Aaron Donald’s offseason training regimen includes a lot of agility work, lifting in the weight room and fighting off knife-wielding trainers. That last part is only half-true, because while his trainer does use knives to improve Donald’s hand speed, the blades are in fact fake.
Two years ago, Donald got a lot of attention for training with knives, which he later confirmed were fake. Even still, he said they hurt when he gets hit. This week, Donald was out training with knives again, going through drills on a practice field.
It’s part of his Krav Maga training, which is a military self-defense style of fighting. It’s a useful method for pass rushers because of the importance of hand usage and having quick reactions. Seeing a blade coming at your head naturally makes you react quicker, even if you know it’s fake.
Here’s another drill Donald went through while training.
