FNF Coaches 2018 "Go Tech in 2019"

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The Magazine for High School Football Coaches

the offseason HOW TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER A DISAPPOINTING SEASON

PLAYBOOK + How and Why to Coach Wrong-Arming + Install an Empty Backfield Base RPO + The Stats Behind Going for 2 + The Lateral RPO Game

ASSESS YOUR PROGRAM

Energize your players with new ideas

december/january 2019

GO TECH THIS

SEASON

DRONES | PRACTICE TIMERS | COACHING HEADSETS END ZONE CAMERAS | PORTABLE SOUND SYSTEMS COACH-TO-PLAYER COMMUNICATIONS

Stats and Trends from the 2018 High School Football Season Ways to Make the Game Safer + What’s New in College Strength Programs + USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System + Inspirational Quotes

W E N

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The two solid polyurethane throwing wheels grip the ball for a tight spiral and precise ball delivery. The Aerial Attack is easily moved around during practice or can be used with the Universal Cart Clamp to attach to any cart.

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08. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

david dean UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA

FILL BASIC VS. ALPHA

GOTHISTECH 20

DIAGRAM 1 P

C

S

M F

CONTENT

DECEMBER/ JANUARY

02

playbook

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PRESENTED BY

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Y Z

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H QB

SEASON

12

30.

$

COACHING LEGEND: M.C. MILLER

take time to assess your program

44

24

NATIONAL COACHES CONFERENCE

04. NEWS+NOTES 05. PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 06. FNF COACHES TALK 13. COACHING TECH 14. COMMUNICATIONS 39. FROG FITNESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 40. BUBBA BURGER TEAM MOMS OF THE YEAR 41. USA FOOTBALL: A NEW WAY TO TACKLE

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

16 38 42. OX SPORTS: THE MENTAL SIDE OF THE GAME 43. SIDELINE POWER: TECHNOLOGY CORNER 46. MAKING TIME FOR FUN 48. INSPIRATION

5 TRENDS FROM THE 2018 HIGH SCHOOL SEASON

18

STRENGTH TRAINING TRENDS IN COLLEGE

your connection to the

high school football

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

coaching

We are proud to present our final edition of 2018, which has a “Tech Gifts for Coaches” theme. The start of 2019 offers an opportunity for a coach to take stock of his program and form a wish list for the offseason. What new tech devices might help your team practice more efficiently?

What gear or apparel will help your players develop strength faster and recover quicker.

We attempt to uncover some of those items, as we dive into the trends from the 2018 season.

We also spoke with coaches about the process of recharging at the end of the fall season. So many times, the season ends in dramatic fashion, and players and coaches are left scrambling as to how to recalibrate their goals. The head coach has the ultimate responsibility of providing energy, enthusiasm and inspiration throughout the offseason. Some legendary coaches offer their advice of this topic.

We will share the stories and tips from experts in the field– whether it’s other coaches, authors, or coaches that specialize in strength, conditioning, speed, equipment, nutrition, motivation, safety or recovery – in hopes of sharing some information that high school football coaches may not know.

It’s worth taking the time in the offseason to make sure you are aware of all of the latest trends and educational opportunities so that if a parent asks for your advice, you will be armed with the information you need. 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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College Coach Q&A | Apps for Coaches | Increase Participation Numbers | Eliminate Bad Habits Inter-Team Competition | Nutrition | Speed Training Community Service | Recruiting | Education

+ Install a Mid-Line Offense + Coaching QB Play in Triple Option + Defending Trips with Quarters + Install Cover 1 in a 3-3 or 3-4 The New Jersey state champion Bergen Catholic coaching staff includes (front, from left) Joe DiFilippo, Al Nittoli, Ralph La Testa and Guy Bertola; (rear) Dan Nastasi, Tony DeBellis, Fred Stengel, Anthony Muir, Head Coach Nunzio Campanile, Zach Sparber, Ron Carti, Ed Van Curen and Phil Fusco. Photo courtesy Dave Rubel/NJ Sports Media

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NEWS+NOTES

LARGE TEXAS SCHOOLS MUST NOW REPORT CONCUSSION DATA

T

exas’ University Interscholastic League has ordered the two larg-

est districts in the 6A division to begin reporting concussion data to the governing body for high school sports.

Staff at those schools must answer more than a dozen questions on each player — such as when the concussion occurred, whether it came from contact with the ground or another player — that are relayed to researchers with the O’Donnell Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The findings could lead to conclusions about whether field turf is safer than grass as a playing surface, whether playing at night puts players more at risk than day games, or whether the length of time between games factors in concussions.

A primary goal is to determine the frequency of concussions, Cullum said. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that upward of 3.8 million athletic- and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the U.S. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

THE DALLAS NEWS REPORTS THAT ONLY 62 PERCENT OF TEAMS STILL SCOUT

opponents in-person. The rest rely on HUDL and digital video rather than assigning JV or middle school coaches to scout opponents from the press box. The SportsDayHS surveyed 76 area coaches, who said the downside of not scouting in person is the missed opportunity to steal another team’s signals. Nearly half of respondents in SportsDayHS’ poll said that they try to obfuscate their play-calling or signals either “somewhat” or “a great deal.”

Students in the Stanford engineering

TRENDING TOPICS @FNFCOACHES

Christian Brothers Academy (N.Y.)

department are working on a mouthguard technology that will measure the motion of the head after impacts in an effort to help players avoid dangerous situations in practices and games. About 100 football players from Menlo School and Sacred Heart Preparatory, which are in Atherton, and Archbishop Mitty High School, in San Jose, are participating in the first year of the study. The testing takes place during and after practices.

Training

experienced near-tragedy this fall, but instead served as an example of how lives can be saved if first responders act quickly and proper medical equipment is on hand.

CBA running back Melvin Beard collapsed on the football field on Sept. 14 due to the manifestation of an undetected birth defect called a left coronary artery anomaly. His heart stopped for about 90 seconds as he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Almost immediately after Beard collapsed, five trained medics went into action and ended up saving his life. The medics used an automated external defibrillator, which was stored nearby, to restart Beard’s heart.

Keep that same energy under the squat rack that you have when you’re asking for play time, the ball or coaches to speak on your behalf.... If you want it, then earn it! Work for it! @MC_COACH_LJ

Definition of the Day: The Weight Room

1) Where Champions are made in the off-season. 2) A place to make a good impression on Coach by working hard 3) A place to improve your mental and physical strength.

What it isn’t: 1) A place to talk to your friends. 2) A place to avoid. @FNFCOACHES

Health Displaced by the Woolsey (Calif.) Fire, a Thousand Oaks youth football team was able to prepare for its Super Bowl on its local NFL team’s practice field. Woolsey coach Steve Szakos reached out to local colleges, neighboring communities and other youth league organizations after fires ravaged the area. He took a ride over to Rams facilities to ask for field time in person.

The team practiced in front of ESPN cameras on the day before the game. Fox’s NFL pregame show filmed highlights from its game. The team also received tickets to the Rams’ “Monday Night Football” showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

04

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A healthy list: 1 Get more sleep 2 Make time to exercise 3 Drink more water 4 Eat less sugar 5 Stay teachable 6 Read and write more 7 Remove clutter 8 More random acts of kindness 9 Don’t respond to negativity 10 Spend quality time with family 11 Show gratitude #ThursdayThoughts @VALAAFSHAR

Recruitment

Be proud of that D I offer Be proud of that D II offer Be proud of that D III offer Be proud of that NAIA offer Be proud of walking on (anywhere) Be proud of playing JUCO BE THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!! @therealkwat

PULASKI ACADEMY (ARK.) COACH KEVIN

Kelley, who earned national recognition for deploying a strategy in which his team never punts and always onside kicks, has another seemingly crazy idea. Kelley found that a new trend emerged for the first time last season: Teams that recorded more plays of at least 20 yards won 81 percent of the time. He found that when at least three players touched the ball – a trick play with a lateral involved – the percentage for gaining 20 yards rose to around 20 percent. So, Kelley instituted a new system in which receivers lateral to other receivers after making catches downfield.

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“I would strongly encourage a coach at any level to download this app. It can help you help your players be better on and off the field.” – Tony Dungy The iCoach app allows coaches to access strategies from NFL legends and other successful coaches.

It provides coaches with instruction on how to build character in players and build a community with like-minded coaches. The app has information videos, motivational speeches, instructive plays and best practice drills. It provides coaches with an opportunity to network, compete against other coaches, upload professional resumes or connect with athletic directors.

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away from the field and academic setting. With players spending more and more time on devices, it is the perfect avenue for coaches to share learning tools through photos, videos, scouting reports and customized tips.

Just as important as the interaction between coach and player is a coach’s ability to communicate with parents, and coaches have that option with targeted messaging for specific audiences. A coach can send requested dress options for players, directions to away games, release forms for players, and updates on a player’s academic progress.

oxsports.com

05

FNF COACHES TALK

The Best Excerpts from FNF Coaches Talk FNF Coaches Talk is a daily post on FNFCoaches.com that shares all of the top stories that coaches are talking about. We dig up creative play calls, explanations of how to out-scheme an opponent, articles from strength trainers on seasonal programs, tips from veteran coaches, funny videos, and more. Visit FNFCoaches.com daily or follow @FNFCoaches to keep up with the daily feed.

Some of the themes of the November posts were Thanksgiving traditions, trick plays, trends in scheme and play selection, and end-of-season planning.

Here are some of the most memorable posts from November:

■■ TexasHSFootball.com shared a story about a typical life of a high school quarterback.

New Ideas for Old-School Coaches –American Football International This article encourages coaches to get out of the mindset of doing things in practice just because it’s the way it’s always been done. The author argues that full-contact, testosterone-driven workouts have become outdated, and executing without mistakes is much more important.

The author also argues that many coaches confuse practicing hard with practicing fast. He encourages coaches to time players in and out of reps to ensure they are building speed while practicing.

Why do football coaches allow players to practice slow? If a team’s effort level is high, coaches will mistake effort for speed.

Football coaches love effort. In addition, if everyone on the team is a step slow, the fast guys still appear fast.

■■ In what ways have you changed your practice

philosophy over the years?

Coach’s Corner: A Typical (Game) Week In The Life Of A High School Quarterback –TexasHSFootball.com In a perfect world, your quarterback is your hardest worker on the team — both on and off the field. As coaches, it’s our job to push that player as hard as we can so that he looks prepared and confident on game day.

Here’s one way to make that happen: Set a weekly routine. This particular schedule

06

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appears to be for a quarterback who is a tireless worker and extremely committed. Here’s an example of a schedule for Sunday, an off day for most players.

