8 minute read
Communicate Better in Practice
CoachComm Cobalt PLUS Headsets Are For More Than Just Games
CoachComm has brought leading-edge products to the game, and the Cobalt PLUS is a continuation of that trend. The Cobalt line of headsets provides worry-free and reliable communications with exceptional sound quality and industry leading technology.
BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR
■ Shiloh Christian
(Ark.) coach Jeff Conaway communicated with his players at practice through the Cobalt PLUS Player Receiver.
Shiloh Christian’s (Ark.) HFC Jeff Conaway is the first to admit that his team probably wouldn’t have won a 2020 state championship without the CoachComm Cobalt PLUS headset system.
Using the Cobalt system for the first time in 2020, Conaway and his staff took advantage of the Player Receiver. During each practice, eight of his players wore receivers on their arms, giving the coaches a direct line of communication.
“We put them on the quarterback, running back and wide receiver,” Conaway said. “On defense, we put them on two defensive linemen, a linebacker and a defensive back. We are an uptempo practice team. We don’t want to slow down. We want to communicate as fast as possible.
“Now, I can give my quarterback cues that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to give him as efficiently,” Conaway said. “If our running back needs to know an alignment, his coach can give cues. It enhances our ability to communicate with players. It gave us a huge advantage down the stretch. If I wasn’t able to communicate with my sophomore quarterback the way I was in practice, I don’t think he would have performed as well as he did in the semifinals or state championship game.”
The CoachComm Cobalt PLUS system offers the popular SmartBoom PRO headsets with a flip-up boom to mute the mic technology. Without the need for a basestation, Cobalt PLUS provides a compact, weather-resistant communications belt pack with an easy-to-use interface. In addition, the system provides a collegiate-type workflow for coaches who want to offer primary and secondary channels so the entire staff can work on game day. This is done by offering six (6) channels of communication, allowing each coach to customize and access up to three (3) of these channels from the coach’s belt pack.
“Up until last year, we only wore headsets on game day,” Conaway said. “This year, we wore the Cobalt PLUS with SmartBoom LITE headsets at practice. They were both light and functional. We changed the way we communicate as coaches and with players.”
Conaway also found that he didn’t encounter as many surprises -- like injuries or personnel issues -- at the end of each practice.
“To be able to communicate with every coach on the field as a head coach is priceless,” Conaway said. “In the past, I had to yell or get in close proximity. Now, I have the ability to flip my mic boom down and talk to my coaches while also listening to them coach. As the head coach, it gives me a feeling that I know what’s going on.”
Conaway is one of many coaches who saw players improve and develop faster because of the extra attention they received from coaches after making the switch to the Cobalt PLUS. CoachComm Vice President of Sales Mike Whitley feels that the Cobalt PLUS will be of even greater value in the post-pandemic atmosphere.
“COVID gave coaches an opportunity to pull back and look at everything they do,” Whitley said. “It made it easier for coaches to communicate. What they found from the offseason drills to 7-on7s to real practice is it became a very good tool for them. Now, the ones who use it in practice say they can’t practice without it.”
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SECTION STRENGTH & CONDITIONING SECRETS
Summer gains show up on Game Day. staff and players. Not only do you need high
We know it. We’ve seen it. participation, you also need enthusiasm and
As coaches, we know when we have a passion. team that will consistently have an advantage If your strength and conditioning program in the fourth quarter due to its conditioning. We feels monotonous and boring for players, atknow when our teams will dominate the line of tendance will be low and gains will be slow. On scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We know the contrary, if you can inspire your players to when our team speed will overwhelm opponents believe that their performance on Friday nights from the moment we get off the bus. is DIRECTLY related to the work they do this
That doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t summer, you may find yourself on the sidelines happen solely because of talent. Winning on this fall feeling confidence in your team’s collecFriday night starts in the offseason -- in the tive strength, speed and conditioning. weight room, during speed and agility workouts, We all want a team that overwhelms opin the classroom, and on the track and field. ponents. The hard part is inspiring the players to
Making summer gains takes buy-in from your pay the price.
How to Teach the Squat
The squat is one of the core lifts in just about every high school football program. However, many high school athletes put themselves at risk by doing the exercise with poor form.
BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR
Denton High (Texas) strength coach Brandon Taylor, CSCS, believes it’s never too early to teach the proper squatting technique. In fact, he begins working on squat movement patterns with prospective football players when they are still in junior high.
“It’s a process I go through in junior high so that by the time they’re going into freshman summer, they can load a back squat,” Taylor said.
Here is Taylor’s progression for teaching the squat.
■ Back squats are the final step in
Denton High (Texas) strength coach Brandon Taylor’s progression.
1Wall Squats. “Put them on a wall so they can learn how to position their body. You can have them put their hands behind their backs and do slow, eccentric movements. Have them hold it so they feel the position. Have them wiggle from side to side to feel the muscles activate.”
2Air Squats. “They can do both eccentric and isometric at a younger age. Move slow. Make sure the foot placement is 10 to 30 percent out and corkscrew the feet. Drive the hips back and keep the knees up.”
3Breathing Technique. “You want them to take a deep breath on the way down and push out in full on the way up. We’ll go down and sit so they’re bracing their core as they squat.”
4Dumbbell Goblet Squats. “This is when you teach them to squeeze their shoulder blades together, engage the bak and make their chest big. I’m an advocate of keeping a neutral spine. Tell them to look at the ground 6 to 8 feet in from of them because we all have a natural lean in our torso.” 5 Front Squats. “We move into front squat for an extended period. They won’t do back squats for a while. We’ll front squat and develop the quads that way. I’ll show the bar placement on the collarbone. They’re learning to control the weight and put more load on it.”
6Barbell Split Squats. “This just gives an athlete a chance to put a bar on the back and feel what it’s like. We’re still focusing on hip hinge and driving the feet through the floor.”
7Back Squats with Boxes. “Use a low box or low crate to teach the proper depth and maintain the technique. I’ll do 5-second eccentric squats. It’s a process we’ll go through until the summer of their freshmen year.”
8Back Squats. “This is where it all comes together. We talk about split the feet and corkscrewing through the ground. Push the whole foot; don’t just push the heels. Hing at the hips, keep the chest wide with a neutral spine. Squeeze the shoulder blades. It’s a culmination of all of the work that led to this point.”
5 Technique Tips for Squats
1Point your feet as
straightforward as possible. A 10-30 degree toe-out angle is acceptable.
2Maintain three points
of contact with your feet in relation to the floor establishing the ‘tripod’ foot.
3Hip Hinge to engage
the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) by pushing your hips backwards slightly and bringing your chest forward. Your bodyweight should be balanced over the middle of your feet.
4Create external
rotational torque at the hips by squeezing your glutes and shoving the knees out to the side while maintaining the ‘tripod’ foot.
5Solidify our postural
