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Post by 19delta on Jul 22, 2009 19:17:19 GMT -6
We aren't even in pads yet but we have had two linemen injured doing bear crawls. Last week, a freshmen o-lineman was doing a bear crawl weave drill through bags, slipped, and dislocated his knee. Yesterday, my starting senior left guard broke his hand while doing bear crawls.
Anyone else noticing a lot of injuries with bear crawls?
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Post by coachjd on Jul 22, 2009 20:27:05 GMT -6
we used to do a conditioning drill called the Big 4. 40 yard sprint, 40 yard back pedal, 40 yard Bear Crawl, 40 yard shuffle. We had more sore shoulders and elbows when we used to that drill. We lost 4-5 kids a year to bad shoulders. We have not used them for 3 years now and we have not had 1 shoulder injury since. Knock on Wood!!!!!
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Post by coachbdud on Jul 22, 2009 20:30:39 GMT -6
i have always hated this drill, i just dont think it helps you play football any better
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Post by 19delta on Jul 22, 2009 20:41:11 GMT -6
i have always hated this drill, i just dont think it helps you play football any better You know what...I totally agree with you. Someone started a really good thread on here a week or so ago about how we, as coaches, often do things for no other good reason than that we have always done things that way. So I'm 100% positive that we are done with bear crawls. |
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eric58
Junior Member
Me sparring Bruce Lee back in 79'
Posts: 298
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Post by eric58 on Jul 22, 2009 21:47:13 GMT -6
I do this not for punishment or condition but to practice the o-line picking up their feet and pounding their insteps. I blow the whistle and each time they pick up their foot and pound it into the ground. It has been helpful for us.
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Post by jhanawa on Jul 22, 2009 21:57:51 GMT -6
Bear Crawls are a useful drill if you scramble cut on the offensive line.
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eric58
Junior Member
Me sparring Bruce Lee back in 79'
Posts: 298
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Post by eric58 on Jul 22, 2009 22:32:37 GMT -6
Bear Crawls are a useful drill if you scramble cut on the offensive line. Yes, they are coach. I forgot to mention that. |
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Post by PIGSKIN11 on Jul 22, 2009 23:34:28 GMT -6
bearcrawls are more for mental training than anything...
I love seeing who can compete and not quite when we do our liners with bearcrawls...
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byuwolverine
Junior Member
Life is a game of inches --- Add them up in any aspect and there is your outcome.
Posts: 285
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Post by byuwolverine on Jul 22, 2009 23:42:06 GMT -6
Bear Crawls Help build overall strength and endurance. There is a reason no one likes to do them.
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Post by touchdownmaker on Jul 23, 2009 4:08:50 GMT -6
I find them extremely hard on my wrists and I would think anyone heavy set, doing them properly would feel the same way. theres a reaon why we walk upright.
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Post by rpetrie on Jul 23, 2009 6:29:56 GMT -6
Bear crawling for 10 yards...I could possibly understand. When is moving on all 4's for 40 yards ever applicable to playing football??? The only bear crawling we do is through an agility circuit in which they weave through 3 cones...5-7 yards. No Problems. If you want to build strength, what's wrong with a simple push-up?
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Post by coachcastleman on Jul 23, 2009 6:34:59 GMT -6
Bear crawls are very important for our lineman. However, we do not have them crawl for 40 yards. We don't have them crawl more than 10 yards. As previously mentioned, if you are scramble blocking on offense they are very important.
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Post by phantom on Jul 23, 2009 6:44:56 GMT -6
We never do them. Just don't see where they're relevant.
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Post by jpdaley25 on Jul 23, 2009 7:32:15 GMT -6
Saw in a movie where a kid did a "death crawl" for 100 yards. He seemed fine afterwards.
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Post by coachorr on Jul 23, 2009 7:42:17 GMT -6
Bear crawls can teach dlinemen to stay lower, however, a good rule of thumb in coaching is to avoid any drill that either has an animal name in it (bear crawl, monkey roll, bull in the ring) and/or has no specific fundamental impact on playing a position on the field.
One thing to consider, many bigger kids do not have the bone and joint development yet to support their body weight.
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Post by coach31 on Jul 23, 2009 7:45:04 GMT -6
We do a grass drill circuit early in practice. Our trainer suggested bear crawls and crab walks around agility bags to help with shoulder stability. I don't remember one shoulder injury last year. Is it possible that the crab walk portion helps balance the strength of the muscles around the shoulder and stabalizes the shoulder?
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Post by fatkicker on Jul 23, 2009 7:46:29 GMT -6
bad for your health? my ol' coach used to say they were for injury prevention....
strong wrists...shoulders....arms...
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Post by fbdoc on Jul 23, 2009 8:54:32 GMT -6
With any drill a coach should be asking "WHY" are we doing this? What is the desired outcome? Bear Crawls are great for general conditioning and mental toughness along with the aforementioned linemen footwork,. However having players do them for 40, 60, or 100 yards just doesn't seem to be efficient use of time. We use them as a final warmup drill - 10 yards and then get up and sprint 10 yards and we will also use them during conditioning - once again, just 10 yards. Bio-mechanically, when doing bear crawls the angle of the arm to body is much like the angle when a player is blocking - similar to incline bench vs regular bench press.
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Post by champ93 on Jul 23, 2009 9:41:18 GMT -6
We bear crawl because we implement them in games. But never for more than a few yards. Bear crawl down the line for 3 yds, up the field for 3 and to your feet for 10.
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Post by oguru on Jul 23, 2009 9:47:56 GMT -6
I agree with other members of the board. When do you do a bear crawl during a game??? I have yet to see a player do a bear crawl during a game. If you don't do it during a game WHY do it during practice.?
