I’ve played so long and am so used to the speed of the game that running doesn’t seem fast anymore. Physically, it’s hard carrying through with the actions, but to me, running makes perfect sense.

When the ball is hiked, I see a lot of different things. I try not to look at the quarterback, but I see him approaching with the ball. One of the things I was taught was to look at the hole, not the quarterback.

So I try to stay focused on the hole, stay focused on certain defenders, and stay aware of everything else in my peripheral vision. Then I focus to make sure those certain defenders are being blocked. It’s only after I make my reads that I pick and choose where I want to run.

You learn to trust your feelings. A lot of times I don’t see the hole opening when I’m going to it, but it opens up. I’ve learned to count on it being open by the time I get there.

And I know when a hole feels closed. If the hole isn’t there, I usually try to hit it anyway and hope I create one, or else improvise and go somewhere else.

It’s rare that the blocking goes so well that you don’t even have to deal with defenders until you get down field. But I wish it happened more often.

Barry Sanders is an NFL all-pro running back with the Detroit Lions.