FNF Coaches 2017 "The Summer Edition" by A.E. Engine

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The Magazine for High School Football Coaches

summer 2017

playbook schemes & tactics

+ attacking goal line defenses + defending trips + cover 0 blitzes

College Coach Q&A case western reserve coach greg debeljak

A GAME OF ADJUSTMENTS

+ tips for in-game changes + improve mental performance + reset team goals + how to switch up play calling

Totino-Grace (Minn.) head coach Jeff Ferguson (center), with assistants (from left) Jay Anderson, Anthony Lapanta, Brian Litecky and Don Roney

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Revamp Your Strength Program with ‘The Frog’ technology + ASSISTANTS CORNER + NUTRITION + in-season TRAINING + inspiration + coach talk

ADVANCING FOOTBALL TOGETHER

SAVE THE DATE USA Football’s 2018 National Conference is heading back to Orlando. Mark your calendars for January 26-28 and plan to attend the largest gathering of high school and youth stakeholders in football.

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A PERFECT SEASON Realistic

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CONTENT 12. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

greg debeljak

A GAME OF

HOUSTON VEER

ADJUSTMENTS 14

DIAGRAM 1

34.

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ON THE FRONT COVER ■■ Totino-Grace (Minn.) head coach Jeff Ferguson (center), with assistants (from left) Jay Anderson, Anthony Lapanta, Brian Litecky and Don Roney

coach talk 05. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 06. NEWS & NOTES 08. TECH: FROG FITNESS 09. GEAR 32. RECRUITING: THE 4D CLUB 35. ASSISTANTS CORNER 37. PREVENTION 40. INSPIRATION 42. USA FOOTBALL CONVENTION

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

e are proud to present our sixth edition of 2017, which has a theme of in-

season adjustments. The month of August is the perfect time for coaches to hash out how they will respond to the various setbacks they might encounter throughout the season – because every season has its share of setbacks. A high school football team will look to its coach when adversity strikes, whether that comes in the form of an injury, a loss, an off-thefield issue, or a tragedy in the community. The head coach needs to be prepared to provide leadership in these difficult times. The team will follow the head coach’s lead, and if he is prepared and steadfast, the team will react accordingly. When it comes to adjustments, there’s a fine line between staying ahead of the curve, and changing one’s core philosophies. When the going gets tough, we don’t recommend abandoning the strategies and values that have helped you succeed in the past. Stick to your core beliefs, and exude confidence that things will turn for the better. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes. Look at the big picture and make subtle changes that might correct issues and give players confidence that something better is on the horizon. Adjustments to starting lineups, blocking schemes, game-plan philosophies or strength and conditioning programs are certainly in play when you’re looking for areas of improvement. If you would like to learn more about any of the topics we cover in this edition, we’d like to hear from you at fnf@ae-engine.com. We want to continue to provide you with information you want in the coming months, so we’d like to hear your suggestions for content. Engage with us on our website, FNFCoaches.com, and social media, @FNFCoaches, and tell us your suggestions for feature stories.

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NEWS & NOTES NFHS Offering ‘Fundamentals of Coaching’ Course

he National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

is continuing its commitment to coaches education with a revision to the flagship “Fundamentals of Coaching (FOC)” course through the NFHS Learning Center at NFHSLearn.com. The NFHS “Fundamentals of Coaching” course provides a unique student-centered curriculum for interscholastic teacher/coaches, assisting them in creating a healthy and age-appropriate athletic experience that supports the educational mission of our nation’s schools. With a revised look and new content, the FOC course

It certainly seems like there is more turnover

Lakeland High (Fla.) coach Kevin Grooms won the

in the high school coaching ranks than ever before. The Deseret News proved that is true in the state of Utah. When the 2017 season kicks off on Aug. 18, 51 of the 103 teams will have a head coach in either his first or second year at that particular school. It’s the highest percentage of young head coaches in state history, and six more than the previous high of 45 coaches in 2013.

FNF Coaches Training Mask Contest, earning a set of four Elevation Training Masks for his program. Grooms responded to a call for coaches throughout the country to state their case as to why their programs are worthy of the receiving the Training Masks. Grooms heard about the contest by following FNF Coaches on Twitter (@ FNFCoaches) and plans to use the masks to implement a cardio endurance program for Lakeland.

THE FNF COACHES APP

he FNF Coaches app is available for free on iTunes (designed for both the iPhone and iPad) and Amazon (for Android). It is geared toward high school football head coaches and assistants across the continental United States. Coaches who download the FNF Coaches app will be eligible to win an Insight Replay Sideline Replay System. The Sideline Replay System allows coaches to capture video in real-time from multiple cameras and mobile devices. To become eligible for the give-away, a coach must download the FNF Coaches app on the iPhone or Android. Open the app, and the Insight Replay promotion will serve as the welcome screen. Click on the promotion, and enter your name to be eligible to win.

includes additional facts on concussions that dispel the “play through pain” attitude, as well as information on the importance of sleep, social media, the value of stretching, practice methods, and appearance- and performanceenhancing substances. The revision also includes a new teachable moment video featuring concussion return-toplay protocol. The NFHS is also expanding its services of online education courses to officials, students, administrators, parents and music adjudicators in an effort to reach all groups involved with education-based activity programs.

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USA FOOTBALL’S COACHES’ NOTES. GO BEYOND THE COACHING PHILOSOPHY – LEARN

the steps to implement them in your program. USA Football’s NEW Coaches’ Notes provides strategies you can trust and is written by coaches for coaches. Learn the philosophy, dive into the schematics, watch it in action and start implementing immediately into your program. Coaches’ Notes allows coaches to get deep into the details of on and off field strategies. ■■ Interactive – features video, schematics and written explanations. ■■ Read it, watch it, print it off, mark it up – learn at your own pace. ■■ Unlimited access for just $50/year ■■ Access your go-to football resource – subscribe at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

The USA Football National Conference has been scheduled for January 26-28 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. This year’s conference allows key players within football the opportunity to connect and discuss the future of America’s favorite sport. Learn more by visiting usafootball.com/ nationalconference.

RESEARCH ON 202 FORMER FOOTBALL

players found evidence of brain disease in nearly all of them, from athletes in the NFL, college and even high school. It is the largest update on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease linked to repeated head blows. But the report doesn’t confirm that the condition is common in all football players; it reflects high occurrence in samples at a Boston brain bank that studies CTE. Many donors or their families contributed because of the players’ repeated concussions and troubling symptoms before death.

TECH

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The Frog A ‘Game-Changer’ for Texas Powerhouse Frog Fitness, Inc. delivered 12 Frogs to Abilene Cooper High (Texas) in July. Cooper head coach Todd Moebes believes the addition of the new training devices will take his program to the next level.

oebes had seen videos of The Frog in

action prior to receiving his shipment of 12 Frogs from Frog Fitness, Inc. But he still didn’t know everything The Frog could do for his program until he went through the training process with representatives from Frog Fitness. “We had the opportunity to play around on two of them before the training,” Moebes said. “We had a sense of how we’d use them, but after going through the training, I really think the possibilities are endless. We’re on the first stages of being able to use them, but the conversations we’re having as a coaching staff are about how to incorporate them in-season and during the offseason.” The Frog is the result of years of relentless hard work, research and development, and scientific testing. The Frog is already being widely accepted throughout the NFL, the NBA, Pro Motocross, and MMA. Even America’s most respected warriors throughout the U.S. Military are training with The Frog, and most recently Olympic athletes began adding The Frog to their training regimens.

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Moebes is particularly excited about incorporating The Frog into day-aftergame workouts during the season. “Those Saturday workouts after Friday games … guys are sore,” Moebes said. “Sometimes, loading up a lot of weight and putting it on their backs doesn’t help release soreness. This will have an immediate impact for post-game workouts.” Moebes said The Frog was “extremely well received” among Cooper players, and the coach even tested the product as well. “Watching the kids have so much fun on it, I got on it and played around,” Moebes said. “I’ve lifted weights a long time and competed, and I’ve found that when you’re doing the traditional lifting stuff, there are ways to cheat an imbalance. You might apply more force to one side to correct it. On The Frog, you have to have equal force to make sure it locks up properly.” Moebes plans to use The Frog to promote inner-team competition. He’ll

have players race across the field or compare how much weight and tension they can add to each exercise. “If you find creative ways to create some competition within workouts, you don’t have to do too much to make sure they’re taxed and tested,” Moebes said. “The opportunities are endless. We had guys trying to race down the track and see how many reps they could do.” The Frog will offer the Cooper players an opportunity to build football strength in a functional way. “What was great was hearing our players talk about how applicable it is to football,” Moebes said. “What they do in their positions – tackling, blocking – certain exercises are extremely applicable in terms of hand placement and extending their hips. Those are the types of things you want to hear directly from kids. They get done, and their hearts are racing and they’re breathing heavy. They said how much it pushed them, and they enjoyed it.”

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Base Cover 1 stunts and twists in the double eagle-double ﬂex defense LEO HAND

Because so many teams are now employing no-huddle offenses, defensive huddles should be stored on the same shelf as leather helmets. Defensive calls should be conveyed to

players from the sideline via wristbands. Also, all verbiage must be eliminated from the call.

Many coaches avoid implementing complex stunt maneuvers or comprehensive stunt packages because they are unable to express the information in a concise, precise manner. The answer? Simplify. For me, “Nat-Wamer-1 Tag” is all I need to tell my defense to convey ﬁve vital bits of information: How defenders are aligned in the box, three different stunt maneuvers and the pass coverage.

The system works as follows: Since no defensive alignment is mentioned, players know that they will line up in their base alignment. No need exists to mention the alignment if it’s a team’s base. If you want to change from base to something else, simply precedes the call with a single syllable that designates the variant. Two-digit numbers and word descriptions are too longwinded. For example, “forty-three” and “single ﬂex” both add three syllables to the call. It is

much more succinct to assign each variation a single syllable (e.g., sap, wap, Mom, Tom, etc.) than to give a multi-syllable word or number description. Next, defensive maneuvers are designated by phonetic sounds that can be merged to create words that are meaningless to everyone on the planet except the players who use them every day in practice.

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For example, with Nat-Wamer 1 Tag: Nat tells nose and Ted to twist Wam tells Whip to blitz through the weakside A gap. When the sufﬁx “er” is added to “wam” or any other stunt involving Whip, Mike is assigned to play his Base 3 technique versus run and spy the near back versus pass. 1 Tag conveys a variation of Cover 1 in which the strong end covers the tight end and Stud blitzes from the edge.

THE FROG IS “THE NEXT BIG THING IN FITNESS” –

a total body resistance trainer that works all major muscle groups in an incredibly short amount of time! The Frog’s signature exercises include the Superman, Leapers, Core Killers and Mojos. The Frog is the result of years of relentless hard work, research and development, and scientific testing. The Frog is already being widely accepted throughout the NFL, the NBA, Pro Motocross and MMA. Even America’s most respected warriors throughout the U.S. Military are training with The Frog, and most recently Olympic athletes began adding The Frog to their training regimens. To learn more, visit frogfitness.com/fnf.