Sunday evenings are reserved for the quarterback and the QB/offensive coordinator to meet. Typically the previous game is gone over first. Grades and point standings are given by the position coach and each play is dissected with the OC asking the QB what they did well/what they needed to do better for each play and finally, how they graded themselves compared to the position coaches grade. A list is made of what things the QB needs to work on improving during the upcoming week of practice.

■■ What are some ways you push your quarter-

back to lead the team with his work ethic?

How to clean football equipment –USA Football Blogs Many coaches are starting to come back to their programs after taking some time off at the end of the season. If your

locker room smells bad, you’re not alone.

However, you don’t want to leave it that way until spring practice. Here are some tips from USA Football on sterilizing equipment.

Air it out. Don’t leave equipment (i.e. pads, helmets, gloves) in the trunk of your car. Moisture harbors bacteria. Bacteria = funk. Remove all equipment from the car after each and every practice and game.

Leave it in your mudroom, garage or even on your porch. Fresh air works wonders.

Use of IVs to hydrate high school football players sparks controversial debate –Atlanta Journal-Constitution Here’s a story we haven’t seen before.

Several South Georgia football programs have turned to medical professionals to administer intravenous fluids to players — sometimes pre-game, at halftime and post-game — prompting a debate on whether the method is necessary for high school athletes.

Colquitt County coach Rush Propst

was one of only two coaches willing to speak about using IVs to hydrate players. Propst, who has been at the center of several controversies throughout his career, believes the method of rehydration is actually safer than encouraging players to drink water.

“We’ve been using IVs for our kids since the mid-80s,” Propst said. “It’s just being smart and preventative.”

■■ How do you make sure your players are staying

■■ West Virginia’s jet sweep was cited by ESPN as a play all high school coaches should steal.

hydrated during practices and games?

have your players do a self-evaluation at the end of the season –USA Football Blogs The football season always seems to end suddenly at this time of year, with teams getting eliminated from postseason contention with a single loss.

That’s why it’s time to start thinking about the plan for the days following that last game. Do you have one in place? If not, you need one.

USA Football podcast guru Keith Grabowski provides a blueprint for coaches who are looking to meet with players for postseason exit interviews.

While the self-evaluation tool remains separate from the on-field aspects of technique and scheme, the questions offer plenty of opportunity for each position coach and head coach to understand the players under their guidance. The conversations that stem from this questionnaire are very helpful in developing the player-coach relationship.

The self-evaluation is divided into five parts.

The first is an evaluation of off-the-field behaviors (film study, attitude, etc.). The second is designed for players to provide all of their contact info so they can be reached during the offseason. The third is for the player to state his goals and desired role on the team. The fourth is a get-to-know-you

type section so that the coach might better relate to the player. And the fifth is designed to help understand the dynamics of next year’s team.

■■ How do you deliver your message to players heading

into the offseason?

Football coaches’ wives have a calling, too –Greenville News We all have experienced the pitfalls of trying to balance coaching with family, and this article provides a nice look at how some coaches have successfully pulled it off. Greenville (N.C.) coach David Crane encourages other coaches to be intentional about creating a schedule at home, and make sure they’re making up for lost time outside of the fall season.

“I like to think we make a pretty good team,” David Crane said. “In the fall, she kind of runs things on the home front and lets me do my football deal, and then in the spring when it’s softball time, we kind of tag and switch roles a little bit, and I try to take care of some things on the home front.”

Crane’s wife, Elizabeth, also shares a common source of tension for coaches and their wives: complaining parents. Elizabeth has learned that sometimes it’s better to get up and walk away rather than to respond to the critics.

■■ Prioritizing family during high school football season can be difficult for all coaches.

“For me, there are days when it’s really easy for me to sit and be quiet and not really get too involved in what other people have to say, and then there are days that I have to get up and walk off for fear that I’m going to say something that I probably shouldn’t,” Elizabeth Crane said.

■■ What advice would you give young coaches in regards

to balancing football and family?

INNOVATIVE COLLEGE PLAYS THAT HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS SHOULD STEAL –ESPN

WE BELIEVE THE MOST

impactful story of the month for high school coaches was a list of eight plays from this college season that could translate to any level of football.

Have you added any jet motion to your playbook yet? If you haven’t, consider using West Virginia’s jet sweep/post-wheel.

Why it’s unique: We see the post-wheel concept at every level of the game, especially under the Friday night lights with spread teams out of 2×2 sets.

Another play that could work great at the high school level is Oklahoma’s GT lead.

Why it’s unique: Classic GT power and GT read — with the quarterback reading the edge defender — show up consistently across high school and college football.

■■ What is your process for

updating your playbook after each season?

07

COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

ON THE ROAD WITH COACH DEAN

D

Q&A with university of west georgia head coach david dean

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

D

avid Dean has led West Georgia to a cumulative

record of 19-5 in his two seasons as head coach. Prior to West Georgia, Dean was the head coach at Valdosta State University, where he led the Blazers to two NCAA Division II national championships (2007, 2012).

The second national title with the Blazers put Dean in rare company. Only three football coaches in Georgia have won multiple national titles: Erskine Russell (Georgia Southern), Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern) and Dean (VSU).

Dean recently caught up with FNF Coaches to discuss his philosophies regarding team building, strength and conditioning, and recruiting.

What is the first thing you do when the season ends?

“As soon as we finish, we’re on the road recruiting. That’s during the high school playoffs. If we make it all the way to the national championship, then we’re sitting at Christmas

break. We make a lot of calls to catch up, and get started in the open period into January.”

You go on the road to recruit right after the season ends?

“We’re out recruiting that next Monday.”

When do you do exit interviews with your players?

“Normally, we do that with the players in the spring. The only ones we do right away are seniors.”

What do you talk about in those interviews?

“Our expectations for the next year, things we thought they did well, things they need to improve on. We talk about leadership qualities, their academics. We talk about plans for summer workouts and how they’ll do that.”

You’ve won multiple national championships. How is the process different after a championship?

“You try to keep your kids humble. It’s very difficult to live up to the expectations of the year before. Try to keep your kids hungry. Make them aware that the reason they were successful was their hard work from the year before. You really need to establish leaders. Get them to push other guys extremely hard in the weight room. It’s an old cliché, but they have to stay hungry and not be satisfied with one championship.”

How have you changed your strength program in the last 10 years?

“Really, we haven’t. Strength is strength. There are always changing philosophies with different strength coaches. We’ll meet them and explain how we want our players to be challenged on a daily basis. We always make changes throughout the year. We have a list of drills; there’s always core exercises. We adjust from that. Our philosophy and how we deal with players during our offseason program stays the same every year.”

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ean believes that traveling the country is as much a part of his job as watching film or calling plays. He has two reasons for business travel: recruiting and mentoring opportunities.

He recommends that high school coaches seek out as many mentoring opportunities as possible.

“I would say early on, go out and talk to as many people as you can,” Dean said. “Gather a lot of ideas. Be your own person. Don’t try to be another program or coach. Get ideas and develop a philosophy of what you want to do.”

Dean sees high school coaches spending too much time playing the political game in their own communities.

“A lot of young coaches are happy to have a job,” Dean said. “They’re not hungry enough to learn and grow. They’re satisfied with where they are and what they’re doing, and they fall behind.”

Dean works best with high school coaches who can evaluate their own players accurately.

“Be realistic when college coaches come into your high school,” Dean said. “Not everybody is going to have 20 prospects. Decipher who is going to be good at the D1 level, D2, etc. Then we can concentrate on those guys. Organization is a big thing. We want all of the information we can get – contact info, transcripts, email, cell phones. Those help us with recruiting.”

Have you found any new technology to help your team during spring practices?

“We do like practicing fast. Most of our teaching is done in film study. We try to get as many reps, and then we can and correct mistakes. At our level, we don’t have a lot of technology.

We don’t have the money to do that.

We have video at practice – a side shot and a back shot. We coach off of that. We don’t have sophisticated stuff that we can put on helmets.”

most coaches seem to use the spring for team-building and identifying the personality of their teams. Do you do the same?

“One we get into the offseason, we immediately talk about expectations for the offseason programs. The scheme is established during spring practice when we get a feel for how our team is. Our mentality and our personality is established in spring practice. When we finish that, we have exit meetings. ‘This is what we’re looking for you to do next year. Here’s your role.’ We make sure everyone understands his role. If he doesn’t like it, work harder and find a way to make us change our minds.

We make sure they know what they need to do to be successful.”

Do you ever get a chance to get away from football and recharge your batteries? What do you like to do?

“It’s usually in the summer. It’s our dead time. I’ll take time in July after our camps. That’s when I recharge the batteries and get away. I like to play golf. I’ll go with my family to the beach. I’ll spend a week there.”

Has increased focus on player safety changed the way you structure practices?

“It really has. We’re limited to what we can do at spring practice – how many days we can bring guys to the ground, the number of official scrimmages. We’re careful about it in-season because we don’t have a lot of depth at this level. Early on, we’re physical, and then we begin to back off as we get into the season. We hit a little less as the week goes on. Most of the contact comes on Tuesday, a little on Wednesday, and it’s rare on Thursday. We save our guys for the long run at the end of the year.”

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09

COACHING LEGENDS

Mississippi coaching legend retires after state championship There’s no better way for a coach to go out than by retiring moments after lifting a state championship trophy over his head.

Louisville High (Miss.) coach M.C. Miller did just that in November.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

The M.C. Miller Profile Age: 69 Team: Louisville High (Miss.)

Career record: 282-109 in 45 seasons

State championships:

Noxubee County (2008), Louisville (2013, 2018)

■■ MC Miller received the trophy for leading Louisville High to a Mississippi Class 4A championship.

M

.C. Miller always felt like an innovator in high school football.

Back when he started his coaching career in the 1970s, he was rolling out an offense with three or four receivers while other teams were running the wishbone.

Forty-five years later, Miller is calling it a career because he claims he’s having a difficult time keeping up with all of the advances of the sport. Of course, this could be a case of Miller being humble because he recently finished off his career on top – lifting Louisville High to a Mississippi Class 4A state championship.

“I watch a lot of film by myself, but my young coaches have to take it from HUDL and put it on a DVD,” Miller said.

“I can’t do that. When I first started coaching, we didn’t even have weight-lifting. We had the kids do agility drills – pushups, sit-ups. Now, if you don’t have a good weight room, you’re in trouble.”

While Miller may bemoan the technological advances of the game, he is no pushover when it comes to game-planning. He’s quick to share how his game plan worked to perfection in a recent playoff game.

“I’ve always been a coach who can make adjustments,” Miller said. “You have to be able to adjust to what the other team does.

You can’t keep doing the same thing. Find a way to slow the

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In his words: “To go out with a state championship was hard because I had to stay on top of it for 45 years.

