You’ll ensure all bases are covered by incorporating speed and agility drills into your football training program. You’ll also increase flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.

Read on below if you want to learn the best agility drills for football players.

Before were get into specific drills let’s talk about the types of movements you need to cover.

• Transition Movements
• Actualization Movements
• Initiation Movement

Transition movements are when you wait in a football position and react with a football play. Actualization movements happen when you try to move around at max speed. Initiation movements are when you explode from a staring position or change the direction of your movement.

Transition

Static-Wait

A static wait is done from your football-ready position; you hold and ground yourself while activating your core.

Semi-Static Transition or Jockeying

You accomplish this by jockeying side to side.

Side Shuffle and Back Peddle

First, shuffle your feet quickly to each side, then back peddle and repeat.

Controlled Front Movement

Quick feet or chop steps from your football position.

Decelerations

Speed up and decelerate as fast as possible. Try to stop within three yards.

Diagonal Cross steps or Crossovers

Act as if you were diagonally shadowing an attacking player.

Actualization

Acceleration

Accelerate by moving in different patterns. Do this sideways and backward also.

Top Speed

Gradually accelerate to top speed from a standstill. Do that over 60 yards with four rounds.

Curved Running

This will be similar to a receiver running a passing route like a zig-zag or button hook.

Initiation

Start to Front – acceleration patterns

Start to Rear – backward drop step

1. Start to Side – quick crossover
2. Change Direction – Front and back and Lateral – Cut Step or Plant Step

Lateral Shuffle Pushback

Put two cones five to 10 yards apart. Start in your football stance at one cone. Explode and shuffle to the other. Then, plant your leg and explode back – 10 times on each side.

Mirror Shuffle

Place cones 10 yards away from each other. Two players stand and mirror the other. One player plays the attacking role, and the other plays defense by mirroring him. Each round lasts five to 10 seconds, and do 10 rounds. Remember to stay within the cones.

Cone and Cut

Two cones should be five feet apart. The player runs to one and makes a cut step exploding back to the other cone. Do this five times for five rounds.

Coach Signals

Players start in their football position. The coach will blow the whistle and move a football around with his hand, side to side, and back and forth. Players must keep up.

Post Drill

Two players face each other three yards apart. When the coach blows the whistle, the attacking player takes a few steps and makes a cut to either the left or right post. The defender must shadow them without getting beat.

Run to Cut

Two cones are placed 10 yards apart—one player at one cone and defender at the other. The attacker tries to get past the defender guarding cone two.

Some Things to Remember

You want to start by developing general stabilizing strength. You then want to move on to combination moves. After that, it’s time to focus on in-game sport-specific patterns. Finally, it’s time to do the in-game sport-specific movements at an uncomfortably fast speed.

Agility to Make You Better

Agility is essential in almost every sport, and although football may seem like a game of brute strength, it’s also vital to be agile.

Being agile will not only make you a better all-around player, but it will also increase your quickness and help prevent you from getting injured.

Athletes are always looking for an edge. Whether with diet, supplements, training, or mental focus, athletes will do whatever it takes to push themselves and become better. Here we’ll discuss if chocolate milk is good for athletes it not.

Pre Workout or Pre-Game

Chocolate milk can provide some positive benefits before training. Drinking 8 oz. of chocolate milk 30 minutes before a workout can help boost muscle glycogen. It also provides you with much-needed nutrients and carbohydrates for energy. It also puts a decent amount of protein in your body to build muscles.

Some may find it too heavy to have before a game or practice, but others don’t have a problem. That all depends on your body and how it digests dairy.

Chocolate milk before a workout can also help with how your body recovers. It has properties that activate proteins in the body that prevents protein breakdown. It preserves your muscles and speeds up recovery.

Post Workout or Training

The fluids and sodium in chocolate milk help with hydration after a workout or game. Not to mention it’s much cheaper than most post-workout supplements while it may accomplish the same results. Eight to 20 oz. Seems to work best.

Another study found that drinking chocolate milk after exercising builds muscle, reduces fat, improves endurance, and boosts overall performance.

Department chair of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin, John L. Ivy, Ph.D. says that chocolate milk has the right combination of protein and carbohydrates that works well for athletes.

Other Points to Remember

You should keep in mind some other things when utilizing chocolate milk as an athlete. You can get away with drinking low-fat chocolate milk, which is a 3:1 carb to protein ratio.

