I have been out traveling today and just got back, so I did not get to respond to some of the posts surrounding the changes in the S&C program, why did Korem not get the results we were promised, were the athletes to blame, and what does it mean going forward.
In looking at the HP program Korem was trying to implement at UK I think there were some things that are founded in sound logic and theory to what he was trying to do. From a Bioenergetic standpoint his thought process was correct. To have 115 kids in a S&C program with different body types, aerobic capacities, ability to generate force output(strength), speed and acceleration you need to develop a program that works the entire team, but looks at the different athletes and tailors a program(s) to each players specific needs, strengths, weaknesses, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, mental abilities(toughness, pain tolerance, internal drive...)
Looking at the results on the field the past couple of seasons everyone could see something was not adding up. We were supposed to have a "high performance" program that would create athletes that were bigger, stronger, faster, able to recover quicker. Based on results on the field and feedback from every armchair QB out there
we did not look anything like that. Teams like ULL and EKU, programs with lesser talent in terms of recruiting classes were just as physical, just as strong, and in the trenches we were pushed around. Teams like Miss State, Tennessee, and Georgia just manhandled us. Despite the assertion that we have more guys jumping over 30 inches in the vertical jump and more guys registering over 20 mph we are not faster on the field and versus other teams. How is that?
Couple of things. First is the marketing aspect of the coach and S&C program. Korem came in with a rep, not sure where it came from and seems to be mainly self promotion, as a guru who would create a "state of the art facility the likes never seen in a college football program - indoor turf area, glass garage doors that open on to the training fields, turf training hills, 70 foot long cold plunge tank, sensory deprivation tanks to promote mental recovery. I will agree that when this facility is done in July it will be a huge improvement and players and recruits will love it, and it will help our guys improve; however, this type of stuff exists in a ton of programs already - Bama, Tennessee, Oregon, even Kansas State has the indoor hill... This stuff is great but it exists in a BUNCH of programs - this is not something that UK has and NOBODY else does. What it does is gets us in position to improve our players on a greater level than before, but it is not the first of its kind like we were told.
As far as Korem's background before he came to UK he was at Ft Valley State, University of Pacific, Miss State(asst S&C), and FSU(asst S&C and speed and nutrition coach). Not a bad resume but not what was marketed. Did he work with Olympic speed athletes like it has been touted? Yes - he worked with a six time championship female world medalist, but reading his bio it states "extensive work with world class track and field sprinters." Maybe that is the case and I will ask you this - does the work done with our team make you think they are appreciably faster than we have been in the last 5-10 years? He was at FSU as an assistant S&C coach, but was FSU lacking before he got there, and have they fallen off since he left?
What it seems like is he was very busy testing our athletes like a lab professor, but was he too busy testing and not enough developing?
It is like taking two people who are trying to save money for retirement. You have the first person who reads every book on investing, has subscriptions to Money magazine and the WSJ, studies great financial minds like Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham... He understands everything inside and out regarding investing. Despite a wealth of knowledge he does not invest in his company 401K plan, never opens a Roth, and has several high interest credit cards. The second person does not know much except the basics of investing, but gets a little advice from coworkers and family. He starts setting aside 10% each month into his 401K, he saves $100/wk for a future home down payment, he opens a Roth IRA, and does not use credit cards.
In the above scenario one person goes overboard on the analytical side of things, and always tells people how much he makes and what type of sports car he drives but does not apply what he knows. The second person does the basics well and does them consistently despite not having the knowledge of the first person. When he retires he has amassed a large amount in his retirement account, and he retires early due to his financial situation which he does early because of his discipline and work.
Which one of these two sounds familiar to us?
The above is just some facts and hopefully some answers to questions. Don't have a dog in the fight, but a lot of people are puzzled as to why some of the things are not working despite some having such a pedigree. Thank you for reading and hope this helps answer some questions.
In looking at the HP program Korem was trying to implement at UK I think there were some things that are founded in sound logic and theory to what he was trying to do. From a Bioenergetic standpoint his thought process was correct. To have 115 kids in a S&C program with different body types, aerobic capacities, ability to generate force output(strength), speed and acceleration you need to develop a program that works the entire team, but looks at the different athletes and tailors a program(s) to each players specific needs, strengths, weaknesses, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, mental abilities(toughness, pain tolerance, internal drive...)
Looking at the results on the field the past couple of seasons everyone could see something was not adding up. We were supposed to have a "high performance" program that would create athletes that were bigger, stronger, faster, able to recover quicker. Based on results on the field and feedback from every armchair QB out there
we did not look anything like that. Teams like ULL and EKU, programs with lesser talent in terms of recruiting classes were just as physical, just as strong, and in the trenches we were pushed around. Teams like Miss State, Tennessee, and Georgia just manhandled us. Despite the assertion that we have more guys jumping over 30 inches in the vertical jump and more guys registering over 20 mph we are not faster on the field and versus other teams. How is that?Couple of things. First is the marketing aspect of the coach and S&C program. Korem came in with a rep, not sure where it came from and seems to be mainly self promotion, as a guru who would create a "state of the art facility the likes never seen in a college football program - indoor turf area, glass garage doors that open on to the training fields, turf training hills, 70 foot long cold plunge tank, sensory deprivation tanks to promote mental recovery. I will agree that when this facility is done in July it will be a huge improvement and players and recruits will love it, and it will help our guys improve; however, this type of stuff exists in a ton of programs already - Bama, Tennessee, Oregon, even Kansas State has the indoor hill... This stuff is great but it exists in a BUNCH of programs - this is not something that UK has and NOBODY else does. What it does is gets us in position to improve our players on a greater level than before, but it is not the first of its kind like we were told.
As far as Korem's background before he came to UK he was at Ft Valley State, University of Pacific, Miss State(asst S&C), and FSU(asst S&C and speed and nutrition coach). Not a bad resume but not what was marketed. Did he work with Olympic speed athletes like it has been touted? Yes - he worked with a six time championship female world medalist, but reading his bio it states "extensive work with world class track and field sprinters." Maybe that is the case and I will ask you this - does the work done with our team make you think they are appreciably faster than we have been in the last 5-10 years? He was at FSU as an assistant S&C coach, but was FSU lacking before he got there, and have they fallen off since he left?
What it seems like is he was very busy testing our athletes like a lab professor, but was he too busy testing and not enough developing?
It is like taking two people who are trying to save money for retirement. You have the first person who reads every book on investing, has subscriptions to Money magazine and the WSJ, studies great financial minds like Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham... He understands everything inside and out regarding investing. Despite a wealth of knowledge he does not invest in his company 401K plan, never opens a Roth, and has several high interest credit cards. The second person does not know much except the basics of investing, but gets a little advice from coworkers and family. He starts setting aside 10% each month into his 401K, he saves $100/wk for a future home down payment, he opens a Roth IRA, and does not use credit cards.
In the above scenario one person goes overboard on the analytical side of things, and always tells people how much he makes and what type of sports car he drives but does not apply what he knows. The second person does the basics well and does them consistently despite not having the knowledge of the first person. When he retires he has amassed a large amount in his retirement account, and he retires early due to his financial situation which he does early because of his discipline and work.
Which one of these two sounds familiar to us?
The above is just some facts and hopefully some answers to questions. Don't have a dog in the fight, but a lot of people are puzzled as to why some of the things are not working despite some having such a pedigree. Thank you for reading and hope this helps answer some questions.