You have to do a lot more now than you did a long time ago.”

other team down. Don’t think you can just show up with the same plan every week and win.”

Miller spent his entire 45-year coaching career at Noxubee County and Louisville, winning his first state championship in 2008 with the Tigers – a year after falling in the title game the season before. Miller left Noxubee County in 2010 for the Louisville position, which provided the Camille Street High graduate an opportunity to come home. In addition to the championship this season, he also won the 4A title in 2013 against D’Iberville.

“Everybody tells me I still have more time to coach,” Miller said. “I feel like that, but it wears on you a little bit. Keeping up with film study is the main thing. These young coaches watch so much film and study it with the kids. We used to send people to watch games and write a report, but I’ve had to keep up with what everybody else is doing.”

Miller’s larger impact on high school football in Mississippi is the continued growth of his coaching tree – one that has spawned other state championship-winning coaches such as Chris Jones currently at Starkville and Tyrone Shorter at Noxubee County.

“I always tell young coaches the main thing is to be dedicated,” Miller said. “You have to want to work and be consistent.”

COACHING TECH

Help your players play freely The majority of high school football players won’t go on to play college or professional football, but almost all of them will have an opportunity to become better men, fathers and leaders in the community.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

J

onathan Evans is the co-author of the book,

“The Playbook: A Life Strategy Guide for Athletes.” He and his father, Dr. Tony Evans, published the book as a mentoring guide for coaches and athletes. The Playbook offers 16 character-building keys proven to gain victories in their lives. Coaches can use this comprehensive and palatable life guide to emphasize the importance of integrity, responsibility, teamwork, resilience, and more.

Jonathan and Tony Evans also have helped create an app – iCoach – that is designed to challenge coaches and provide support within the coaching profession.

The iCoach app allows coaches to access strategies from NFL legends and other successful coaches. It provides coaches with instruction on how to build character in players and build a community with like-minded coaches. The app has information videos, motivational speeches, instructive plays and best practice drills. It provides coaches with an opportunity to network, compete against other coaches, upload

professional resumes or connect with athletic directors.

Jonathan Evans is a chaplain at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. He believes coaches could inspire players to perform better on the field by stressing the importance of the Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 3. A passage from this verse includes: “That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God.” Evans explains that not enough players recognize what a gift it is to have the ability to play football.

“This game is a gift; they have to be reminded,” Evans said. “Everything that is given by God that allows you to play the game is a gift, including the ability to get better. Gifts are given and have to be unwrapped rather than handling them as a responsibility.”

Evans believes that gaining a new perspective will allow players to play freely.

“That is how you play better,” Evans said. “The reason they end up making mistakes is because they’re bound by mistakes hoping they don’t make another. When they play the game rather than allow the game to play them, there is a perspective of freedom. The best games come when the player feels that sense of freedom.”

Evans also notes that coaches often make the mistake of trying to coach each player the same way. A great coach recognizes that each player has different motivations and skill sets, so he does not coach any two players the same.

“You’ll bind up a lot of players coaching everybody the same way,” Evans said. “They’re not being coached based on who they are, they’re coached based on who you are. They’re under the weight of your personality rather than experiencing the game through who God made them to be.”

Evans also encourages coaches to frame mistakes as coachable moments rather than acts that deserve condemnation.

“Makes sure they understand mistakes are part of growth,” Evans said. “They should know what they’re going through will produce growth. Lift them up even though bad things are happening to them. Don’t create more stress. You have to restore as you teach.”

THE ICOACH APP

H

elp your players succeed both on and off the field with the iCoach app. Access coaching and mentoring strategies from NFL legends and other successful coaches from every level. Download this FREE app to bring your coaching to a new level.

“I would strongly encourage a coach at any level to download this app. It can help you help your players be better on and off the field.”

– Tony Dungy The iCoach app allows coaches to access strategies from NFL legends and other successful coaches. It provides coaches with instruction on how to build character in players and build a community with likeminded coaches. The app has information videos, motivational speeches, instructive plays and best practice drills. It provides coaches with an opportunity to network, compete against other coaches, upload professional resumes or connect with athletic directors.

icoachapp.org

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COMMUNICATIONS

Busy months of growth ahead for GSC Coach-to-Player™ High school football coaches have to decide how to make the most of limited practice time – whether it’s maximizing reps for players or stopping practice to review coaching points. With GSC Coach-to-Player,™ coaches can do both at the same time.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

THE CONTINUED REWARDS OF GSC C2P

B ■■ With GSC Coach-to-Player, a coach can communicate into a quarterback’s headset at practice.

GSC’s Coach-to-Player™ is moving into its busiest time of year – with the NFL Playoffs on the horizon, as well as multiple post season games like the EastWest Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.

GSC Coach-to-Player™ (C2P) provides coaches with an ability to speak to players directly in to their helmets during practice. Through the C2P practice system, a coach speaks into a handheld transmitting device and his voice is audible through the speakers loaded in the helmets of the players of his choice. The technology provides additional coaching opportunities while also helping to maintain or expedite the tempo of practice.

GSC provides helmet communication for all 32 NFL teams, as well as stadium systems on game day for both the home team and visitors.

“We’re fully active on each of the weekends throughout the NFL season, especially during the Playoffs,” GSC Director of Operations Alex Shada.

“We’re gearing up for all of that.”

GSC also is prepared to get more immersed in the college game, as is typically the case each spring when teams consider new technology for practice. NCAA rules prohibit the use of headset communication during games; but the GSC C2P system is fair game in spring practices.

“With teams gearing up for spring ball, we start to find out what teams need or want,” Shada said.

“At the college level, it’s a practice tool. Coaches

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use it to develop players. Obviously, spring ball is 100 percent focused on the development of players and teams.”

GSC C2P is also expanding at the high school level – particularly for schools that participate in 7-on-7 leagues during the summer.

C2P allows for more focused instruction from coaches to players due to its ability to customize the communication. For instance, multiple position coaches can listen to a coordinator call a play, and then provide specific instruction to his particular position group before the snap.

“There’s a curiosity among high school coaches about how this can help them develop their teams,” Shada said. “There’s really no certain way a coach has to use it. They all tailor it to how it works for their practices.”

There is no regulation on headset communication for 7-on-7 summer leagues. In this setting, a coach can stand on the sideline and offer his quarterback advice as the player surveys the defense at the line of scrimmage.

“So many schools are on the cusp of moving forward with us, so it’s really exciting,” Shada said. “Coaches are seeing how beneficial it is to talk instantly with a player for the purposes of recognition and explaining coverages. It’s proving to be a huge advantage for teams in the offseason.

It eliminates much of the typical learning curve.”

ellevue West High (Neb.) coach Mike Huffman used the GSC Coach-to-Player™ helmet system during his team’s 7-on-7 season for the first time last summer en route to the program’s first state championship.

Huffman was first exposed to the GSC C2P technology at the 2018 Nebraska Shrine Bowl, when he served as coach of the North.

“They gave it to both teams and let us use it in practice and the game,” Huffman said. “Because of that experience, I remembered my mistake when it came time to coach 7-on-7 this summer. I kept it in my hand, and that helped us win the championship.”

Bellevue West continued to reap the rewards of the GSC C2P experience during the regular season last fall. Bellevue West’s starting quarterback got hurt midseason, but the backup was able to make a faster transition to a featured role thanks to his experience listening in on the coach-to-quarterback communication during the 7-on-7 season.

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TRENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL

THE NAME OF THE GAME AS THE PLAY ANALYST

■■ High school coaches found new ways to get skill players the ball in space in 2018.

5 trends from the 2018 season Staying ahead of the curve is one of the most challenging aspects of being a high school coach. Every coach wants to integrate new schemes and strategies, but it’s hard to stay on top of things going on in other areas of the country. Here are some trends that jumped out in 2018.

Mark Colyer runs Spreadoffense.com, a resource for coaches that includes instruction videos and tutorials. His Twitter handle, @SpreadOffense, has more than 28,400 followers, and he was recently quoted in an article on The Ringer discussing trends in high school football.

Colyer recently shared five trends from the 2018 season with FNF Coaches.

Jet motion on offense. “It’s a motion that can be attached to a run play or pass play. It’s useful and widely used. “Take a slot receiver and send him hard through the backfield horizontally with pre-snap motion. Jet motion was really more of a run-based attachment, but now it’s used more in the passing game. It gets the second and third level of the defense moving.

“It becomes a chess match for the defense to account for that movement before the snap. A lot of times, it will move a linebacker. They don’t want to get outflanked on the edge with a jet sweep.”

Getting the ball to skill players in space. “That’s still trending up. The spread offense is nothing new, but finding creative ways to get playmakers the ball in space via formation, motion, creativity and play-call is always evolving. The spread’s footprint has been around at the high school level for over a decade. The foundation of that scheme is getting the ball to skill players in space.”

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Use of a dual-threat QB. “We see that filtering all the way up to the NFL level with guys like Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and even Jared Goff, who has spread DNA coming from Cal. Patrick Mahomes, obviously, is a dual-threat quarterback. High school coaches can help players choose positions, so they can mold dual-threat quarterbacks from the beginning.”

Running tempo in spots. “I think teams that said, ‘We’re always going to play fast,’ have – at one point or another – gotten burnt. I think what we’re seeing is those same schools are picking spots. It depends on what happened on the previous play. Look at Coach (Gus) Malzahn at Auburn. If it’s a first down, they’re running up to the line and snapping the ball. If it’s third and 7, it’s a different thing. They’ll do a gray call, and the coaches in the box will get a look and make a call based on what they see.”

Aggressiveness on fourth down. “With analytics ingrained in the sport, we’ve seen more head coaches take on that personality. Through studying it, we know that if you do go for it on fourth down and less than 3, you have a 42 percent chance to convert. I’ll sign up for that. We make a conscious effort to practice fake punts so we’re ready when the situation calls for it.”

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for the Pope John High (N.J.) football team, Colyer has carved out a niche as the expert on evaluating scheme and play design. His website and Twitter discussions rely on the fact that coaches are dying to learn more about scheme, particularly the spread.

But still, he is the first to admit that X’s and O’s don’t stand a chance to the basic principle of football.

“Winning the line of scrimmage beats any philosophy or trend,” Colyer said. “Who is moving the line of scrimmage?

Which way is it moving?

That’s where the game is determined.”

Does that realization make Colyer’s job obsolete? Not necessarily.

“I’m talking about teams like Alabama and Clemson,” Colyer said. “There’s a direct correlation between the five-star defensive tackles they recruit and the number of games they win. If you’re pushing the pocket into the quarterback’s lap, there’s only so much he can do.”

