By Toni Lombardi
Coach Tom Shaw has over 15 years of experience in developing speed, flexibility, and strength conditioning programs in football, track, and baseball. A graduate of Central Michigan University (CMU), Shaw went on to complete a Master's degree at CMU and later completed coursework toward a PhD at Florida State University. Coach Shaw has written for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today along with several academic journals.
The athletes that he has trained read like a who’s who of professional football players. Coach Shaw has used his expertise in Athletic Performance Enhancement to work with 54 first-round draft picks in the past 6 years. In 1998 alone, he had 42 athletes drafted in the top 3 rounds. Currently, Coach Shaw’s most popular client just so happens to be the newest Baltimore Raven -- Deion Sanders. Today, I had the pleasure of chatting with Coach Shaw about his experiences with Deion.
TL: Coach, thanks for taking the time to be with us today. I know that you have many other athletes that you have trained and are training but for Ravens fans, the one we are most interested in is Deion Sanders. How long have you been training with Deion?
TS: We started intense training about 4 months ago. The reason Deion left the game had to do with an injury to his toe. He was unable to push off and get that burst that was always a big part of his game. He was forced to run flat-footed and that prevented him from being as effective as he was accustomed to. So our first objective was to see how the toe would hold up to intense training.
TL: So how has the toe held up?
TS: Deion went to Nike and had a shoe fitted for him in such a way that it would enable him to get that burst, that explosion without using the big toe. They call the shoe “Free” because it effectively simulates the natural way of running and that’s barefooted. The shoe takes the stress and does most of the work. After 4 months of rigorous testing, the toe has held up well.
TL: Define intense training -- rigorous testing for us.
TS: Deion and I would get up at 5AM every morning. We would begin training at 6:30 or 7 and finish at noon. We would start again at 4PM and wrap up by 6PM. Deion would then go and coach his little league team at 6:30 and I have to say, all the while we trained in very intense heat. I don’t know how he had the energy to coach in that heat after training but he did.
We utilized a method of training called metabolic training. We tried to simulate drives consisting of 10 plays. I would have receivers run digs, go patterns, slants, come back routes and your typical assortment of patterns. Tony Martin was one of the receivers. And by the way, I think that Tony could still play in the NFL.
We would run 10 plays each with Tony and two other receivers. After each set of 30 routes, we would have a 2 minute break to simulate a change of possession. Then we would start it again. Deion would do 5 sets of 30 with 2 minute breaks in between.
TL: 150 Plays? So how did he hold up?
TS: Deion knows how to take care of his body. He would hit the cold tank in order to break down any lactic acid build up and he hates ice water. But he did it because he had to. Deion encountered no problems and held up extremely well.
TL: There have been reports that Deion ran a 4.38 in the 40. Was that on turf or grass?
TS: Deion ran that on tight grass. But to tell you the truth, I’m not sure how fast Deion is. He runs to the level of the competition. If I had an athlete out there that could run a 4.2, Deion could stay with him. He’s really as fast as he wants to be. I’ve trained 22 Pro Bowlers and today, Deion is as good as any of them.
TL: Can Deion stay healthy at 37? TS: We’ve taken all the precautions with his toe. We’ve tested it over and over. It has passed all tests. TL: What about hamstring problems? TS: Hamstring injuries are the result of two things -- over striding and over use. All NFL players over use their hamstrings in training camp. But again, Deion knows how to care for his body. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He’s held up to all tests although there are no guarantees. TL: Has Deion discussed returning kicks or punts? TS: Deion is intent is to help the team at all costs. He does hope to return punts and kicks but wants to start with punts first. We both feel like kick returning is a bit more dangerous. TL: Really? I would think that punt returning would be more dangerous. TS: With kick returns, the entire coverage team is running at full speed for longer distances. Plus tacklers come at you from all angles. In a punt return, you only need to look up and catch the ball. Fewer tacklers are running at you and typically you don’t run as far. TL: It is certainly an area the Ravens need help in although B.J. Sams has looked sharp in limited action. What about offense? TS: It has been discussed and that is up to the Ravens’ coaches but most of all Deion wants to be a DB. TL: After it was announced that Deion would be coming to Baltimore as a nickel, most thought that he would be taking on the traditional nickel responsibilities. That as you know is the slot receiver. However, we are now being told that Gary Baxter will take on the slot and Deion will handle the corner in sub packages. TS: Deion will be a nickel for 4 games. In about a month I believe he will eventually start. He is a starting CB in the NFL. TL: It will be interesting to see how the team manages that. That would be a good problem to have. TL: Tom, judging from this discussion, Deion is in outstanding condition. What about football condition? What have you done to simulate the contact if possible, of the NFL game? TS: Well that is an issue and that is something that we’ll watch over time. Deion never really had to do much tackling before and if things go as planned and if he can still cover receivers like he used to, he won’t have to be concerned too much about tackling. He is a true cover corner. TL: In today’s initial press conference, Deion mentioned that he wanted to win his third championship and left open the possibility of going for a fourth. Is this a one and done opportunity or will he play beyond this season? TS: Deion loves football and wants to play. He’ll take it one game at a time.