GO BEYOND THE COACHING PHILOSOPHY – LEARN THE STEPS TO IMPLEMENT THEM IN YOUR PROGRAM

USA Football’s NEW Coaches’ Notes provides strategies you can trust and is written by coaches for coaches. Learn the philosophy, dive into the schematics, watch it in action and start implementing immediately into your program. Coaches’ Notes allows coaches to get deep into the details of on and off field strategies. ■■ Interactive – features video, schematics and written explanations ■■ Read it, watch it, print it off, mark it up – learn at your own pace ■■ Unlimited access for just $50/year Access your go-to football resource – subscribe at: usafootball.com/coaches-notes

PORTA PHONE GOLD SERIES WIRELESS HEADSETS PORTA PHONE GOLD SERIES

are a new breed of wireless that features a transceiver installed inside the headset ear cup. This compact design eliminates belt pack radios making the systems trouble free and affordable. Gold Series include breakthrough Spread Spectrum technology and automatically switch to the best frequency when necessary to avoid interference. Since there is no base station required all coaches are wireless and totally mobile. To learn more visit our website, or call Porta Phone at 1-800-233-1113 for a quote. MSRP (Complete 5-Coach Gold system): $2,995 portaphone.com

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USA FOOTBALL THE GOALS OF ROOKIE TACKLE ■■ Provide a bridge game

USA Football’s Rookie Tackle Provides Bridge Between Touch and Tackle DAN GUTTENPLAN

SA Football will introduce Rookie Tackle this season

after conducting a successful pilot with two organizations last year. Rookie Tackle is a small-sided tackle football game that introduces younger players to their first experience to the contact skills of blocking and tackling. The idea of making the transition from touch football to 11-on-11 tackle can be daunting for young players, and that’s why USA Football has created a bridge between the two experiences. USA Football’s Rookie Tackle modifies rule and field dimensions at younger ages and educates coaches, commissioners, officials and parents through its game adjustments, mechanics and skills. The program is designed to foster an age-appropriate game and practice environment better suited for the development of young football players and active, healthy athletes. Like “Coach Pitch” in baseball, cross-ice hockey or 5-a-side soccer, it provides a developmentally appropriate approach to football. “We wanted to figure out if we can create a new version of tackle football that will serve as a bridge from flag football to 11-player tackle that we all know and love,” said Nick Inzerello, USA Football Senior Director of Partnerships and Education. USA Football is giving leagues flexibility in the implementation of rookie tackle – with varied

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field lengths between 40 and 60 yards and team sizes that consist of between six and eight players on the field at a time. The coach-to-player ratio will also be shifted so more coaches will be available to provide feedback to players. The right-age, right-stage concept stems from the American Development Model (ADM). The ADM was created by the United States Olympic Committee along with several major sports organizations and is based on research from youth development and pediatric sports medicine. The goal of the ADM is to promote skill development, physical activity, healthy lifestyles and a positive experience in sports that allow athletes to maximize their full potential and remain active in sports for life. “What’s great about the pilot program is that leagues across the country could be very different,” Inzerello said. “Some will be smaller, some bigger, some rural, some urban. We’ll learn a lot this year.”

between flag football and 11-player, full-field tackle football. ■■ Focus on the fun of the sport and skill development. ■■ Encourage a field size appropriately scaled to the age and skill level of a youth football player. ■■ Participants learn multiple positions and skills; positionspecialization is not introduced at this level. ■■ Ensure players enjoy meaningful playing time and opportunities for improvement and success. ■■ Encourage a fastpaced game to allow for more plays and greater activity. ■■ Allow leagues and clubs to maximize field space by playing two games at the same time on one regulationsized football field. Simultaneous games at one site may also lead to greater communitybuilding, uniting more families and fans to a field at one time. ■■ Limit roster sizes to provide a greater coach-to-player ratio, which leads to more individualized coaching attention during practice and on game day for greater skill development. ■■ Allow leagues and clubs with limited registered players to enjoy a full fall season with smaller team rosters.

COACH TALK Favorite In-Season Practice Drills Two veteran coaches – and reigning state champions – discuss the drills that help them determine if their respective teams are ready to play on Friday night. TotinoGrace coach Jeff Ferguson and Rio Rancho coach David Howes share their thoughts.

PRACTICE IN 10-MINUTE SEGMENTS

Using Pace to Offset Size

With a 28-20 victory over Eden Prairie in the Prep Bowl on Nov. 25, Totino-Grace completed the climb from football program in Class 4A — where a school with its enrollment of 735 students would normally be placed — to champions of Class 6A. Ferguson credits his team’s level of conditioning for its ability to compete with larger schools. “As freshmen, our kids are just trying to remember plays,” Ferguson said of his team’s up-tempo style.

TEST THE TOUGHNESS OF A TEAM

otino-Grace coach Jeff Ferguson doesn’t

have one drill that tips him off as to whether his team is ready to play. But he does have one piece of equipment: a segment timer. “We don’t condition much outside of the way we run a typical practice,” Ferguson said. “We’re moving from one thing to another at a high tempo, and the most important piece of field equipment for us is the segment timer. We want to practice in 10-minute periods.” Totino-Grace has conditioning periods during practices twice a week, but Ferguson doesn’t always put much stock in evaluating those sessions. “You’re talking about in-season conditioning, so you have to account for injuries and wear and tear,” Ferguson said. “If a guy who was on the field for 80 plays on Friday night is struggling through a conditioning set on Sunday, that’s nothing to get upset about.” The segment timer keeps Totino-Grace on task, and it also provides a simulated feel for what the tempo will be like on game day. “We want it to feel like a pressurized drive,” Ferguson said. “They don’t get to take a break every time they’re tired in a game, so we want them to push through some of that in practice as well.”

Schedule Difficult Opponents

Howes’ favorite drills test his players’ toughness – as does his decision to schedule one of the most difficult slates in New Mexico each season. His teams have gone 69-26 over the last eight seasons. “It can be difficult, but with our team, with our kids and coaching staff, they are just really, really solid at keeping kids focused and not getting too ahead of ourselves, and focusing on the task at hand daily,” Howes said.

io Rancho coach David Howes wants to

find out how physical his players are before he puts them in game situations. That’s why he relies on the Oklahoma Drill and Spider Drill. Oklahomas pit one player against another in a battle to see who can react to a whistle and knock the opposing player off his feet first. Spider Drills are 3-on-3 drills with cones marking sidelines and the end zone. Two players block, and three defenders try to keep the ball-carrier out of the end zone. “Our hitting drills give us an indication of how physical we are,” Howes said. “Most drills are meant to teach technique and fundamentals. These aren’t everyday drills.” Howes said a coach has to pick his spots with hitting drills. He doesn’t run them often – if at all – in-season, but he may break them out during the preseason when players are getting frustrated by the time spent in the classroom learning the playbook. “They’re fast segments,” Howes said. “An inside Spider run drill gives us an indication of a player’s ability to break a tackle or a defender’s ability to tackle in a 1-on-1 situation.”

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COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER PREPARE FOR COLLEGE

D ■■ Case Western Reserve head coach Greg Debeljak

Q&A

WITH WITH CASE WESTERN RESERVE COACH GREG DEBELJAK DAN GUTTENPLAN

reg Debeljak has compiled an overall record of 91-

43 (.679) in 13 seasons as the Case Western Reserve University head coach. He led the Spartans to a 38-game regular season winning streak from 2006-10.

How is the recruiting process different at a Division 3 school like Case Western compared to a Division 1 school? “Because of our academic standards, it’s the Ivy League model. Our standards are that the average ACT score is 32. The combined math and verbal scores on the SAT are 1,400. We’re a very selective school. We have to recruit at the national level, and we reach out to coaches and kids all over the country. Our recruiting period starts in the spring of their junior year. That’s when we make initial contact. Going to camps over the summer has become so important. We go all over the country. This year, we went to high academic camps in Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and a huge one in Boston. We supplement that by going to as many Ivy League camps as we can. We look for Ivy League academics, and players that are just a bit short of being able to play there.”

What more can high school coaches do to help their players get recruited? “High school coaches do a really good job of getting us film. I’d recommend sending transcripts

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along with the film. Send a PDF of the unofficial transcript that includes the junior year. If they get that out before the player’s senior year, that’s so helpful.”

Your team consistently ranks among the nation’s leaders in team GPA. How does your staff stress the importance of education? “That’s the challenge, isn’t it? Sometimes the kids don’t get it until it’s too late. If it’s a high school coach, I’d recommend he start them early. Get the ninth-graders to buy in. The success you have on the field won’t mean a thing if you’re not successful in the classroom. Your academics will have just as much of an impact on your recruiting. It’s hard to convince a 14-year-old that his performance

ebeljak said the two areas in which high school players could be more prepared for the college game are passblocking and flexibility. Because many high school offenses run more than they pass, linemen are often behind when it comes to pass protection. “That’s the one thing that stands out,” Debeljak said. “Guys come in physically ready to play right away, but you have to teach them to pass block. I think high school coaches do a great job with strength training and nutrition. Over the last 10 years, the players have a much greater understanding of nutrition and strength development. So, they’re strong enough, they just don’t have the technique.” Debeljak said players can also get too caught up in increasing their max lifts on the bench and squat at the expense of their own flexibility. “Most of the great players I coach on the line can move well and bend to put their bodies in position to use their strength,” Debeljak said. “Most of the guys think, ‘If I have a great squat and bench, that’s enough.’ If you can’t bend, you’ll get beat by guys with far less strength. Kids that are loose in their hips and can bend, they are at such a big advantage.”

in the classroom will impact where he can go to college, but that’s the truth.”

What do you recommend for players looking to improve flexibility? “We do a lot of band work with the hips. We stress hip development quite a bit. It’s important to make sure the players are using the proper squat form. I try to sell them on yoga and stretching. We use bands for stretching and work on flexibility and range of motion.”

What is your process for selecting captains? “It varies year to year. I like to set the captains in the spring. I think it’s important to have captains in the offseason. I’ll name one or two in the spring – guys that are no-brainers, not debatable. After we go through the offseason and see who’s working hard, I have the team vote on a couple more. It’s not necessarily the best players, but who has put in the best effort and shown leadership by example.”

How do you balance running your scheme vs. catering to the talent on your roster? “I think with the academic standard, we have to be willing to adjust more than most teams. There are certain philosophies we believe in that you’ll see are consistent from year to year. We are not married to any scheme on offense or defense. We play a 3-4 defense, but we’re flexible and can do many things with it. Being able to adjust to the talent we have is key. We can’t recruit a certain type of kid at each position because we recruit kids that are academically oriented first. We get great academic kids, see what we have, and adjust.”