Again this will depend on your body type and what kind of sport you play. Keep in mind everyone is different so keep close tabs on what works for you and what doesn’t.

It provides electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium that replaces the nutrients you lost while sweating. It also helps strengthen bones with nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Each of these mentioned above can benefit athletes in some way.

Drinking chocolate milk after training is fast and simple. Sometimes you don’t have time to get home and blend your post-recovery drink. Or, you may not have one at the ice rink or field you play at.

Having a bottle of chocolate milk in a cooler is a great solution and you’ll capitalize on that all-important 15-45 minutes after exercise when your body is in its building and recovery phase.

Chocolate Milk or Not?

It appears using chocolate milk before and especially after training is a great tool for athletes. Studies show the numerous benefits it may have. Plus, it’s inexpensive compared to many other options, and a quick fix.

Sports nutritionist Barbara Lewin, RD, says, “I have been using it for a long time. It’s no surprise, she says, that the chocolate milk beat out the no-calorie beverage and the carbohydrate drink without protein.

Each athlete has their preferences and reasons for using certain methods both pre and post-workout, training, or game. Chocolate milk can be added to your routine and is great for athletes.

Rivals.com describes him as a “pro-style” quarterback. They currently have him as the 258th ranked high school football player in the nation and 30th in the state. He’s also the 12th ranked high school QB in the nation, according to Rivals.

Becht is the son of former NFL Tight-End Anthony Becht. The Senior Becht was a first-round draft pick of the New York Jets who played 12 seasons in the NFL.

The younger Becht gives a lot of credit to his father for his success in football and looks to draw on that as he progresses.

When I spoke to Rocco recently, he said he’s still getting used to the cold in Iowa, stating, “It’s cold and windy.” He also said, “I’ve been in cold weather before but never negative six degrees.” However, he mentioned he’s embracing it, and it’s not too big of a deal.

In high school, Becht played at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, where he was a three-year varsity starter. Becht was the starting QB on the JV team during his freshman year. He was projected to be the backup quarterback his sophomore season, but the current starter decided to transfer schools during the off-season.

He said, “it was trial by fire” during his sophomore season, but he adapted quickly and ended the season with a QB rating of 100.0%. Wiregrass Ranch plays in a “very hard” District; District-10, 7-A.

Rocco Becht was named one of the Top Performers, Takeaways from the Elite 11 Orlando Regional

The six-foot-one,195-pound quarterback set several school records throughout his high school career. Records such as:

• Most Career Yards (5,343)
• Most Career Touchdown Passes (62)
• Best Career Completion Percentage (.517)
• Most Passing Yards in a Game (312)
• Most Touchdown Passes in a Game (6)

Becht started playing pee-wee football at eight years old. He credits QB Coach John Groane for a lot of his success. He said, “I worked with Coach Groane for four years, and I learned so much.” He talks to his former coach frequently while on campus at Iowa State.

Family.@nflnetwork

🌪🚨🌪 pic.twitter.com/aQSZ62GgNm

— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) March 5, 2022

Becht was named Camp MVP at the Rivals Football Camp in 2021. One fun fact is that along with his normal training and summer football camps, he did some off-ice training with high-level hockey players in 2021. He trained under Mark Gochenour, who used to train Rocco’s father. Gochenour is a former sprinter and utilizes a wide range of techniques to get the best out of his athletes.

Becht was able to leave high school early (after his senior football season) because he took senior-level classes throughout his junior year. That will give him a leg-up on other incoming freshmen. He’s currently lifting and conditioning under the guild of Cyclone’s Head Coach Matt Campbell and QB Coach Joel Gordon.

When spring practice starts, Becht says there are 5 other QB’s he’ll be competing with. The Cyclone’s starting quarterback from last season is gone.

When asked if he’d be “redshirting” next season, he said, “We won’t know until Spring and Summer Camps.” It’s quite common for incoming freshman football players to redshirt. Redshirt players sit out most of the season and retain their freshman eligibility for the next season.

Iowa State has built itself into a Top 25 football program over the past decade. However, they aren’t ranked in the preseason Top 25 as of now. Becht hopes to help change that in any way possible.

Either way, players have to build themselves up and learn specific techniques to play the game. They have to train and coordinate their muscles to do baseball-specific movements to succeed and not get injured.

The key is to practice these drills until they become second nature. You want the movements ingrained in your body, so you can do them fast without even thinking about it.

