Speed & Agility.

The Dot Drill - Dynamic for Optimal Performance

While traditional warm-up exercises like jogging and stretching have their merits, the "BFS Dot Drill" stands out as a particularly effective warm-up routine. Because the drill is timed and judged for accuracy it falls into the BFS mandate that exercises must be measurable ( you can't break records of you don't keep records!).

Flexibility For Speed

Speed and Agility Training for Success

6 Ways to Improve Agility and Lateral Speed

There is no question that simply playing a sport will improve agility and lateral speed. There are many methods of increasing these essential athletic qualities that will help any athlete beyond their natural talent or how much they practice their sport. Learning proper movement skills is, of course, essential to moving quickly, and this is one of the primary jobs of the sports coach. Here are six effective ways to step up your athlete's game...

BFS Dot Drill for All Athletes

Top 3 Auxiliary Lifts for SPEED!

Gaining SPEED is one of the main objectives in athletic development. At BFS we have 3 Favorite Auxiliaries that we add to the core lifts to increase SPEED. Check out this video blog for BFS MAgazine and get more details on each Auxiliary in the magazine page.

BFS Stretching For Speed #2

For increasing speed, flexibility maximizes the effectiveness of gains in strength. Intensity and technique are critical to making gains in your flexibility. Get on board with the BFS Total Program for Athletic Development!

BFS Stretching For Speed #1

Intensity and proper technique are critical to making gains in your flexibility. Learn what a Total Program can do for your improvement get on board with the BFS Total Program for Athletic Development!

Agility: Vital Development and Fun!

Agility training is an activity that all students can begin and immediately build their physical development. With a wide variety of drills, activities and games to work from kids will stay engaged and have fun while training! Incorporate some cognitive decision making into agility drills and you really have a recipe for success!

Next Steps in Speed Training

Because the basis of speed is strength, athletes need to perform multi-joint core lifts such as squats and power cleans. That’s a given. Certainly, being stronger and more powerful will improve your ability to sprint for short distances, but if that’s all you do, then your program is incomplete. You need to use tools that will improve your ability to continue to accelerate and to maintain that speed over longer distances or through-out an entire game, especially in sports such as football and soccer.

Fine Tuning BFS Speed and Plyo Workouts

BFS is called the “Total Program” because it has balance. Although a 400-pound bench press is impressive, the time it would take an athlete to develop the strength for such an accomplishment would take away from developing other athletic qualities – qualities such as speed, agility, flexibility, jumping ability, and muscular endurance. Let’s look at what the research says, for example, about jumping ability.

Maximize Your Workout Time, Dot Drill For Efficient, Effective Warm Ups

At BFS, we have the simple and effective method of properly warming up for lifting. It's called the Dot Drill. Download your free Dot Drill Instructions here. If nothing else, a warm-up needs to increase your body temperature, breathing rate and heart rate to the level of the activity you will be performing. This means you need to break a sweat, so static stretching is not what you need.

GHD For Speed!

The Glute Ham Developer The GHD has been the number 1 auxiliary exercise for the BFS Total Program since it's inception 40 years ago. Now in the last decade this posterior chain essential has gained respect and understanding across many athletic and fitness training programs. Whether getting through the WOD at your local box or building speed in a Division 1 weight room, the GHD is now seen everywhere!

Balance of Power

In this remarkable sequence of photos taken by Pam Tabone, Myles McKinney demonstrates tremendous jumping power. McKinney is the starting tailback and leading receiver at Churchville-Chili, a high school near Rochester, New York, which was featured in our September/October 2007 i

Strong Beginnings: Amber Moss

One of the distinguishing aspects of today’s best athletes is that they tend to get an early start with sport skills and also conditioning. This trend prevails in women’s sports as well as in men’s – and one young woman who is benefiting from early sports preparation is Amber Mos

Mike Carter Jr. Muscles Up at Rutgers

When we first interviewed Mike Carter Jr. for our September/October 2013 issue, he had just graduated from Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He finished his baseball career with a .450 batting average and became the all-time school leader in hits with 152, exceedi