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How do you go about making an in-season adjustment to either the scheme or depth chart? “Most of that occurs due to injury – the stuff that forces you to put kids into new roles. The first thing we try to sell the kids if we have an injury is, ‘I’m not saying we’re better, but we’re still good enough. We have enough talent and depth to be successful.’ It might be doing things differently, but we can be successful. You have to sell kids so they believe it. We’re still good, but our ability is different. I’ve seen kids fold when injuries occur because they don’t believe they’re any good. I have to sell them, and then make sure I don’t put them in positions where I’m asking them to do things they can’t do.”

How does your strength and conditioning program change in-season? “We don’t do any speed training in-season. We’re a no-huddle offense, and we go at a fast pace in practice. If we’re doing it right, we should be all set. We’ll strength train twice a week. I guess it would be more for maintenance and injury prevention. Their joints are under enough stress from playing the game at our level. If the bodies feel good, we’ll make sure they’re having at least one large-effort lift instead of just range-of-motion stuff. If they’re beat up, I don’t want to continue to beat them up in the weight room. It’s more of a feel thing that I’m still grasping what’s best. I have a good grasp of offseason strength training, but I’m still learning about in-season programs.”

TE X A S

F LO RI DA

G EO RG IA

O H I O

|CAROLINAS

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A Game of Adjustments

THE BEST COACHES MAKE CHANGES ON THE FLY

Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan

With the amount of game planning and scouting that goes into high school football these days, a coach must constantly adjust his strategy in-season. DAN GUTTENPLAN

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until they get punched in the mouth.” It’s an expression that could very easily apply to a high school football season. Even the best laid plans of a football coach can go awry due to an injury, mismatch, or even a bad night. The best coaches don’t wait for the offseason to make tweaks to a scheme, depth chart or play-calling philosophy. When there’s a problem, the best time to address it is NOW. In this preseason edition of FNF Coaches, we talk to experienced coaches who have learned to make changes on the fly within a season, a

game week, or even a single practice or game. You don’t need to wait to review game film to assess your team’s performance, and you don’t have to wait until halftime to make in-game adjustments. We’ll share stories of coaches that have made adjustments in real time, and watched their respective season take a turn for the better. We’ll offer tips and strategies to make those adjustments so that when your team gets punched in the mouth this season – and just about every team does at some point – you’ll be ready to respond rather than react.

8 Tips for Making In-Game Changes Jeff Ferguson coached TotinoGrace (Minn.) to its eighth state championship in his 15 seasons as coach in 2016. He was inducted to the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015. With a career record of 173-21 (.892 winning percentage), Ferguson has proven he can make smart in-game adjustments. He offers 10 tips. Don’t wait until halftime. If a coach notices a problem, he should look to correct it as quickly as possible. Don’t change philosophy. Make small adjustments – like linemen formations or blocking scheme adjustments – rather than major philosophical scheme changes that the players have not had a chance to practice. Watch the game. Some coaches can get lost in the playbook or script of plays rather than watching the action on the field. If the other coach is adjusting to the action, you need to as well.

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FERGUSON’S PHILOSOPHY

erguson devotes time to make each of his players – and their parents – feel valued as an important part of the program. “We want to sell our kids and parents: Accept your role,’” Ferguson said. “‘All of you are valued.’ If you do a good job of not parading superstars, and making all of the players feel valued and respected, you can do things as a team that are greater than the sum of individual performances.” Ferguson encourages players to set goals that will be attainable all season – regardless of how many games the team wins or loses. “Society will define success by wins and losses,” Ferguson said. “I don’t think that’s wise. We talk about doing with what God gave you in the service to the team. We talk about being focused on effort and unselfishness for the betterment of others.”

Track personnel changes for both teams. Did

Adjust personnel according to the opponent’s game plan. If the opposing team is forcing

Meet with players after each series.

Take advantage of different vantage points.

the other team suffer an injury to a key player? How can your team exploit it? Did your left tackle get hurt? Perhaps you need to shift your run game to the right side.

your slower linebackers to flank out wide to follow players in motion, you might consider substituting another defensive back for the slower linebacker. Sometimes a coaching staff identifies a problem quickly, but struggles to relay the solution to players in a timely fashion. If you don’t have the players organized, it’s difficult to communicate.

Have your best scout watch the game from the press box, and give him a line to the head coach so he can relay ideas. Look for trends. Assign someone – maybe even a statistically inclined student – to track down-and-distance and play-calling trends. If a team is running on first down 90 percent of the time, the head coach needs to know.

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A GAME OF ADJUSTMENTS 7 Tips to Improving Mental Performance A team that is focused from the opening kickoff to the final whistle has the best chance of maximizing the time it spends training in the weight room and on the field.

portStrata (N.Y.) mental performance coach Ben

Oliva offers eight tips for coaches who are looking to maximize their players’ mental performance.

Goal setting: Focus on process rather than outcome.

When coaches are setting goals for the team during the preseason, it’s important to focus on the steps the players will need to take to achieve a particular outcome. “Break down the process of what will lead to those team goals,” Oliva said. “Show up on time, make sure you know the playbook, run crisp routes, communicate on the field.”

BEN OLIVA SPORTSTRATA (N.Y.) MENTAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Game plan: Set expectations while introducing the game plan. Don’t try to spin every matchup as a positive. “One common

mistake I see coaches make is that – by trying to be positive and boost guys up – they end up talking their players into thinking the other team is not that good. While it’s helpful to boost egos and help them feel prepared, you want to set the expectation that the other team is extremely talented.” Film review: Mix positive and negative feedback. Don’t allow the outcome of the game to influence how much positive or negative feedback you provide the players. Every game – even lopsided outcomes – will offer opportunities to emphasize positives and areas for improvement. “The better the player, the more you can lean toward critical feedback. For the players on the back of the roster, it might be smart to emphasize positive plays.” Pregame: Go through a mental rehearsal. Oliva is quick to note a mental rehearsal is not the same as visualization. “If you can bring all of the senses into the experience, it will be more effective. First, you should mentally rehearse the way you want things to go in a realistic way. What would you see? What would you hear? How would it feel?”

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Rehearsal: Contingency planning. If you only

Mindfulness strategies: Breathing and body language. A player can positively impact his

rehearse positive moments, you won’t be prepared when your team experiences adversity. “All football teams have predictable challenges. You might go for it on fourth down and not get it. People are reluctant to mentally rehearse those moments. How will they respond when it happens? By going on the sideline and sulking? Or being supportive of the defense and keeping the energy up?

teammates by maintaining a powerful posture and remaining calm through deep breathing. “You can practice using the power of deep breaths to calm yourself and focus in high-pressure situations. Emphasize one thing that you have control over, which is body language. If you stand in a confident way, your hormones are affected by that powerful position.” Mindfulness strategies: Self-massaging. Be mindful that your inner voice is helping your performance rather than hindering it. “When you make a mistake, it’s natural to say, ‘You suck,’ and find negative ways to respond to your inner critic. It can be helpful in terms of turning around a negative pattern to flip the negativity. Adaptive self-talk can be helpful to performance.”

A GAME OF ADJUSTMENTS 6 Ways to Reset Team Goals Every team has a goal. But sometimes that goal appears out of reach too soon. Maybe it’s an upset that has your team momentarily reeling. Perhaps an injury to an irreplaceable player now threatens to derail everything you’ve been planning since spring practice. Here, we look at six ways to reset team goals midseason. J. MIKE BLAKE

Team bonding. There’s no such thing as too much team bonding. Have you ever heard a coach say his team was too tight-knit? Think about the group you have. If there are issues with accountability, doing “trust falls” with teammates with the one on the catching end saying “I got you” every time is a way to build back that all-important trust needed. If the team seems like they’ve stopped having fun, or have lost track of how much joy they should be taking in playing, maybe it’s time to break from the norm and get them to do something else that can get the competitive juices flowing in a positive way. Bye weeks are the perfect opportunity to really get creative. Some coaches use Wednesday as a day to get competition going between different position groups. Win the drill. Winning in the game means winning in practice, right? Change the goals of your drills or come up with a points system for them. Which wide receiver drops the fewest passes? It’s time to make sure your players see the connection between practice success and in-game success. If you go the points-system route, you can reward the winner of each drill. You may also, naturally, have to change the drills to make sure you’re getting out of them what you need. Dividing the players into smaller groups is a way to fix having too many standing around. Setting the short-term goal. It’s time to rein in your team’s focus. “Road to States” may need to be cast aside as your

team’s mantra in favor of “One More Day.” Pull the captains, or a group of senior leaders, aside to help get everyone to buy into the newer mindset. Tweak the depth chart to increase opportunity. Particularly if you have a major injury that rocks your team, it’s perhaps time to put everything on the table and ask for assistant coaches’ input on how players would respond to being asked to play a new position or move up and down the depth chart. There are thousands of stories all over the country of teams who had their season take off after a simple change in the personnel you already have. A linebacker getting a chance could change your defense. Maybe your senior wideout is more ready to take snaps at quarterback than your JV quarterback, so you move him over after your starter goes down. Emphasize fundamentals. In position drills, look for players who may not be the best athletes but are practicing what you’re preaching in fundamentals and reward them. Hone in on game situations. More game situations than individual drills, at least for a time, may be what your team needs more of. An up-tempo practice with lots of intensity can get your team up to speed, and get more buy-in if you’ve had a recent set in. Put them in chaotic situations so they’ll be settled down on Fridays.

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6 Tips to Switch Up the Play-Calling There’s no way a fun-and-gun team is going to switch to the wing-T in the middle of a year, but there are situations where a less-dramatic schematic change is needed on the fly. There are some ways to tweak your team’s play-calling in the middle of the season, and here are six tips when considering these changes. J. MIKE BLAKE

Keep it simple for the players. Coaches with a wealth of experience may fall prey to thinking they can install more than they should. At midseason, most high school players aren’t going to be able to pick up an overhauled offense or defense. Other tweaks will go a longer way than trying to ask them to process big schematic changes. One rule of thumb for coaches: For every play you add to the playbook, be sure to take one out as well. Use film to identify problems. Tape doesn’t lie. You and your staff may have envisioned something working that just isn’t living up to your expectations. When you’re not getting those results, it’s on you to either find the fix or move on, because it’s all about putting the kids in a position to be successful. You may also use this time to shift some of the play-calling responsibilities or delegate them, if a particular coach has been up to the task. Small changes to practice. Have you done all you can in practice to prepare your team for the chaotic side of the game? Maybe your team is struggling running the right play because they’re not getting lined up quickly enough. In practice, running more game situations than individual drills, at least for a time, may be what your team needs more of. An up-tempo practice can go a long way.

