Legs Feed the Wolf

Have you ever heard of this saying?? Well, while I wasn't alive when the Miracle on Ice happened, but for many of us younger athletes, there was a movie called Miracle. One of the top sports movies (in my opinion) of this time, it showed us what the process it took for these young, inexperienced Americans who took down one of the biggest teams in Hockey history. A team so good that they made the NHL All-Stars look like a pee-wee amateur team. One person who made a difference for this miracle, was the head coach by the name of Herb Brooks. Brooks (according to the movie) was very dry and blunt when it came to coaching and interacting with people. Didn't very much emotion (unless upset) and kept everything in an intense manner. While he was considered crazy by his players, he had a method to his madness! This man was a genius as a coach and was able to get the U.S Hockey team Olympic ready in less than a year, while the Soviets have been playing together for the better part of a decade.

During their time, Brooks made the boys go through rigorous training sessions and conditioning to the point where you were hurting inside while watching this movie (movie only showed a small part of what they endured). But one thing he would relay to the boys was "legs feed the Wolf". What in the world did he mean?

The LEGS feed the Wolf... an interesting phrase by a coach to use for the players who were skating all over the ice rink while the assistant coach has a stopwatch in his hand. Why was this so important to remember? Fast forward to when the semifinal game arrived and they were getting ready to leave the locker room, Brooks (at this point actor Kurt Russell) gives a motivational speech that still sits in your head and wants you to suit up and play Hockey! He goes on to say that they've "earned it today", but the line that connects is when he says "Tonight, we skate with them, and we shut them down, because WE CAN!" Nothing but chills running down the spine when you watch it. You don't have to be a Hockey player or athlete to appreciate this speech!

But it's not a metaphor for something else, they literally were training their legs in order to compete with the best for 3 periods. Every sport has the same method with this phrase. We train day in and day out in order to become an athlete in our competition. For Baseball and Softball players, the legs play a major role even though they're not the most physically demanding sports compared to others. However, think about hitting first...

Hitting and the power you generate come from the legs. We can have quick hands, quiet eyes, and a "strong" front side, but the legs generate the power from the ground and into the hips. Throwing in the field, behind the plate, and on the mound is generated from the legs. If I stand still or stay too tall, I have no velocity or accuracy. If I'm not getting low, that means I'm not gaining ground and generating momentum towards my target. Now, for the main course, defense involves a lot of our legs. Half step too slow and we bobble the ground ball, half a step too early towards the plate and we over run a line drive. Our legs play such a vital role in this game that others don't realize it until they play it. Guys who make hard plays look easy are training constantly and it involves our legs. We may not be running 100 yard wind sprints in pads, or suicides on the basketball court, but we are taking the right angles to the groundball to give us a strong throw. We are working on sprinting from a stationary position that has to take a turn in order to head towards the next base.

So what's the point of this post? Athletes, don't neglect your training and remember that your legs play a vital role in reaching the next level as a player. Sprints and agility such as shuttle runs, 10 yard explosive sprints, box drills are all great leg developmental workouts in short, explosive movements for catching a line drive in the gap, attacking the backhand, or stealing the next bag in a game. Squats, lunges, and other resistant style exercises are huge for generating power and strength to throw harder and hit with explosion at the plate!

Be sure to give yourself a chance to feed the legs and they will not disappoint you in the game.