Coleman Turns to Yoga
Erik Coleman, a Jets safety who has started 32 career games, built up the courage this off-season to try a new discipline. But Coleman hasn't found success mastering "chattarunga."
"Chattarunga" isn't a complex new blitz design or a new defensive alignment, it's a yoga exercise and according to Coleman – it's nearly impossible.
Coleman, 5'10, 200 pounds, picked up the 5,000-year-old custom about two months ago, with references from multiple reliable sources.
"I kind of always wanted to try it," said Coleman of yoga. "Andre Dyson used to do it a lot when he was with Tennessee, as well as David Barrett. I went to sign my girlfriend up for classes at the gym and I was offered a chance to try it out, and I liked it. Since then it's been going great."
The origins of yoga were practiced to sacrifice the ego through self-knowledge, action and wisdom. Coleman's motives aren't as deep, although they are beneficial for his profession.
"It really helps with my flexibility," said the third-year safety from Washington State. "It teaches me how to just calm down and to breathe better and get the oxygen to the muscles so I don't get tired as quickly."
When Coleman has not been critiquing his "chattarunga" or "downward facing dog" techniques during the off-season, he has been glued to the television, analyzing game tape of some of the leagues best safeties. Those among his specimens include Baltimore's Ed Reed, Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu and New England's Rodney Harrison.
"Ed Reed's a real student of the game, always studying his opposition," said Coleman, who praised the diligent work of the Jets video personnel. "He knows what to expect, he jumps a lot of routes, and just causes a lot of havoc for offenses. Polamalu is always showing different looks, disrupting the other team's offense. They don't know what he's doing out there."
Coleman also offered much gratitude towards the Jets strength & conditioning coaches, as they brought in some information from one of the games most feared hitters, Rodney Harrison.
"I've also gotten a lot of help from our strength coaches," he said. "I ask them about specific things that Harrison did over in New England, because he has been in the league for so long and is definitely one of the premier safeties in the game."
Over the last two years, Coleman has started every single game in which he has played in. With a new intellectual workout added to his off-season formula, look for the Jets secondary to be that much better, once he masters the chattarunga.
