00:00 Now 3.4 million of us turned in to watch this year's Super Bowl. American football fever
00:05 is running rife at the moment, even if it is thanks to the help of a certain pop star.
00:10 Well, many here in Kent will be likely thinking about getting into the sport. Our reporter
00:14 Daniel Anenu went over to Canterbury to find out what players go through to get to the
00:19 very top. Let's see how he got on.
00:22 I went to a rainy Canterbury to train with the Kent Falcons, getting an in-depth experience
00:27 of what the players have to go through to make sure they are at the top of their game.
00:31 We started off with drills that would simulate in-game situations such as evading an opponent
00:36 or running whilst being dragged. We then moved on to some tackling drills whilst also working
00:41 on being agile and quick off your feet. The aim of these drills was to work on timing
00:45 the tackle but also making sure we are being safe whilst tackling.
00:58 After that, we moved on to catching the ball using different in-game scenarios which called
01:02 for different tactics or routes in order to fool an opponent into thinking you're going
01:06 one way but instead going another, as well as increasing the chances of catching the
01:10 ball and scoring a touchdown.
01:16 Tackling and catching the ball were some of the most strenuous drills I had done and although
01:20 they ask a lot from your body, they are some of the most vital aspects of the game as they
01:24 can be the difference between a win or a loss.
01:31 Catching the ball requires a good eye for space as well as a good eye for tracking the
01:34 movement of the ball and being quick enough to get to it before the opponent does, which
01:38 is why players have to be physically fit and have high endurance.
01:45 Both tackling and catching drills required a lot of speed, agility and vision and when
01:50 it comes to American football, timing is an important factor in terms of knowing when
01:54 to make the run and knowing when to make a tackle.
01:56 I'd like to thank Daniel and the rest of the American football team, the Parkins, for teaching
02:03 me and putting me through the wringer and showing me just how much goes into the training.
02:12 Let's play!
02:14 Let's play!
02:16 Let's play!
02:18 Daniel Ananu for CAMTV.
02:20 Looks like a lot of fun.
02:23 Daniel joined me on the sofa earlier for a debrief and he started by telling me how he's
02:27 feeling after going through all of that.
02:30 Honestly, I still feel the pain some days later but overall I feel really happy and
02:37 really excited about what happened.
02:40 You haven't played American football before but what was it like being with the team?
02:44 Obviously some veterans there of the squad, do they make you feel welcome?
02:47 Yes, I haven't played American football before and they showed me the ropes, they showed
02:52 me what I had to do and they were very, very patient with me, obviously because I haven't
02:56 played the sport before and obviously through the warm-ups and the actual training and some
03:01 of the routes that we had to go through.
03:05 They were very patient with me and they took their time explaining how they do it and why
03:09 they do it like that.
03:10 Obviously they enjoyed watching me suffer and go through so much pain.
03:15 Absolutely, and we can see you on the screen now enjoying yourself out on the field there.
03:20 Was there anything that surprised you as someone that's only ever been an onlooker of American
03:24 football?
03:25 I guess just how much running there is.
03:29 Obviously through American football there's a lot of running but actually doing the running
03:31 yourself and the quick change of directions, just so many different types of running if
03:37 that makes sense in the sense that you have to run a certain pace to catch the ball but
03:42 you have to change direction very quickly.
03:43 That's one of the things that surprised me as well as just how fit you have to be to
03:48 be able to play American football at a sufficient level.
03:53 Those two things are the things that surprised me.
03:55 You think you'd give it a try again in the future?
03:56 Oh 100%, 100%, 100%.
03:59 I really, really enjoyed it and I had a fleeting thought of just maybe joining the American
04:03 football team.
04:04 Oh yeah?
04:05 Yeah.
04:06 Well there's a brand new episode of Limitless, Rise of the Falcons, which you're a producer
04:09 of of course, coming this week.
04:11 What's the theme of the episode this week?
04:12 This week we're looking at games, playoffs and the fans.
04:15 So we're looking at the fans' perspective, we're looking at the playoff games, we're
04:19 looking at, just a deeper look into the Kent Falcons.
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