Building The Perfect Star

Bob Ward, Mac Engel

Description

Today, it is inconceivable for a professional or even small college sports team to go without a coach designated to enhancing conditioning, strength training, and overall performance. But someone had to be first. In 1976, the Dallas Cowboys and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tom Landry hired Dr. Bob Ward and told him to go to work. Part of the aura of the Dallas Cowboys was to be ahead of the curve, which made hiring Ward a natural step forward. No one could have predicted that Ward would become the key figure in revolutionizing how athletes prepare and train for generations to come. Ward believed in analytics long before Moneyball made them synonymous with sports. He saw the value in computers and technology in sports before the two became linked. Ward believes real strength is total, "Every component is involved in human performance. Strength alone is not enough."

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: Ascend Books
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780996194440
• Langue: English

Extrait

BUILDING
THE Perfect
STAR
Changing the Trajectory of Sports and the People In Them
“His ideas and his thoughts and his programs. I really do think that Bob Ward had a lot to do with the all of those winning seasons we had in Dallas. To this day, if you talk to the players he worked with, we are all crazy about him.”
Roger Staubach Dallas Cowboys quarterback, 1969 – 79 Pro Football Hall of Fame
“There is no question he made a tremendous impact on what the NFL did in terms of strength and conditioning. He was way ahead of his time.”
Dan Reeves Dallas Cowboys assistant coach, 1970 – 80 NFL head coach, 1981 – 2003
“Bob Ward introducing martial arts to the sport of football is something I would never have recognized. To me, he is a genius.”
Dan Inosanto Martial Arts trainer and master One of three students to be trained by Bruce Lee
“Bob Ward is the reason I became an All-Pro. He never stopped coaching. He never stopped teaching. He brought an Eastern European way of thinking to football, and a mental component to the game.”
Charlie Waters Dallas Cowboys safety, 1970 – 78, 1980 – 81 Three-time NFL Pro Bowl
“With Bob Ward, we did things before everybody else did. We were the most physically fit team in the NFL. The improvement in our guys was because of Bob Ward.”
Mike Ditka Dallas Cowboys assistant coach, 1973 – 74, 1975 – 76, 1981 NFL head coach, 1982 – 99 Pro Football Hall of Fame
“Almost everything they are doing now when it comes to training, he was doing it back in the ‘70s.”
Dr. Gene Coleman Houston Astros strength and conditioning coach, 1976 – 2012
“When I was in college, I wanted to be Bob Ward. Bob was on the forefront in the distinction between coaching someone to hit a golf ball and helping the guy get strong to do what they do better.”
Dave Murphy USC Track and Field, discus and shot NCAA All-American, 1970
“Dr. Ward was one of the original pioneer researchers to get those of us to understand how performance training goes from theory to the practical and how to take the practical to sport-specific usage. One of the best examples was the work he did with the Dallas Cowboys in the ‘70s before there was truly a profession.”
Brian Weese Professional trainer, specializing in football player preparation for the NFL Combine
“If you could describe a guru, that’s a guru. He is the Swami – not only to tell you what direction to go in terms of lifting weights but what direction in life.”
Cliff Harris Dallas Cowboys safety, 1970 – 79 Cowboys Ring of Honor, 2004
“Bob was an innovator and was just incredible at what he did. Because of his background, and his creativity, and his education, he had this subtle way of saying, ‘Let’s work some more’ without making it feel like you were doing more. He made you want to do it because he made it interesting. He was the epitome of a coach and a comrade.”
Bob Breunig Dallas Cowboys linebacker, 1975 – 84 Three-time NFL Pro Bowler
“What he brought to the NFL was a combination of track, weight lifting, and power lifting. The CrossFit craze that you see today? That is Bob Ward’s workout. It’s come full circle. This is not new. It’s 40 years old, and it originated with Bob Ward.”
Butch Johnson Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, 1976 – 83 Denver Broncos wide receiver, 1984 – 85
“Bob Ward was always looking to do anything he could under the sun. He was a bit out there in that regard. He didn’t want to be put in a box for how to get a guy ready to play.”
Brian Baldinger Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman, 1982 – 84; 1986 – 87 Indianapolis Colts, 1988 – 90; Philadelphia Eagles, 1992 – 93 Host and Analyst, NFL Network
BUILDING
THE Perfect
STAR
Changing the Trajectory of Sports and the People In Them
DR. BOB WARD AND MAC ENGEL
FOREWORD BY RANDY WHITE
Copyright © 2015 by Bob Ward
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.
All names, logos, and symbols that appear in this book are trademarks of their individual organizations and institutions and have been reproduced with permission. This notice is for the protection of trademark rights only, and in no way represents the approval or disapproval of the text of this book by those organizations or institutions.
Requests for permission should be addressed to: Ascend Books, LLC, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, 12710 Pflumm Road, Suite 200, Olathe, KS. 66062
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN: print book 978-0-9961944-3-3
ISBN: e-book 978-0-9961944-4-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015947972
Publisher: Bob Snodgrass
Editor: Claire Reagan
Managing Editor: Aaron Cedeño
Publication Coordinator: Christine Drummond
Sales and Marketing: Lenny Cohen and Sandy Hipsh
Dust Jacket and Book Design: Rob Peters
All photos courtesy of Bob Ward unless otherwise indicated.
Every reasonable attempt has been made to determine the ownership of copyright. Please notify the publisher of any erroneous credits or omissions, and corrections will be made to subsequent editions/future printings.
The goal of Ascend Books is to publish quality works. With that goal in mind, we are proud to offer this book to our readers. Please note, however, that the story, experiences, and the words are those of the authors alone.
Printed in the United States of America.