Keep terminology consistent. Use the same word to describe an old play as you would the new one that’s very similar. Your team has worked hard all offseason learning the terminology, so it’s going to be easier for them to learn the new definition rather than a new word entirely. Reinventing the wheel isn’t an area you want to get into at this time. It’s also easier to teach the freshmen new terminology each season if they can lean on the upperclassmen to reinforce the message. If you do install something new, do it in a series. You can save yourself from a lot of anguish on this one. If you’re frustrated and confused as why your team is struggling, overhauling a system is just going to spread that frustration and confusion down to your players. Limit what you’re willing to do, and do it in steps. Order them and don’t jump to the next step until they’ve got the first one down pat. Too often coaches forget that players are seeing new plays and installations for the first time – as opposed to coaches, who have reviewed the new strategy for days. Identifying what works: Don’t lose track of what has worked for you.

Build on it with some new wrinkles after looking at film. A new blocking pattern, an added fake or a new pre-snap motion may give your team some flexibility within its comfort zone. But it is impossible to get a team to buy in when it comes to your message if you’re constantly changing your philosophy. Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

PLAYBOOK presented by Attacking goal line defenses with the I-bone offense JOEY LOZANO JR.

very team, no matter how many long touchdowns it

scores, eventually finds itself near the opponent’s goal line or in a short-yardage situation where getting a yard or less means the difference between six points, a first down or losing momentum. It also can mean the difference between winning and losing. In these short-yardage situations, defenses usually go into a scheme that is different than their base in an attempt to shorten the field and maximize penetration. Let’s look at how best to attack goal line and short-yardage defenses.

HOUSTON VEER

DIAGRAM 1 FS

SS CB

Strengths of goal line defenses ■■ Goal line defenses usually place quick pressure in the gaps along the line of scrimmage. ■■ The defensive backs are usually aligned close to the line of scrimmage, enabling them to provide run support and pursuit much quicker than when they are in their base alignment. ■■ The alignment allows all 11 defenders to be part of the forcing unit against the run. ■■ Because of the limited field depth (near the goal line), it is easier for the secondary to defend against the pass.

I TRIPLE OPTION

DIAGRAM 2 FS

Weaknesses of goal line defenses ■■ It is difficult to play assignment football because the defenders are overly concerned with covering the gaps and not allowing a ball-carrier through the line. ■■ The defense is usually so concerned with not allowing penetration through the middle that it is vulnerable to the off-tackle play or outside Houston Veer triple option. ■■ Down linemen are often preoccupied with penetrating the backfield, making them vulnerable to trap blocking. ■■ Low-charging linemen are vulnerable to overthe-top leaps by a quarterback or running back. ■■ The defense is so concerned about stopping the run that it is vulnerable to the play-action pass (especially in short-yardage first down situations with a longer field behind them). ■■ Pass receivers usually only encounter two types of pass coverage: man-to-man or short zone.

Common strategies ■■ Run off-tackle with the outside Houston Veer dive play or the outside Houston Veer triple option. ■■ Run quick-trapping plays if the defensive linemen can penetrate the line of scrimmage. ■■ Run play-action passes against defenders with dual pass-run responsibilities. ■■ Run pass plays that use crossing patterns to confuse man-to-man secondary coverages.

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Running the triple option against goal line defenses The best play to run against a goal line or short-yardage defense in which the down linemen are tightly aligned is the outside Houston Veer (Diagram 1). Most defensive coaches hate to defend against this play because a goal line defense often does have enough players to account for all of the options. And because of the proximity of the end zone, the defense cannot afford to employ certain tactics, such as a feathering defensive end, to try and string out the option. More often than not, the defender being optioned on the dive phase will tackle the dive back because he is the first threat to score, so this play usually is a quarterback keep. The block of the tight end and playside tackle are critical to the success of this play. But the tight end may have to block down onto the middle linebacker because the presence of defenders in both A gaps may limit the center’s ability to reach-block the middle backer.

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To strengthen the blocking on this play, send the fullback in motion to a wing position. From there, he can block down on the second level and wall off the strong safety or other defenders pursuing from the back side. In addition, the split endâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alignment should be adjusted inward so that he is closer to the backside tackle, which will facilitate his getting upfield more quickly to try and block the free safety.

Running the I triple option (Diagram 2) to the back side by putting the halfback in short motion is another good play to run against a goal line defense that aligns the strong safety to the tight end side of the formation. Depending on how the Number 1 and 2 defenders are aligned respective to the center and playside guard, either the playside guard or tackle should have a favorable blocking angle on the middle linebacker. If the play is run to the split-end side of the formation, the motioning halfback also can load block the end man on the line of scrimmage to strengthen the threat of the quarterback keep and prevent that defender from penetrating the backfield and disrupting the option play.

side. The 4-3 lends itself to such an alignment. Despite covering up all the offensive linemen, this defense will usually dictate to the No. 3 defender not to get hooked inside, resulting in this defender playing an outside shade over the tight end. As long as No. 3 plays on an outside shade, the offense should continue to attack this defense with the outside Houston Veer because No 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outside shade alignment will enable the tight end to double-team No. 2 with the offensive tackle or block down onto the middle linebacker.

Running inside Certain goal line defenses, such as the 6-2 and 6-3, will sometimes present a gap in the defensive alignment. A general rule is if a gap exists, the offense attacks the gap. A gap usually presents one of the offensive linemen with the opportunity to double team a troublesome defender or work up to the second level to wall off a linebacker or secondary defender aligned close to the line of scrimmage. Diagrams 4 and 5 show how the fullback trap from the freeze option series can exploit the gap presented by the 6-2 and 6-3 goal line defenses,

The inside Houston Veer (Diagram 3) can be an effective play against a goal line defense, depending on how many linebackers the defense employs in the goal line set and where they are aligned. Against a 6-1 alignment in which there is only one linebacker aligned over the center, the normal triple option blocking rules can be employed with one recommended adjustment. The offense should have the tight end man-block No. 3 or else load block him with a motioning fullback to prevent this defender from employing a jet or crash technique against the quarterback after he disengages from the dive option ride. In addition, if the defense puts six or more defenders on the line of scrimmage, running a double tight-end keeps the backside down lineman from chasing the option down from behind.

HOUSTON VEER

DIAGRAM 3 FS

FULLBACK TRAP VS. 6-2

DIAGRAM 4 FS

Although the preceding diagrams show six down linemen, the defense often uses the same players as in its base defense but align them as down linemen. For example, a 4-3 defense can quickly shift to a 6-1 front by bringing both outside linebackers down to the line of scrimmage, leaving the middle linebacker as the only second-level defender. In addition, a frequent tactic of defensive coordinators forced into a goal line defense is to cover all the offensive linemen, leaving one or more linebackers free to quickly attack to either

B CB

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PLAYBOOK presented by FULLBACK TRAP VS. 6-3

DIAGRAM 5 FS B

respectively. Diagram 6 shows the freeze fullback dive run against a 6-5 wide alignment. To maximize the fullbacks’ scoring threat, the halfback should load-block the end man on or off the line of scrimmage to enable the tight end to block one of the safies.

Because of the alignment of the defensive tackles in the A gaps to either side, the center may be asked to block one of the tackles. If the defense is in a wide 6-2 alignment, this will not be an issue when running inside. If, however, the offense is facing a 6-3 or 6-5 alignment (Diagram 7) with a middle linebacker, the center may be unable to block the middle linebacker because of the defensive tackles’ A-gap alignment. In these instances, it is nearly impossible to run the inside Houston Veer haflback dive or fullback belly from the frontside I or Wishbone series because there are not enough blockers to account for all defenders. So the best inside running play is the tailback isolation play to either side of the formation, because the fullback can function as the additional blocker needed to account for the middle linebacker.

It is easier to run the inside Houston Veer half back dive against a 6-2 defense (Diagram 8) when the defender aligned over the guard squeezes down to the outside shoulder of the center. This alignment should allow the center to reach block this defender while the guard blocks the inside linebacker. The playside tackle and tight end man block the defenders aligned over them. Against this defense, the halfback’s aiming point on the dive should be the inside foot of his playside tackle in order to avoid an arm tackle by the defender being blocked by the center. To facilitate this play, the guard and tackle use a cross-block technique to clear a path for the halfback. Motioning the fullback until he is behind the tight end before blocking No. 3 also enables the tight end to block downfield on the middle safety, if more than five yards is needed for a touchdown or first down. ■■ Joey Lozano is a former writer and spokesman for the Texas Education Agency and the author of the only two books written about the I-Bone offense. This excerpt is from his second book, “Attacking Defenses With Football’s I-Bone Option Offense,” published by Coaches Choice Books and Video.

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FREEZE FULLBACK DIVE

DIAGRAM 6 FS

HOUSTON VEER

DIAGRAM 7 FS

HOUSTON VEER HALFBACK DIVE

DIAGRAM 8 FS

B CB

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PLAYBOOK presented by 16/17 Disco

TIM FOSTER WING RIGHT VS. 3-5

riginating in 2013, the Reinhardt Eagles’ offense got

its start from Dr. Danny Cronic and Drew Cronic in the wing-T. Since then Danny Cronic has retired and Drew Cronic has moved on to become the offensive coordinator at Furman University. What remains now is the base root of the wing-T, paired with elements of the gun vertical passing game, along with the QB run game. This article will discuss the play that has made Reinhardt go since the beginning, and that is the basic belly play. We call it 16/17 Disco. The main reason that this play has been able to put on so much mileage for us is because of the simplicity of the blocking scheme paired with whatever front we might see. I coach the tight ends (Y), Z backs (Z) and wide receiver (X). The complexity for the Y and the Z are probably the most difficult in our offense, so let’s go in depth on those two positions here in this article. The first example we will use is off a 3-3 stack look with 5 Techniques in our base formation, wing right (diagram 1). The rules that we use for our playside tackle is that he will be gap down backer. The playside guard is responsible for the pull and kick on the first thing head-up to outside the tight end. Center is responsible for reaching or cutting off first thing in playside A gap. The backside tackle and guard scoop through to the front side of the play. I really love the jet motion that we have with our A during this play and the majority of our plays in the playbook. With as much jet sweep that we run and the speed that we are lucky enough to recruit, we can hold enough eyes and action on the front side of this play for it to hit between the tight end and the playside guard. We have used the A to run his jet motion and kick out as tight to the line of scrimmage outside of the box during this play to help with a corner or safety falling in to make the tackle. Now we can get into the meat of this article and what the tight end and the Z are responsible for on this play. Starting with the tight end, presnap he has to identify what technique he is facing. His rules are similar to the tackle, except he will have to adjust his split accordingly depending on the defender’s alignment. With a 6 technique, we will widen the split and give our guard a better opportunity to have more space to execute the kickout block. We yell “6” to our guard so he knows. With a 6, we step inside and rip the outside shoulder through

DIAGRAM 1

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WING RIGHT VS. 4-4

DIAGRAM 2 W E

WING RIGHT VS. 4-2

DIAGRAM 3

to whatever we have that is from C gap to backside linebacker. There have been games where we have had a 6 and a 5 technique, so that goes back with identifying presnap what we are working with. If we have a 5, we have got to get across to the other side of the defender’s shoulder and a strong upfield hand into the near armpit to get a clean wash to the center where the ball was snapped. If there is no C gap threat, we can get our eyes to that backside linebacker and block the flowing weakside linebacker. Sometimes the 3 technique gets to fighting over top of the down block by the tackle so we have to be careful about leaving the C gap too early because that 3 technique can make the play.