ACL Injuries and Women: What Coaches Need to Know

The incidence of ACL injuries in young women is a serious problem today. Depending upon the sport, women are far more likely than men to injure their ACL. In fact, it’s estimated that one out of 10 NCAA women will tear their ACL at some point in their college career – despite the

Physical Superiority Made Simple

When the strength coaching profession was in its infancy in the 1970s, it was difficult to find information about periodization. Much of the material appeared only in articles published in expensive journals or a few hard-to-acquire books, many not available in English. All that

Building Girl Power at Hayward High

Hayward High serves a student body that comes from a wide geographical area, quite rural. For some students, it’s a 30-minute commute via their parents to school; for others, it’s a 15-mile bike ride. So, when a student commits to playing sports as a Hayward Hurricane, it means t

The BFS Online Learning Center, BFS at Home,

BFS at Home Safety and Strength Training BFS at Home is an initiative to help young athletes train train throughout the year. The BFS Total Program has built-in muscle confusion and recovery days that make it an ideal system for year-round development. The BFS Online Learning Cen

Upgrade Your Coaching with the Six Absolutes

In the coaching profession there is an overwhelming amount of information available about biomechanics. If you want to know the optimal position of your thumbs at the start of a 40-yard dash, you could probably find some research study on it. Although these details are important

Boot Camp and Strongman Training on a Budget

Training and Equipment BXI racks and rigs are built with primarily 3-inch x 3-inch steel tubing for maximum durability. Boot Camp and Strongman Training on a Budget The BXI line of rigs and racks is revolutionizing an industry At the college level, strength coaches often purchase

Mr. Olympia Larry Scott: 1938-2014

The Iron Game lost a legend on March 8 when Larry Dee Scott passed away at the age of 75. In 1965 Scott won the inaugural competition of the most prestigious bodybuilding competition in the world, the Mr. Olympia. Scott competed at a bodyweight of 205 pounds, and his biceps were

Power Clean Meet Enters 11th Year

If you like Las Vegas and you love power cleans, then this spring, you need to head to the Entertainment Capital of the World. That’s when the best high school athletes compete in the WK$QQXDO 1DWLRQDO+LJK6FKRRO3RZHU&OHDQ &KDPSLRQVKLSV The quality of competitors grows e

The Safe Way to Get America's Youth in Shape

to Get America’s Youth in Shape Strong solutions to a growing fitness crisis Physical education departments in middle schools are facing a twofold problem: Fighting widespread childhood obesity while dealing with a staggering increase in injuries in PE programs. BFS has the answer

Justin Sacco Getting Back on Track

Justin Sacco performs an advanced balance exercise at the BFS Science Lab. Justin Sacco Getting Back on Track How this remarkable young man overcame a serious brain injury In the fall of 2013 Justin Sacco, an eighth grader at Mahopac Middle School, suffered a serious brain injury

What's new with the BFS Online Learning Center

BFS Online Learning Center BFS’s ultimate social networking site for coaches BFS has a vast amount of information for coaches at all levels. In addition to presenting hands-on clinics and certifications, we supplement the learning process with books, study guides, posters, videos

2014 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year

Female Athlete of the Year Abby Lealaimatafao is the winner of our most prestigious award With athletic benchmarks being established every day in our high schools, it’s extremely difficult for students to excel at the state level in any single sport. It’s even more exceptional to

The Turnaround Artist

Catalina Foothills finished the 2012 season with a 0-10 record, but in 2013 they won eight games and made the playoffs. Jeff Scurran leads the Catalina Foothills Falcons to greatness Jeff Scurran has coached football for over 40 years and has yet to accept a job with a team that h

Chinese Weightlifters: Why They Win Olympic Gold

FOR WOMEN ONLY 6XQ&DL\DQSKRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV The Chinese have dominated women’s weightlifting since it was introduced at the Olympic Games of 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Chinese Weightlifters: Why They Win Olympic Gold How the strongest women in the world train BY KIM GOSS, MS

Running Faster: The Tools You Need

than if they eing able had tested to run fast their vertical is a key jump before athletic quality that squat that virtually all workout. athletes want to Here’s how it develop, especially works. those who play Let’s say field sports such as an athlete is football and soclifting