Bottle Cap Drill

The bottle cap drill is excellent for high school players to improve their hand-eye coordination. All you need is a bat, a bunch of bottle caps, and a coach or teammate to toss the cap to the batter.

The batter tries to hit the significantly smaller cap than a baseball. Although it’s moving slowly compared to a fastball, the cap will dip and drop uncontrollably, so it makes it a little harder to hit than you’d think.

Two Tee Drill

The two tee drill is another drill for hitters that helps with proper swing plane and hand-eye coordination. You need two tee’s; one waist high and another one about a foot in front slightly lower.

Place a ball on the second tee. Swing over the first tee to hit the ball off of the second one. This helps you keep your head down and eyes on the ball through contact.

Positive-Negative

The positive-negative drill is great for young hitters. Hitters stand at the plate in their batting stance. Coaches should draw a line down the center directly under the batter’s belly button and nose.

Coaches: Make sure the batter rocks back and stays firm on their back foot. Then the batter should explode through the line with their swing. Have them focus on driving through the power zone from their back leg.

Underhand Flip Drill

The underhand flip drill is great practice for turning double plays. Have two lines of players—one from the shortstop position and one from the second base position.

A coach should roll a ground ball to one of them and the player who fields it flips it to another who’s waiting on the 2nd base bag, and that player throws it to the first baseman for the double play.

Coaches: Switch sides of where you throw the ball to and don’t telegraph it, to challenge your players more.

Charge and Drop Drill

Coaches stand about 10-15 feet from your outfielders who are lined up single file. Throw the ball either five feet short or 15-20 feet behind them in the air. The outfielders will have to charge or drop back to make the play. This drill is great for transitioning and footwork. It’s also a good conditioning drill if you keep up the pace.

Pitcher’s Count

The pitcher’s count drill is fun. Split into three teams of 4-5 players each. One team takes the bat and the other two take the field. Each batter will enter the box with an 0-2 count.

The batting team gets a point for each baserunner and another point for each run scored. After three outs are recorded, rotate the teams until each team bats three times. The losing teams after three innings have to do extra sprints.

Fundamental Drills For All

Here you have drills for hitters, infielders, outfielders, and pitchers. Coaches should remember to focus on fundamentals and keep the drills tight.

High school baseball players are easily distracted. However, if you incorporate these drills that allow them to learn, get better, and have fun, they’ll be much more focused on the field.

What’s the Sweet Spot?

Every player is different. Each of us has our own recovery time after a long, grueling season. The bumps and bruises pile up in the game of hockey, and no one is immune to a season’s worth of them. Some players barely take any time off after the season, and others take close to a month.

It depends on the length of your season. Some players don’t make the post-season, and others go all the way to the final series or championship game. When your season ends will play a factor in the downtime before you pick up your off-season training regime. You need to figure out what works best for you and devise a plan. Once you’ve figured that out, it’s time to get to work.

Monday

*For the supersets, do each different exercise in succession, then rest and repeat with the specified reps and sets.

• 10-15 Minute Warm-Up
• Bench Press 4 Sets 8 Reps – Rest 90 Secs
• Superset
• Incline Dumbell Bench Press 4×8
• Close Grip Lat Pulldowns 3×10
• Dumbell Rows 3×10 Rest 90-120 Secs
• Superset
• Push-Ups 3×15
• Tricep Push Down 3×10
• Bicep Curls 3×10 Rest 90-120 Secs
• Superset
• Single Arm Landmine Shoulder Press 3×8
• 21’s x 2
• Tricep Dips 3×10 Rest 90 Secs

A couple of notes on exercises that might not be so common. Landmine presses are done as such. While 21’s are curls done with a barbell. You do 7 full curls. Then, you do 7 curls from the top third of the motion and 7 more from the bottom third.

Tuesday

Warm-Up

• Superset
• Squats 4×8
• Squat Jumps 4×5 Rest 90 Secs
• Superset
• PB Hamstring 4×10
• Reverse Lunges 3×8
• Step-Ups 3×8 Rest 90 Secs
• Superset
• Calf Raises 3×20
• Tibial Anterior 3×20
• Lateral Jumps 3×10 Each Side Rest 120 Secs
• Superset
• Standing Shoulder Press 3×10
• Front Raise 3×10
• ABC’s x 3 Rest 90 Secs
• Finisher
• Push and Pull Sleds 2 Each 40 Yards

Some notes for a few exercises here are: PB hamstrings are done with a Powerball like this. Tibial anterior’s should be done with your back against a wall and your heels two inches away. Then you lift your toes up and hold for 2 seconds. ABCs should be done with a 5 to 10-pound barbell weight. You trace the alphabet with your arms straight. Use capital letters. If you don’t have sleds available, do six-60 yard sprints with a parachute or weight vest. If you don’t have that available, do a 30-yard sprint followed by a 30-yard fireman’s carry for six reps.

