Physical Preparation Becomes Point of Accountability for Bobcat Gridders
3/25/2020 5:46:00 PM | Football
MSU football student-athletes working out on their own
BOZEMAN, Montana – Jeff Choate and his Montana State football coaching staff has a clear plan for guiding the Bobcat football program through a spring unlike any other. Choate and his staff maintain normal contact with his players electronically, conduct group meetings of various sizes, counsel the student-athletes on everything from academics to staying focused on good health and hygiene.
But Choate concedes that the physical part of the equation, by and large, falls on the players themselves.
"A lot of that is accountability on the part of the players," Choate said of the time between now and the time the team is allowed to come together in Bozeman after the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. "Coach (Alex) Willcox (who leads the program's strength and conditioning efforts) has sent out a two-week plan," Choate said, indicating that it has undergone some tailoring. Those workouts are standard for all athletes, with variations available based on the equipment and physical space available.
"We have sent voluntary workouts to our student-athletes in order to provide them with the opportunity for continued workout structure coupled with demonstration and instruction through YouTube videos," Willcox said.
Flexibility, Choate said, has been important. "Each one of the movements has variations based on what the young man has available on-hand, everything from simply body-weight exercise and cardiovascular conditioning, maybe a little skill-based work, up to if you have access to a full gym. We've tried to be cognizant of the fact that not everybody's going to have all the equipment available."
Straightforward communication coupled with broad-based skill development have been foundational elements of the plan, Willcox said. "It is important the program be simple to allow for clear understanding, relevant to all student-athletes and their respective sports, while simultaneously taking equipment challenges into consideration."
With the normal patten of life disrupted for student-athletes as well as coaches and others involved in college football programs, Choate says it's become paramount for his program to emphasize safety and follow guidelines laid out by local, state, and federal officials. "We do have a number of young men in town and I know those guys are champing at the bit and want to come in and maybe check some things out or that type of things. We just have to pump the brakes a little big right now. But we do have a plan in place to continue to move forward with these remote workouts as well as remote meetings."
The effectiveness of the plan, though, lies with the individuals. "The accountability piece is really on those guys as individuals."
#GoCatsGo
But Choate concedes that the physical part of the equation, by and large, falls on the players themselves.
"A lot of that is accountability on the part of the players," Choate said of the time between now and the time the team is allowed to come together in Bozeman after the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. "Coach (Alex) Willcox (who leads the program's strength and conditioning efforts) has sent out a two-week plan," Choate said, indicating that it has undergone some tailoring. Those workouts are standard for all athletes, with variations available based on the equipment and physical space available.
"We have sent voluntary workouts to our student-athletes in order to provide them with the opportunity for continued workout structure coupled with demonstration and instruction through YouTube videos," Willcox said.
Flexibility, Choate said, has been important. "Each one of the movements has variations based on what the young man has available on-hand, everything from simply body-weight exercise and cardiovascular conditioning, maybe a little skill-based work, up to if you have access to a full gym. We've tried to be cognizant of the fact that not everybody's going to have all the equipment available."
Straightforward communication coupled with broad-based skill development have been foundational elements of the plan, Willcox said. "It is important the program be simple to allow for clear understanding, relevant to all student-athletes and their respective sports, while simultaneously taking equipment challenges into consideration."
With the normal patten of life disrupted for student-athletes as well as coaches and others involved in college football programs, Choate says it's become paramount for his program to emphasize safety and follow guidelines laid out by local, state, and federal officials. "We do have a number of young men in town and I know those guys are champing at the bit and want to come in and maybe check some things out or that type of things. We just have to pump the brakes a little big right now. But we do have a plan in place to continue to move forward with these remote workouts as well as remote meetings."
The effectiveness of the plan, though, lies with the individuals. "The accountability piece is really on those guys as individuals."
#GoCatsGo
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