The BFS Off-Season Workout

Regarding basketball, if you just went by the physiques of players from several decades ago, especially in the NBA, you would think that you were looking at a different sport. Gone are the days of teams comprised of a tall, lanky center supported by four smaller, quicker teammate

11 Practical Ways to Increase You Athletes' Vertical Jump

The power clean is considered a vertical jump with weights, so it’s a great exercise for improving an athlete’s vertical jump. Shown here is University of Florida’s Devon Walker, a 6-foot-6-inch sophomore for the Gator Basketball Team. As a high school senior, he was the Winter H

Box Jumping: Do It Right!

BFS PROGRAM Austin John Ryf is the 2010 BFS Male Athlete of the Year. He is a graduate of Winneconne High School in Winneconne, Wisconsin. In these photos Ryf shows how vertical jumping ability is an essential athletic quality in both basketball and football. Box Jumping: Do It R

Power Weight Training

A look back at the basic ideas that have made BFS so successful for nearly four decades BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER 3KRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Mike McDonald is a powerlifter who during the ’70s held world records in the bench press in four different bodyweight categories at the

Training Smarter at Mountain View High School

wo years ago BFS magazine featured Mountain View High School, a D4 school in Orem, Utah, that has won 84 state championships and earned the title of “Utah Sports Program of the Century.” Some Mountain View graduates have competed in the Olympics, and some have gone on to play in

BFS Scholarship Athlete Presses On

Since winning the 2012 National High School Power Clean Championships, Brittanie Mastricola has been making great progress in the sport of Olympic-style weightlifting. A BFS-sponsored athlete, Mastricola has successfully made 50 out of 52 attempts in competition, and has exceeded

Elena Delle Donne: Sky-High BB Dreams

A two-time All-American at Delaware and now a promising WNBA player, Delle Donne is a role model for all young athletes. Elena Delle Donne: Sky-High BB Dreams It’s a Donne deal for this WNBA draft pick BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA n high school, Elena Delle Donne was called the future

Making Tight Spaces Work with the Space Saver Rack

Make It Work!” is the catch phrase of a popular TV fashion show called Project Runway. Due to the popularity of weight training in the US, coaches must find safe, efficient ways to work with a lot of athletes while having limited space. One piece of vertical equipment that can ma

The Truth About Functional Training

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRVE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Muscle size is not necessarily an indicator of muscle function. Indonesia’s Erwin Abdullah and Bulgaria’s Yoto Yotov both competed in the lightweight (about 150 pounds) bodyweight division. Abdullah snatched 314 pounds and clean and j

BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year

3KRWRE\&KULVWLQD:DOO&KULVWLQD:DOO3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZFKULVWLQDZDOOFRP Athlete of the Year Selena Haas is the recipient of our most prestigious award oung people face many distractions today, and sometimes their academics and sports take a back seat. Selena Haas is one amazin

Keeping up with the Carters

At Bloomfield High School, Mike Carter Jr. was a multisport athlete who excelled at football playing quarterback and at baseball playing centerfield. Keeping up with the Carters How BFS helped high school baseball player Mike Carter Jr. earn his college scholarship t takes great co

Jacob Tompkins BFS Male Athlete of the Year

hen it comes to selecting a BFS Athlete of the Year, all the great qualities we look for can be summed up in one word: balance. There are many superb athletes who have excelled using the BFS program, and many athletes who have excelled in the classroom. What BFS is searching for

Staying Strong at John Carroll High

hen Rich Stichel Jr. started coaching football at John Carroll High School five years ago, he had a tremendous challenge ahead of him. In the previous two Wseasons, the Patriots had won only three of their 21 games. Stichel, however, had never coached a losing team in the seven y

BFS Goes to the Arnold

WHAT’S HAPPENING 3KRWRVE\6WHYH)DXHUZZZIDXHUSKRWRUHÁHFWFRP BFS Goes to the Arnold The Arnold Weightlifting Championships were held on March 1-3, and in attendance this year were BFS editor Kim Goss and BFS scholarship winner Brittanie Mastricola. Mastricola not only made

