The De Anza College football team trains year round on their power, strength, conditioning and technique. The Dons use the time in between seasons to show each other what they’re made of.
With just under eight months from the end of the last season until the start of the new one, “We really don’t have enough time, ” said Head Coach Dan Atencio.
Although the regular season doesn’t begin until fall, the players continue to work on learning the game and their precision in mastering and executing what is asked of them. Coach Atencio sees spring and summer football as a chance for the players to ask questions, make mistakes, learn and grow as athletes.
The Dons’ off-season training regimen is broken up into three segments including power, strength and conditioning. The players spend time working on each of these categories individually tying in running, plyometrics and extensive core work into each of the three sections, which then enables the team to produce more powerful movements and increase overall endurance and strength.
The Dons practice daily starting out as a group running 11-on-11 scrimmages, then breaking off into their special teams to work on position fundamentals and techniques, and then once again, come together to put what they’ve learned into practice.
“Every individual player has strengths and weaknesses,” said offensive coordinator Tony Santos. “We focus on the weaknesses and we try to bring those up to par.”
As with any athletic team, the benefits of improving skills opens a door for athletic scholarships. So far during spring practices, the Dons have had scouts from a plethora of 4-year colleges including Utah State, Southern Illinois University, San Jose State and San Diego State.
In addition to the physical aspect of playing community college football, the time in between seasons gives the players more time to bond and get the new players up to speed, according to 18-year-old tight end Matt Schmidt.
This year, the team has new talent coming in from all over, including Washington, Colorado and Oregon. The new players available come out and practice with the team to learn as much as they can before the season begins, because come August the pressure is on.
“The new players are adjusting well, ” said Schmidt. ” Transitioning from high school to college [football] is a tough adjustment, the game is faster in college.”
Being on the field and in the weight room is only part of what the team does to gear up for the season. The Dons also spend time in lectures, taking notes and tests. The coaching staff does all that they can to asses the extent to which the players understand the game of football.
“We try to adapt to all learning styles,” says Coach Atencio. “We’ve found that giving tests and lectures not only helps them increase their skills, but also helps them focus, and also helps them with other subjects. Athletics is just a small part of a bigger picture.”
The time in between seasons is a teaching environment, coaches teaching players and teammates teaching other teammates. Although, the work they do now is considered a practice, “it’s a skeleton,” according to Offensive Line Assistant Coach Larry Guilford.
“I think we’ll have a better team than last year,” said Guilford. “We have a bigger line, better talent, good receivers and a new defensive coach.”
The Dons Football season begins in the fall, and then is when fans will find out just what these men are made of.