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In diagram 2, we are working with four down linemen bumped into a 50 with a 6 technique. Notice our tight end with the wide split to allow space for the kickout block of our playside guard. Our C gap will be occupied by the 4 technique, and we always bank on that 4 to step right into us. Now it helps to have a tight end that is 240-plus pounds to handle a 270-pound 4 technique, but you work with what you have. We will be solo on the 4 unless he decides to cross the tackle’s face. The tight end should get decent movement with a strong upfield hand but could get stronger across the face of the 4 technique. When the kickout block is executed well, there is a crease for the play to hit between the tight end and the kickout block. The A back should get inside of his man to get a better alley for

your your connection connection to the

the running back to get downhill. Now, let’s look at the Z-Back’s responsibilities on this play. This target athlete you are looking for in a strongside wing on this play is someone who is explosive, physical and decently heavy. Those guys are not all walking around on the streets out there, so again, work with who you have. The alignment is one yard back and two yards out from the outside leg of the tight end, down in a 3 point stance. Much like the tight end, you have to identify presnap who your target is and what you have to avoid at the line of scrimmage to get there. Diagram 3 shows you the split where the Z needs to be. If there were a 9 technique or an overhang defender, then the Z would have to dip and rip off the inside or outside hip based off the

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THE FROG

presnap leverage given. Versus this 4-2 look, we step inside and attack the inside shoulder of the frontside linebacker. The key to this play for the Z is the presnap alignment and giving yourself a great angle to hit that frontside linebacker once he scraps to fill the play. The Z should connect with the frontside linebacker, and there is a decent hole for the running back to follow through between the tight end and the kickout block. For us, the simplicity of this play off the gap scheme is what makes it a go-to for us and we like to call it on all down and distances as well in a no-huddle or huddle offensive situation. ■■ Tim Foster is the recruiting and passing game coordinator at Reinhardt University, where he has coached tight ends, wide receivers and Z backs. He also has coached linebackers at Maryville College. Follow him on Twitter: @CoachFosterRU.

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10 Things Every Strength 10Program Things Every ShouldStrength Include Program Should Include HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS PREVENTION + ASSISTANT’S CORNER ILLNESS PREVENTION + ASSISTANT’S CORNER +HEAT-RELATED NUTRITION + SPEED TRAINING + FACILITIES + CONDITIONING + NUTRITION + SPEED TRAINING + FACILITIES + CONDITIONING

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FNF FNF Coaches Coaches magazine magazine is is the the first first football football magazine magazine 100-percent 100-percent dedicated dedicated to to high school high school football football coaches. coaches.

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PLAYBOOK presented by Defending Trips with Quarters Coverage

he spread offense has proliferated through foot-

ball and is now the dominate scheme in most areas of the country. High school offenses utilize the spread to combat the lack of “big body” depth at most schools. More players can be involved in the game, and many of the spread offense’s formations put tremendous pressure on the defense to line up correctly and defend every inch of the field. One formation in particular tends to give defenses the most fits: trips. By utilizing three wide receivers to one side, the offense has removed a player from the box and put that defender in space. The whole premise of the spread is to put the offense’s best players in space and force one-on-one matchups either vertically or in the open field. Defensive football, now more than ever, is about matchups and making plays in the open field. It is up to the defensive coordinator to develop a plan to counteract the space and matchup problems faced when defending trips. The best way to defend the trips formation is with split-field quarters coverage and an under front (Diagram 1).

No spin zone There is a tendency by some defensive coaches to spin to a single-high safety and gain a player in the box to defend the spread offense’s running game. By doing this, the defense has essentially created one-on-one match-ups across the board. By inserting the Mike in the box and kicking the backside safety to the No. 3 receiver, the defense has eliminated a conflicted or fold player (Mike) just to open itself up to the pass, particularly the backside post or fade (Diagram 2). Traditionally, an offense puts its best receiver as the backside “X” because defenses would spin single high to combat the run and keep the linebackers in the box. The one-on-one matchup with the backside cornerback is exactly what the offense is looking for. Spread offenses want a defense to spin to single-high. The best way to gain a plus-one in the run and pass distribution is for the defense to stay in a two-high shell and run variations of quarters coverage. By staying in a two-high shell, the defense can insure ample coverage across the board and eliminate single coverage by any one defender. A quarters defense can combat a trips formation several ways by utilizing three basic coverages: Stress, Solo and Special.

Stress Stress coverage assumes the offense will not throw to the No. 1 receiver to the field vertically or run four

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CODY ALEXANDER

FAR TRIPS OPEN VS. BASE ALIGNMENT

DIAGRAM 1

4/3 2S

3/2

1W E S

C DS

NEAR TRIPS OPEN VS. SPIN

DIAGRAM 2 2W

1W E S C

N M

E W

CS DS

vertical routes. A base principle of quarters coverage is to make the quarterback make the farthest throw. In trips, this would be the 25yard comeback or a fade to the No. 1 receiver (Diagram 3). These are hard throws for most high school QBs, and many cannot complete them. Stress is a great base for defending trips because of its simplicity and flexibility. Any deviation from a vertical path by the three receivers to the field and the coverage morphs back into base quarters coverage – or four read. The key to Stress is the Sam linebacker and his ability to cover the No. 2 receiver vertically. He must get hands on the receiver and force him to “run-the-hump” outside. A disadvantage of Stress is found in the Sam’s coverage abilities. If an offense challenges the defense with a four vertical route, the Sam must be able to play man coverage on the slot.

The Sam and field corner are playing the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers as they would in a Cover 3 scheme with the cornerback topping the vertical routes and the Sam cleaning up anything in the seam or flats. The Mike linebacker and the field safety bracket the No. 3 receiver. By keeping the field safety on the No. 3 receiver, the defense can ensure protection for the middle of the field and bracket the closest receiver to the QB, eliminating a high percentage throw. The main goal in quarters coverage is to achieve a plus-one in pass distribution and in run fits. Stress achieves this by putting four over three to the front side. To the backside, the defense can run a multitude of coverages to combat any throws to the single receiver. If a loose Cover 4 match scheme is a defense’s base coverage – four read – Stress can easily be the check to trips.

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Solo Defensive coordinators turn to Solo coverage when the defense wants to gain an extra coverage player to the field while holding the backside safety in the box fit to the boundary (Diagram 4). Solo also is a good coverage if the offense does not put its stud receiver to the single receiver side or the defensive coordinator feels comfortable leaving his boundary cornerback man-to-man with the X. Solo tells the backside safety to spy the No. 3 receiver. Like Stress, Solo also assumes the offense will not run four verticals. If No. 3 runs a vertical route, the backside safety will kick and climb to top the receiver’s route. The defense gains a plusone over the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers because the field safety shifts to inside leverage of No. 2. The coverage call over the outside receivers is dictated by the defensive coordinator and can match what the defense’s base coverage would be versus a 2-by-2 set. Solo is essentially a pseudo Cover 3 scheme. The backside safety will only kick to the trips side if No. 3 goes vertical and gives the defense a double alley player in the box. One disadvantage of Solo is the cornerback to the backside must assume he has no help with a vertical route, and the offense can run the backside safety off with a vertical by No. 3, leaving the boundary O gap exposed.

Special Special is a unique coverage that assumes the offense will not throw to the No. 1 receiver to the trips side (Diagram 5). Many spread offenses do not utilize the No. 1 receiver in their passing routes, using the receiver as a decoy to run off the coverage man. Special uses the offense’s tendency against it by playing man on the No. 1 receiver. The outside linebacker to the trips side assumes the cornerback’s role as though the offense is in a 2-by-2 set. Essentially, the defense has shrunk the field and eliminated a player from the offense’s route combinations. The key to Special is the Sam’s ability to play as though he is a cornerback. Most generally, the coverage to the Trips side in Special is a two read. In two read, the cornerback is responsible for the out cut of the No. 2 receiver. In Special, the Sam linebacker assumes this role. One advantage of using Special as a coverage is if the offense uses the two inside slots to run most of their route combinations. A two-read scheme is a perfect match switch routes. The field safety will hold the inside of the No. 3 receiver and, just like in two read, if the receiver goes vertical he will carry the route. Like in Stress, the Sam’s ability to play man coverage is key to the success of Special coverage. If the No. 1 receiver to the trips side is a non-threat, the coordinator can move the outside linebacker

NEAR TRIPS OPEN VS. STRESS

DIAGRAM 3 2W

1W E S

NEAR TRIPS OPEN VS. SOLO

DIAGRAM 4 2W

1W E S

DS CS

NEAR TRIPS OPEN VS. SPECIAL

DIAGRAM 5 2W

1W E

C S

C DS

outside to No. 1 and bring the cornerback into the coverage. Defending trips formations with a two-high shell is necessary for modern defensive coaches. Offenses use the 3-by-1 formation to force the defense to choose between the run or the pass. By aligning in an under front, the defense can relieve the stress put on the conflicted player (the Mike) and gain numbers in coverage. Modern spread offenses wants the defense to spin to single high. Spinning creates one-on-one matchups across the board and puts the defense at risk. Keeping a two-high shell protects the defense from the backside post/fade and puts an added box defender to the boundary. All three coverages discussed in this article can be used as a base coverage or to attack tendencies by the offense. ■■ Cody Alexander is the secondary coach at Midlothan (Texas) High School. You can follow him on Twitter: @The_Coach_A and visit his website at matchquarters.com.

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PLAYBOOK presented by Cover 0 blitz from the 4-3 defense KENNY RATLEDGE

over 0 is a way to bring six-man pressure with Will

and Sam in the rush or a seven-man pressure in a bullets look with Will, Sam and Mike on the blitz. Cover 0 is great for short-yardage and three-back sets. The major weakness obviously, is the corners are on an island. However, on pass plays, the ball must come out quickly as the defense will close to the numbers. This six-man pressure is called Storm 0. In Storm 0, Will and Sam run dog stunts. The dog angle is at the quarterback. The defense uses two ways to get into storm. A stem Storm 0 call gives the offense an over 8 presnap look generically referred to as a Cover 4. Individual defenders, on their own, move to their assigned areas (DIAGRAM 1). A straight Storm 0 call tells the defense to line up in assigned areas (DIAGRAM 2). Storm 0 is beneficial if the defense is expecting a quick snap from the offense. The quarterback should see the same defensive shell presnap. For example, a Cover 4 look. The defense must recognize one-back or two-back formations to get into the cover scheme. This isn’t difficult when players understand formation possibilities inherent in offensive personnel packages. For example, in a 10 personnel grouping, the offense will normally line up in a trips, doubles or empty formation.