Stop Hamstring Pulls

Now! Stop Hamstring Pulls 10 tips to prevent this frustrating injury BY KIM GOSS, MS t the Olympic Trials in track and field, an athlete must finish in the top three in their event to earn a spot on the Olympic Team – finishing fourth is essentially equivalent to placing last. At

Forgotten Secrets to Improving Lateral Speed

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT %HFN\0LOOHU3KRWR Lateral speed is a key ingredient in many sports, even those performed on ice by skaters. Shown are Michelle Hyselle of the MedCity Mafia roller derby team pulling ahead of the Moose Lake Mafia; and football player Eric Corona of Fruitand Hi

Back to the Basics with Static Stretching

Model: Emilie Williams, Hunter High School, Salt Lake City Sound advice on developing a safe and effective stretching program t is our intention at Bigger Faster Stronger to provide coaches with a stretching program that not only benefits the athletes but also is useful in coachi

The BFS Difference

Here is Coach Shepard spotting a heavy squat when he was a strength coach at BYU. note: Although this article week developing their bench press by The BFS on the(Editor’s origins of Coach Shepard’s training doing many exercises and sets because Difference It has never been easier

Finding a Way to Win at Mason County

BY DAVID BUCHANAN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH MASON COUNTY HS, MAYSVILLE, KY t Mason County High School we have an old-school athletic program. By that I mean we still want our student-athletes to play multiple sports. We believe this approach is beneficial to the students and ethical a

Three-Peat State Champions Ithaca High School

Ithaca High School Insight into a great football program that went 42-0! uild it and they will come,” that memorable line from the film Field of Dreams, brings to mind what happened at Ithaca High School in Michigan. In 2012 the school finished a $1 million renovation on their fo

Which Squat Variation Is Best for Your Program?

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Which Squat Variation Is Best for Your Program? Antonio Krastev of Bulgaria snatched 476 pounds in 1987, a record that has yet to be broken. Although it seems that Krastev is squatting high, this is deceiving because his legs are so l

Frequently Asked Questions about BFS

BFS is a company dedicated to helping young people succeed on and off the athletic field. about BFS Information for our readers about the company and its program FS is a unified program designed to get all the coaches in a school working together to improve the overall physical an

Unity and Organization: Your Winning Secrets

All high school athletes, male and female, will benefit from a total athletic training program. This photo was taken in 2005 during a BFS clinic at Amherst High School in Amherst, Wisconsin. Unity and Organization: Your Winning Secrets A look back at how BFS can put an entire athl

Fast Track to Success at Edgar High School

to Success at Edgar High School Hard work has paid off for these outstanding student athletes hey say you can’t go home again, but Greg Streit knows better. For the past seven years Streit has been a track coach at Edgar High School, the school he graduated from in 2000. As a stu

Staying Strong: Frederica Academy

Coach Clint Morgan and Coach Travis Absher celebrate during the obligatory Gatorade shower after their 34-30 state championship victory. Staying Strong: Frederica Academy How a great prep school created a championship football program from scratch n November 30, 2012, Frederica A

Balance Control: A Critical Component of Sport

7LPHOHVV,PDJHV3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZWLPHOHVVLPDJHVFRP Chloe Van Tussenbroek displays the degree of balance control needed to perform at the elite level in gymnastics. As we guide our athletes along the road to optimal performance, we coaches emphasize power, strength, speed, quic

Showdown at Sibley East

A section title and the first-ever nine-win season – 2012 was a great year for football at Sibley East High School. at Sibley East BFS training took a team from middle of the pack to champs BY CHUCK HARTMAN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, SIBLEY EAST very program wants to get to the next le

Getting Young Athletes Off to a Strong Start

BFS PROGRAM Through his clinics Coach Shepard has personally inspired countless young athletes to achieve their goals in all areas of their lives. A look back at how BFS helps young athletes catch the vision of athletic success (Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins

Body Image and the Female Athlete

BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA leaner athlete is a better athlete.” Do you agree with this statement? It’s a common belief that is certainly true from a biomechanical perspective: The less mass an athlete has to move, the less force is required to move it at a given speed, meaning that e

Monitoring Athletes for Physical Superiority

n weightlifting and powerlifting it’s natural to assume that the athletes who lift the most weight have the best training program. At the last two Olympics in weightlifting, the Chinese lifters dominated both men’s and women’s lifting, so obviously they know what they are doing.