MARK COLYER COACH AND PLAY ANALYST

7 Safety Trends That Emerged in 2018 Increased awareness of concussions and heat-related illnesses has prompted a national focus on player safety.

Several schools across the country took measures to make their programs safer in 2018.

I

n 2018, we saw many teams and organizations attempt

to offset the decline in football’s participation numbers by implementing new safety practices. Here are seven safety steps that teams or organizations took in 2018.

Full-contact hours limited in NJ. A piece of New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association legislation that would greatly limit full-contact hours during practice has been informally approved by the executive committee. The bill would decrease the time of full-contact drills allowed in both the preseason and regular season.

Under these guidelines, the allowed time for full-contact practices in the preseason would be cut to six total hours. During the season, fullcontact allowances would decrease from 90 minutes per week to 30.

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USA Football starts National High School Football Coaches Alliance. High school coaches

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New Jersey team uses Mobile Virtual Player Drive.

associations spanning 37 states and USA Football announced the formation of the National High School Football Coaches Alliance. This newly created Alliance will foster frequent and meaningful collaboration between its members, advance best practices across high school football and to unite and serve the high school football coaching community.

Ocean City High (N.J.) purchased the MVP Drive, which costs around $8,000. The motorized padded tackling dummy helps players learn safe tackling techniques. It weighs 195 pounds and can run 20 miles per hour.

The dummy helps reduce head injuries from unnecessary helmet-to-helmet collisions and allows players to tackle at game speed, according to Ocean City coach Kevin Smith.

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Four states organize a ‘Safety in Football Campaign’.

The states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, their respective Athletic Training organizations, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) have organized a “Safety in Football Campaign” in order to promote player safety in football. It is the goal of this campaign to help each and every football team to identify ways in which they can decrease the risks of injury.

■■ Ocean City High (N.J.) purchased the MVP Drive to help reduce head injuries.

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Texas schools will report every concussion. Next season the University Interscholastic League in Texas will be introducing another new policy: The state’s largest schools will report every concussion incident.

The information will be relayed to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for study.

NFL plans to streamline rules at college, high school levels. The NFL has embarked on a new initiative to align its player safety rules with the college and high school levels, hoping that the collaboration will help sustain the game and minimize confusion as players advance in the sport.

The process began in October at NFL headquarters, where a group that included league owners, executives, and general managers met with college counterparts.

CALIFORNIA PLAYERS to PARTICIPATE IN BRAIN SCANNING. JSerra High (Calif.) used a relatively new piece of technology called a WAVi Scanner to gauge the brain health of their athletes before they participate in their respective sports. The results are used as a baseline, so if an athlete sustains an injury during the season, another WAVi scan can be performed, to reveal any changes in brain activity and cognition.

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TRENDS IN COLLEGE

THE FLOAT TANKS MORE COLLEGE TEAMS

■■ The Clemson University football team uses a Catapult GPS system to monitor the demand placed on players at practice.

Strength training trends in college football High school coaches who are looking to learn about the latest technologies in strength and conditioning would be wise to look to the college game, where budgets are more expansive.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

T

he Clemson football team is at the forefront of

innovating new technology into its strength and conditioning program. The new Clemson Applied Science Lab (CASL) is housed in the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex. Here are some of the tech products in the complex.

Senaptec sensory station: Quantifies visual acuity and hand-eye coordination. Clemson utilizes strobe glasses to build neurological pathways and develop cognitive ability.

DARI motion capture lab: Quantifies functional movement. Clemson can capture baseline measurements of range of motion and mobility to track improvement throughout players’ careers.

Baselines also aid in injury recovery.

Trazer augmented reality station: Measures change of direction and acceleration.

NordBord: Gauge hamstring strength.

Sparta Science force plate: Judge force efficiency.

Catapult GPS system: Captures the demand placed on athletes during practices and games. Clemson can quantify speed, acceleration, and distance traveled for every workout, practice, and game.

Rise Science: Evaluates sleep performance. It’s primarily geared toward stress management.

Bina said this year Clemson began working closely on sleep performance with its younger

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players to emphasize the developmental aspect. sensory deprivation pod: Commonly known as a float tank, a pod houses 1,200 pounds of epsom salt dissolved in water at body temperature to remove players from light, sound, and some gravitational force.

Infrared hyperthermic cocoon pod: Pods provide players with far-infrared heat therapy and vibrational massage with essential oils for aromatherapy. It stimulates on a cellular level tissue repair and wound healing while providing detoxification benefits and increasing circulation.

Human-Touch massage chair: Allow players to relax in a weightlessness state where they can tap into a variety of massage patterns. They retail at $8,000 each.

Normatec air pressure massage system: Assigned to each player prior to the season.

There’s also dedicated tables for Normatec usage at CASL.

are investing in products that aid with recovery.

One such product is the Superior Float Tank, which retails at around $30,000.

Ohio State, West Virginia and Cincinnati have multiple tanks throughout campus, Clemson just had one installed, and instate rival South Carolina will soon follow.

One player uses it at a time, and sessions typically last 45 minutes to an hour. The athlete’s body lies horizontal in less than a foot of water. The salt keeps the athlete floating.

Players can decide if they like the lid open or closed and the lights on or off.

Guided meditation is also an option.

In about three months, Clemson players will have access to cryotherapy.

For about three minutes, players are exposed to temperatures of more than negative 150 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to reduce muscle soreness and inflammation. Results are similar to cold tubs but quicker and more efficient.

GO TECH THIS

SEASON

Looking for tech gifts around the holidays that will help upgrade your program? These products are sure to be useful for coaches in games, practices and training sessions.

THE BIGFOOT® PORTABLE SOUND SYSTEM The Bigfoot® is the biggest, and most powerful Portable Sound System on the market.

Designed to cover a football field, this thunderous battery powered system is up to any challenge. With a line array consisting of five eight-inch neodymium speakers and one high efficiency neodymium compression driver, this product packs a punch – yet easily sets up in seconds.

The Bigfoot is the first Anchor Audio Portable Sound System that offers four built-in wireless receivers – allowing everyone to be involved. It also boasts standard built-in Bluetooth and an optional built–in CD/MP3 combo player to easily connect to anything you’ll need for an all-inclusive sound coverage.

MSRP: $3,750 to $4,350

sidelinepower.com/bigfoot-portable-sound-system

X-SERIES ELITE - 5 COACH SYSTEM Push-to-talk communication is available with super clear

DJI OSMO X5 Motion without blur. Action shots without shake. Perfect video even when you move. Thanks to advanced technologies specifically designed to keep the camera flat no matter how you move it, the DJI Osmo helps you record videos and take photos like never before. It is much more than just a camera. It helps you create with more freedom than ever.

MSRP: $659

dji.com/osmo

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enhanced audio. The headsets are completely waterproof and dustproof, lightweight and durable.

X Series Elite 5 Coach System includes: ■■ (3) X Series Elite Edition Single Muff Headsets ■■ (2) X Series Elite Edition Double Muff Headset ■■ Heavy Duty Case ■■ Fact Sheet ■■ Frequency range: VHF 136-174MHz or UHF 400-470MHz ■■ Output power: 5W ■■ Channel: 16 ■■ Rated voltage: 7.2V DC ■■ Channel spacing: 12.5KHz/25KHz ■■ Range: 2 miles ■■ Busy channel lock out ■■ Battery save mode ■■ 20 hours of talk time ■■ 12-month warranty ■■ CTCSS/DCS MSRP: $2,895.00

sidelinepower.com/headsets/x-series

EYES IN THE AIR END ZONE CAMERA The Eyes in the Air is designed to meet the

DJI – MAVIC 2 PRO DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, introduced Mavic 2, an ultra-portable, foldable camera drone that delivers higher performance, more intelligent features and greater creative possibilities than any other consumer drone. A drone that embodies all of DJI’s advanced, signature technologies, and is able to redefine what is possible for the world of aerial photography. In creating the Mavic 2, DJI made its dream come true.

The Mavic 2 offers iconic Hasselblad image quality on the Pro and a highperformance zoom lens on the Zoom.

■■ Hasselblad Camera ■■ 1” CMOS Sensor ■■ Adjustable Aperture ■■ 10-bit Dlog-M ■■ 10-bit HDR Video ■■ Hyperlapse MSRP: $1,499

sidelinepower.com/product/mavic-pro-sports-package

rigors of the sports environment. The versatile camera tripod extends 20 feet to offer optimal sight lines.

The end zone system is made of 6061 aircraft aluminum that is Type II Clear Coat Anodized. The hinges are made of 1/8-inch steel that is powder coated. All hardware is made from stainless steel and all mating surfaces have the lowest coefficient of friction available.

Each tripod kit includes a 20-foot tripod, one set of locking pins, one storage/travel bag and one rapid pan collar.

The hardware kit includes: ■■ Sideline Power EZ Controller/ Harness ■■ Bescor MP 101 Battery-Powered Remote Pan/Tilt Unit ■■ Sony HD Camera with Battery Backup ■■ Travel Case for Components ■■ Lilliput 7-Inch LCD Monitor/ External with 6-Hour Battery MSRP: $3,795.

sidelinepower.com/eyes-in-the-air-main

NORMATEC PULSE RECOVERY SYSTEM The NormaTec PULSE is a cutting-edge compression system that uses patented technology to enhance the body’s natural ability to recover. Using NormaTec’s full-length compression boots, arms, or hips before or after intense workouts rejuvenates muscle tissue, and reduces tightness and soreness. In addition to these benefits, studies show that using NormaTec flushes out lactate, increases range of motion, and decreases inflammation, giving athletes a competitive edge.

Invented by an MD, PhD and perfected by professional athletes, NormaTec recovery systems are the go-to equipment for the world’s best.

MSRP: Starts at $1,495

NormaTecRecovery.com

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HOLIDAY TECH GIFTS

SENAPTEC SENSORY STATION Winning athletes need faster reaction, quicker perception, and more accurate movement. How do your athletes stack-up on their sensory skills? The Senaptec Sensory Station is a robust automated platform to quantify 10 sensory skills against a normative database of other athletes.

The system shows strengths and where improvements are most important. The Senaptec Sensory Station then automatically generates a training program and gives athletes the ability to train on the station and on their personal tablets. After sensory training, athletes regularly report they feel “faster and more in control.”

MSRP: Call for pricing.

senaptec.com/sensorystation

TRAZER AUGMENTED REALITY STATION How do you get your athletes to compete in practice like they would on the field? Burst out of that stance, stick it and cut across the field, get their heart rates to max in 30 seconds?!

TRAZER drives the competitive juices while assessing movement – healthy and injured - for performance enhancement, tracking overtraining, managing injury, training balance. TRAZER overloads the brain as the body works to elevate the heart rate and perform over real-world distances. It is this synergy of sense – process – and execute that makes the magic.