Motion adjustment The defense adjusts to motion by having the defender assigned to the motion man follow him when he motions. The defense should not attempt to bump or realign the front.

Tight end trade adjustment The defender assigned to the tight end will follow him on a trade. The defense can Omaha the trade and realign the front, or they can freeze with no movement of the front. Here’s a breakdown of each player’s responsibility: ■■ Will and Sam: Take dog angle to the quarterback. ■■ Mike: Takes a single back man-to-man. Against an I set, takes the tailback. Against split backs, takes the strong back. Versus empty sets, Mike takes the No. 3 strong. ■■ Corners: No. 1 receiver man-to-man ■■ Strong safety: No. 2 receiver to closed side man

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STEM STORM 0

DIAGRAM 1

E C

C SS

STRAIGHT STORM 0

DIAGRAM 2

S C

M C SS

■■ Free safety: No. 3 receiver counting from the closed side. Does not count the back in a one-back set. Versus two backs, does not count the strong back in split backs. Versus an I formation, takes the fullback. Versus empty, takes No. 2 weak. Versus two-back motion, takes the motion man, leaving Mike with the remaining back. ■■ Ends: Execute an inside charge through the V of the neck of the offensive tackle. The ends close on a down block and go underneath on a base or pass set. They redirect on a reach block. ■■ Tackle: Executes a spike. He too will close on a down block and go under a base block, or a pass set. Like the end, he will redirect on a reach block. ■■ Nose: Plays a normal 1 technique. ■■ Kenny Ratledge has been a defensive coordinator for more than three decades and currently is the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Pigeon Forge (Tenn.) High School. Ratledge has coached defensive line, inside linebackers, outside linebackers, secondary, offensive line and special teams. In 2002, he was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year.

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STORM 0 VS. SLOT

DIAGRAM 3

STORM 0 VS. THREE-WIDE

DIAGRAM 4

S C

STORM 0 VS. TRIPS CLOSED

DIAGRAM 5

C C

STORM 0 VS. DOUBLES

DIAGRAM 6

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RECRUITING

The New Way to Find the Best All-Around College Experience T

he 4D Club (the4dclub.com) provides players, par-

ents and coaches with a unique way to determine the college that will best meet a stu-dent-athlete’s academic and athletic goals. Billed as a digital college guide, 4D provides detailed sport-by-sport analysis of all 1,300 NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA athletic program. The online guide is backed with great user-friendly features including: ability to search and discover schools by conference, division, or state; ability to search by position or class to determine schools that will give you the best opportunity to earn playing time during your ca-reer; a schools track record in offering scholarships; ability to track players you used to play against or who played in your state and where they went to college. The guide also includes a coach’s win-loss history since coaching stability plays a big part in getting the most out of your college experience, and tuition and school-wide SAT/ACT averages. The guide is charged on a monthly basis, you can become a 4D Club Member for only $24, and it provides extensive data on 10 sports including football. Here, the founder of The 4D Club, Tom Bleymaier, discusses The 4D data, and how players can use it to get the most out of their college experience.

What does The 4D Club stand for? Tom Bleymaier: The name is about finding a college where in four years, you’ll have a degree. I remember being a high school football player when “what’s your 40?” was such a common question, but looking back with the benefit of

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experience your 40 time won’t mean anything if you don’t achieve the true goal: a degree in 4 years. The true goal of all the recruiting stuff often gets lost. In the end, getting recruited is not what matters, getting ranked as a top prospect is not what matters, but making a great decision and being where you want to be 4 years later with a degree in hand will matter. 4D is the only company that tracks every athlete through their entire college career. The reason we do that is so we can show current high schoolers information that is based on real outcomes, real facts, so they can make a better choice.

You created this software from scratch. What inspired you to develop this guide for student-athletes? TB: I was not recruited out of high school as a 5’9” WR from Idaho, so I had to be proactive in my college search. Cornell was a school I was interested in attending to study engineering, and athletically it looked like a perfect fit: they needed receivers, they used smaller quicker receivers like myself, they had a new coach who was turning the program around, and I had researched FCS

and Ivy League WRs like myself so I had a feeling the level was right. I walked-on, started as a true freshman by the fourth game of the year, played all four years, and became a team captain as a senior. That story was very different than the other eight guys from my high school class who joined a college team: seven of the eight had quit before their sophomore year, and several of them had even been heavily recruited prospects. So I used the programming I’d learned studying engineering at Cornell and in grad school at Stanford to gather all the data and in-formation that helped me find a great opportunity which

I know would’ve helped those eight friends of mine and can help thousands of kids in the future.

How does a player get the most out of the 4D Guide. What tips can you provide? TB: First tip is to think about which

Why should a parent or coach invest in the 4D Guide? TB: For a decision that will cost

priorities are important to you: some kids may want to go where there’s a winning tradition, while some may want to go where the team went 1-10 and 5-6 the past two years to be a part of a turnaround. There’s no one-sizefits-all. You may care about playing as soon as you can, or you may be fine waiting until your junior year if you’re at a championship program. Veteran coach versus first year coach? There’s different reasons to be interest-ed in both. The data in 4D can seem overwhelming, but it’s because we want you to be able to look at a school from whatever perspective is important to you. Click on teams you’ve never heard of, you’ll have fun learning about new opportunities. Second tip is use the “where are they now” data to learn from players who went before you and to get in touch with schools. You can see every player from your area playing in college, and where they went. Reach out to them or their HS coach and get their experience, or ask them who the right contact is at their college to send your film to. Guys who played in your high school conference or your city are often eager to share their experiences to help the next batch of kids going through the process.

$20k-$40k per year, there is so little transparency available for parents. Even finding a list of small colleges that offer football isn’t trivial to do online today. If you wait for letters to come in the mail or for coaches to find you, you’ll miss out on 80 percent of the opportunities available to you. There are 1,300 NCAA and NAIA schools, 759 have football, and we want to turn any parent or coach into a well-informed expert by helping them keep track of all the new head coaches, or who just graduated their QB, or who uses Fullbacks, or who the top DIII programs are over the past five years…anything that will impact your athlete’s college experience. The harsher version of the sales pitch is the fact that over the last five years about two out of three freshmen on college football rosters have left their team before senior year. Attrition rates are that high. Whatever parents have been using the past 10 years isn’t serving them the right way. 4D is the first company tracking this data. I had a parent tell me once if he’d had the historical attrition rate data on the col-lege soccer coach that recruited his daughter, it would have saved him $20k, a full year’s tuition. She transferred colleges after one year because the culture on the team was poor, which caused her to take five years instead of four to graduate. College coaches don’t have an incentive to say “by the way, most of my juniors quit last year and I’ll let you talk with them on your recruiting visit.” The goal of 4D is entirely about making that kind of information more transparent for parents.

The cost is $24 per month. Is there a contract or can you stop the subscription at any time? TB: No contract, no strings attached, you can cancel and restart at anytime, just like Netflix. And for the high school coaches reading this, go online and check out our Team Membership options to provide your parents and assistants bulk access to the 4D Club – it’s a great way for a Booster Club or Coach’s Club to put money behind their kids’ college future. Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

NUTRITION 4 Tips for Fueling on Game Day

TIPS FOR HYDRATION

llison Kreimeier was hired in

March of 2016 as the inaugural director of performance nutrition for Rutgers athletics. She shares the four keys to fueling on game day for high school football players.

Fuel early. High school students often skip breakfast. Eating breakfast has shown positive effects on the body for those of all ages. If a young football player skips out on breakfast, he is skipping out on essential nutrients and calories to reach his daily energy needs to perform at their highest level and manage weight.

This is a good time to recharge the body for the second half of the game. Sports drinks offer fluid and carbohydrate replacement as well as electrolytes. Pretzels, bananas, fruit cups, Rice Krispies treats, or granola bars are great choices to provide carbohydrates that quickly digest and are low in fiber and fat to avoid potential gastro-intestinal discomfort. Don’t ignore the post-game. A post-game meal and/or beverage is often overlooked. At this point, the body is running very low on energy and needs to be refueled for optimal recovery. Try a deli or grilled chicken sandwich, a chicken burrito with rice, beans, and veggies, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with chocolate milk. Replacing fluids is key, too!

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Eat a pre-game meal. Three to four hours

before the game is prime time to fill up the body’s energy tank. This meal should be high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat. Two examples of a great pre-game meal include spaghetti with a marinara ground turkey sauce, a roll, and green beans. Another is an herbbaked chicken breast with rice or baked potato, a roll, and carrots. Consider this breakdown when you’re making a pregame meal: 50 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent vegetables, 25 percent protein. Don’t forget the fluids!

Halftime intake.

roper hydration requires a full-day commitment. An athlete cannot expect to perform at his highest level if he’s not properly hydrated. Boys ages 14 to 18 should be drinking 11 cups of water a day. A football player should drink eight to 16 fluid ounces of water two hours before practice and another eight ounces 15 to 30 minutes before the training session. During practice, a player should drink four to eight ounces every 15 to 20 minutes. After practice, he should replenish with 24 fluid ounces for every pound lost. An easy way to monitor hydration status is by assessing urine color. The goal for athletes should be to have pale, lemonade-color urine. If the urine is darker, that is an indication of underhydration and should signal the athlete to drink more fluids. Symptoms of dehydration include noticeable thirst, irritability, fatigue, weakness, nausea, headache, cramping, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty paying attention and decreased performance.

ALLISSON KREIMEIER MS, RD, CSSD

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ASSISTANTS CORNER 10 Ways for an Assistant Coach to Impact the Game Plan OHIO COACH OF THE YEAR OFFERS INSIGHT With high school football being a detail-oriented game these days, head coaches are constantly looking for ways to get an advantage on Friday nights. With every detail needing to be covered, assistant RYNE DENNIS coaches can always find a way to help in the game plan.

ORGANIZATION. Martin assigns coaches to focus solely on coordinating video equipment and iPads on a Friday night. Staying organized and on task is one of the more important things to a team’s success. TECH SAVVY HELPS. Along with being organized, understanding how an iPad works, or divvying up game film through HUDL is important for a head coach each week. Martin and staff gather at his house to view game film just a couple hours after each game. PREPARE LIKE A COORDINATOR. Coaches on the field always ask coaches in the booth what they see. Prepare during the week as much as a coordinator so you can be on the same page. ALWAYS LEND A HAND. “It’s become such a complicated game and the coaching is so good that there’s no way you can do it on your own,” Martin said. “You rely on your assistants, whether young or old, to be an active part of game nights.” DEDICATION. When Martin began coaching in 1994 he never thought he’d see the game grow to what it is today. One piece of advice he gave to coaches just out of college was to really dedicate themselves to the game. KEEP PROGRAM HEALTHY. Even during the offseason there’s always work to do. “There’s so much to do to keep a program at a level where you can be successful,” Martin said. “You have to communicate well with parents and administration to help grow the sport of football.”