The Evolution of Athletic Training Programs

Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins of Coach Shepard’s training methods was written 16 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today.) op coaches who desire state-ofthe-art strength and conditioning programs must be acutely aware of the importance of a total progr

The Lighter Side of Weightlifting

Geoff Fleming is a former weightlifter and publisher of the classic weightlifting newsletter parody, The International Weightlifting Newsletter and Gazette. Fleming is allowing us to share with BFS readers some of his cartoons, such as this one describing the history of barbell b

Womens's Training vs. Mens's Training

vs. Men’s Training 0DU\3LHU*DXGHWSKRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP‹3ROLTXLQ3HUIRUPDQFH Important findings on how to coach women to achieve physical superiority BY PAUL GAGNÉ, STRENGTH COACH AND POSTUROLOGIST hose of us who watched the televised gymnastics competitions of the London O

The Look of a Champion

Team BFS athlete Chloe Van Tussenbroek, ready to train in customized athletic wear. ne thing is obvious from watching the Olympics – it’s not only important to perform well, you’ve got to look good while you’re doing it. With the eyes of the world watching, Olympians from every c

A few Words with David Lawrence

David Lawrence A look at this young strength coach’s rapid rise to success Lawrence working with Nick Bellore, a linebacker for the New York Jets. At the Jets’ camp this year Bellore, who has deadlifted 605 pounds for 6 reps, received his team’s “Defensive Lifting Award” for his

The Power Clean for Athletes

Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins of Coach Shepard’s training methods was written 18 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today.] t BFS we believe the power clean is essential for athletes who want to achieve their full athletic potential. Moreover, athletes

What is BFS

BFS? Here’s why the BFS program is so effective for young athletes ne statement BFS clinicians keep hearing over the years is “We did parts of your program and had some success, but it wasn’t until we decided to do the entire BFS Program that our program stepped up to the next le

The ABC's of Box Jumping

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT /XVLD$QJLODXSKRWRE\6WHYH.LQVORZ Box Jumping The safest and most effective ways to perform this great exercise FS has been saying it for nearly four decades, and finally the message is going mainstream: “Box jumps work!” Not just a way to make athletes m

Upper-Level Testing and Training with Optojump

FEATURE STORY 3KRWR 0DOFROP&DUPLFKDHO$OSLQH&DQDGD Alice McKennis rips to 8th in her first World Cup race since breaking her knee in December 2010. Optojump How technology is improving the way we train Olympic athletes BY ERNIE RIMER, BS, MED ptojump Next is a timing and measu

Why Endurance Athletes need BFS

E C N A R U D N WHY E S F B D E E N S E T E L H AT Mountain View High School in Utah excels in distance running and was featured in our March 2011 issue. A different perspective on training for distance BY KIM GOSS, MS a 45-minute time trial and in their rate check out YouTube, y

The Right Track

BFS PROGRAM BFS Vice President John Rowbotham is carrying on Coach Shepard’s vision of teaching young athletes the right way to lift for physical superiority. The Right Track Timeless insight into the most effective way to train young athletes BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER/CEO

Girls Lacrosse Steps Up at VVS High School

wo years ago Duey Weimer took over the girls lacrosse program at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in central New York. This area of the country is considered a hotbed of lacrosse, and unfortunately the school’s first season three years ago ended with zero wins. But with a posit

Conway Springs High Training with the Best

3KRWR 1DWH-RQHV:HOOLQJWRQ'DLO\1HZV n 1999 BFS published an article about the success of the football program at Conway Springs High School in Conway, Kansas. It was an amazing turnaround story, because when Mark Bliss stepped in as head coach, he inherited a program that ha

