52
L
AST SPRING, BEFORE Cooper Kupp turned this season
into an argument for NFL history, he moved to a Portland
suburb and transformed a backyard tennis court into a barn
that doubled as a football laboratory. The goal: Explore the
science that drives elite receivers. Dive to subterranean
depths. Examine his job, and how to excel even more at it,
through analytical concepts of movement. Like dynamic
organisms. And uncontrolled manifolds.
In Kupp’s latest football experiment, the dynamic organism was himself.
Hence the barn, the space covered and enclosed, the design created by a Rams
wideout moonlighting as an interior designer. Kupp had turf put in by the same
expert local sports teams had used. He added a “curve” treadmill for speedwork;
a “timing gate” that measured in seconds and miles per hour, with 20 mph
serving as his benchmark; and what’s called a “towing unit,” which he wore
while sprinting to add resistance (typically 50% to 75% of his 208 pounds).
He didn’t overly complicate this lab with technology, only what he needed,
everything deliberate and precise. Like him.
His plan in place and barn constructed, Kupp drilled into as many movement
options (wiggles, cuts, stutter steps) as he could develop or hone. The uncontrolledCOOPER
KUPP
BY
GREG BISHOPTHE SUPER BOWL MVP PUT UP THE BEST NUMBERS IN
THE NFL THIS SEASON BY BREAKING DOWN EVERY MOVE HE
MADE ON THE FIELD, BEGINNING WITH HIS FIRST STEP2022 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSMIC
HA
EL
HIC
KE
Y/G
ET
TY(^) IM
AG
ES
Adapted from SI.com
January 21, 2022