Wednesday

Wednesday should be used as an active stretching day. It’s a much easier day than the others, but you should still break a decent sweat. It’s great to get the blood flowing without putting too much stress on the body. Foam rollers are great, and remember not to go too long. You should focus on areas of the body that are tight: hip flexors and all mobility points. A great example is here.

Thursday

Warm-Up

• Superset
• Dumbell Bench Press 4×8
• Wide-Grip Lat Pull Downs 3×10
• Pull-Ups 3×10 Rest 90 Secs
• Superset
• Box Jumps 3×10
• Med Ball Slams 3×10
• Band Thrusts 3×8 Each Side Rest 90 Secs
• Superset
• Standing Shoulder Press 3×8
• Side Raises 3×8
• Hanging Knee Raises 3×20 Rest 90 Secs – Light Jog 40 yards 4 or 5 Times to Cooldown

Friday

Friday is here, but there’s a lot of work to do to earn the weekend. Today is META-Day, and it’s not going to be pretty. However, you’ll put your body in a working state through the weekend. You’ll also find out how to push yourself through adversity and see what you are or aren’t capable of.

We’re going to do 6 rounds of these exercises, and you rest as needed. Your heart rate will be up almost from the get-go and it will take about an hour to complete.

Warm-Up

• 50 Yard Sprint
• 40 Yards of Standing Long Jumps
• 30 Yard Sled Push
• 30 Yard Sled Pull
• 10 “Back Pack” Push-Ups
• 8 Hex Bar Jump Squats
• 8 Pull-Ups

Backpack push-ups are when you put a resistance band around your neck and back. Here’s an example of hex bar squats, but you explode up and off of the ground as a variation.

Ideally, you would skate or play shinny before these workouts but you can skate after if your situation calls for it.

*As always, consult a physician before entering into any training program.

Collagen can be great for skin and joints and build muscle. It makes up one-third of the protein in the body. However, as we age our bodies have less Collagen due to diet, stress, and wear and tear.

Are you hoping to lubricate your joints? Perhaps you want to have more supple skin? Maybe you want to increase your overall well-being? Either way, keep reading if you want to learn how Collagen might help you improve your health.

How to take Collagen Peptides?

It’s best to take collagen peptides in powder form. You can mix it with water and it’s easily digestible. You can take them in pill form also but the powder is best. Powder gets into your system faster and is easier on your liver. You can even find flavored versions of Collagen.

What Do They Do?

Collagen peptides can increase skin elasticity. They can limber up your joints and improve gut health. Collagen peptides can also strengthen bones and muscles. It can increase muscle mass and promote healthy sleep. They may also be good for weight management while promoting healthy hair and nails.

Types of Collagen

Collagen usually comes in bovine and porcine. In other words beef and pork. There’s also marine Collagen made from fish skin and scales. Collagen comes from the bones and skin of animals so it’s not vegan.

Does Heat Ruin Collagen Peptides?

Many people believe that heat ruins the benefits of Collagen. However, that’s not the case. Unless you heat Collagen to almost 600 degrees, it’s fine. You can put Collagen in your coffee or tea if you wish, and it will still provide the same benefits.

Side Effects of Collagen Peptides

Unless you have certain allergies there are no ill effects from Collagen. The worst thing is that they don’t work for you. However, if you’re allergic to any fillers a certain brand may use, then you may feel side effects.

As long as you take between 2.5 and 15 grams of Collagen per day you’ll be fine. If you take more than the recommended dosage, you could experience ill effects from Collagen.

How to Choose the Best Collagen?

The first thing you should do is check the amino acid profile. If the label doesn’t have proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine, put the product back on the shelf. After that, you want to see if it has at least eight of the nine essential amino acids. All nine of them are best.

The best Collagen comes from non-GMO or wild-caught fish and grass-fed cows. If it doesn’t come from one of those sources. Make sure there are no additives, like dyes, preservatives, or flavors.