2012 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year

Female Athlete of the Year Jessica Marie Staggs is one powerful young woman 3KRWR -LP(OOLV0LDPL1HZV5HFRUG 2NODKRPD hat do cheerleading, track and field, basketball, powerlifting and academic excellence have in common? Answer: Jessica Marie Staggs, the recipient of our annu

A Closer Look at Overhead Lifting

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRVE\%UXFH.OHPHQV The jerk is a total-body lift that helps athletes develop tremendous power. Here Ian Wilson is shown jerking a personal record of 423 pounds to win the 207-pound bodyweight division at the 2012 Senior Nationals. Overhead Lifting The va

How Olympians Train: US Skiing and Snowboarding

FOR WOMEN ONLY 0DOFROP&DUPLFKDHO$OSLQH&DQDGDSKRWR Stacey Cook finished last season ranked 10th in the world in downhill skiing. How Olympians Train: US Skiing and Snowboarding An exclusive interview with strength coach Ernie Rimer BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA rnie Rimer is a stren

A New Look at Posture

BY KIM GOSS, MS Posturologist Paul Gagné performing a postural assessment in Napa, California. To his right are BFS writer Laura Dayton (blue shirt) and BFS Editor Kim Goss. he basic theory of corrective exercise is that you stretch muscles that are tight and you strengthen muscl

Balance of Power

FEATURE STORY 3KRWRE\'HDQ$WNLQV7LPHOHVV,PDJHV3KRWRJUDSK\,QFZZZWLPHOHVVLPDJHVFRP Balance of Power How the OptoJump is transforming athletic and physical fitness BY BOB ROWBOTHAM, PRESIDENT, BFS alance of power” is an expression often used to describe political and m

Periodization Analysis

BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER/CEO (Editor’s note: Although this article for coaches was written 16 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today. The periodization methods that Dr. Mike Stone developed were used in many publications by the National Strength and Conditioning As

BFS High School of the Year

3KRWRE\-LP(OOLV0LDPL1HZV5HFRUG 2NODKRPD High School of the Year After one year with BFS, the Bears went from being a 0-10 football team to a 9-3 team. Wyandotte High is the recipient of BFS’s highest award yandotte High School is a terrific place to get an education, not

Scholarships for Women: Come and Get ' Em!

FOR WOMEN ONLY $OORVVRDFWLRQSKRWRVE\3DW&RQQHOO\ Kiley Allosso was our 2007 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year. She carried a 3.933 GPA in high school and earned a field hockey scholarship at Boston University. Scholarships for Women: Come and Get ’Em! How young women

11 Practical Ways to Get Quick Feet

Quick Feet How to improve this vital athletic quality – fast! ne of the most coveted qualities an athlete can have is quick feet. Being able to move almost instantaneously in any direction can be what it takes for a fullback to break through a defensive line, or a tennis player t

The Health Care Community Meets BFS

he University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic has a policy of pushing the envelope by offering creative programs to enable its graduates to provide the best care for their patients. A recent example was the human performance lecture series that took place on January 28-29,

Wide Receiver Jared Abbrederis University of Wisconsin

Jared Abbrederis University of Wisconsin A former BFS Athlete of the Year is making it big in college football espite the advances in sports medicine, when a high school football player tears their ACL, especially if they are in a skill position such as quarterback, that often me

What's Happening

FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS Game, Interrupted I would say that if Rabinoff were to compile a top 10 list he scandal at Penn State has been the focus of every of what Paterno should have done when he first heard major sports network and the gene

Getting Back to Chin-Ups

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 0DU\3LHU*DXGHWSKRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP The fast track to developing upper body pulling power n July 16, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness, a governmental organization that was created after a study foun

Taking the BFS Dot Drill to the Next Level with OptoJump

Next Level with OptoJump Insight into another application of this great training tool The BFS Dot Drill is taught at all BFS clinics and certifications. he BFS Dot Drill is a key exercise in the BFS program for all athletes. It is not only a great warm-up exercise for any activity

