Big players make big time plays in big time games. Its a line that sports fan have come to appreciate on Sundays.
That last play of the game is etched in our memories, re-lived on highlight reels and debated over pints of beers by sports fans, but it comes to life only because of the training put in during the offseason. Its all about the Last Play, the one that matters.
Chuck Winters and Jerome Davis, co-founders of Last Play Training, know exactly what the Last Play is all about. The not so little boys, who hail from Detroit, Michigan have come together to form Last Play Training, a training program that helps young athletes improve on their strength, endurance, and abilities.
Last Play Training is the brain child of two athletes who want to pass along their knowledge to the next generation of athletes, says Winters.
Winters, retired from the Toronto Argonauts in 2009 and Davis bring together over 25 years of football experience. Both Winters and Davis played football in high school
- Trainer Jeremy Frattni (left), Chuck Winters (Middle) and Jerome Davis.
and were reunited when both signed as free agents with the Argos. In between, Davis attended the University of Minnesota and went on to play in the NFL, the NFL Europe and Arena Football League. Winters went on to play for the Michigan Wolverines where he lettered for four years in both baseball and football.
The game is an opportunity to better oneself, learn different life skills, and develop mental awareness, says Winters.We asked one of the kids, maybe 14 or 15 (at a camp), what do you want to do when you’re done here? Where to do you want to go? None of those kids said they wanted to play pro-sports. They said mechanics, doctor, teacher — I’m thinking you’re training here for football; lets make that a goal, becoming a professional football player. Lets open your options and use your natural talents to get to the next level, get a better lifestyle, adds Winters.
According to Winters, its the intense workouts that set LPT apart from the rest. LPT can empower athletes to become physically stronger in our intense workouts. We want our athletes to compete well physically and mentally, making sure they dont give up and fuelling them with the mental toughness to succeed. Its a combination of the physical and mental — the dialogue we have with our athletes empowers them to be better.
The central theme at LPT, is No Days Off, and after sizing up Davis and Winters you wonder if they ever leave the gym.
Working hard in the offseason is important, says Winters, but the package is discipline, self control and a resilient mindset. Its the ability to adapt under challenging situations and having the mental toughness to outwork the competition in every way every day until the last play.
LPT has plans to expand in Michigan and inform young athletes of the options that exist, like playing in the CFL. More importantly, LPT wants to make sure that the youth have strong life skills and a chance to give back to their community as young athletes and roles models. What Jerome and I went through is what I hope the youth can avoid, and instead focus their abilities on the right things, explains Winters.
The type of training youre going to get at Last Play is going to shock you; going to shock your body and brain. Its intense, you’ll develop mental toughness and awareness – its an introduction to working out for the last play, says Winters.
To learn more about Last Play Training, check out lastplaytrainging. ca or join the Facebook group, Last Play Training.
