The Need for Speed

From the time young football players figure out they’re faster than the other players on the field, many assume speed is simply a gift that some have, some don’t. They figure it’s all a matter of nature, genetics or a divine blessing. While it’s true that some young men are simply born and raised faster than others, no football player has to be content with his speed – or his lack of speed. “A lot of the kids we recruit have a lot of untapped potential. They’re late bloomers, a kid who isn’t quite a Division I-A athlete,” said Eric Klein, the strength and conditioning coach at Southern Illinois University. “We put them through a lot of hard work and mechanics and show them that they can be faster. Now that we’ve been here a few years, the proof is in the pudding. “When a freshman comes in now he can look at the improvements that the upperclassmen made and it