believe we will lose 1...ok maybe more...just kidding) they will clean his clock. They love when a team loses a lot more than when they win. Especially if the school has a high paid coach. I know there is not a lot of football news right now, but hey maybe the press should just let football rest until everyone has their spring game.

[WAR EAGLE!!! 0]

Every team in America does this...they are just giving Saban more press than what deserves. READ MY LIPS!!! This is no story, everyone does it, it's just another feable attempt to get the Bama fans all giddy, sell newspapers and claim that "this is the reason we can win the SEC next year". News for you Bama...the rest of the SEC has been doing this crap for the last 10 years! You have a lot of catching up to do!!!

Your so right. The fact that it is news worthy that uat is doing offseason conditining is the sad part. This was a couple weeks ago so I don't have the link, but I read that one of the O-lineman said that he was sore for the first time since he has been there.

Why are ya'll getting so upset about this statement? Coach Saban did not say that he was doing something that other coaches were not doing. He only stated what he is doing here. It has nothing to do with Auburn or any other university. He was not comparing us to any other program. He personally doesn't care if you have been doing it for 100 years, he is just saying what he is doing. Even if other schools are doing things, and he decides to put those things in our program. What is wrong with that. If you think that everything Coach Tuberville does is original, I am sure that you are mistaken. He may have picked it up from somewhere else, but hey if it works for ya...use it.

I do think in a statement he has made about how it will take us a while to get where we should be, should end people saying that we think that we are going to win every game next year. We know that it will take a while, and even though we have said that in the past. I believe that this is the first time that we honestly believe it.

We may have a lot of catching up to do, but don't put us down because we are starting to do something.

Coach Saban wasn't making the statement to say, "hey look at us and what we're doing" he was telling the Bama fans what is going on with the program. I hope he always keeps us posted as to changes that he is making. I guess he wants us to feel like we're getting our money's worth. I think that he coaches year round and is always working on something. I believe that may have hurt Coach Shula, because I think when recruiting was over, he started spending more time with the family, and not with the coaches. This is understandable being a man with a young family, but it didn't help our program very much.

You hit the nail on the head!!! THIS SHOULD NOT BE NEWS!!! I didn't mean to put Alabama down. If you read my post...I never do. The only thing I am saying is people are reporting this like it is the missing piece that Alabama has been missing for all these years. It's not! Every team does it, Shula probably did it too, it's just that now that Saban does it, it's front page material...

And I am calling BS on the "Shula spending time with family instead of the coaches and football team" line. That is just another excuse and it is why the reporters keep making this front page news. So people like you will say..."Hell yeah, Coach Saban is already doing things better than Shula!!!"

[auwallace 6]

..."Hell yeah, Coach Saban is already doing things better than Shula!!!"

a half retarded spider monkey could've done things better than shula and he would have just thrown poop at everyone

[aumd03 2]

On the agenda for tomorrow's front page:

Basketball players practice free throws

Baseball players spend time in the cage, pitchers throwing and running foul poles.

And boosters writing checks....

[CCTAU 3,351]

Winter workout and spring football used to be an elective. One hour of credit for a billion hours of work. Regular students could sign up, if they were idiots. Winter quarter if '87 I was not eligible to practice yet, but since I took winter workout as an elective, I was able to workout. Hardest hour I have ever earned.

So at this point it is not coaching, but a class.

[DKW 86 7,451]

BMH, it is not against you or the sane uat fans out there. This is the same stuff we hear every year at this time. There was a full page news article when Price was there describing (I am not making this up) what a radical concept that the wr practiced with wrs.

The dl practiced with the.....dl.

The ol practiced with the.....ol.

The rbs practiced with the.....rbs.

etc.

I am not making this up. Practice is pretty much practice. The drills etc may vary but not my much. The fact that this is actually news, well that is just funny.

BTW, about June or July and you can hear Shane on PFS tell you how "Bama's conditioning is so good that the players have never been in better shape, never been stronger, nver been quicker, faster, etc." This call is one of those you will hear and have heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR for years. Believe it or not, we heard it every year Shula was down in Tuscaloosa too.

I told quite a few uat folks last season I was hearing very strong rumors (came out with the icecream stuff, I live in Decatur where Simpson is from) that Brodie would not go to the gym and Shula let him/them get away with it. Simpson saw it and knew he would not be disciplined. The rest of the team saw it and basically stopped going to the gym with any real consistency too. I was called every name in the book. Afterall, I am just a stupid barner and I cant know anything about what is going on in T-Town.

Seems I was right, and Shane et al were the ones that were wrong.

[Bama My Heart 5]

BMH, it is not against you or the sane uat fans out there. This is the same stuff we hear every year at this time. There was a full page news article when Price was there describing (I am not making this up) what a radical concept that the wr practiced with wrs.

The dl practiced with the.....dl.

The ol practiced with the.....ol.

The rbs practiced with the.....rbs.

etc.

I am not making this up. Practice is pretty much practice. The drills etc may vary but not my much. The fact that this is actually news, well that is just funny.

BTW, about June or July and you can hear Shane on PFS tell you how "Bama's conditioning is so good that the players have never been in better shape, never been stronger, nver been quicker, faster, etc." This call is one of those you will hear and have heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR for years. Believe it or not, we heard it every year Shula was down in Tuscaloosa too.

I told quite a few uat folks last season I was hearing very strong rumors (came out with the icecream stuff, I live in Decatur where Simpson is from) that Brodie would not go to the gym and Shula let him/them get away with it. Simpson saw it and knew he would not be disciplined. The rest of the team saw it and basically stopped going to the gym with any real consistency too. I was called every name in the book. Afterall, I am just a stupid barner and I cant know anything about what is going on in T-Town.

Seems I was right, and Shane et al were the ones that were wrong.

