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Mat Drills Push FSU Players To The Limit

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By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 7, 2008

Updated: 03/07/2008 12:12 am

TALLAHASSEE - Gasping for that elusive next breath, sweat rolling off his face like rain off a rooftop, Drew Weatherford nearly succumbed to temptation on more than one occasion.

The Florida State quarterback doesn't understand how, but three years after his introduction to the Seminoles' torturous offseason conditioning program known as mat drills, his perfect streak is intact.

"I've never puked during mat drills, which is something I'm very proud of," Weatherford said. "I felt like I was going to about every time."

Receiver Bert Reed was not as fortunate. On the first day of mat drills last month, the redshirt freshman threw up "three or four times" in trash cans placed strategically around Tully Gym.

"I didn't think I was going to get through it," Reed said.

But as FSU finishes another season of mat drills with this morning's final workout of the four-week, 12-session conditioning program, Reed is among the team's star performers entering the start of spring football practice March 17.

"He threw up probably the first four days," Weatherford said. "He went from doing that, and really struggling, to almost getting perfect scores and doing a great job. Mentally, he just got so much stronger."

Myth Vs. Reality

Over the years, mat drills have become legendary at FSU for the stories players share with recruits about Coach Bobby Bowden's push-it-to-the-limit conditioning program. The drills were heavily scrutinized seven years ago when Devaughn Darling, an 18-year-old linebacker, collapsed and died of cardiac arrhythmia.

The school was cleared in a police investigation of any wrongdoing, and players continue to laud the impact of the drills on FSU's program.

Former nose guard Todd Stroud started for three seasons in the mid-1980s. Like most recruits, he had heard harrowing tales about mat drills when he arrived on campus, but wasn't sure if they were myth or reality. He soon discovered the truth, a lesson that has stuck with him through his 22-year coaching career.

"If you turned on a film from the first day to the last day, you would be shocked from the difference you see in players," said Stroud, who returned to FSU last season to become the strength and conditioning coordinator. "I've never gotten away from using the same format.

"I think in the past here at Florida State, the mat drills have kind of been a rallying point for the team to where they feel like they can't be beaten, and they've done something that no one else has done. They have walked through the fire of hell and back again together."

Each year in early February, FSU players assemble three days a week for four weeks at 5:45 a.m. Those deemed slackers during the previous session arrive at 5 a.m.

For 90 minutes, players rotate in groups among three stations, each lasting 18 minutes and consisting of a sweaty blend of running, tumbling, jumping and rolling to improve cardiovascular health and agility. There is no weightlifting.

The first two stations are divided into two drills each. The final station is the most grueling. On a huge wrestling mat, players go nonstop for 18 minutes, the amount of time it takes to turn a frozen pepperoni pie from California Kitchen Pizza into a piping-hot meal.

"For the first time in your life, you reach a point where you really don't think you are physically capable of going any farther," Weatherford said. "It's a lot more mental than it is physical. It definitely pushes your body to the limit, but it teaches you that your body can go a lot further than your mind really thinks."

More Grueling Than NFL

Due to NCAA rule changes over the years, FSU has been forced to shorten the time limit of mat drills. When Stroud played, he said the Noles performed 16 different drills, with the mat-drill station lasting 45 minutes.

Former FSU star Terrell Buckley, recently hired as a full-time strength and conditioning coach, said mat drills are more grueling than any workout he experienced during his 15-year NFL career.

And while they don't last as long as they once did, Buckley doesn't see much difference in the benefit to the players.

"Work is work," he said. "I've had former players who say it was much tougher for us. I think that's crazy.

"These guys are working hard."

FSU was forced to examine mat drills after Darling's death Feb. 26, 2001. The drills were modified to maximize safety, most notably by the addition of longer water breaks, a full-time EMT on site at all times, and a "lot of education awareness counseling," according to Randy Oravetz, director of sports medicine.

"We call it the 'big-brother issue,'" Oravetz said. "We tell the players to make sure to let us know if they see someone out there and something doesn't look right."

For Weatherford, today marks the end of his fourth and final offseason of mat drills. The former Land O' Lakes High star will be a senior in the fall.

His advice to future FSU recruits is genuine.

"It's a rude awakening," Weatherford said. "I think that's the first time you realize the real difference between college football and high school football. This is just something that you really can't get in shape for."

"The throwing up really decreases as the time goes on."

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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