MSRP: Call for pricing.

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GAMEBREAKER PRACTICE PADS POWERED BY D3O® GameBreaker Practice Pads exclusively powered by D3O smart molecule

MULTIVOICE MV-AUDIBLE COACH COMMUNICATION SYSTEM MV-AUDIBLE Coach Communication System is free of the limitations of other radios. This military-grade system has advanced technology to extend range, filter out interference and provide secure and stable connection to your entire staff. Unlimited users, 3/4 mile range and 17 hours of talk time gives you the power you need to succeed.

■■ No Base Station ■■ Just turn it on ■■ Up to 17 Coaches Speaking ■■ Talk Time = 18 hrs ■■ Weatherproof ■■ Up to 1300 yard range ■■ Excellent Sound ■■ Single- or Double-Ear Headsets ■■ Take Anywhere, Use Anywhere MSRP: Starts at $3,000

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technology offer maximum rib, spine, and shoulder protection for athletes involved in non-contact sports or unpadded practices. The lightweight construction won’t weigh you down, and the dynamic impact protection you expect from a GameBreaker product makes sure a hit won’t lay you out. The soft padded vest is available in a wide range of sizes, secured with adjustable elastic straps and to ensure the proper fit for athletes of all ages.

Protect the Player. Protect the Game.

MSRP: $89.99

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GAMEBREAKER STEALTH HELMET LINER POWERED BY D3O® Power-up your protection! The GameBreaker Stealth Helmet Liner is discreet, supplemental padding that can be inserted into any full coverage hard shell helmet, with no modifications to the helmet needed. Exclusively made from D3O smart molecule foam, a dynamic impact reduction material that is trusted by Military and Law Enforcement professionals, and the same technology that powers the 5-Star rated GameBreaker-PRO headgear.

■■ Add the power of D3O to any hat or hard shell helmet ■■ One-size-fits-all design can be easily trimmed to fit any size of headgear ■■ Protect Head: Unique design conforms to the head and protects a greater area from impact* ■■ Powered by the same D3O Smart Molecule tech as the 5-Star rated GameBreaker-PRO Protect the Player. Protect the Game. *When compared to Unequal Gyro MSRP: $59.99

THE SPORTS ATTACK AERIAL ATTACK Introducing the NEW Aerial Attack Football machine that is designed for football programs on a tight budget. This unit will deliver right-footed deep spiral punts that turn over as well as end-over-end kick-offs for coverage and return practice. Plus, it throws both long and short passes for receiving and defensive drills. The machine pivots in any direction to challenge the defensive coverage or to instantly throw to an exact location.

The two solid polyurethane throwing wheels grip the ball for a tight spiral and precise ball delivery. The Aerial Attack is easily moved around during practice or can be used with the Universal Cart Clamp to attach to any cart.

Now all programs can afford to practice like the pros and make the most of every practice.

MSRP: $2,999

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sportsattack.com/football/aerial-attack

DARI MOTION Fully understanding how an athlete moves and how their movement changes over time can make a huge impact, both on their performance and their life. NO Sensors. NO Markers. NO Force Plates. NO Limits.

DARI Motion is a 3D markerless motion capture system that can capture an athlete’s movement signature and calculate researchgrade results for immediate application. Because assessments are quick, easy and repeatable, you can assess an athlete in minutes and ensure your training is driving results.

MSRP: Call 913-954-8600 for pricing.

GSC COACH-TO-PLAYER™

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Get the most of every minute. At practice. On the field. We make on-field communication clear, secure and easy. Our coachto-player wireless communication systems have been used for years by the National Football League. Now we’re here to help your team get the winning edge.

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Take Time to Assess Your Program A coach bears the ultimate responsibility of inspiring and motivating everyone around his program during the offseason. Start setting the tone now.

■■ Updating the playbook to best reflect the next team’s talent is a part of every coach’s offseason action plan.

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football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

Some coaches encounter the same problems every year, whether it’s late-season fatigue, disciplinary issues, poor game-planning, or lackluster communication with the administration, parents or players.

We understand some of those issues are out of a coach’s hands. Others are correctable if you identify them now and come up with a plan to fix them.

The reason they seem to come up over and over again is because coaches don’t take the time to assess their own programs at the end of each season. Take the time now, or you’ll be doomed to repeat the same mistakes next season.

Every coach needs a plan for when

these setbacks occur. Players get hurt, coaches leave for other programs, motivation levels ebb and flow, and equipment becomes outdated or unsafe.

What is your plan for assessing your program? If you don’t have one, you need one. Parents place their trust in coaches to steer their way through the most challenging of issues, and making the wrong decision could leave a coach wishing he’d taken the time to think ahead.

We’ll help you with that by sharing our findings of ways to assess a program in the offseason. Some of the most accomplished coaches in the nation share their experiences in the pages to follow.

National Coach of the Year: 6 Tips to Energize a Program in the Offseason A high school coach should set the tone for the offseason with his energy and attitude. If a coach takes his foot off the accelerator, the players will follow. To the contrary, a coach who leads with energy in the offseason can gain ground on opponents during the winter and spring months. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

The Bruce Rollinson Profile Team: Mater Dei (Calif.)

Tenure: 30 seasons as head coach

Career record: 299-85-2

CIF Southern Section titles: 7 National championships:

2017, 2018

Honors: 2017 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year, 2017 ALL-USA Coach of the Year Playing career: Played

football and ran track at Mater Dei and was a defensive back for USC

Family: Wife, Laurie;

■■ Bruce Rollinson has led Mater Dei to back-to-back CIF Open Division state football titles.

J

ohn Rollinson led Mater Dei (Calif.) to its second straight national

championship with a victory in the CIF State Open Division championship game Dec. 8. The reigning National Coach of the Year has mastered the art of motivating everyone associated with his program over his 30 years as head coach. He recently offered five tips for energizing a program to FNF Coaches.

Energize everybody involved with the program. “What I emphasize to any coach is this: It is your responsibility as a head coach to motivate and re-energize everybody involved with your program. That includes the administration, coaches, parents and players. It’s a new year. You’re responsible for generating that excitement.”

Update all outdated equipment. “Schedule a meeting with your equipment man. If you’re the equipment man, design an agenda. What do you want to accomplish? What is the status of the game uniforms? Have you send the helmets for reconditioning? That determines how many purchases you’ll need to make. Is all of the equipment collected and accounted for?”

Reconsider the strength and conditioning program. “Plan a meeting with the strength and conditioning coach. Never use the word ‘maintenance’ when you’re talking about lifting. The minute kids hear that, they think you’re going to back down

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daughters, Carolina Rollinson Flanagan and Catherine Rollinson Pederson; one grandson, Matthew Flanagan

with lighter reps and less weight. We lift hard during the season. The entire program is designed to build to the end of the season when we’re playing a state championship game on Dec. 8. We’re going to lift four times a week regardless of holidays and vacations.”

Meet with coaches. “I meet with coordinators first, then position coaches for varsity, the head JV coach, and then the head freshman coach. At the end of the evaluation period, I reconvene with the coordinators. We discuss the things that were brought up by the assistants.”

Skip the player meetings. “I personally don’t do closure meetings with every returning player. I used to do it, and I found it to be an exercise in futility in the sense that they have selective hearing. They already know the expectations of the program.

I prefer to spread out meetings with players throughout the offseason as I see the motivational levels and attitudes. We’ll give every kid a fresh slate when we restart the race card.

You’re better served to meet them at their motivational levels.”

Don’t rush, allow time to recharge. “I used to try to do it all in a month. All of the sudden, I felt like I hadn’t had a chance to rejuvenate. Spread things out. If you have good people surrounding you, you won’t need to do it all at once.”

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ASSESSING YOUR PROGRAM

10 steps for bouncing back from a disappointing end to the season The closer a high school football team gets to the ultimate goal of winning a state championship, the more the pain of a season-ending loss hurts. The best coaches are able to spin these losses as motivation for the following season.

The biggest setbacks spark the greatest comebacks.

The Tony Vance Profile

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Team: Hattiesburg High (Miss.)

Tenure: 6 seasons as head coach

Career record: 53-24 Accomplishments:

5A South State Championship in 2017, led the Tigers to their first Mississippi state championship appearance since 1998

2018: Posted second straight undefeated regular season, orchestrated offensive attack that averaged more than 54 points per game

■■ Hattiesburg (Miss.) coach Tony Vance has led his team to a combined record of 26-2 over the last two seasons.

T

ony Vance knows something about

handling adversity in his role as Hattiesburg (Miss.) head coach.

Vance arrived on the job on Feb. 11, 2013. That was the day after a monstrous EF4 tornado blew through Hattiesburg with winds of more than 170 mph, causing more than $35 million of damage, including much to the Hattiesburg High campus.

Vance kept his focus on the task at hand, and helped propel Hattiesburg to a gradual ascent to the stop of the state’s rankings. Hattiesburg’s record with Vance as head coach includes the following seasons: 2013 (4-8); 2014 (5-7); 2015 (8-4); 2016 (10-3); 2017 (14-1); 2018 (12-1).

Still, Hattiesburg has yet to finish a season with a state-championship win on Vance’s watch. He recently offered these 10 tips for overcoming the disappointment of a season-ending loss.

Take a week off. “This year, we lost the week before Thanksgiving, so

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we had a week off. I gave them time to reenergize, focus and reflect on the season we had.”

Congratulate the players. “The first thing we do is meet with players during their athletic period. I congratulate the guys and thank them for their service.”

Push the academics. “They need to focus on the rest of the semester. I make sure they understand the importance of finishing the semester strong.”

Meet with seniors. “We find out what we can do to help them continue their careers, if that’s a goal. I make sure they understand the importance of graduation and stress that that’s the No. 1 goal.”

Set a schedule for lifts and runs. “If we have people moving on to other sports, I wish them well. I make sure everyone else is aware of our offseason expectations.”

6

Have a coaches meeting. “We’ll address issues or concerns that any individual might have. Individual coaches will meet with coordinators.”

Pencil in replacement starters. “As a staff, we’ll talk about candidates.

We have to decide who we’re going to develop and who’s doing what.”

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Share film with players learning new roles. “We’ll tailor our players to the

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Network with coaches outside of the program. “We don’t think we have all

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scheme, because we have a scheme in place that’s pretty flexible.”

of the answers. We reach out to junior colleges in our area. Southern Miss. is right down the street. We don’t have to go to clinics to get better.”

Set the tone as the head coach. “We’re losing 22 seniors so the expectation is we might not be very good. Not being good is not an option. We’re going to be good. That message has to be clear to coaches and players.”