What Else to Look For?

You want a diverse amino acid profile. You also want to make sure it’s collagen types I and III. Plus, the most potent and effective form of Collagen is hydrolyzed bovine. If there are more than three types of Collagen in any given supplement it’s watered down.

You should also make sure your collagen supplement has at least nine different amino acids and is made of at least 90% protein. Lastly, you should choose one with a 100% money-back guarantee. One thing to note is that if you’re collagen powder clumps in water it’s not good.

Collagen Can Help You be Healthier

Collagen is a great supplement. Although studies are scarce, there’s enough evidence to warrant using collagen peptides in your daily routine. It can benefit your hair, skin, joints, and more.

The college football recruiting process is extensive. The pipeline of coaches, scouts, parents, and current and future teammates that it spans is wide. It’s also mind-boggling for young athletes.

Football players start getting letters from college recruiters early on in high school. It’s fun the first time you come home and see that letter addressed to your name and whatever university’s logo.

And then you read what the assistant coach for that school says to you, it’s exciting. As you progress through high school, it can become more normal and it turns into phone calls and recruiting trips. That’s if you’re a top recruit.

If you’re not so highly sought after, you’ll hear from college coaches much less. However, that doesn’t mean you aren’t being looked at. Smaller schools have smaller recruiting budgets, so they aren’t as relentless as the top schools. Read on below to learn how it all works.

Initial Contact

As mentioned above, a lot of student-athletes will get a general recruiting letter in the early going of high school. For football players, starting September 1st of your junior year, you’re able to receive electronic communication from coaches; emails, texts, direct Twitter messages, etc.

However, if a college coach is interested in you, they can speak with your coaches, and watch your highlight videos at any time. They can attend off-season camps where they might have contact with you and other players through training sessions and scrimmages, but they can’t try to recruit you.

The Home Visit

Often, college coaches want to make a visit to a potential student athletes’ home. They want to build a deeper relationship with the athlete and their family. This is a great tool for recruiters. A lot of kids have many different schools vying for their attention, and it’s the little things that can make a team or university stand out and win the recruiting battle.

Another point for this is that parents want to know who they’re going to put in charge of their 17, 18, or 19 year old. For many, it’s the first time their child will leave the state, and parents want to feel at ease. A coach who can show strong disciplinary characteristics while also being compassionate toward their son will have an advantage.

The Official Visit

The Offical Visit is when a young athlete takes a trip to the school campus of the team recruiting them. This can be in or out of state. Colleges cover the costs of these trips, such as airfare and other transportation for players and their families while providing lodging.

Recruiters can’t buy dinner or provide food for athletes at any time, except when they’re on an official visit. They can provide three meals a day and three tickets per game during the visit. Each athlete is allowed up to five official visits and only one per school.

The Unofficial Visit

An aspiring college football player can take an unofficial recruiting visit anytime they wish. This visit has to be paid for solely by their parents or the athlete themselves. If the visit takes place before August 1st of the students’ junior year, you’re not allowed any contact with college coaches. If it’s after that date, you can meet and talk with coaches, but the coaches aren’t allowed to discuss recruiting with you.

The 2021-22 Season Timeline

Recruiting is ever-changing in college football. So, let’s break down the schedule laid out for the 2021-22 school year.

As mentioned above, coaches can send direct electronic messages to juniors after September 1st. High school football players can take a visit to a college from April 1st to the end of June during their junior year. Phone calls are allowed from January to July and April and May.

Senior Football players can start taking official visits beginning the first day of classes. Coaches can call seniors once a week after September 1st. Plus, coaches are allowed three evaluation days—two in the fall and one in spring.

What’s Next?

After you’ve taken your official visits and had a lot of communication with the coaches, seen the campuses, learned about their academic programs; it’s time to choose your school.

This can be daunting. The best thing to do is go with your gut. You’re going to hear every promise under the sun, and many of them won’t come true. However, if you find a place with the right coaching staff, the right scholastic program, and a campus that you feel comfortable with, you can’t go wrong no matter what happens.

Read More

• 4 Recruiting Strategies Commonly Used by College Coaches
• Prepare Early for the College Recruiting Process

Little league baseball is played in 80 countries with over 6,500 different leagues. Players range from 4-16 years old and coaches play a prominent role in their development both on and off the field.

Keep reading to learn some top youth baseball coaching tips.

