Eastbay is "BAE"

    Oh you're looking for the best athletic gear? Or maybe you just want to look cool? Either way, we have your back bro. Slide your way onto Eastbay and you'll be smiling in no time. Eastbay has one of the widest online selections in brands, colors, sizes, etc. that i have seen in my life. Not only do they carry cleats, gloves, and pads my football friends, they carry training gear too. Off-season training shoes, ankle braces, balls/set-ups to train indoors, leggings for the cold, literally everything on an athlete's Christmas list. Not only is the shipping time not bad at all, the products are quality. Carrying the popular brands such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, etc., this beautiful website will fulfill your athletic needs. (:

Pictures with the boys (':

Don't Blink

   Well boys, that's it. So much potential thrown away, so much time put into a 4-5 season. No more nap time, pre-game chicken strips or blindsiding people. No more locker room selfies, victory bell ringing, or playing "Bump N' Grind" by R-Kelly after a win. It doesn't even hit you that the season's over until you get home at 3:00 after school and don't know what to do with your free time. The confusion sets in when you realize there aren't any coaches around yelling at you, and you actually can sit on your butt instead of taking a knee. Tuesday is the most depressing day of the season, turning in all equipment. (not looking forward to that at all)

Nap time <3

Pre-Game selfie (:

     

    On Friday night, the seniors watched as Portage Central's receiver caught the game winning touchdown and had a reality check. Some cried, some smiled, but all came together as one. The tsunami of emotions filled the locker room as we took off our sweaty, steaming pads and said goodbye to the coaches we've been with all year. Yes, it was a heartbreaking loss, but the ones who played their hearts out managed to grin. 

     

    

    

       
     
      The new question that appears is "what next?". Our lives have been school, conditioning, camp, and two-a-days for a consecutive 4 years. Coach Catania was 100% correct by saying "Boys, high school football is like a popcorn fart in the breeze." But it's time to look forward into college, military, or whatever your future may be. Yeah, nobody wanted to just play 9 games and go home, but friendships have been made that will last longer than any football season possible. So this is my goodbye to the 2014-2015 season. We will never forget the smell of concession stands and sweat, the famous speech from Coach Church, or hitting the "Go Bears" banner. To the underclassmen, don't hate practice. Take advantage of every rep you get, every day you have to play. It goes by faster than you can recollect. To the coaching staff, thank-you for everything, but now seniors take a step into the unknown world of college.

How To Form Tackle

                                                   

     How To Form Tackle

   This shows how to properly hit to deliver bigger blows while reducing injuries. Bad technique makes injuries more likely to occur. In football, coaches are religious towards good form, knowing the importance of the art of tackling.

-Keep head up
    This prevents injuries to you and the other player. Leading with your head down could result in concussion.Also, tackling with your head up decreases chances of being juked. Running in with your head down is like swinging at a baseball blindfolded.

                          https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S6oJsN-3-ER-LEAevyvAsN7Jh0dyYRoolr9GTqnJIus48ecF5Xbm04wLKMP-EDzcviRFhQGC7WgkJFuftbb1ce5wS9iHTESVYZ-iBfbDNppaFkcMqu3I6Tug8Wlxc_QOZ_u32VDYO1o/s400/form+tackle.jpg

-"Same foot same shoulder"
    Depending on what way your are tackling, you need to time the hit. If you are making contact with your right shoulder, you want the last step to be off your right foot. This gives you more leverage, making the blow more in your favor. In the pic shown to the right, the athlete in white has his right shoulder making the contact as he is pushing off his right leg. (Same foot, Same shoulder).

                                                                       https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR3u2yi8bOQ6nTjsthKwt_zvAL30WozWFoG1cr0dGtEmvwU9EpUlWl-UPU3lqDvRyo4jBJkaj1aKyzb1z7SsLnzfuAzYmSBcB9NqvAe_lqw9ZwcAVHf8wveqBuMyUU0brd1FGfdgbYwg/s1600/South+Pointe+form+tackle.jpg

-Hit with your head in front
     Lowering your shoulder and wrapping up is by far more solid when having your head in front. Having your head behind the other player results in missed tackles, sloppy arm tackles, and "whiffs". The K.O. hits you see in NCAA and NFL come from hitting like this. Football is a game of physics, and following these steps gives you one step up from the others. 

5 Ways To Prevent Injuries

                                                        5 ways to prevent injuries

 This will show how to avoid injuries in games/practices. These 5 tips can be used by football players of all ages.


-Properly fit gear.
     Whether it’s shoulder pads, helmets, pants, whatever, they all need to be fitted to each individual player. A helmet that is loose can result in head trauma when hit. We have a professional fit us before the season, making sure we are as safe as possible (even though injuries are always possible). Walking onto the football field with loose equipment WILL eventually lead to injury, no matter how good you are.

http://s.hswstatic.com

-Technique
Coaches go over technique/form more than anything. They know the importance of technique, creating a more machine-like team with less injuries. This goes along with form tackling, which you can view in our other post, http://traditionneverfades.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-form-tackle-this-shows-how-to.html

-Preparation
     Football season never ends. From summer through winter, train, train, and train. Lifting weights for all varieties of muscle groups makes you more capable to hit/receive hits. Make sure to go all conditioning sessions possible because a player that is out of shape won't be able to benefit the team to full potential. Also, make the neck machine your "bae" in the weight room. Strengthening your neck reduces concussion risk. Although the grueling lifts and sprints are important,  so is rest. Get plenty of sleep while in season, for an exhausted body will break down. Make chocolate milk your bestie, it is very beneficial in recovery.

http://www.diabetesmine.com/

-Play smart
      Throwing yourself into other players with no intent but to knock them out may look "D1" on film, but your body won't agree. Yeah, we all want a one hitter quitter, but playing smart will keep you able to play.

-Get injuries checked (so they don't worsen)
      Some injuries are not preventable, and can be a pain in the butt. Jammed fingers, sprained ankles, make sure to see your trainer for anything that bothers you. Tell your coaches if you get a headache, repetitive blows to the head can result in "Jasonitis" (staring off, bad memory, headaches). As we learned in athletic training, "When in doubt, sit it out".

http://www.thesportsphysiotherapist.com

Together

MJ Holowasko

Jason Hart

4th Hour

Photo Essay

Together

Right next to the locker room door, this sign represents what we stand for as a team. This sign is our pride, and we make sure every single player slaps it before and after practice. Stuck to the wall from the beginning of the season, it proves that whatever pain we go through, we have our brothers alongside us. From puking on the beach, crawling up mountainous sand dunes, to dying on the track, body wanting to collapse. In your blood, sweat and tears, you look up to see a family of maize and blue supporting you. And all you can do is smile and appreciate Coach Hayden pushing us harder than anyone else. If you watch a great football team, they don’t have a single person carry the team, they work as a well oiled machine. And we as a team have been crying, laughing, and hurting together to get the chemistry needed to blow out the competition. Being in football, our whole summer is spent with one group of guys. Going through the same physical and mental struggle makes you become closer to these men daily, and we are now inseparable. Through the bumps we have in the road (past 2 weeks), we recover as a unit and thrive to improve the following week. And any bit of improving begins with padding up and slapping this maize and blue sign as you open the locker room door to a new day.