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ASSESSING YOUR PROGRAM

5 tips for a new coach to gain the trust of his assistants Unlike in college football, high school head coaches rarely hire an entirely new staff when they start with a new program. For that reason, one of the hardest tasks they face is earning the trust of assistants who worked under the previous head coach.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

WHAT DID LUCAS CHANGE?

A

■■ First-year coach Chelsea High (Mich.) coach Josh Lucas inherited a staff of veteran assistants.

J

osh Lucas took over as the Chelsea High (Mich.) head

coach in May, marking the first time in 23 years that newly promoted athletic director Brad Bush would not be on the sidelines. Lucas left the remainder of the staff in place, although he recognized the challenge of serving as the boss to a handful of coaches who were twice his age.

With that very dynamic in mind, Bush brought in Lucas because he felt the young head coach could navigate his way through that challenge.

“It’s always a challenge when coaches have been on the staff for 20 years,” Bush said. “Josh did a great job of managing those personalities and bringing in the things he felt were important.”

Lucas took Chelsea to the Michigan Division 4 final in his first season as head coach. He shared five tips for a new head coach looking to gain the trust of his assistants.

1

Don’t criticize the way things were done in the past. “The worst thing I could have done was

completely change everything for a team that made the playoffs 22 of the last 23 years. There were not a lot of culture things to change.”

Borrow ideas from the previous head coach. “I met individually with each member of the

2 28

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offensive staff, and found out what they liked from before I got here. I tried to put my stamp on it without completely changing the offense. I fit their playbook to my style of spread, no-huddle. I talked about what they did well and fit it to my offense.”

Keep the terminology the same. “I figured it’s a lot easier if I learn new terminology rather than make all of my assistants and players learn something new. I wanted to make it as simple as possible for the kids. I think that helped us.

We kept it similar to what they had before and I adapted to the way things were called.”

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Have a weekly game plan meeting with the entire staff. “I want everybody to contribute and

have a voice. We’ll go through each coach’s thoughts during our Sunday meetings. What do they like? What don’t they like? I always have final say on the game plan, but their voices are heard.”

Value their time. “I fully trust my defensive staff, so I don’t interfere with their operation. I keep our meetings short. We’re in and out in two hours.

If I came in and changed things up by asking for more of their time, I would have gotten a negative reaction from the players and coaches. Keeping the culture the same was a huge plus for me.”

5

new head coach needs to run his program the best way he sees fit, so Lucas knew he couldn’t keep everything the same as the previous head coach.

He ushered in more technology – with iPads on the sidelines and video cameras filming each practice.

“A lot of trust had to be gained,” Lucas said.

“Once they felt like the trust was there, they were open to my ideas.

We excelled at filming practices and breaking down the film after each practice. I asked them, ‘Why don’t we correct mistakes right after practice rather than wait until the next day?’ That was received well.”

Lucas also changed the way practices were run by moving away from the practice of scripting plays. He understood many of his assistants were accustomed to getting a play script before practice, so he continued to draft scripts but reserved the right to change on the fly.

TACKLING MATTERS. ATAVUS CA N H E LP YO U IMPROV E PERFORMA N C E AN D I N CREASE SAFET Y

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PLAYBOOK presented by How and Why to Coach Wrong-Arming

BY JOBY TURNER

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DIAGRAM 1

he “wrong-arm” or spill concept is one of the mostdebated techniques amongst defensive coaches.

History and purpose

Many older coaches who cut their teeth in the 5-2 defenses taught their defensive ends to “box” or contain all pulls in order to force the ball back into bigger and stronger middle linebackers.

Then, Jimmy Johnson and his defensive assistants developed the concept of block down, step down (BDSD) and spilling.

What Johnson and his staff had done was to move smaller, quicker players to the linebacker and safety positions to get as much speed a possible onto the field. The old “box” idea wouldn’t work with these players, who were typically being smaller and lighter. The idea to spill or wrong arm allowed these players allowed them to use their best asset – speed – to chase plays down as the ball-carrier would be going parallel to the line of scrimmage instead of perpendicular.

The best way to get the running back to move side to side was for the defensive end or defensive tackle to get inside of the puller to make the runner cut somewhere other than his intended destination. To do this, the defensive player had to take his outside arm and rip through the puller trying to get inside where the ball-carrier would be going.

Since many people of the time believed in keeping the outside arm free, the term “wrong arm” was coined, because the player uses the “wrong arm” to attack the puller. This philosophy/ technique, along with BDSD, changed the way many defenses play.

Wrong-arming allows teams who are outmatched in size and strength to even the playing field by making bigger players run side to side while the smaller, faster guys chase the ball-carrier down, negating the size disadvantage.

The concept itself seems rather simple, but for the concept to work properly, it takes a carefully choreographed dance between the defensive line and the linebackers.

BDSD and gap exchange principles The idea of the wrong arm-goes back to the concept of block down, step-down. If a defensive lineman has his visual key or the person he is aligned over blocks down, then the defensive player must step down and replace the heels of the down-blocking player. Think 9-technique vs.

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END AND SAM GAP EXCHANGE

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

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tight end down-block on power. When the defensive end replaces the heels of the tight end, this is known as a gap exchange with the Sam linebacker (diagram 1). Now, in order to get the ball-carrier to cut toward our now unblocked Sam, we must execute a wrong arm technique to force the ball outside. This allows our free players to make a play (diagram 2).

The one problem on paper many coaches have with this technique is that you trade one-for-one with your defensive end and their fullback. However, there is a way to get the math back on your side. It’s all in how you coach it.

How to teach and drill the wrong arm The first key to executing the wrong arm starts with stance and the initial footwork of the get off. Without the proper angle, the wrong arm becomes less effective and harder to execute. Feel free to use whatever stance you prefer your defensive linemen to have, but there are a couple of details that need to be mentioned.

First, I like to align my defensive linemen pretty heavy on their counterparts. This ensures we should get some type of hands on the offensive linemen as they down block. The second priority is that the defensive lineman must step with his foot near a 45-degree angle toward the crotch of the defender he is aligned over. Less than 45 degrees is really good if you know the player is down blocking for sure. However, the 45-degree rule works great versus the other various blocks we see in any given game.

check out more in-depth coach content at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

After the defensive lineman takes his initial step, he should be trying to initiate some type of contact on the offensive player as he is moving down. This contact helps the linebacker execute his gap exchange with little to no contact from the offensive tackle. The intention is to just knock this player off of his course. A good punch or stiff arm to the shoulder pad area usually does the trick.

This is not ideal hand placement here, but anything to get the tackle off-balance.

Simultaneously as the footwork and punch are happening, the defender must train his eyes to look down the line of scrimmage for any type of puller. The 45-degree step helps players in this regard, but you must train them to not worry about the backfield action. This correct eye placement will help them see the puller and react accordingly.

After the defender recognizes the puller, he dips and rips his shoulder underneath and through the pads of the pulling lineman. The defender must maintain his feet on contact and really run through the puller.

The key is to dip the outside shoulder as low as possible to give the puller a very small target to hit. Also, keeping the pads

below that of the puller ensures that no accidental contact occurs forcing the defender off balance.

Now, remember how I mentioned earlier how you can get the math back in your favor? Here is the key. Your defensive player must now “run the circle” or “do-si-do” after executing the rip move. This entails staying as close to the puller and trying to work back toward the outside where the ball-carrier is going. This critical detail gets the math back in your favor and allows your player the possibility of making the play from behind.

I learned the “run the circle” terminology from “outlawjoseywales” and “Deuce” on the Coach Huey message board. I adapted the “do-si-do” terminology after I realized that if you can lock your rip move underneath the arm/ shoulder pad area of the puller and run the circle, it resembles the popular square dance move. I found this terminology made it easier for players visualize what to do after making contact. Feel free to develop any terminology you feel is easier for your players.

■■ Joby Turner is the head football coach at Clarksville (Ind.) High School.

You can follow him on Twitter @JobyTurner.

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

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31

PLAYBOOK presented by Install an empty backfield base RPO

BY CHRIS PARKER

FILL BASIC VS. ALPHA

DIAGRAM 1 P

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Empty is a big part of our offense. We started using empty when we realized our defense had a hard time adjusting to the formation, and we worked hard at coming up with ways to defend it.

After a few years, we came to realize we rarely saw the formation but had to devote practice time working on defending it regardless each season. Thus our empty package was born, and it has become something we have expanded on annually.

As a result, empty has given us a unique package within our offense to exploit the frustrations that defenses feel when lining up across from five receiver sets.

Empty formations can create great matchups for your players and give them a chance for success regardless of how the defense aligns. The defense must remove defenders from the box in order to cover all receivers, or they must keep the box sound and leave a receiver uncovered.

If the defense stays with two high safeties, a receiver is always uncovered.

The first part of our empty package is to take the numbers advantage if it is there.

On our basic empty RPO, the trips side of the formation runs a fast screen to No. 1. The weak side runs hitches. The offensive linemen block zone with the backside tackle locking onto the defensive end (Diagram 1). The quarterback should look to both sides for a great throw and take it. If he does not see a throw, he can run.

Play rules by position: Quarterback ■■ Read the grass. Throw hitch or fast screen if grass is there. If not, run zone. If unsure, it is probably a run read (diagram 2).

■■ Pass read: Grip and rip. Get the ball out as fast as possible.

■■ Have confidence in your teammates. The QB is the point guard on this play. Get the ball to the guys that have the best matchups and let them make plays.

Play rules by position: Strongside receivers ■■ diagrams 3 & 4 Blocking various trips alignments ■■ diagram 5 Play rules by position: Weakside receivers ■■ 5 hitch. Great get-off and stick route at 5.

■■ Hands up. Anticipate the ball on the break.

Play rules by position: Offensive line The offensive line blocks zone with the backside tackle locking on the backside defensive end. They

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$ W

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RUN READS QB AS BALL CARRIER

DIAGRAM 2

■■ SHADE RIGHT: QB Run opposite if shade is left

QB

■■ BRAT: Opposite is BLAST

■■ ODD: Cut off the QB center’s block, then the ISO block

■■ ODD

QB

DIAGRAM 3

FAST = OUTSIDE RECEIVERS ■■ Fast Arms, Fast Feet: Stick route and get back to LOS ■■ Once ball is secure, get upfield and read block on defender No. 1 ■■ Note: Stay outside! Do not drift back to middle of field

FAST SCREEN C

C LB

DIAGRAM 4

FAST = INSIDE RECEIVERS

■■ Get off flat, down line; attack 1 yard in front of the intended receiver’s original alignment ■■ Once you get to the landmark, get a wide base to make contact with the corner ■■ If the corner is dropping, turn and block the pursuing linebacker

block Mdm (Most dangerous man) C

C LB

check out more in-depth coach content at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

DIAGRAM 5

FAST TRIPS ROUTES

3

1

2

3

■■ vs. Apex: Block MDM (May “X” if Apex defender is stopping the screen)

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DIAGRAM 6

BASIC VS. ODD FRONT

DIAGRAM 7

1

2

■■ vs. No. 2 Uncovered: Block MDM

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BASIC VS. EVEN FRONT

3

■■ vs. No. 3 Uncovered: “X”

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■■ vs. Both Covered: Block MDM

LIGHTNING BASIC VS. ALPHA

DIAGRAM 8 P $ S

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LEAF BASIC VS. ALPHA ROLL

DIAGRAM 9

Play-caller notes

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FILL EASY VS. ALPHA P

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■■ This is a great call in the middle of the field or to put the strength into the boundary. This will create a mismatch on the inside hitch by the F receiver in many cases. It also creates a quicker, easier screen throw.

