One Week, Two Combines: Advantage or disadvantage?

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — Mental preparation is considered one key to success when it comes to the football combine, but that’s not to undersell the physical aspect.

The combine can be physically daunting for anyone, and it’s especially the case for the 12-or-so athletes participating in this weekend’s National Combine in Toronto, just days (or less) after competing in a regional combine.

Imagine that – two combines in one week.

Toronto Argonauts linebacker and special-teamer Thomas Miles was one of just a handful to have gone through it since the CFL regionals were implemented, participating in the Edmonton combine on a Monday last year – then earning an invite to Toronto for the three-day event just days later.

While the country’s top athletes were getting ready to compete in their last chance to impress CFL scouts and general managers, hoping to reach peak physical condition at just the right time, Miles was in recovery mode.

“The first thing I did was book a massage, then set up some yoga classes,” Miles recalls with a bit of an honest laugh.

The three regional combines are more physically-testing than the national one, because the latter is spread out over three days. Regionals, which this year occurred on Monday in Edmonton; Wednesday in Montreal; and Thursday in Toronto, are more of a sprint.

All in one day, athletes take on the bench press, broad and vertical jumps, the 40-yard dash, the shuttle, the three-cone and then one-on-one drills – arguably the most important aspect of the day.

The top participants then move on to Toronto, where they get set to do it all over again.

“I think I worked out once before I went to Toronto, but it was mostly just all about recovery,” Miles continues. “It takes a toll on you and by the time Friday rolls around and you’re in Toronto, you’ve barely finished recovery.”

“You’re not prime, that’s for sure.”

The greatest challenge may come from training in the off-season. Miles began his off-season training shortly after his final CIS season with the Manitoba Bisons, not yet knowing whether he’d be participating at regional combine let alone the national.

“I believe I took just a few weeks at the end of the football season before I launched into training, and I actually wasn’t sure I was going to the regional combine immediately, so I began a program of just getting general strength back in a bunch of different areas,” says Miles.

“From there, once the combine got closer, I began doing combine-specific drill work.”

Another challenge for Miles was getting on an indoor field, a necessity during the Winnipeg winters when working outside just isn’t feasible. Indoor fields in Winnipeg aren’t easy to come by.

In the end, though, Miles made it work, both in training and in the combine.

His testing admittedly wasn’t phenomenal by any means, but his domination throughout one-on-one drills caught the eyes of everyone watching. Miles was one of five from Edmonton on the way to Toronto for the National Combine.

Just days later, not entirely in peak physical condition, he’d go up against the country’s top amateur talent. Two combines in one week are tough on the body, but Miles found a way to turn a physical disadvantage into a mental edge.

“I think physically there’s a slight disadvantage for the regional combine participants, but mentally there’s a huge advantage,” Miles explains. “Being in front of the scouts and the coaches once already, having to perform all the drills once already – it helps you relax.”

One of the toughest skills going into a combine is performing when everyone’s watching while knowing your career as a professional football player could be in the balance. Lifting, running and jumping are different under the watchful eyes of CFL coaches and GMs. Pressure breaks diamonds.

Those that participate in the regional combine don’t face that at Nationals. They’ve already been through it.

“In Toronto, I was able to just have fun and not worry the whole time,” says Miles. “I know a lot of guys I saw in Toronto were incredibly stressed out, but because I had already done it once and gotten that out of the way, I was able to relax a little bit more and enjoy the whole experience a little bit more.”

“And I think it definitely did help my performance, being able to compete in the drills in a more confident manner.”

Drafted in the fourth round by the Argos last year, Miles took full advantage of the regional combine and eventually leveraged a national combine appearance into pretty solid draft position.

It’s a whirlwind process, and going into an off-season thinking about having to dominate two different combines inside the span of a week can be daunting. But in the end it’s been beneficial to many prospects – some who may not have been given a chance otherwise.

As you watch this year’s National Combine from Toronto, keep a close eye on those coming off a regional combine earlier in the week. Odds are you’re watching a future CFL player.