Ohio’s Al Martin has been the head coach at Cuyahoga Heights High School for 21 years, earning Coach of the Year honors last season after leading the Redskins to their first state finals appearance in school history. He shared 10 things every assistant coach can do throughout a year to help a team be successful. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK. Martin said people with a lot of coaching experience are always willing to help with any question a position coach might have during practice or a game. It could be a question that helps the team win on a Friday night. FLEXIBILITY. Under Martin, coaches have the ability to do other things away from the football field, whether that is attending their own children’s games or other family events. But, when it’s time to prepare, he knows his staff will be ready when they’re called in to set the game plan. SPEAK UP. Don’t be shy. Coaches never fault a coach for speaking up if they believe they see something others don’t. Martin has many coaches he relies on during the week. “Everybody contributes and everybody feels comfortable,” Martin said. “Really the offensive and defensive coordinators make a lot of the decisions, but everybody has input.” FIND YOUR CALLING. “We have guys on our staff who are great with the kids, great position coaches, and a lot of other things,” Martin said. “In football, there’s so much that needs to get done other than film and game planning. It’s a large task these days.”

ALWAYS BE LEARNING

artin routinely handles offensive coordinator duties while former head coach Dan D’Orazio takes control of the defense. In Martin’s early days as a head coach at Cuyahoga Heights High School near Cleveland, Ohio, he was glad he had someone like D’Orazio to give him advice along the way. “Having him on my staff early on was the best thing for me, for sure, as kind of a go to for any questions I had, and that worked out really well for me,” Martin said. With smaller numbers at Ohio’s Division VI, Martin also serves as the Cuyahoga Heights’ girls basketball coach. He, along with others on his football staff, must divvy up time throughout the year for other sports. “We’re a small school and a lot of our coaches work on multiple staffs,” Martin said. “One of our guys also serves as the head softball coach and on my basketball staff. That makes it good for our young coaches because they know they have plenty of people to go to.”

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TRAINING Work Through Recovery A player who is sore after a physical game or a hard practice doesn’t do himself any favors by sitting on the couch or lying in bed. An active recovery can help a player recover quicker.

NOLAN’S 4 TIPS FOR RECOVERY

Individualize the training. A training session designed for recovery should be different for a lineman who played an entire game in the trenches than a cornerback who ran a lot of mileage, but didn’t make many tackles. “It starts with finding out how they feel that day. Is there soreness? Are they beat-up injury-wise?” The Tenets of Reducing Soreness. A player who is experiencing a great deal of soreness should consider a deep-tissue massage with mobility and stability work. A cold tub can also be valuable to help flush out soreness and cater to every muscle in the body. Introduce agility and speed work. Most high school programs include speed and agility work in the offseason – but very little in-season. The offseason training can carry over through the opening month of the season, but players might notice an atrophying effect later in the season. “In the playoffs, they’re not as conditioned as they were during the rest of the season. That’s when you want to be peaking,” Nolan said. Cut down the reps. If a player is able to lift heavy, limit the reps so he is allowing his body to recover while maintaining strength.

4 A RECOVERY PROGRAM

atrick Nolan, CSCS, FMS, XPS, is a sports performance

coach at Authentic Performance Center in Denver, Colo. He started the High School Football Recovery Program, which meets once a week on Sunday mornings. However, Nolan is quick to note that recovery isn’t the only goal of the program. “I thought it would be a great thing for high school kids because in-season strength and conditioning programs are not at the forefront of the strength training industry,” Nolan said. “It’s not necessarily a recovery program. It’s dependent on how the athlete feels that day.” The program includes myofascial release, foam rolling, stretching, mobility and speed work, as well as other recovery options like a cold tub. The goal is for high school players to maintain strength and stability throughout the season. Nolan’s goal is to push the players to be active to help flush out the lactic acid and soreness. “The greatest thing about working with high school athletes is they have the best legal drug, which is puberty,” Nolan said. “They recover so fast. They have so much testosterone that they’re sometimes more resilient than an NFL player in his eighth or ninth year in the league.”

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3 IN-SEASON SPEED DRILLS

CHASE DRILLS. Nolan has found that players benefit the most in-season when they are practicing footballspecific speed drills. He prefers drills or games that force players into reactionary starts. One example is throwing a football in an unexpected direction and forcing the players to give chase. Another is the Fox and the Hound game. One athlete will stand 3 or 4 yards behind another, and the player in front decides which direction to run or cut. “It simulates football chasing. Guys like to compete, so getting max effort isn’t a problem.” RESISTANCE EXERCISES. When a player is up to it, Nolan will add resistance during speed training in the form of parachutes or stretch cords. “The key is to get a high percentage of effort – or max effort – while sprinting or lifting,” Nolan said. “So if they’re struggling, remove the resistance.” MOBILITY AND STABILITY DRILLS. This serves as an extended dynamic warmup that is fine-tuned for an individual. Nolan will use straps and bands to call on an athlete’s full range of motion. Hurdles can help loosen the hips and hamstrings. Foam rollers and lacrosse balls are used to massage soft tissue.

DESIGN TWO DIFFERENT IN-SEASON PROGRAMS

10 Tips for In-Season Strength Training 2015 NSCA COACH OF THE YEAR PROVIDES BLUEPRINT

uniata College (Pa.) head strength and conditioning

coach Doug Smith, CSCS, was the 2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Coach of the Year. He offers 10 tips for designing an in-season strength program.

Adjust the intensity of the workout to the practice/ game schedule. Schedule the most intense lift of

Design a separate program for developmental players. Those who are not playing in the

the week on any easier practice day, and allow at least three days to recover before game day.

varsity game on Friday night can lift hard later in the week and on the weekend. Stress bar speed over heavy weights. In-season strength training should emphasize the recruitment of fast-twitch muscles. That means lighter weights and faster repetitions. Assign position-specific lifts. Linemen can be more aggressive than skill position players with lower-body lifts and punching bags, while skill players could work on hand-grip strength. Go through various ranges of motion. Practice firing the muscles at different angles to prevent injuries in games. Use bands for rehab. Stretch cords and bands can be used to strengthen tendons and assist in recovery, taking into account an individual’s injury history and weaknesses. Record – but don’t emphasize – lifting stats. It’s important to track a player’s strength gains or declines in-season to track the success of the program. But don’t overemphasize the numbers

4 5 6 7

so that players sacrifice recovery time. Heavy days should be low-rep days. It’s OK to build an intense workout into a week of in-season training as long as it doesn’t beat down on the body. Quick sets with short reps will allow for maintenance. Preach perfect technique. Poor lifting form can cause injuries, which is the last thing a coach wants to hear about in-season. Decrease weight if a player is lifting with bad technique. Build functional strength. Incorporate exercises like chin-ups, Romanian dead lifts, shuttles, vertical jumps, broad jumps, medicine ball throws, hand-grip strength, overhead squats, sledgehammer, sand bags and ropes.

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he Juniata football team has two different in-season strength programs – one for developing players and one for game-day contributors. The game-day contributors have a light recovery day on Sunday, a more intense day on Tuesday, and a warmup lift on Thursday. The developmental players will basically continue with an off-season program during the season, lifting hard three days a week. “Developmental players can do more strength and speed,” Smith said. “Our players that play on Saturday, we have days when we might not hit the weights at all, unless we’re going extremely light. They have two different goals – one group is trying to maintain while the other is trying to make strength gains.” Smith said strength coaches can make the mistake of prioritizing strength training over practice on the field. “Our big thing in-season is letting them recover from games and practice,” Smith said.

TRAINING 5 Tips for Maintaining Conditioning In-Season PRACTICE WITH TEMPO Since taking over as the Rio Rancho (N.M.) head coach in 2009, David Howes has turned the Rams into a perennial state championship contender. Last fall, Rio Rancho won its second state championship in a span of three seasons.

POST-PRACTICE CONDITIONING OPTIONS

owes has designed varying of-

Eliminate down time. Some teams fensive systems over the lose the conditioning aspect of years at Rio Rancho – some practice by taking too much time relying more on the pass while during transitions. Move the players to others have catered to a running the next drill quickly, and make sure quarterback’s strengths. The one they are aware of the entire practice consistent aspect of his offensive schedule. No surprises. DAVID HOWES philosophy is an up-tempo style. Keep a running clock. The players RIO RANCHO (N.M.) HEAD COACH He shared his tips for conditionhave to get used to performing ing in-season. mentally and physically against a Lift three times a week. Howes running clock during games, so make wants his players to make their strength them do it in practice too. “Everything is timed gains in the spring and summer, and stick to a during our practices,” Howes said. “We do a three-day-a-week lifting schedule in-season. really good job of staying on the clock with time “That’s part of conditioning,” Howes said. “We segments. We push them to the limits so that lift Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We tend to everyone is gassed by the end of practice.” have a schedule for everything.” Set one day for post-practice conditioning. Howes Practice like you play. Rio Rancho runs an doesn’t include post-practice conditioning up-tempo offense in games, so Howes often, but will when the rest of the practice was requires that the Rams do the same in practice. particularly light in terms of conditioning. “We “We’re a no-huddle, high-tempo offense, so we do have learning Mondays and script or situational everything high-tempo during the practice phase. Wednesdays. So we might do it on those days We go nonstop.” when we’re not operating at a fast tempo.”

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owes has two different variations of post-practice conditioning. ■■ Divide the players by position, and do position-specific training based on the needs of the groups. ■■ Have the entire team do conditioning together to create unity. Rio Rancho’s most basic conditioning drills includes some variation of 100s, 200s or 400s on the football field, although Howes is not opposed to having the players run old-school gassers. When he wants to mix it up, he’ll create four square boxes and have the players play tag. “I try not to do a whole lot of the same thing,” Howes said. “When they’re playing tag, they’re changing directions and having fun. It pushes the energy levels so that they’re working – whether they know it or not. They’re competitive people, and if you draw on that competitiveness, you can get them to condition without thinking about it.”