www.ascendbooks.com
CONTENTS
Dedication
Foreword by Randy White
Prologue
Chapter 1 You’re Fired
Ward’s Words – Jimmy Johnson and Practicing Success
Chapter 2 A Difficult Start
Chapter 3 Billion-Dollar Industry
Ward’s Words – The Secret to Getting into Shape
Chapter 4 The Long Shot Lands on America’s Team
Ward’s Words – The Best Coaches
Chapter 5 Predictions
Chapter 6 Improving the Dallas Cowboys
Ward’s Words – Busting Ed “Too Tall” Jones
Chapter 7 Applying Science to High Performance
Ward’s Words – The Best Players
Chapter 8 The Analytic Apostle
Chapter 9 Panning for Gold
Ward’s Words – My Bloodline Might Make it to the NFL
Chapter 10 Football from Martial Arts to the UFC
Chapter 11 Performance Enhancers: The Good, The Abused, & The Illegal
Ward’s Words – Stealing from the Steelers
Chapter 12 The Empire Crashes
Chapter 13 Footprints in the Turf
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Bibliography
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the many giants who have enabled me to have a wonder life. Their guidance brought me a “Many Splendored Career”; those giants pointed me to the principles that enabled me to strive to be “The Best That I Was Meant To Be.”
First and foremost, to my family: To Joyce, my amazing wife who has been an invaluable resource for all aspects of my life, my Christian walk, and my career.
Second, to my daughters, their amazing husbands, and their children: Shannon (Mark) Lichty, Erin (Sam) Symmank, my Lichty Grandchildren – Erin – Erik – Scott, and my Symmank Grandchildren – Taylor – Jared – Gabrielle.
Finally, I’d like to pass on “The-Best-That-You-Were-Meant-To-Be Baton” to those who can and must continue to run with it, that they may experience a similar, but unique, wonderful life and career for themselves.
      – Bob Ward
• • • •
F or Vivian
Thank you
I love you
      – Mac Engel
FOREWORD BY RANDY WHITE
I was a No. 1 draft pick out of the University Maryland in 1975. One of the biggest reasons I was selected that high is because I hit people as hard as I could possibly hit them. Hitting people is what I did, and I did it really well. In my first two seasons in the NFL, I was still playing a position that was foreign to me – linebacker. I was a defensive tackle, but Coach Tom Landry wanted me at linebacker. So I played linebacker and was still good at hitting people.
In my third NFL offseason, in the spring of 1977, Coach Landry moved me back to defensive tackle. There was a difference almost immediately. This was the position I knew, a position where I could hit people more effectively. One day during offseason training, our conditioning coach had us hitting punching bags like a boxer. Predictably, I hit those bags as hard as I possibly could. I left a large impression on those heavy bags because I was good at hitting.

Dallas Cowboys star Randy White was moved to linebacker early in his career before moving back to his normal position of defensive tackle – where he would enjoy a Hall of Fame career .
Our conditioning coach was Dr. Bob Ward. He looked right at me and said, “The problem is you don’t know how to hit.”
My first thought: What is this guy telling me, I don’t know how to hit ?
Ask anyone who played me if I knew how to hit. Anyone who played me when I was in high school. Anyone who played me when I was in college and won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy. Or anyone who played me during my first two years in the NFL. They’ll all tell you the same thing: I knew how to hit. I was given the nickname “The Manster” for a reason. I was a rookie in 1975, and in my first three years playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I was named to the Pro Bowl, we won the Super Bowl, and I was named co-MVP of the Super Bowl with my friend Harvey Martin – it was the first time two teammates had been named the MVP of a Super Bowl and the first time the award was given to a defensive lineman. I had become a big part of the famous “Doomsday Defense,” in part because I was really good at hitting people.
All of those achievements and accomplishments said I knew how to hit. But, when I look back on that third year and what Dr. Ward told me, it was apparent he was right – I did not know how to hit. Once I swallowed my ego and my pride, and listened to what he was telling me, then I really learned how to hit.
Dr. Bob Ward was revolutionary and saw things in a way most people cannot. He constantly looked to see things in a different light