Fundamentals

As a youth baseball coach, your number one job is to teach the kids the fundamentals of the game. They need to learn how to field a ground ball and catch a pop fly properly.

They also need to be taught the swing mechanics and the correct way to throw the ball. Learning how to slide correctly is also important to prevent injuries.

As a little league coach, it’s your responsibility to know these fundamentals inside and out while communicating to young players how to perform these tasks.

Team Play

Team play is a big aspect of little league, by teaching the kids how to play as a team, your also preparing them for the real world.

Most likely the kids will work in an environment where they need to get along with others and work as a team to accomplish a successful day on the job.

And if you’re lucky enough to have some players that go on to college or the pros, they’ll need the valuable foundation of understating the importance of teamwork.

Sportsmanship

Another important aspect of coaching youth baseball teams is teaching the players about sportsmanship. You need to make them understand the importance of being a good sport. And how it’s important not to play dirty.

Also, win or lose, the kids need to know how to conduct themselves. It’s ok to get upset, but they need to learn to be respectful of other players, coaches, and umpires.

Conditioning

Every athlete needs to focus on conditioning. The better shape you’re in, the better you’ll play. Plus, being flexible and as strong as possible, helps prevent injuries.

How to Run Practice

Effective coaches at all ages and skill levels prepare practice plans in advance and then stick to them when they’re out on the field.

Practice should not only be about working hard and learning. It should also be about having fun. Ninety-nine point nine percent of your players won’t play past high school. It’s important to emphasize fun to everyone.

The beginning of practice should start with a stretching routine. Then it’s time for a run around the field to get the player’s heart rate up and prepare them to play.

After the run, it’s time for infield and outfield practice. Hit ground balls to each infielder and some fly balls to the outfielders. Make sure to practice double plays and relay throws.

Now it’s time for batting practice. Each kid should get the same amount of swings. Twenty to twenty-five swings is a good number.

When batting practice is over, it’s time for a scrimmage. After the scrimmage, finish the practice off with another run around the field.

Keep It Positive

Negative reinforcement never works. It doesn’t help your players get better — it only breaks their spirits, demotivates them, and leads to fear, self-doubt and anxiety. Negative reinforcement undermines your efforts, whether your focus as a coach is on performance or on building life skills.

Never criticize players for mistakes or errors. They’re trying to perform up to your expectations. Players don’t want to let a ground ball roll under their glove or make a boneheaded move on the bases. Nobody is more embarrassed by a mistake than the player who made it. So keep your frustration in check and don’t exacerbate their sense of failure.

Play Ball

You’ve got some basic tips to pass on to your young baseball team. Teaching them fundamentals, teamwork, sportsmanship, and conditioning, will have your team ready to play. They’ll also take lessons from the field to real-life someday.

Take the time to implement these tips from the first day of practice and you’ll be a successful little league coach.

Others use workouts to keep their body looking good or their cardiovascular system healthy. However, there’s a little-known type of workout you may want to try—jawline workouts.

A certain type of jawline is quite attractive depending on your sex. Also, depending on your gender, the type of jawline and facial structure you find attractive varies.

At the same time, each individual has their preferences. But there are some workouts you can do that might improve and shape your jawline. It can’t hurt. Keep reading below to learn more.

What Are the Benefits of Jawline Exercises?

Some potential benefits of doing jawline exercises are:

1. Reduce Wrinkles and Fine Lines
2. Slow Signs of Aging
3. Promote Healthy Glowing Skin
4. Prevent Head, Neck, and Jaw Pain

Jawline Shaping Routines

Let’s go over some simple and possibly very effective jawline workouts. First, let’s highlight a jawline workout for first-timers.

The Beginners’ Workout

1. Chin-Up – It’s not the typical chin-up you’re thinking about. This one is designed for your jaw. Sit comfortably with your mouth closed. Raise your lower lip by moving your bottom jaw. Hold for two seconds and repeat 10 times.
2. Neck Curl – Lie down on the floor. Slowly curl your chin down to your chest. Hold for one second and repeat 15 times.
3. The Tongue Twister – Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth to cover it. Begin humming for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
4. Collarbone Stretch Back – Hold your head in a normal position. Tilt your head back until you feel a stretch in your neck. Repeat 15 times.
5. Heads Up With Your Tongue Out – Look straight ahead. Lift your chin to the ceiling and stick your tongue out. Hold for three seconds and repeat five times.
6. Fish Face – Suck your cheeks in like a fish. Hold for three seconds and repeat 10 times.