How Women Athletes Should Eat

An interview with body composition expert Francine Savard chieving an optimal bodyweight and bodyfat level is a major concern among young women athletes, as well as for young women in general. Unfortunately, there is so much misinformation circu- Savard was a national champion in

The Swedish Approach to BFS

BY KIM GOSS, MS In the United States, football is football – but in other parts of the world, football is soccer and what we play is called American football. But American football is not a sport played exclusively in the United States, and interestingly enough, one of those othe

Wrestling to the Top at Jeffersonville High

en years ago Danny Struck and his wife, Dawn, were searching for teaching jobs. They ended up at Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Both were from rural high schools and this new school was urban, so they thought they might have a short stay. They were mistake

Hoop Strong: Gator Basketball

BY KIM GOSS, MS he winningest coach in University of Florida’s history is Billy Donovan. His legacy includes three appearances in NCAA championships games, two of which were victorious. This year Donovan has another strong team – ranked sixth in preseason by Sports Illustrated –

What's Happening

FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS That’s Why They Play the Game! Every summer I head to the local bookstore and pick day this magazine reaches your mailbox, those predictions up several of the college football preview magazines might not hold up. One

Hex Bar Squat Jumps for Ultimate Power

Jumping with a hex bar is biomechanically more specific than jumping with a barbell resting on the shoulders. Shown performing a squat jump is Lusia Angilau, a member of the women’s volleyball team at Southern Utah. Angilau appeared on our Sep/Oct 2009 cover, and had a 27.1 inch v

The Next Level of Athletic Fitness Training

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWR 7KRPDV$QGHUVVRQ The true test of an athletic program is in competition. Shown here is game-day action from the Arlanda Jets, a football program in Sweden that will be featured in our next issue. The Next Level of Athletic Fitness Training How OptoJump

How Good is Good?

BFS PROGRAM (Editor’s note: Having been involved with BFS for nearly a quarter of a century, I find it interesting that a lot of coaches I’ve talked to have kept every issue of BFS magazine. The reason is that much of the information, particularly the training physiology and idea

Speaking Up About BFS

BFS clinician Jeff Scurran has developed a reputation for turning around high school football programs. very issue of BFS magazine contains success stories from high school football programs that have won with BFS. For some, adopting the BFS program completely turned around their

What's Happening

FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS The Voice of Reason the standard by which you are measured professionally – it’s ne of the best things about being the editor of BFS your behavior in your profession. Let me put it another way: magazine is chatting w

A Closer Look at the Opto Jump

Opto Jump The latest in a great testing and diagnostic tool t’s great to have a positive attitude and to expect that when a child participates in high school sports they will get excellent coaching – and that if an injury occurs, the staff will know exactly how to take care of it

What’s Happening

FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS Staying with It in a game? After all, you have a supportive audience watching ack when I was a strength coach at the Air Force your every move, your teammates and coaches encouraging Academy, I remember one summer in

The Dark Side of Sports

We Can Do Better The legal consequences of slacking off in coaching recently worked on a case involving a high school football player who suffered multiple concussions during practice in 2006, a case that is just now coming to litigation. I wanted to share this case with you beca

2011 National High School Power Clean Championships

Power Clean Championships It was another record-breaking day at this annual strength event Darryl Brown won the 187-pound bodyweight class and established a new national record. ord has gotten out about the National High School Power Clean Championships – every year the contestan

The Three Rules of Speed Training

Speed Training Simple, proven methods to dramatically increase running speed arly in my career I spent my summers in the Los Angeles area training with track athletes. I was amazed at the size and speed of their throwers. There were about 30 of these men who weighed an average of

BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year

3KRWRE\'DYLG-HQQLQJVRI-HQQLQJV3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZMHQQLQJVURGHRSKRWRJUDSK\FRP Athlete of the Year Multi-talented cowgirl Megan White wins our most prestigious award hen we receive nominations for our male and female high school athletes of the year, coming down to a single w

The Dark Side of Sports

Sports/liability consultant Dr. Marc Rabinoff has testified in two litigations involving rhabdomyolysis, one of which concerned an individual who had died. BY DR. MARC RABINOFF lthough sporting events happen through the efforts of numerous people, it’s the athletes and head coache

