Eastern Michigan Football Coach talking to all Football moms!

To Moms of boys wanting to play football,

Growing up on the West Coast, I played every sport I could – soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, I swam and for a short period I was even in a bowling league, but the only time I got to play football was at school during recess. I am pretty sure that the universal rules of recess football are still the same: Two-hand touch (when the recess lady was watching), one run per every four downs, two completions for a first down and we always debated whether we were going to count “Alligator” or “Mississippi” to rush the passer. 

My parents never allowed playing organized football to be an option for me. They didn’t want me to get hurt. In the spring of eighth grade, the high school football coach came to our middle school to talk to a bunch of us about playing high school football. I was interested in soccer and the other sports at the time but playing football was definitely intriguing. My mom still would not let me play. 

For two more years I continued to play other sports, and on Friday nights, as the football team played under the lights, I sat with the rest of the student body and watched. I really wanted to play, but my mom wouldn’t budge.

In the summer between my sophomore and junior year, unbeknownst to me, a group of my friends’ parents ganged up on my mom and convinced her that she would really regret it if she didn’t allow me to play. Amazingly, she finally relented and said I could play!

I played that season of football and fell in love. I have not missed a football season since that fall of 1985 and my life has never been the same. 

The game of football has so much to teach and so much to give.

Football taught me what it means to be a part of something bigger than myself. Success in football requires selflessness and true teamwork. It is impossible to have any kind of personal success without your teammates – impossible. No matter how talented an individual might be, he will never win one versus eleven. In a powerful way, the game of football is very humbling as it demands that players put the team over the individual. 

A football team is unlike any other, in that it depends on all kinds of body types and skill sets.  Short, tall, stocky, thin, fast, not so fast, strong, not as strong, cerebral, and hardheaded – they all can have a place and a position on a football team. There are so many different roles and positions and every one of them matters.  

Football teams break down race barriers better than anything else I have ever been a part of in my life.  When you are in a huddle holding hands you don’t see brown, black, white, red, yellow, or green. You see your brothers, your teammates who are depending on you, and who you are depending on to do their job. The best teams that I have been a part of truly love each other.  When a young man gets the opportunity to be a part of that, he will never be the same. It is a powerful reality and one that the rest of society certainly could stand to emulate. 

In addition to teamwork, football develops toughness – mental, physical and emotional. The toughness I am talking about is not merely the ability to push another player out of the way or tackle the guy with the ball, but rather the refusal to be discouraged or distracted in the face of a challenge. Football teaches the value of hard work, the necessity of honoring commitments no matter what, and the unbelievable power of a positive attitude in the face of adversity. Because it is uniquely demanding, football has the ability to instill belief, self-confidence, and discipline. 

We all want our boys to grow up to be responsible and effective in life.  Being successful in life as an adult absolutely requires toughness. Maintaining a strong marriage, raising kids, developing a career, and sticking to a value system all require commitment, responsibility, and perseverance. In a culture that is raising boys that seek to be entertained rather than be challenged, I submit to you that no other game develops toughness that translates to success in life quite like the game of football.

Unfortunately, the game of football is under attack. People are being steered away by the recent attention to concussions and other injuries. I am now a college football coach and have been for 24 years. I have a deep concern for the well being of every one of my players – I always have and always will. I am not an anomaly. We take concussions and all injuries very seriously.  Over the last 10 years, we have seen significant changes in the rules of the game, the introduction of annual baseline testing as well as post-injury testing on athletes, improvement in helmet quality and fit, and dedicated training for physicians, athletic trainers, players, and coaches on the presentation and management of concussion. Player safety is definitely a focus in the game of football. 

Let it also be known that research shows that more concussions occur from riding bikes than from playing football and soccer tops the list when it comes to girls’ sports. I have a daughter who plays soccer and loves it, and all three of our children ride bikes! Of course, I cannot tell you that your son will not have to deal with an injury from having played football and tragically some injuries end up being serious. I will tell you that awareness, preventative measures and care are at all time highs and from my 30 years of experience – the game of football gives so much more than it takes away.

I cannot imagine my life without the invaluable lessons, situations, and experiences that football has provided me. I have experienced being a back-up and a starter. I have been the hero and the goat. I have been on an 0-10 team and a 10-0 team. I have suffered injuries and have seen guys end their career due to injury. I have seen the pain when players fail to make the team and the uncontrolled joy when players are told they are receiving a full ride athletic scholarship to play football in college. Football has taken me to play or coach in seven different countries, paid for my Master’s degree, and has allowed me to provide for my family my entire adult life. The experiences have run the gamut, but it is all worth it. The most valuable things that football has given me are the people I have met and the incredible lifelong relationships I have built along the way. 

I love my mom. She has never done anything but want the best for me. Thank God she ended up letting me play football. For that I will be forever grateful. To all you parents debating whether or not your son should play football – let him if he wants to do it. I wholeheartedly believe that the benefits far outweigh the risks. It is truly a life changing game! 

– Chris Creighton, Head Football Coach at Eastern Michigan University

CFL combine training Blog 1

Hey all – its XMAS time and i know we are all busy shopping, eating and possibly having a few cocktails….one group of players who are busting their butt are CFL/NFL combine invitees

Mercer Timmis – the 7th ranked CFL prospect and top CIS skill position player starts today with two a day workouts. 

