Little Fish Goes To The Big Pond

So you are a freshman going off to play college football. You were a big fish in  little pond in high school. You were able to whip virtually everyone you faced in high school with your natural ability alone. Those days have ended. Welcome to the big pond.

You are standing in line with the other freshman waiting to take your physical. The other "newbies" are checking one another out. "Look at the "pecs" on that beast!" you think. That big gulp you just took was a wake up call to let you know and understand that you are "not in Kansas anymore".

You have never seen so many other guys that are as big as you and so many that have  more developed physique than you do. Time to get some quick perspective and save my self-pride. You think, "well, lets wait and see if these guys can run as fast or hit as hard as me - I'll show them". Tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow comes as you planned, but "Mr. New Joe College Football Player" learns that the other guys run just as fast as you do and in many cases faster! Then you learn that the upperclassmen are bigger, stronger, more developed, and even faster than the "new meat". The hits to the ego just keep coming. "Well, we'll hit in a couple of days - I'll show them", you think.

Its the first day in pads. Time to separate the men from the boys. All of these guys look really good in their pads. You think back and don't remember many of your high school team mates looking anything like this in pads. Out on the field, the upperclassmen can't wait to initiate the "newbies" in the grass drills and one-on-one drills.

"Mr. New Joe College", you just got your pride knocked into your socks in the drills. The opposing upperclassmen out-ran you and acted as if he was playing a game that was foreign to you. These guys are twice as fast and hit twice as hard as the high schoolers you whipped with ease. Now "Coach Buzzcut" is calling you every curse word in the book. Nobody ever called you names like that and got away with it....until now. 

While the game of football is still the same, the way it is taught, practiced, and played is so far different than it is done in high school. Even the best freshmen can overwhelmed in the beginning. After a few practices, a few hard hits, a few lessons, you finally "get it". This is not rocket science. Listen to what "Coach Buzzcut" says and carry it out with vigor. Block your assignment. Run your pass route to precision. Square your body to the line of scrimmage and hit the hole square. Keep your angle. Maintain depth with the ball. Inside-out containment. 

Hey! This isn't so hard after-all. Newly learned techniques and schemes even the playing field and afford "New Joe College Football Player" to utilize his athletic ability and show the upperclassmen that he too possesses the big athletic body, herculean strength, rabbit-like speed, and the power of a tank. Welcome to college football!