Summary
Joe DeFranco catches up with former coach Cam Josse, now an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Auburn University, about his transition from the private sector to collegiate football. Cam details Auburn's full off-season training template and how they program sled training for SEC football players. The conversation dives into how Auburn uses heavy sled work on acceleration days with load contrasts between heavier and lighter efforts, individualized by position (linemen vs. skill players). They discuss JB Morin's research on horizontal force production, the value of lateral sled dragging variations for change-of-direction work, and how a 13-degree indoor hill serves as a sled alternative for their linemen. DeFranco and Josse agree that sled training builds ankle complex integrity and develops horizontal strength that transfers directly to acceleration ability.
Key Points
- Auburn programs sled training on Monday acceleration days, using heavier-to-lighter load contrast within each session
- Loads are individualized by position: linemen, mid-skill, and skill players each get different loading parameters
- Lateral sled dragging variations (crossover drag, lateral step drag) are used on change-of-direction training days
- Prowler pushes every 30 seconds are programmed for Friday conditioning work
- JB Morin's research supports sled training for building horizontal force and ankle complex integrity
- Auburn's 13-degree indoor hill serves as a sled alternative, keeping linemen in an acceleration position
- Hill and sled training reduce ground impact and joint stress compared to flat-surface sprinting
- Sled marches are used for sprint technique development, not just conditioning
Key Moments
How Auburn programs sled training for football
Cam Josse explains Auburn's sled programming: heavy-to-light load contrasts within each session, loads individualized by position, plus lateral dragging variations on change-of-direction days.
"Yeah, we're keeping it really simple for right now. So, essentially, on the days where it's using the sled for a linear sprint type of emphasis, we started out with loads that were fairly heavier in nature, and then we just sort of lightened them up as we went. But we also did that within the session as well. So, we gave them kind of a contrast between heavier and lighter."
Sled training as low-hanging fruit for horizontal strength
Cam reflects on how sled training developed his acceleration ability as a high school athlete and calls horizontal resistance training a low-hanging fruit that most programs aren't tapping into.
"It's a low-hanging fruit that not too many people are tapping into if they're not using a sled or some type of horizontal resistance. It doesn't have to be a sled."
JB Morin's research on sled training and ankle integrity
Cam references JB Morin's research showing that sled work in the horizontal angle builds integrity of the ankle complex, which is especially important for larger football players.
"Like speaking of JB Morin, he talks a lot about how using the sled and being in that horizontal angle and all of that is really good for just building integrity of the ankle complex."