I use to get so pissed at camps when people would yell at me for doing a hand off drill,and then let another coach do a drill where the kids are getting bags thrown at them. Once again WHEN ARE BAGS THROWN AT YOU IN A GAME ahh NEVER. When do you tak a handoff in a game. When ever a back except QB carries the ball.
Another great example was last year when I was coaching at Minot State we never had the QB's and centers get together for QB/Center exchange and then the hea dcoahc would get pissed when they would fumble the snap.Well THEY NEVER PRACTICED IT. SO I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO MESS IT UP.
Guys this game is not rocket science, if the kids aren't going to do something in a game, don't WASTE TIME having them doing a drill doing it. IT'S THAT DAM SIMPLE.
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Post by jhanawa on Jul 23, 2009 14:42:41 GMT -6
When do you do a bear crawl during a game??? I have yet to see a player do a bear crawl during a game
You haven't seen anybody cut and scramble (bear crawl) at the college level? Take a look at any option team and you'll see cut/scrambles on every play. When I was in college, we were taught to cut and scramble, which means bear crawl into the defenders legs as he is extending his arms and kicking his legs back to avoid the cut/scramble. You can work into a defender with your side while bear crawling and work him vertically or laterally depending on his movement/balance. It is a very important method of maintaining contact while cutting/scrambling and is very important for the offensive blocker to be able to get to his feet and work to the second/third levels....how do you teach cut blocking?
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Post by raiderpirates on Jul 23, 2009 15:33:46 GMT -6
Goal line necessity, out of a four point stance....
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Post by tothehouse on Jul 23, 2009 18:31:46 GMT -6
Former lineman for us playing at Notre Dame came back with a beauty of a punishment. They call them "Lame Dogs".
Must have one leg high in the air behind you and you hobble down the field on your hands. This keeps weight on the hands. Bear crawls create "cheating" where people lift their hands off the ground. Lame Dogs....nobody likes them. And ZERO injuries doing them.
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Post by los on Jul 23, 2009 19:36:55 GMT -6
Exactly right JH.....we could use the same type of block in HS football(along time ago), so bearcrawling was a valid training aid, as well as conditioning tool....we all still hated it, lol...don't recall anyone getting hurt bearcrawling though.....but....that was back when you could (and were encouraged to) block low anywhere on the field.....it may have outlived its usefullness now? While coaching, we did it a little as part of our agility course with HS linemen, but not very far or for any length of time much....just a few yards between bags and such, nobody got hurt.....course, I hated bearcrawling sooo much and often wondered on a hot dusty day, with dirt in my mouth and eyes from the sweat and slobber coming out of me..  .." WTF are we doing this $hit for"  .....so I couldn't bring myself to make anyone else do it much, lol  |
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Post by groundchuck on Jul 23, 2009 19:43:44 GMT -6
In HS we had a coach who made us do the 4-corners drill. Sprint 20-bear crawl 20-sprint 20-bear crawl 20. Similar to something mentioned in an earlier post.
I have had team do that drill. But at a new school last year never did. We do mat drills in the wrestling room during summer athletic development and that may include some bear crawls as well as other drills. No injuries yet though. KNOCK WOOD!!!!!!!!
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Post by los on Jul 23, 2009 20:54:35 GMT -6
I hear ya Chuck.....I swear, they'd have made us do windsprints "bearcrawling", if it could have been squeezed into the practice schedule, lol
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Post by groundchuck on Jul 23, 2009 21:31:57 GMT -6
I hear ya Chuck.....I swear, they'd have made us do windsprints "bearcrawling", if it could have been squeezed into the practice schedule, lol Bear crawls make you a man! They put hair on your chest! I probably heard a line like that. |
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Post by coachorr on Jul 24, 2009 9:49:53 GMT -6
I agree with other members of the board. When do you do a bear crawl during a game??? I have yet to see a player do a bear crawl during a game. If you don't do it during a game WHY do it during practice.? I use to get so {censored} at camps when people would yell at me for doing a hand off drill,and then let another coach do a drill where the kids are getting bags thrown at them. Once again WHEN ARE BAGS THROWN AT YOU IN A GAME ahh NEVER. When do you tak a handoff in a game. When ever a back except QB carries the ball. Another great example was last year when I was coaching at Minot State we never had the QB's and centers get together for QB/Center exchange and then the hea dcoahc would get {censored} when they would fumble the snap.Well THEY NEVER PRACTICED IT. SO I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO MESS IT UP. Guys this game is not rocket science, if the kids aren't going to do something in a game, don't WASTE TIME having them doing a drill doing it. IT'S THAT DAM SIMPLE. Oguru, great points I love you straight forward logic. I am perplexed by what you say however, are you telling me you don't have 12lb bags on your schedule?  |
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Post by coachguy83 on Jul 24, 2009 10:07:15 GMT -6
I don't teach bear crawls as a scramble block. I have occasionally taught my weaker DTs to use them to get into the gap. Mainly I just use bear crawls as a punishment when they pi$$ me off, which has been quite a bit this week. I started with up downs and that didn't seem to phase them. Then went to starting conditioning early they just panted and shrugged their shoulders. Bear crawls and crab crawls kind of got their attention.
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Post by coachorr on Jul 24, 2009 10:18:52 GMT -6
I used bear crawls last year once, and that was to get their attention. Hearing of other coaches having injury problems I am second guessing my punishment.
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.." WTF are we doing this $hit for" 
.....so I couldn't bring myself to make anyone else do it much, lol 
