Four to six seconds of intense effort between the whistles on game day. As coaches, that's what we ask of our players. At Cincinnati (a program that has won nine games in two consecutive seasons under Tommy Tuberville) while a lot of programs focus on developing strength, the Bearcats have a philosophy founded instead on bursts of power and explosiveness.
"I definitely think that we focus on power more than strength," Joe Walker, the director of football strength and conditioning explained. "We do segments of strength because the more strength that you have, but for us, it's how fast can you move that ball? How explosive can you be? Because that's really what carries over to the field."
Just as offensive and defensive schemes have evolved over the years, approaches in the weight room have become more diverse as well. Teams are focused on creating functional strength instead of focusing on bench and squat numbers because, as Walker explains, in today's game "the most explosive athlete is going to win."
"Football is played within 5-10 yards. In five to ten yards you're going to know you're going to have to decelerate, change directions, jump, cut. For us, explosion is the most important thing that you can accomplish in football."
Recovery is another highly regarded aspect of Cincinnati's approach.
"It's the most important thing. If we never recover, we're going to keep being in a deficit, keep being in a deficit, keep being in a deficit. We need to be able to climb out of the hole and play with fresh legs. For us, the more fresh your legs are, the more fast and explosive you are, we need to maintain that."
"If they don't have fresh legs, we're increasing our risk of injury, so recovery is one of the most important things...recovery and nutrition."