More Complex Jawline Workouts

Now that you’ve had an introduction to jawline workouts, let’s dive a little deeper into it. Below will feature more advanced jawline exercises.

Raise Your Brows

Place your first and second fingers closed together on your forehead. Press down while raising your eyebrows. Do 10 reps with five sets.

Chipmunk Face

This is similar to the fish face however when you suck your cheeks in, tilt your head back and push your chin out. Do this five times.

Jaw Flex

Look up at the ceiling. Bring your bottom lip up and over your top lip as much as you can. You want to flex your jaw muscles that are near your ears. Hold it for 10 seconds. Perform 10 sets.

Puffer Face

Close your mouth. Fill your cheeks with air and puff them out. Then move the air from side to side for 30 seconds.

Duck Face Press

Pucker your lips with your mouth closed. Press both lips outward while making your face tense. Repeat 15 times.

Facial Cringe

Push the corner of your mouth back and tense up your neck muscles. You want to see the veins in your neck pop in the mirror. Hold for five seconds and repeat 10 times with both sides.

Some Extras

Some extra things you can do to help shape your jawline are to eat a healthy diet. Perform strength and conditioning exercises, and massage your face regularly.

Chomping at the Bit

By now, you’ve surely ready to get started with your jawline workouts. All you have to do is follow these routines regularly and use the other tips provided. If they do work for you, you should end up seeing results in less than a month. Here’s to a more streamlined jawline and to looking younger.

Getting involved in Little League as a kid provides several benefits for a young athlete. Keep reading to learn all about the benefits of playing youth baseball.

It’s Fun

That’s right. Plain and simple. Baseball is fun. The most important part of playing little league baseball is to have fun. If your child seems to excel at it, then you can worry about getting more serious. But the main reason to play is for enjoyment.

Camaraderie

Camaraderie is one of the best benefits you receive from playing organized sports. Playing on a youth baseball team can help you form lifelong bonds with teammates.

During a little league season, you’ll go through ups and downs together. This builds character and strengthens friendships. If you’re lucky enough to be on a championship team, those bonds will be even stronger.

Nothing forges a relationship more than winning a championship together. Teams that win have memories that last a lifetime. They go through trials and tribulations and come out on top together. It’s something you’ll always share and cherish.

Teamwork

Of course, there’s teamwork. Baseball consists of nine guys playing in the field all at once. Often times you’ll have three or more players that need to make a play together to get a runner out.

For instance, a double-play needs two to three players who need to be on the same page to make it happen.

Or, a ball hit to the deep outfield will likely need a relay throw before it gets through to the catcher to stop the opposition from scoring. Everyone needs to work in sync to pull this off.

Also, when you’re team is up to bat, a batter and a runner need to work as a team if the coach calls for a hit and run play.

It Keeps You Off of the Couch

When you join a youth baseball team, you’ll be forced to get away from the video games and get off the couch. You’ll be outside most of the summer in the fresh air. Plus, you’ll get adequate exercise.

Sportsmanship

Playing youth baseball teaches you about sportsmanship. It will help you learn to play fair and when you get beat by a better team to acknowledge their excellent play. It will teach you that the best thing to do is learn from it when you fail.

Let’s say you strikeout in the first inning of a game, you’ll likely get three or four more times at the plate to redeem yourself. If you keep your head up and stay focused, odds are you’ll make a great play or two to help your team.

Life has adversity, and when you get knocked down, you need to keep a good mental outlook to succeed.

Promotes Patience and Focus

Baseball requires a great deal of patience. People may call this a slow sport, especially football, soccer, and basketball. It’s a very strategic activity that calls for kids to be steady, attentive and concentrated even when it’s not their turn to play.

Boosts Mood and Mental Health

Baseball has been proven to be a great mood booster and a wonderful tool to enhance your child’s mental health. The very fact of spending time outdoors in the sun is a natural source of happiness, and sharing fun moments with their friends can be another way to improve children’s mental health and emotional development. Spending a day playing baseball in the sunshine can also aid your child’s sleep patterns, helping them sleep more and better at night.

Batter Up

Now that you understand these great benefits of playing youth baseball, it’s time to step up to the plate.

You’ll have fun, learn about camaraderie, teamwork, and sportsmanship. You’ll also enjoy a summer of fresh air and hopefully even win a championship.