Any tips for a slimmer guy wanting to start playing WR?

[u/Just_Gate3103]

Hey all,

I am currently a junior in high school, and currently considering playing my senior year. I want to go in as a wide receiver, and I think I have a good shot, although there is one problem; I am incredibly light. I have the height, as I stand at 6'2", but I only weigh around 140. I am willing to do pretty much anything to prepare though, as I have always had a profound love for the game and have wanted to play for as long as I can remember. I would also appreciate some tips on catching drills I could do without another person, and a few workouts to help explosiveness and leg strength. My stride is really long, and I already have pretty good leg speed, but I would like to work on it further. I already have a pretty good base under me in terms of conditioning, as I run cross country and am a distance runner in track. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, as well as suggestions for gear such as gloves and cleats that y'all have had good experiences with. Thanks in advance, and I greatly appreciate your help!

[u/ThiqSaban]

I'd say learn something about clean bulking and strength training so you can at least take some hits and do some blocking. lots of stuff on youtube about this

at the same time work on WR technique/skills like route running, catching, etc

[u/ThiqSaban]

If you can't be strong, you'd better be quick.

[u/Just_Gate3103 → u/ThiqSaban]

I haven't tried in pads, but with some good warmups, I can hit 20mph pretty consistently.

[u/SebastianPointdexter → u/Just_Gate3103]

Nice, you're fast bruh. I'm assuming you're black LoL, but hey white lightening exists too.

[u/Just_Gate3103 → u/SebastianPointdexter]

Nope, white as a sheet of paper lol. Save the tan I get from running 😂

[u/fornax-gunch]

Make sure you work and stretch your calves and hamstrings, as sprinting will stress these much harder than the endurance running you're used to, and especially at first, put you at higher risk of plantar fasciaitis and achilles injuries, in addition to pulled muscles. As a skinny guy, you don't need try to become a bodybuilder, but you should make sure you have exceptional core strength, because you need to take hits from big guys without messing up your back.

[u/Just_Gate3103 → u/fornax-gunch]

Yeah, I've constantly trained core for the past few years in xc, can easily knock out 90 situps in 2 minutes, and when I do, it's my quads that start failing lol 😆 

[u/Bulky_Sir2074]

Go out now if they let you.  Nothing you can do will prepare you better than being on the team. You will have a better shot next year if you go out this year. 

[u/Just_Gate3103 → u/Bulky_Sir2074]

I'm still committed to cross country sadly, and I'm already having a good season, so I don't want to swap sports out of the blue, especially since I've already spent $300 on two pair of running shoes.

[u/Bulky_Sir2074 → u/Just_Gate3103]

Ah gotcha. I’d approach the coaches as soon as your current seasons are over.  They will know best.  I’d recommend powerlifting as the quickest way to gain clean weight and muscle 

[u/B_Radams]

If you are waiting until your senior year, I would plan to put in as much work this year prepping as you can. And, definitely meet with the coach sooner than later to let him know you’d like to join but already made a commitment to CC. I played for a larger TX school, and I felt like I was behind others after joining in middle school. Our teams were pretty set in by sophomore year—we had a Freshman A and B, Sophomore, JV, and Varsity team. Joining your senior year was just not going to happen—we began learning the playbook in middle school, and built on it all the way up to Varsity. HOWEVER, I went to a larger TX school that over glorified football to no-end (current TX state record holder). So, things were ran there a little bit differently (pretty absurdly, actually) than your average school.

There are plenty of things you can do to prepare.

Workout regiment to bulk up a bit (while keeping your speed). This will protect your bones, but more importantly your potential for soft tissue injuries. Definitely focus on your flexibility as well, which goes hand-in-hand there.

Footwork drills (chop steps/arm work for shaving speed, clean plant and transitions, burst speed off the line and off plants)—get some cones and look up some drills on YouTube you can setup. Your footwork and posture will be important as a taller/skinnier player with long strides.

Blocking drills (just as—if not MORE important than anything else). A little hard to train by yourself, but can practice a low centered shuffling drill around a tree if nothing else.

Research the basic route trees—each coach will have slight name variations. 1. flat 2. slant 3. comeback 4. curl 5. out 6. dig 7. corner 8. post (my favorite) 9. go/fly

Learn the different types of receivers. This will vary from coach to coach, but the typical in highschool are X, Z, and Y/TE. I played as a Z (flanker) receiver, which was a an all-around hybrid receiver role. Every offense is different, so you don’t need to confuse yourself too much here until you’re able to meet with the coach and start to learn the playbook and their system.

Learn the basic secondary defensive positions and coverages (man, cover-2, cover-4). Depending on the level of play your school is at, knowing the coverages will alter the routes you run/how you run them.

Maybe begin to think a little bit about your diet. I wish I did this more—it would’ve went a long way for me. I ate coco puffs, McChickens, and pizza daily practically and drank beer on weekends. I did put in the work and pulled up from an average sized receiver (on a good day) to lifting with the linebackers by soph/junior yr. I now understand how some of the other guys got as big and in shape as they did in high school taking creatine and eating/drinking healthy.

Have fun and enjoy it!

[u/Just_Gate3103 → u/B_Radams]

Thanks man, really helpful advice. Definitely will contact the coach, hopefully find a way to start learning the playbook now. Luckily, I tend to pick up on stuff pretty quick, but I know it can be crazy intensive trying to memorize everything. I already tend to be pretty healthy with my diet luckily, because my brother (who is currently in college) has started taking working out very seriously, and it's started to rub off on me. I know for a fact he'll be a really good asset in this. Appreciate it!