The Napkin: Wisdom from Joe DeFranco

I remember sitting in seminar room many years ago listening to Joe DeFranco speak in a lecture titled “Sprinting Problems...Prowler Solutions”.  He used a Buddy Morris quote in his presentation:

“If you can’t explain it to a waitress on a napkin, then don’t bother talking about it.” 

Joe gave a great presentation which I still believe holds merit today considering it’s been upwards of  7 years since his talk.  Joe collected data for 15+ years on his NFL athletes performing the 10-yard sprint.  His quote:  “Best performances all had one thing in common, 6.5 steps or less.”  His hypothesis, stride length reins supreme.  The question then becomes, how to do improve stride length.  Joe’s napkin looked like this:

• Improve Relative Strength

• Improve Mobility

• Technique (heavily dependent on strength & mobility)

Therefore strength + flexibility = > stride length

I love this napkin.  I’ve used if ever since.  I do also realize there are assumptions involved on the napkin that may be overlooked such as genetics and biomechanical differences such as lever length, and how to improve relative strength.  However, for most athletes improving stride length is not a magic pill.  Yes, even after relative strength and mobility are improved, targeted intervention on the ice STILL may be necessary, in fact, mandatory.  Skating is a skill, just like playing the guitar.  The key is to pick the low hanging fruit while continuing to master the craft.  Ground contact times in the game of hockey are much greater than in field-based sprinting.  Hockey is a high impulse game.  Think of impulse as total force.  How does one maximize impulse?

• Improve peak force

• Increase the rate of force development

• Increase the duration of force application

Strength and mobility are important in improving impulse. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication....so simple, it fits on a napkin.