Speed Expert, Coach Tom Shaw Q&A

I had the plaeasure of speaking with renowned speed expert, Tom Shaw. He was gracious enough to share a few words of advice that will resonate within our community. Tom Shaw’s clientele inlcudes the “who’s who” of NFL athletes like Tom Brady, Derrick Brooks, Peyton Manning and Jevon Kearse. A man that boasts three Super Bowl rings as a former NFL assistant and now trains some of the most elite athletes in the country out of his Disney Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando Florida surely has a wealth of knowledge we can all benefit from.

LeCharles:In your years of dealing with athletes, what are a few traits that standout in the best offensive linemen you have been around?

Tom Shaw: Hard work is the key to success; the guys who work hard all year round will stay in the game longer. Strong, explosive and mean.

LeCharles: You are nationally known as the "guru of speed". How important is linear speed vs explosive lateral ability for offensive line play?

Tom Shaw: Straight ahead speed is not that important to be a good offensive lineman, but being strong and explosive is. Quick feet to get you into good position and good balance to keep you in front of the person you are blocking will be important.

LeCharles: Many young offensive linemen looking to get recruited spend a lot of their offseason preparing for camps and combines. In your opinion, at a young age should players be preparing to get better or spend their time training for drills?

Tom Shaw: Lineman have to be in good shape. You get hit or you hit someone on every play. In the pro game you can get fined if your weight or your body fat is too high. If you are fat and sloppy, how can you move in front of a smaller faster guy? That being said, you have to be strong to run the ball. Your coach will tell you what you need to be.

LeCharles: Offensive line is a position that requires much posterior strength. What are a few exercises that linemen should focus on?

Tom Shaw: We like to push a golf cart for 20 to 40 yards for time. Work on good sprint position with long strides. You can also push the coaches’ truck.

LeCharles: Are there any simple drills that coaches can do to enhance the footspeed and reaction ability of their linemen?

Tom Shaw: Work on 3 sprints, running down hill. That is as far as he needs to go, and he can go 100% and not get hurt. Then do three 20 yard sprints on the field. Stay in a 4" body lean, on the balls of your feet, working fast elbows with long strides.

LeCharles: You have trained the best of the best. What piece of advice would you give young athletes aspiring to be in the category of the athletes you have trained?

Tom Shaw: Training is pace specific, Train at the pace of your goal. You have to go 100% on every rep. if you go 50 % you'll be great at going 50%

LeCharles: Lastly, your experince as a coach is vast! What advice would you give to coaches when training athletes and any words of wisdom?

Tom Shaw: Train the athletes to get them in good shape, then do everything that they might do on the field. Reach right, pull right. Drive block, pass block. Slide protect, build a pocket. Don't do DB drill's. That is how he will get better at doing what the coaches want them to do during game time.