(An athlete keeps his balance during a drill at the Last Chance Combine)
The draft and college recruiting are not exact sciences, but the more information coaches have, the better decision they hope to make.
For the players, a combine is football’s decathlon where they compete against the clock and have to look good in “space”. There is a combination of cone drills and position drills with a ball and dummies, but only a hand full of drills related to playing the game of football itself.
Today combines exist in a couple of forms: an actual combine event or summer football camps.
The first thing measured is height and weight. Based upon a player's size, there are different expectations on how they should perform in the testing.
If a player is undersized, they will need to perform better in the drills to make up for their stature. If a player is big for their position and also runs fast times, they will find themselves at the top of the list when it comes times to make an offer.
Vertical Jump
Broad Jump
Bench Test
It is important to become a technician at all the drills no matter what your strengths or weakness may be. This means preparing in advance for the specific techniques in each drill. Off-season training generally includes the same drills used for combine testing, which means athletes are expected to have a basic understanding of the drills.
In the end, no matter what your combine numbers are, the head coach has the question; “can he play”. Performing well at a combine will definitely improve every player's chances of advancing to the next level.
You have everyday to prepare
-Coach King
