Mahomes Prepares to Improvise

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A key insight about the performance of quarterback Patrick Mahomes is how much he prepares to improvise.

Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Superbowl victory last night with his signature shovel passes and side-arm flings that aren’t in a standard football playbook.

Mahomes’ style of play is well known. Less appreciated is how he cultivated those abilities and tactics over many years along with his trainer Bobby Stroupe.

The Netflix special “Quarterback”, which followed Mahomes and two other players during the 2022 season, breaks down a training regime that stresses speed and agility, as well as strengthening muscles in his neck.

It is that level of preparation that contributes to making Mahomes so dangerous when he scrambles outside the pocket. Stroupe calls him the “owl” for his ability to see the field.

One of the surprising revelations in the Netflix show was that Stroupe has trained Mahomes since the quarterback was in 4th grade.

Stroupe works with Mahomes three days a week in a regime he calls ABC Day Training Protocols.

The first day focuses on acceleration and explosive movements. Day two emphasizes top-end speed and day three leans into conditioning to enhance endurance and stamina.

Mahomes trains outside the Chief’s training facility. In that way he resembles Tom Brady, who famously created his own diet and workout regime with Alex Guerrero. Brady credited the routine with allowing him to play past 45.

There are so many life lessons embedded in how Mahomes prepares to play.

There is the emphasis on mental agility, adaptability, and creativity.

There is the long-term relationship with his coach as a mentor.

There is his confidence to play his own style of game.

There is his willingness to train differently.

Mahomes is one of those examples of how years of hard work leads to “overnight” success.

He’s a reminder that there is no one way to train and no one way to win.

That the best improvisation is often based on preparation.

In football and life, that often goes unnoticed on game day.

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