PREVENTION 6 Tips for Teaching Tackling LIMITED FULL-CONTACT PRACTICE TIME REQUIRES ORGANIZATION State athletic associations are setting laws limiting the amount of contact teams can have per week. During the season in Kansas, teams are allowed just 90 minutes of contact per week. Coaches like Basehor-Linwood’s Rod Stallbaumer has tips for making the BY RYNE DENNIS most of limited contact. get lazy and not move their feet, which only leads to more injuries, according to Stallbaumer. “I think that’s where a lot of kids get neck injuries is because they’re dropping their heads while lunging and diving,” Stallbaumer said. “If you get the footwork taught, I think that’s going to help with keeping the head up.” VIEW NON-CONTACT AS AN ADVANTAGE. Stallbaumer teaches his players that contact only wears them down for Friday nights. He doesn’t mind his team not going full out every day of the week. “We’ve been a thud team for a long time,” Stallbaumer said. “We don’t go full contact a lot in our scrimmage periods. In the state of Kansas, we get summer contact camps that you can go to, so our kids are used to that “thud” contact at this point.” THINK HEALTHY OVER HURTING. There’s a balance to be found when it comes to contact. There’s also a different opinion about limited contact from nearly every coach you speak to. Some believe you have to hit every day of the week leading up to Friday to become a strong and physical team. Others believe less contact equals more repetitions a team can get in during practice. Either way, the best scenario for any coach is to have a healthy team on Friday night. Stallbaumer believes to do that, you must keep your kids healthy during the week. “I think a lot of that is balancing that injury factor,” Stallbaumer said. “We might not be as good a tackling team as some, but we have a lot of healthy guys out there playing.”

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PREP KIDS FOR CONTACT EARLY IN THE SEASON.

Stallbaumer likes to use the first contact day of the season to get his kids prepared. “We’ll do Oklahoma drills and that sort of stuff and try to get them into it and used to contact,” Stallbaumer said. “I think there’s just as much getting in shape and dealing with contact more than anything else.” TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CLINICS. Stallbaumer flew to Orlando, Fla. over the summer to learn some of the finer points of safe tackling from USA Football. The clinic preaches Heads Up Football, a program that focuses on players tackling in a safe manner. “There’s nothing specific we teach really about the neck, but that’s something we always preach is keeping your head up and eyes up and see what you hit,” Stallbaumer said. TEACH THE TECHNIQUES. Even without contact, players can learn the proper way to tackle an opponent simply by practicing correct fundamentals. Through USA Football, Stallbaumer has become an advocate of teaching its way of shoulder tackling instead of leading with the head. “We’ve really bought into the shoulder tackling stuff,” Stallbaumer said. “We sat down as a staff this spring and went through videos and came up with five different full-team circuits we now use to practice tackling.” FOOTWORK IS KEY. The entire Basehor-Linwood coaching staff constantly relays the footwork message to their players. Often times kids will

KNOW THE RULES

ike most states, the Kansas State High School Activities Association has a specific set of rules for player safety. Put in two years ago, Kansas safety measures involve a five-step process which increases the amount of contact teams can have during the first week of the season. Teams can run drills against air on the first day before they introduce drills involving bags on the second. On the third day, controlled drills (called “Winner drills”) can be run at an assigned speed until the moment of contact but contact can only be above the waist and players cannot be taken to the ground. Thud drills are the fourth day of the week involving a little more contact before live action drills are implemented on the fifth day. “The elimination of full contact [by the state] really didn’t take a lot away from what we do,” Stallbaumer said. “During the season, we already use a lot of non-contact tackling bags and work on forced compression and angles more than just the contact itself.”

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INSPIRATION The Winningest Coach in Texas Reflects on His Career Phil Danaher has done a lot of winning. He’s reached two state championship games, including the Class 5A Division II state championship in 2016, which Calallen lost to Aledo. He also reached it in 2005. He became the winningest coach in Texas high MIKE CRAVEN school football history last season. He’s won 427 games and counting.

hil Danaher attended a coaching clinic at 21 years

old and it changed his path forever. At that clinic, a college coach stressed the importance of setting goals. Danaher, a young coach at the time, went directly to his hotel room and wrote down personal goals and professional goals. Decades later, Danaher has accomplished nearly everything written on that piece of paper. “Personally, I wanted to be a good father, make sure my kids got an education, played sports, made all-star teams and played in college. I also wanted to be a good husband and a man of God,” he remembers. “Professionally, I wanted to be a head coach by 24 and a head coach at a big school by 35. The only thing I didn’t accomplish on that piece of paper was winning a state championship.”

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“I’m proud of our accomplishments here at Calallen. I came here in 1984 and we’ve been in the playoffs every year since 1985. We had a winning record in that first year, but only one team from each district made the playoffs back then,” he said. “The record brought a lot of recognition to this school and the area.” Yet, he won’t take too much credit. He’s turned down a Hall of Fame induction in the past because “I hadn’t accomplished anything when they asked a few years ago. I told them to wait until I had a record or a championship.” He openly gives a bulk of his team’s credit to players and assistant coaches. “I’ve never taken a snap in my coaching career,” he said. “This record wasn’t about me. We earned this record because of my players and all the great assistant coaches who came through here. Those coaches worked just as hard as I did.” Sports were always the backbone for Danaher. His father passed away when he was two years old and credits his high school coaches for his career. It’s also shaped the way he’s viewed the importance of team competition. “My coaches kept me in line and made sure I had what I needed with my father being gone. I see myself in a lot of these kids. Coaches can make a great impact on young people. I’ve learned in my years that the kid might need athletics more than athletics needs a kid. Things aren’t as black and white for me now as when I started coaching,” he admitted. A good coach evolves. The kids Danaher coaches are different than the ones he coached at the beginning of his career. Football has changed, too. It would’ve been easy for Danaher to stay the strict, drill-sergeant he says he was at the beginning of his career. He’s softened, at least a little bit. “We can’t give up on kids when they have nothing else going on in life,” Danaher said. “I try to understand where a kid comes from now. It’s not, ‘Oh, he broke a rule so he’s gone’ anymore. I try to look at the wider picture and remember where I was as a young person at their age. I’m more flexible in my attitude now.” Danaher still believes in running the football and playing strong defense. His teams are intense and disciplined. It’s a representation of their coach, the one who wrote down his goals at 21. “I put that list in a drawer and my wife found it 30 years later. It’s amazing what you accomplish when you’re working towards something, even subconsciously,” he said. “I instill that in our players. I make them write down goals and then we try to go achieve them.”

Strength Coach Turns Unwavering Optimism to Weight Loss, Dream Job In January of 2013, Joey Hawkins never dreamed that his own weight loss journey would lead to him becoming a head strength coach. Here he sits four years later taking over the reins of the Woodmont High (S.C.) strength program. JAMES MCBEE

t may seem like an extreme goal for Hawkins, better

known as “Coach Hawk” to his players, to plan for a team coming off a 3-8 season to win a state championship, but don’t tell that to the ambitious new coach. Hawkins’ belief in accomplishing extreme goals that not only allowed him to lose 75 pounds in 2013, but has inspired kids that work with him to reach their own extreme goals. When Hawkins started his own weight loss journey, he took inspiration from offseason workout plans that he found online from LSU and Alabama and began to build his own plan. “It was during that time that I just really grew a passion for it,” Hawkins said. “I remember thinking that this is something I want to continue to do and share it with others.” Hawkins got his first taste of coaching when he started working with Ben Clark, a former Byrnes and Carson-Newman University offensive lineman. “I knew Ben’s dad, and he had seen my weight loss journey,” Hawkins said. “I began to work with Ben after his senior year and helped him prepare for his freshman season in college. It was then

that I realized that becoming a strength coach and doing this on a team level is something I wanted to pursue.” It wasn’t an easy road for Hawkins to become a strength coach. He knocked on many doors for an opportunity, but couldn’t find an opportunity until a chance meeting with Boiling Springs’ athletic director Hal McManus. “I was working as a sports talk radio host when I went to a Boiling Springs football game against my alma mater, Spartanburg High School,” Hawkins said. “I asked Coach McManus if there was any chance I could join their program as an assistant strength coach, and he said, ‘Absolutely.’” It was then that Coach Hawk got his opportunity and wanted to make the most of it. When “Coach Hawk” began at Boiling Springs, he wanted to soak up as much knowledge as he could as an assistant. It was during his second year that he got his opportunity to bring what he had learned to the table as he began to work with the football team. “In that second year I had some ideas I wanted to implement, and Coach Tate [Boiling Springs’ head football coach] was great because he let me kind of do my thing with the football strength program,” Hawkins said. The one thing he has learned as a strength coach is that “you’re not only a coach but you’re also a mentor; to some you’re a father figure and sometimes you’re just the person they need to listen. These kids truly don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.” Hawkins said that one of his mentors in the strength and conditioning world is Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran. “You know some people don’t like him, but what they don’t realize is that a lot of the things that he does is to get the kids to buy in,” Hawkins said. “I think that’s one of the most important jobs of a strength coach.” This past season Hawkins implemented a lot of those same techniques with the Boiling Springs football strength program, and it helped as the Bulldogs reached the first state championship game in school history. “I was truly blessed to work with such great people like Coach Tate and Coach McManus at Boiling Springs and now with Coach Turner and Coach Carter at Woodmont,” Hawkins said. “Coach Hawk” is now the head strength coach at Woodmont High School in Greenville County, where he joins new head football coach Jet Turner. It has been quite the journey for Hawkins and now he gets to lead the way with a few extreme goals still left to tackle. As Coach Hawk always tells his players, “Here we go.” Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

USA FOOTBALL the 2018 USA Football National Conference Tactics. Leadership. Inspiration. These are just a few of the critical takeaways you’ll discover at the 2018 USA Football National Conference, which returns to Orlando, Florida, from Jan. 26-28, 2018 — as USA Football brings together the best high school coaches administrators, and youth stakeholders from around the nation. The USA Football National Conference is your opportunity to network and collaborate with elite coaches and administrators, while experiencing in-depth and quality presentations on a wide variety of topics. Over the three-day conference, attendees will learn about: ■■ Tactics: Position-specific discussions, nutrition, strength and conditioning, Xs and Os ■■ Leadership: Program building, developing a staff, managing parents ■■ Inspiration: Current college coaches and NFL greats are expected to headline the event

■■ Jerome Bettis and Ray Lewis spoke at the 2017 USA Football Conference

■■ Former Super Bowl champion coach Brian Billick offered tips to coaches at the 2017 USA Football Conference.

Under the theme of “Advancing Football Together,” USA Football’s National Conference includes — for the first time — dedicated program tracks for youth coaches, high school coaches and administrators. These tracks will feature topics that will help attendees at all experience levels. The first 17 coaches who have committed to speak at National Conference have won a total of 46 state championships.

THE FIRST 17 COACHES WHO HAVE COMMITTED TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE HAVE WON A TOTAL OF 46 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. USA Football’s National Conference is expected to feature more than 1,000 attendees and 50 of the leading sports vendors in the nation. It will be a three-day football workshop, loaded with Chalk Talks, keynote addresses, formal and informal sessions — and so much more. For the second straight year, the National Conference will be capped off by the Pro Bowl, and the AFC and NFC coaching staffs are expected to host sessions with the attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from — and share your thoughts with — the best coaches in the nation!

Learn more about the USA Football National Conference at usafootball.com/nationalconference. Register today and reserve your spot for just $99.

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