■■ Offensive line note. This play is just as good with dart, trap or any other blocking scheme that takes care of five defenders in the box. We run zone because we work zone more than any other scheme. We have changed to run something different for each opponent.

Other empty formations ■■ Diagrams 8 & 9 Switch

DIAGRAM 10

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should use their zone rules to account for the defensive lineman and the inside linebackers (Diagrams 6 & 7).

If an odd front gives the offensive line problems, the blocking scheme could change to a “gut” scheme where we block the defensive end with the guard and pull the tackle around for the inside linebacker. The most important thing for the offensive line in this scheme is that you find something where they can block the five people in the box.

Always remember: If there are more than five defenders in the box, there should be an uncovered receiver, and you should not have to worry about the run on the play.

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If we switch the strong and weak sides switch responsibilities, now the strong side runs all hitches and the weak side runs the fast screen to No. 1. The offensive line still blocks zone with the backside tackle locking on to the defensive end.

The QB should look both sides for a great throw and take it. If he does not see a throw, he can run (Diagram 10).

■■ Chris Parker is the head coach at Pickens High School in Jasper, Ga. Follow him on Twitter @PickensFootball.

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PLAYBOOK presented by Why go for 1 when you can get 2?

BY RICH ALERCIO

After scoring a touchdown, we are given the choice of going for 1 point or for 2. Why would you go for 1 when you can get 2?

Kicking an extra point is not an easy play at the high school level. You have to have a guy who can long snap, another who can catch and hold then a guy who can get it between the uprights. You also have to teach an alignment and protection scheme that is only used for that part of the game, and it is only worth 1 point.

In 2016, we were a Vermont state finalist who fortunately scored a lot of touchdowns, so at times we just kicked to not run up the score. Our success rate kicking the ball was 62.5 percent.

That equates to 0.625 points per attempt. Our 2-point conversion success rate was 73.9 percent, giving us an average of 1.47 points per attempt.

In other words, scoring and kicking gave us 6.625 points per score while going for two gave us 7.47 points.

We have a number of ways to go for 2: ■■ Align in an offensive formation and run a play ■■ Align in any one of our four swinging gate formations and run or pass ■■ Align in a swinging gate formation then shift to an offensive formation to run a play ■■ Align in a swinging gate formation, shift to a scrimmage kick formation then run a fake This article will focus on our four swinging gate formations and the run-pass options our QB has. We have found that this formation causes a great deal of stress on the defense and the defensive staff.

In all four of the swinging gate formations, the QB is responsible to recognize how the defense has aligned to the formation and if we outnumber them. It is just a matter of counting. If we outnumber them anywhere, that is where the ball is going. If numbers are even, the QB keeps the ball with a run-pass option. We change the alignments to see if we can catch the defense misaligned or provide us with a favorable match-up.

The first is our Gate Tight formation where we use the tight end as the snapper. This formation only has one play that allows the QB to run or pass to one of three receivers (diagram 1).

In the next three swinging gate formations, we utilize the center as the snapper, align one tight end (Y) and right wing (R) to the right, the left wing (L) and other tight end (Y) to the left and

34

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GATE TIGHT RUN/PASS

Y

T

DIAGRAM 1

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G

G

Y

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R

L K QB

GATE 1 TIGHT PASS

Y

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DIAGRAM 2

G

G

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Y R

L K QB

GATE 1 TIGHT RUN

Y

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DIAGRAM 3

G

G

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Y R

L K QB

check out more in-depth coach content at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

GATE RIGHT PASS

just change the location of the offensive linemen.

In each of these, the QB will make a pre-snap decision to run or pass and communicate it in code to his teammates. In both the run and pass plays, the QB has multiple options to keep or throw to another player.

In Gate 1, we only have one offensive lineman in front of the QB: the center. Gate 1 pass offers the QB five eligible receivers as well as the option to run (diagram 2).

Gate 1 run gives the QB the option to make a screen throw to L, run the ball or make a late throw or pitch to R (diagram 3).

In our Gate Right, we have our right guard and right tackle aligned with the center with the same run-pass options both pre- and post-snap (diagrams 4 & 5).

Y

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DIAGRAM 4

G

G

■■ Rich Alercio is the Head Coach of St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont. He spent most of his career on the college level as an offensive coordinator and head coach and specializes in offensive line play. He has taken a program that suffered eight consecutive losing seasons to the state championship game in two of the past three years. He hosts a weekly blog on olineskills.com.

WANT MORE PLAYBOOK CONTENT? Subscribe to USA Football’s Coaches Notes’ and get more than 500 playbook plays. Use code FNF10 and receive 10 percent off an annual subscription.

Y R

L K QB

GATE RIGHT RUN

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DIAGRAM 5

G

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Y R

L K

Our last Swing Gate formation is our Gate Middle which has the two Guards aligned with the Center and the Tackles aligned with their Tight Ends. It is a balanced formation (diagrams 6 & 7).

I’ll close by sharing the reasons we use the Swinging Gate: ■■ You get 2 points instead of 1.

■■ Success rates are higher.

■■ It stresses defensive players and coaches.

■■ It is easy to install as players do the same thing regardless of formation.

■■ Our players have a lot of fun doing it!

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QB

GATE MIDDLE PASS

Y

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DIAGRAM 6

G

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L K QB

GATE MIDDLE RUN

Y

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DIAGRAM 5

G

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USAFOOTBALL.COM/COACHES-NOTES

35

PLAYBOOK presented by the lateral RPO game using the running back stretch and swing

BY JORDAN NEAL

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here are many advantages of the running back

stretch/swing pass with either power or guard-tackle counter run-action, including: ■■ Versatile concepts that can be run from multiple personnel groupings and formations ■■ Can implement fly-sweep motion ■■ Simple to teach, to call and to execute ■■ High-percentage play that can be run in a wide variety of downs and distances ■■ Can build an entire offense around it ■■ Favorable for teams with inferior athletes and/or linemen ■■ Explosive for teams with superior athletes ■■ Forces the defense to account for the entire width of the field ■■ Easy to play-action pass or screen off of it

11 PERSONNEL RB SWING/POWER READ

DIAGRAM 1

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10 PERSONNEL RB SWING/POWER READ

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Procedure and general points ■■ Offensive line. The first thing you must do as a coach when running these plays is identify what you can block up front most effectively. Our players are proficient with down-block schemes, so we tend to use more power/counter with lateral backfield action more so than inside zone. The overall concept of the play creates false reads and misdirection for linebackers as well as favorable angles for our offensive line to execute their blocks.

■■ Running back. We get our fastest guy at this position. He either runs stretch or swing based on which side of the quarterback he is lined up.

The running back does not concern himself with what run play has been called. Just go lateral.

■■ Quarterback. We teach the quarterback to identify his read key and make that player wrong. The quarterback only has to know what run play is called insomuch as when he does keep the ball, he knows what aiming point he is looking for. In many cases, simply find the puller.

■■ Receivers. Our wide receivers and tight end identify the most dangerous players in the perimeter space and block them. receivers and ends are not concerned with what run play is called.

Simply get on the block and stay on the block.

11 PERSONNEL RB SWING/POWER READ

DIAGRAM 3 S

C

W E

T

N

11 PERSONNEL RB STRETCH/POWER READ

F

M E

$

DIAGRAM 4

S C

F W

E

C

$

M N

T

C

E

Draw it up Here is how we draw up our running back swing and stretch plays matched with power out of 11 personnel (diagram 1): ■■ The quarterback will always read the end player on the line of scrimmage. In this case, versus an even front, the quarterback reads the defensive end.

■■ If the end cannot make the play on the running back, the quarterback swings it out. If the

36

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end goes lateral to take the back, the quarterback keeps it on the power.

■■ Wide receivers identify the most dangerous threat and block leverage.

The tight end arc releases and works to circle the scraping playside linebacker.

With 10 personnel (diagram 2), the No. 3 receiver determines if the scraping linebacker or the playside safety is the most dangerous threat. Typically, the linebacker is in better position to pursue the swing. Therefore, the No. 3 slot usually ends up with this player in his lap.

check out more in-depth coach content at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

10 PERSONNEL RB STRETCH/POWER READ

DIAGRAM 5

S

F

C

W E

N

11 PERSONNEL RB SWING/ GT COUNTER-READ

M T

E

DIAGRAM 6

S C

F W

E

$

M N

10 PERSONNEL RB SWING/ GT COUNTER-READ

T

DIAGRAM 7 F

W E

N

T

E

DIAGRAM 8

S

F W

E

$

M N

10 PERSONNEL RB STRETCH/ GT COUNTER-READ

T

DIAGRAM 9 F

W E

$

M N

C

E

S C

C

$

M

11 PERSONNEL RB STRETCH/ GT COUNTER-READ C

C

E

S C

C

$

If we see blitz from an edge player, such as the nickel, the quarterback must treat him as the end player on the line of scrimmage and read him. If the nickel can reach the running back, then the quarterback keeps on the run play the same as he would normally, and now the playside offensive tackle must account for the defensive end as the new B-gap player.

Sometimes, we will see teams line up in a Bear, or 50, front (diagram 3). The quarterback simply sticks to his plan of finding the end player on the line of scrimmage and reads him. The offensive line simply makes a “Down. Down.” call and all frontside linemen block down to their inside gap.

Here is the same scheme with 11 personnel with the running back on the opposite side running stretch (diagram 4). Nothing changes for the offensive line and wide receivers. The quarterback and running back now simply run a traditional QB/RB hand-off mesh.

Here it is with 10 personnel (diagram 5).

Here is how we draw up our running back swing and stretch plays matched withguardtacklecounter out of 11 personnel (diagram 6): The quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end responsibilities do not change whatsoever when we are running counter with the lateral backfield action. Now, we are simply going to run a down-scheme in the opposite direction and pull both the guard and tackle and work to get the ball out the back door, in the case the quarterback keeps it.

