How the NFL Combine Measures Explosiveness (And Why It Matters) When people think of the Combine, they think of speed and highlights… But what teams are really evaluating is explosiveness — how fast and how powerfully you can produce force. And the truth is… these tests apply to every athlete, not just skill positions. 1. Vertical Jump What it is: Standing jump straight up, measuring how high you can elevate. What it measures: Lower-body power — how quickly you can produce force vertically. Why it matters: This is pure explosion. No steps. No rhythm. Just you generating force from nothing. If you can’t create force fast, you can’t: - Drive off the line - Explode out of movements - Generate power in contact situations 2. Broad Jump What it is: Standing jump forward for distance. What it measures: Horizontal power — your ability to project force forward. Why it matters: Sports aren’t played straight up and down. They’re played forward. This shows how well you: - Accelerate - Cover ground - Transfer strength into movement 3. 40-Yard Dash (First 10 Yards Matter Most) What it is: Sprint over 40 yards, with heavy focus on the first 10 yards. What it measures: Acceleration and force application into the ground. Why it matters: Most sports moments happen in the first few steps. This tells coaches: - How quickly you can get moving - How efficiently you apply force - How explosive your start is 4. 3-Cone Drill What it is: A tight change-of-direction drill around three cones. What it measures: Deceleration and re-acceleration ability. Why it matters: Explosiveness isn’t just going fast… It’s stopping, redirecting, and exploding again. This shows: - Body control - Elastic strength - Ability to produce force at different angles 5. 20-Yard Shuttle (5-10-5) What it is: Sprint 5 yards, change direction, go 10 yards, then back 5. What it measures: Lateral explosiveness and reactive power. Why it matters: Most athletes struggle changing direction, not running straight.

These are solid 1-rep max numbers to aim for by the time you graduate high school: - Squat: 405 - Bench: 285 - Clean: 255 - Front Squat: 285 - Trap Bar Deadlift: 495 But let’s get one thing clear… These are targets — not requirements. Every athlete is different. Your bodyweight, position, experience, and training consistency all matter. You don’t need these exact numbers to be successful. But you do need: - Consistency - Effort - Discipline - A real plan Strength matters in football. But how you build it matters even more. Use these numbers as motivation — not comparison. Earn Everything.

If you’re not training one side at a time… you’re leaving power on the table. Your sport isn’t played evenly. You don’t jump off two legs every time. You don’t cut with both feet at once. You don’t sprint evenly side to side. Sports are unilateral. One leg drives. One leg plants. One side produces force. So if all your training is bilateral… You’re building strength — but not maximizing performance. Unilateral training exposes the truth: 👉 Which leg is weaker 👉 Which side lacks stability 👉 Where you lose power And here’s the part most athletes ignore… Imbalances don’t just hurt performance — they increase your risk of injury. That slight difference between left and right? That’s where problems start. That’s where explosiveness gets limited. That’s where injuries happen. So if you want real transfer to your sport: ✔ Train one leg at a time ✔ Build balance and control ✔ Develop force in each limb individually Because power isn’t just how strong you are… It’s how well you can apply force — on ONE side — at full speed. Fix the imbalance. Build the power. Dominate your position.

A lot of athletes think lifting heavier = getting better. That’s only half the truth. Because your sport doesn’t reward how much you can lift… it rewards how FAST you can produce force. Explosive. Violent. Immediate. That’s power. And if you’re not tracking the speed of your lifts… you don’t actually know if you’re getting more powerful. You just know you’re getting tired. Here’s what timed lifts do for you: 👉 They tell you how fast you’re moving the weight 👉 They show when your power drops off 👉 They keep your intent high on every rep Because the goal isn’t just to complete the lift… It’s to move it FAST. Take a squat for example: If the weight goes up slow… that’s not power — that’s just strength under fatigue. But when you drive that bar up with speed? Now you’re training your body to produce force like you would on the field. Same with bench press. Same with cleans. Same with jumps. Speed matters. And here’s what most athletes miss… The second your bar speed slows down too much? That set is DONE. Because now you’re no longer training power you’re just collecting reps. And reps don’t win games. Power does. If you want real carryover to your sport: ✔ Track your bar speed (even if it’s just by feel or video) ✔ Move every rep with intent ✔ Cut the set when speed drops Because in your sport… You don’t get 5 seconds to produce force. You get a split second. Train like it.

Your body follows your mind. If your mindset is inconsistent… your performance will be too. You can have talent. You can have the right program. You can have a good coach. But if your mentality is soft, distracted, or emotional… None of it matters. Because sports don’t reward potential. They reward execution. And execution comes from: • Discipline when you don’t feel like it • Focus when things aren’t going your way • Confidence built from preparation — not hype • The ability to do simple things… over and over again Every rep is mental. Every practice is a decision. Every game exposes what you’ve been avoiding. You don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to your level of preparation. Train your mind like you train your body. Because when pressure hits… That’s the only thing you’ll have left.