July 15, 2009
“Accept the challenges, so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” — General George S. Patton.
Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The bleachers! It is a short phrase that has a distinct meaning to most football players. If a football coach says “bleachers,” he’s not suggesting the guys find some shaded area in the stands to take a water break or maybe a nap.
When a coach shouts “bleachers,” the football guys usually groan and moan or maybe search their pockets to see if they happened to bring a note from a doctor that says, “Please, excuse Mr. Lobo Lineman from all bleacher runs today and this summer.”
The University of New Mexico Lobo football players have seen their share of the bleachers this summer in their new-look summer drills headed by Troy Hatton, the football team’s strength and conditioning coach.
But long before the Lobos took to the bleachers, there was a solitary figure running up and down the bleachers at University Stadium holding a stopwatch in his hand — Troy Hatton.
“I ran the bleacher run before they did to get an idea of how many they should do and what time they should finish in,” said Hatton. “The bleachers were a grueling run for the guys and probably more of a mental task than a physical task.
“I love lifting and conditioning. This is my domain. It’s a passion of mine. When I come in here, it’s all business.”
Hatton is a bit like World War II General George S. Patton when it comes to seriousness about the task at hand. In the weight room, Hatton is as serious as a heart attack. “I’ll smile after I see some wins,” said Hatton.
And that’s why Lobo coach Mike Locksley convinced Hatton to follow Locksley from Illinois to New Mexico: to help the Locksley Lobos win football games.
“Troy knows the system we use and I’m comfortable with him,” said Locksley. “Backs shouldn’t lift like linemen and linemen shouldn’t lift like backs and Troy gets that.”
Said Hatton: “One of the things I’ve changed, and think I excel at, is the position-specific training.”
Hatton has had the Locksley Lobos running, jumping, crawling, stretching and lifting since early June. There was a short Fourth of July break, but the Lobos are back at it leading up to fall football drills that begin the first week in August.
Locksley’s and Hatton’s approach to off-season training is similar to the philosophy under former UNM coach Rocky Long — and very different.
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“I’m in the best condition of my life and I don’t think I’ll be coming out of the games as much this season.” Lobo senior Ian Clark |
“The core work and the conditioning probably is the biggest change,” said Lobo senior Ian Clark. “I think people have a misconception that we aren’t doing the power lifts, but we still are. It’s just that right now we are working on endurance and speed.”
Said Hatton: “Back in the old days, football players just came in and it was lift, lift, lift. It’s come a long ways. We try to encompass everything and we do a lot of full-body conditioning. These guys are even doing yoga a couple of times a week.
“The lifting stage is pretty much the same as what they did before here, but the conditioning and the speed work has been vamped up a lot.”
Under Long, there was a lot of smash-mouth, power football. Locksley will use that stuff, too, but his no-huddle, multi-faceted offense also relies on quickness at every position. “The type of offense we run, we have to have linemen who can move, too,” said Hatton. “We make sure they have quick feet under them.”
The Lobos are running a variety of distances over the summer to build both endurance and speed. The Lobos have run long distances. The Lobos have run short distances. The Lobos have run a lot.
“We have run a lot of different distances and they are all pretty tough,” said Hatton. “We are even working on form running. We are training guys to run more efficiently and with better form.
“We want these guys to be at full strength and full speed in the fourth quarter. We want them to be as explosive in the fourth quarter as they were in the first quarter.”
And is this stuff working?
“I am in such good shape that I’m looking forward to the running and I`ll be the first to admit I`ve always hated running,” said Clark. “I’m in the best condition of my life and I don’t think I’ll be coming out of the games as much this season.”