How to Develop Powerful Athletes

BY KIM GOSS, MS n comedian Eddie Izzard’s standup routine on martial arts, he notes that tai chi is not very effective for self-defense because it is “a little too slow.” Likewise, one of the reasons for Bruce Lee’s popularity was his incredible speed, and it was reported that fo

A Closer Look at Power Balance Drills

Power Balance Drills Unique exercises that develop dynamic flexibility Marilou Dozois-Prevost, a 2008 Olympian from Canada, shows exceptional strength, balance and flexibility. e admire Olympic lifters for their exceptional strength and speed, for sure, but also for their flexibil

Positive Results with Negative Training

hen performing core BFS exercises such as the power clean, bench press and hex bar deadlift, your focus is on pulling and pressing the weights explosively. After all, speed is king in sports, and if you want to be faster and more powerful, you need to lift fast. But sometimes to

Eight Tips to Make Weight Training Classes Run Smoothly

ailing to plan is planning to fail” is a quote from popular author and time management consultant Alan Lakein. This is especially true when trying to run a strength and conditioning program at the middle school or high school level. These programs face numerous challenges today,

Staying on Top at Mountain View

The Mountain View Bruins have won over 83 state championships in a wide variety of sports. This Utah high school has the right plan for athletic superiority ince it opened its doors three decades ago, Mountain View High School has made a powerful impact on the Utah sports scene.

Success in Unity at Brook Hill High

rook Hill High School is enjoying tremendous success with its athletic teams, thanks in large measure to the implementation of BBrook Hill School, located in Bullard, Texas, competes in the Tapps Division 3 and has 191 students enrolled in high school. Many students letter in mul

Top 11 Ways to Build a Championship Program

or over three decades at BFS we’ve seen an amazing number of successful athletic programs, and among them we’ve noted underlying themes. Some of these ideas can be implemented immediately, and others may take a few seasons to fully establish. But if you’ve been reading all the hi

Irish Football Goes Green

Quarterback Kevin Larson, #4, led his team to a 12-1 season. Providing him running room in this photo are #61 Ryan Link and #23 Adam Jackson. A great success for Rosemount High School BY JEFF ERDMANN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, ROSEMOUNT HS Will. We Will.” This slogan was printed on th

Muscle Building for Athletes

f you’re a bodybuilder and your training time is very limited, chances are you will focus on the “showy” muscles on the front of the body, such as the chest and quads. These are the muscles that often make the most dramatic first impression. That may be fine for bodybuilders, but

Meet the Clinician: Beau Johnson

BFS PROGRAM Coach Johnson with members of the Southwest Georgia Academy coaching staff at the GISA All Star Game. Shown left to right are Max Evans, Austin Boyd, Beau Johnson, Parker Rentz and David Bell. Meet the Clinician: Beau Johnson A closer look at a new BFS coach eau Johns

A closer Look at Absolutes #4 and #5

Absolutes #4 and #5 The importance of knee and foot alignment for optimal performance oaches often comment on an athlete as having “good feet.” They want athletes who are light on their feet, are quick on their feet, and have a fast “first step.” But having good feet is not a mys

Top Ten Reasons to Use BFS

nformation overload is an expression that describes how having too much information makes it difficult to make decisions. Information overload can certainly apply to high school and middle school coaches who are trying to decide on the best type of workout program for their athle

Hills West High: 12-0 Long island Champions!

ur football team of Half Hollow Hills West in Dix Hills, New York, has had our share of success since 2000. Prior to 2009 we’d been to the playoffs six times and made two trips to the County Championship game. Good, yes, but we wanted to be great – we wanted to be remembered. We

Keeping It Together at Ellensburg High

llensburg High School is known for its student body of smart, disciplined young people who set goals and make specific plans to achieve them. Case in point: Approximately 45 percent of Ellensburg graduates go on to four-year colleges and another 15 percent move on to junior colle

What's Happening

FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss The Power of Hope Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UC Irvine. When I first his story has special importance to me because I’ve wrote about Roman in our September/October 2006 issue, known Don Reed for 34 years and he was