Mercer will blog every Friday re his training, program and general feelings of the prep involved.

Mercer’s days of skiing and snowboarding are DONE!  For the next 12 weeks he was one goal…to be the BEST prospect at the CFL combine.

We at SST are looking forward to not only his prep but a few others who are coming thru the door!

SST Strong!

 

Mercer n LJ

SST MID WEEK Athlete News- More scholarship offers and goals scored!

SST Waterloo athlete Mike Hoffman is on a scoring spree in the NHL- 27 points in 24 games with the Sens!  Of those 27 points he has hit the twine 15 times already!

SST Hamilton Athlete Darnell Nurse is becoming a steady force on the Edmonton Oiler Blue line logging tons of ice time

Toronto Marlie Captain and D man Andrew Campbell is scoring goals at will! This know stay at home D man has already potted 6 goals in the young season. Are the Leafs that good that he shouldn’t be called up?????

US High school football player Josh Palmer received two offers yesterday- NC State and Northern Illinois!  Congrats to this outstanding wr!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

St Roch DB Tyrell Richards continues his round the Canada University tour- he just came back from the University of Calgary ….also the University of Star running back Mercer Timmis who is getting ready for his upcoming pro and CFL Combine day

Congrats to Justin Veltri who has committed to Carlton University…Coach Sumaruh not only has great football player but a fine young man coming into his program

Congrats to SST Laval athlete Simon Legare in signing with the Ottawa Red Blacks!

NOTE: The OPC; the largest All star game in Ontario…… tryouts are this weekend- please note dates and times for your region at www.canadafootballchat.com

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Very proud of our athletes from all regions- SST STRONG

Football F.A.S.T. Camp

Football F.A.S.T

Attention football players who need SPEED!

This program is designed for any athlete who wants to increase their football Speed to help them dominate on the field. Football athletes are made up of highly tuned skills of speed, quickness, agility, power and change of direction. These are Speed skills that can be developed with the proper training and program design to help you in your upcoming season!

The mechanics of speed that an athlete must develop in order to optimize playing ability include:

  • Linear Speed – the average straight-ahead speed sprint is 10 – 12 yards.
  • Lateral Change of Direction Speed – athletes must be able to move quickly in any direction throughout a game. The key element is to be able to maintain high speed through all these changes of direction.
  • Avoidance – players must be able to start and stop quickly to avoid the opponent without losing any momentum!
  • Powr & Acceleration – athletes must be able to build to their top speed very quickly and frequently throughout the game.

In order to help our athletes acquire these attributes, SST has developed FOOTBALL FAST

The SST 5-STEP PROGRAM FOR FOOTBALL SPEED

– Speed Drills

Athletes will learn form-running drills to enhance linear and lateral speed. A multitude of drills!

– Power Development

Power is defined as “the rate of force x strength”.

– Acceleration Training

The key to winning games is a player’s ability to get from one spot to another in the shortest amount of time.

– Quickness and Agility

Quickness and Agility includes the ability to react, recognize, and then move in the right direction while maintaining optimal high speed.

– Footwork Drills

SST athletes will be introduced to the speed and agility ladders to improve all aspects of footwork.

The PROCESS….the will to win???? Do you have it???

Just working away and I asked one of my athletes if he wanted to participate in our upcoming 2016 Big Man camp for OL/DL..he stated no cause he wanted to tryout for a specific all star team and workout..no problem I totally understood

Although, this got me thinking…as a coach my players always here me say – you need to work the process- what do I mean by this?  I have no problem with this athlete or any other athlete wanting to play in all star games but I ask this- EVERYONE wants to win but what are you going to do in your athletic and academic process to get there?

I asked Diesel the same question and he said he went to as many camps as possible when he was younger…I asked one of my highly skilled athlete the same question – he attends as many camps as he can afford but does a ton to get better..says he rather spend his money on getting better with great coaching

The process…..learning as much as you can from a variety of coaches….taking these new found attributes in helping you succeed

I think about Michael O’ Connor- Vanier Cup champ and QB- would he be as good as he is by just playing games in Canada? Or by going to camps…training schools in the USA? Probably not- actually CERTAINLY not.

He won on that Saturday because of the work he put in…the process of his development..the hours of training with proper coaching

Agree or disagree but highly skilled athletes spend millions of hours honing their craft-spending endless time on a basketball court/ ice rink/ football field by themselves bettering their game- they went thru the PROCESS of hard endless work

Larry Jusdanis

SST NFL and CFL Athletes EXCEL!

What a great weekend- Congrats to both the Edmonton Eskimos and Ottawa Red Blacks- an exciting Grey Cup won by Edmonton- a special congrats to SST Alumni athletes Brian Ramsey and Shamawd Chambers in hoisting the Grey Cup!

As well, Shamawd took home the Most Valuable Canadian Award!

What a crazy Monday night Football game…Browns and Ravens go down to the last play and former Virginia U player Brent Urban blocks the last second field goal which was scooped up by the Ravens for the game winning td with no time left!

Crazy weekend! next week will be our big Hockey report!