Thanks. I just happen to be one of those Bama fans that wish Shane would just "SHUT UP". He really doesn't know what he's talking about, and it only makes the rest of us look bad. I guess I am just one of those Bama fans that wants to sit back and keep my mouth shut, and then if we beat you, that's when its

time to brag, and not before. Doing it before only makes you look like an idiot. I really don't know alot about the conditioning part of the program, but when we have had as many injuries as we have each year, even I can tell something is wrong. So I guess that I am glad that Coach Saban is putting emphasis on this, but I don't think it has to be in the newspaper everyday. Maybe in the Tuscaloosa News, but that should be about it.

[aumd03 2]

BMH, it is not against you or the sane uat fans out there. This is the same stuff we hear every year at this time. There was a full page news article when Price was there describing (I am not making this up) what a radical concept that the wr practiced with wrs.

The dl practiced with the.....dl.

The ol practiced with the.....ol.

The rbs practiced with the.....rbs.

etc.

I am not making this up. Practice is pretty much practice. The drills etc may vary but not my much. The fact that this is actually news, well that is just funny.

BTW, about June or July and you can hear Shane on PFS tell you how "Bama's conditioning is so good that the players have never been in better shape, never been stronger, nver been quicker, faster, etc." This call is one of those you will hear and have heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR for years. Believe it or not, we heard it every year Shula was down in Tuscaloosa too.

I told quite a few uat folks last season I was hearing very strong rumors (came out with the icecream stuff, I live in Decatur where Simpson is from) that Brodie would not go to the gym and Shula let him/them get away with it. Simpson saw it and knew he would not be disciplined. The rest of the team saw it and basically stopped going to the gym with any real consistency too. I was called every name in the book. Afterall, I am just a stupid barner and I cant know anything about what is going on in T-Town.

Seems I was right, and Shane et al were the ones that were wrong.

Thanks. I just happen to be one of those Bama fans that wish Shane would just "SHUT UP". He really doesn't know what he's talking about, and it only makes the rest of us look bad. I guess I am just one of those Bama fans that wants to sit back and keep my mouth shut, and then if we beat you, that's when its

time to brag, and not before. Doing it before only makes you look like an idiot. I really don't know alot about the conditioning part of the program, but when we have had as many injuries as we have each year, even I can tell something is wrong. So I guess that I am glad that Coach Saban is putting emphasis on this, but I don't think it has to be in the newspaper everyday. Maybe in the Tuscaloosa News, but that should be about it.

Injuries do tend increase with fatigue. That may be due to more than just being out of shape, but due to a lack of depth as well. Bama failed to put away bad teams and lost some games in the second half. I'm not sure it was their guys were tired, but maybe the depth wasn't there.

[Tigermike 3,067]

BMH, it is not against you or the sane uat fans out there. This is the same stuff we hear every year at this time. There was a full page news article when Price was there describing (I am not making this up) what a radical concept that the wr practiced with wrs.

The dl practiced with the.....dl.

The ol practiced with the.....ol.

The rbs practiced with the.....rbs.

etc.

I am not making this up. Practice is pretty much practice. The drills etc may vary but not my much. The fact that this is actually news, well that is just funny.

BTW, about June or July and you can hear Shane on PFS tell you how "Bama's conditioning is so good that the players have never been in better shape, never been stronger, nver been quicker, faster, etc." This call is one of those you will hear and have heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR for years. Believe it or not, we heard it every year Shula was down in Tuscaloosa too.

I told quite a few uat folks last season I was hearing very strong rumors (came out with the icecream stuff, I live in Decatur where Simpson is from) that Brodie would not go to the gym and Shula let him/them get away with it. Simpson saw it and knew he would not be disciplined. The rest of the team saw it and basically stopped going to the gym with any real consistency too. I was called every name in the book. Afterall, I am just a stupid barner and I cant know anything about what is going on in T-Town.

Seems I was right, and Shane et al were the ones that were wrong.

Thanks. I just happen to be one of those Bama fans that wish Shane would just "SHUT UP". He really doesn't know what he's talking about, and it only makes the rest of us look bad.

We on the other hand think Shane should be a more prominent voice for the Tide. We think he does a great job of helping with the stereotypes.

[CircleDrill 178]

Well, we might as well pack it up for 2007. Alabama will be holding up 4 fingers in the 4th quarter. That is a very unique gesture in college football. I have never heard of any other school's players or fans holding up 4 fingers in the 4th quarter. I am already totally intimidated by this new secret weapon, as I'm sure are the other SEC schools and fans.

Yep, it's all over now.

[bammanmr 0]

Well, we might as well pack it up for 2007. Alabama will be holding up 4 fingers in the 4th quarter. That is a very unique gesture in college football.

tuberville actually holds up a closed fist instead of 4 fingers. imo that is unique.

[WeagleDMS 0]

[kickerman97 3]

[SouthLink02 8]

Every major team imo has a workout schedule for their kids during times when they arent supposed to talk to recruits or make them do things

Spurrier works out right before the team is supposed to so he can see who comes....though he doesnt officially deal with them

As my friend/former-uga-player told me....Richt and the assistants make it clear they cant enforce the workout programs but that the players are just about told "Get the fudge in there"

[DKW 86 7,451]

Every major team imo has a workout schedule for their kids during times when they arent supposed to talk to recruits or make them do things

Spurrier works out right before the team is supposed to so he can see who comes....though he doesnt officially deal with them

As my friend/former-uga-player told me....Richt and the assistants make it clear they cant enforce the workout programs but that the players are just about told "Get the fudge in there"

I have read direct quotes from Spurrier where HE tells the reporter who HE SEES in the weightroom. CSS has zero problem calling out his players on it in the press. They know, skipping the weightroom means far less playing time.