After having such a good time at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Convention this past week we decided that we want to share our favorite companies with our followers. We will post a series of reviews in categories so you can see the experience we had and what we thought about their products.
Performance Training & Practice Tools:
SKLZ- This company prepares athletes to be ready for their sport. The SKLZ brand offers skill and performance training products and programs for athletes to use at home and in training environments. They just started coming out with football products like their “Quickster QB Trainer” portable net for throwing accuracy and their “Great Catch” which is rubberized micro balls that create space between the football and palms to see if you catch the ball with your fingertips. Another great product is their quick ladder because it tangle-free so no more getting frustrated and wasting time untangling your ladder. At the convention the product that was so simple but our team loved it the most was the “Roller Ball”. If you are an athlete you have probably gone through at least a couple dozen ice cups well with this product you don’t have to anymore it is a friction-free, smooth-metal ball with rubber grips around it that you freeze and use to create targeted pressure to your muscles. SKLZ has new football products coming soon that are amazing and the products they already have are the best out there.
Shadowman Sports- Shadowman oddly enough started as a final year thesis in 2010, when the CEO, JP Hartigan was studying Product Design & Technology in the University of Limerick, Ireland. Their product is a realistic looking tackling dummy that you can practice tackling at full speed. It goes on an inner tube and someone can pull it while you practice tackling. You can do this with pads or without and there are endless amount of drills you could use this for. This is a really great product because it helps decrease risk in practice and increase quality reps to better prepare you for game day.
Go Rout- This is really cool football practice tool. It helps coaches and players communicate a lot more efficiently. It is an armband with a screen that players wear and coaches can send the play they want to run right to their player’s screen. It happens in real-time so coaches can send fully animated digital play calls, coaching tips, and assignments to every player instantly. The best part is you don’t have to waste time in a huddle and lose the players focus anymore. Also, when you are that efficient you get more quality practice in the same amount of time.
Snap Attack– This is a football-training machine that simulates snaps, passes, and kicks. It simulates 100-yard passes and punts. Also, 70-yard kick offs, 5-15 yard spiral snaps at speeds of 70+ MPH, and up to 7-second hang time. The best features are the guards around the wheels for safety purposes and the two transporting wheels that are always on the machine so it makes moving it very easy. It is a little pricey with their football machine at $3999 but you get a lot for your money and it comes with a 5-year warranty.
