Football’s big men are getting their own chance to shine in a special eight-week training program that begins Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the Pinetree community centre in Coquitlam.
It’s the third year for the program, but only the second time it’s been open to high school and community football players beyond those lining up for the Terry Fox Ravens, who are coached by one of the camp’s instructors, Tom Kudaba.
Kudaba said most lineman come to the game because they’re the big kid on the block. But lineman need more than a reliance on their stature and intimidation of onrushing opponents to be successful, especially if they want to take their football to a higher level like a post-secondary program.
“They’re big, but they’re not strong,” Kudaba, who leads the program along with another coach at Terry Fox secondary, Ric Graham. “They have no sense of athleticism.”
During the eight weekly indoor sessions, that go from 6 to 8:30 p.m., the athletes will work on their foot speed, agility, positioning, and angles of hitting opponents safely and effectively., although, Kudaba added, there’s no body contact.
It’s all about developing muscle memory, he said.
“It becomes a habit of doing it.”
Kudaba said transforming a big kid into a proper football lineman who has the athletic ability to use his size effectively can be a real confidence booster.
“This is a great situation when the big kid who is often the last man picked for his team now can build his self-esteem,” Kudaba said. “Now he’s just as important as the other kids.”
Cost of the lineman training program, that runs until March 27, is $80. Participants must wear a shirt, shoes and appropriate footwear. No protective equipment is required as there won’t be any body contact drills.
Register at www.coquitlam.ca/signmeup, call 604-927-4386, or sign up in person at one of Coqitlam’s recreation facilities.
Feb. 1: An earlier version of this story misspelled Tom Kudaba's name.