Here is the same scheme out of 10 personnel (diagram 7). One thing to look for here is the linebackers adjusting and cheating toward the three receivers. If they overplay the swing too much, the offensive line can conceivably down block to the playside linebacker and pull to kick the defensive end and playside safety.

Here is the same scheme from 11 personnel with the running back on the opposite side running guard-tackle counter (diagram 8). Nothing changes for the offensive line and wide receivers.

The quarterback and running back now simply run a traditional QB/RB hand-off mesh.

Here it is with 10 personnel (diagram 9).

T

E

C ■■ Jordan Neal has been serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hendrix College since the program revived after a 53-year hiatus in 2013. At Hendrix, the Warriors have led the SAA the past four years in several categories, including overall yards and points per game. This season, Hendrix led the nation in offensive yards per game with 600. Before coaching at Hendrix, Neal was offensive line coach at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas, and offensive coordinator at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. He played Division III football at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

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Maine coach’s continued education has focused on technology Impact Reducing Facemask Clip

Many coaches look to further their education after starting their professional careers to give themselves options beyond football, such as athletic director or administrative roles. Continued education can also help coaches on game day. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

■■ Mount Desert Island High (Maine) coach Mark Arnold is also the school’s education technology director.

G-Forces are reduced by S.A.F.E. Clip before they reach the head and neck

Start Protecting Your Players at GETSAFECLIP.COM

M

ount Desert Island High (Maine) coach

Mark Arnold has always been a little ahead of the game in terms of understanding technology. The former University of Michigan football player went back to school for a postgraduate degree in educational technology at Michigan State in the late 1980s, and began using smartboards during his first coaching jobs in Michigan and Wisconsin in the 1990s.

“We were writing software that allowed us to break down our scouting on defense,” Arnold said.

Arnold was ahead of his time in a lot of ways. Today, like most coaches, he uses HUDL to provide the same service he spent hours analyzing in the 1990s. Throughout his career, he has continued to seek out opportunities for continued education. He has helped implement a program with Harvard University in which teachers can use virtual environments for professional development, and administered statewide video-conferencing for educators in Vermont.

“My whole career has been about

being a little ahead of others with new technology.”

As the head coach at Mount Desert Island, Arnold uses technology to analyze video, communicate with his players though smartboard technology, promote and market his program on social media, and chart strength and conditioning workouts using Google docs.

“The way my career developed, I came from a powerhouse college program at the University of Michigan and head a teaching degree,” Arnold said. “I was using technology for football programs.

That really started with designing our workout books and offseason programs.

Then it was desktop publishing software, and it’s grown every year since.”

Arnold took the head coaching position at Mount Desert Island last winter after serving as the defensive coordinator at the school for five seasons. He has been the education technology director at MDI for the past 10 years.

“Part of the reasoning for that move was because I wanted to get back into coaching and there was an opportunity here for that,” said Arnold.

FROG FITNESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

F

NOMINEES: FINAL ROUND

the players that perform above and beyond expectations in 2018. These players excel on the field and in the classroom – and had their communities rally around them for support.

FNF Coaches turned it over to the coaches and fans to nominate them.

These 10 players were named Player of the Year finalists for the December/ January edition. Through Dec. 13, fans had the opportunity to vote one player as the Frog Fitness Player of the Year. The winning player will receive a scholarship

BRENDON O’BRIEN

High School: Allen (Texas) Position: DL Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 11 tackles, 2 sacks GPA: 4.41 In Coach Corey Cain’s words: “Brenden is a

leader in many ways. He is a member of the PALs program (Peer Assistance Leadership) and participates in many different service opportunities around the school and community.”

BRANDON HWA

High School: Monterey Trail (Calif.)

Position: LB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 11 catches,

228 yards, 5 TDs GPA: 4.0+

In Coach TJ Ewing’s Words: “He

is a three-year varsity player and is a returning All-League player. He’s been picked defensive player of the game multiple times. He has been a three-sport athlete the past four years while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA.” JONATHAN FACTORA

High School: John Burroughs (Calif.)

Position: FB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 5 receptions, 1 TD,

14 tackles GPA: 4.0

In Coach Rand Holdren’s Words:

“Johnny is a tremendous student for our school and citizen for our society.

He is a College Peer Mentor, elected Senior Captain, and 3-time Scholar Athlete recipient.

It has been an absolute honor to coach this kid.”

JALEN CARR

High School: Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.)

Position: ATH Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 78 carries,

NF Coaches and Frog Fitness set out to honor

951 yards, 14 TDs, 12 rec., 287 yards, 2 return TDs GPA: 3.5 In Coach Kalvin Rymer’s Words: “He has been dedicated. He’s a great role model on and off the field and is also committed to play football at Illinois State University.”

HUNTER BOWLES

High School: Baconton Charter Position: LB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 125 tackles,

15 TFL, 2 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries GPA: 3.7

In Coach Randy Grace’s Words: “Hunter is the

school’s all-time leading tackler. He has never missed one single practice or game in high school or even an offseason workout. Hunter has maintained academic excellence. He has been able to accomplish all of this while being completely blind in one eye.”

TREVOR NORLING

High School: Northeast (Fla.) Position: OL Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: O-line grade average

– 91 percent, 37 pancakes GPA: 3.6

In Coach Jeremy Frioud’s Words: “Trevor has uncompromising work ethic and leadership skills.

He is a four-year varsity starter who has played every position on the offensive line. He is also a starting defensive lineman and long snapper on special teams. Trevor spends his free time tutoring JV and varsity players who are struggling.”

HAGEN WILLINGHAM

High School: Trion Position: RB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 1,400 yards

rushing, 300 receiving, 21 TDs GPA: 3.7

In Coach Justin Brown’s Words:

from Frog Fitness – along with recognition in FNF Coaches magazine and on the website.

OFFICIAL PRIZES: first PRIZE: The winner will receive a scholarship of $2,500 from Frog Fitness.

Second prize: $1,500 scholarship from Frog Fitness.

Third prize: $1,000 scholarship from Frog Fitness.

FEATURE STORY: A photo of the winning player and an article will appear in FNF Coaches print publication as well as FNFCoaches.com.

“Hagen is an exceptionally hard worker and a two-way starter. He leads the team in rushing, receptions and yards. He is the punt returner, kick returner and holder on field goal team. He provides leadership on and off the field.”

NATE ZYZDA

High School: East (Iowa) Position: DB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 32 tackles, 2 inter-

ceptions, 8 pass break-ups GPA: 3.9

In Coach Chris Zyzda’s Words: “Nate is a great leader. He is a student with high expectations, high character, a captain in football and his junior year in baseball. He’s an All-State baseball player and is another coach on the field.”

JAMES RHODES

High School: Orange Park (Fla.) Position: OL Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 3-year starter at OT,

42 pancakes, 2 sacks allowed GPA: 3.8/4.1 weighted

In Coach Thomas MacPherson’s Words: “He’s a great teammate and works hard in the weight room. He is great in the classroom. He keeps a job all year long and is our Senior Class Officer.”

KYLE MARTIN

High School: Adairsville (Ga.) Position: LB Graduating Class: 2019 2018 Stats: 32 solo tackles,

39 assists, 3 TFL, 2 sacks GPA: 3.96

In Athletic Director Meredith Barnhill’s Words: “He had one of the highest grades in my Algebra 1 class when he was a freshman and would also help anyone in need to help them succeed. He has been one of the best lifters we have in this senior class. He works hard to perfect the form of our lifts and is one of the strongest players on the team.”

39

TEAM MOMS OF THE YEAR

The 2018 FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Team Moms of the Year FNF Coaches and BUBBA burger set out last summer to determine which schools from all across the country have the best collection of football team moms. Two schools in Ohio – North Royalton and Hardin Northern – won.

NORTH ROYALTON MAMA BEARS

The Big Check

The North Royalton Mama Bears participated in a check presentation with athletic director Bo Kuntz before the team’s final home game on Oct. 12. The FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Team Moms Contest started on July 15, and voting began on Aug. 23.

Between Aug. 23 and Sept. 22, North Royalton received more than 1,200 votes – tops of any school of any size in the nation.

40

HARDIN NORTHERN FOOTBALL MOMS

The North Royalton Mama Bears do everything

It’s not an overstatement to say the Hardin

they can to keep the football players nourished and energized on game day.

The North Royalton Team Moms’ win in the 2018 FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Team Moms Contest will only help with that mission. Thanks to an overwhelming turnout on a fan vote hosted by FNFCoaches.com, North Royalton won the nationwide contest among Large schools (enrollment of 1,000 or more), earning a $1,000 cash donation to the program on behalf of FNF Coaches and BUBBA burgers.

“We are truly excited and grateful for this award!” said North Royalton Mama Bears President Kim Novak, who expects to put the $1,000 prize toward pregame meals for the varsity players, junior varsity players, coaches and trainers.

The North Royalton Mama Bears drummed up interest in the contest primarily through social media. The North Royalton City Schools Facebook page shared the news that the Mama Bears had been nominated as finalists in the contest. The North Royalton Team Moms won the contest going away.

Besides feeding the North Royalton football team, the Mama Bears fundraise and partner with community businesses to keep the football budget flush.

Northern football team might not exist without their Football Moms.

Hardin Northern head football coach Mike Dennis certainly sees it that way.

He nominated his team’s Team Moms for the FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Team Moms Contest for the way the mothers helped support his program after the 2013 season when Northern couldn’t field a team due to a shortage of players.

The next year, Dennis, a longtime assistant when Hardin Northern was a small-school football power under coach Pete Brunow, stepped up in an effort to get the program back on its feet. The Hardin Northern Football Moms have been there for Dennis every step of the way, feeding his players and assistant coaches, helping to fundraise to keep the program afloat, and drumming up interest in the community to make sure the program has a strong feeder system.

Dennis nominated his team moms for the FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Contest, and they won, earning the $500 prize for small schools. The Hardin Northern fans logged more votes online at FNFCoaches.com than any other fan base of a school with fewer than 1,000 students.

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

Posing in the Rain

The Hardin Northern Football Moms took part in a check presentation during halftime of their final home game on Oct. 26.

The moms braved some late October, Ohio weather – as it poured on the moms during the ceremony.

Between Aug. 23 and Sept. 22, Hardin Northern received more than 800 votes in the FNF Coaches/BUBBA burger Contest – tops among schools across the nation with fewer than 1,000 students.

USA FOOTBALL

A new way to teach USA FOOTBALL’S ADVANCED TACKLING SYSTEM HELPS COACHES TEACH DEFENSE It’s the fourth quarter, and your inside linebacker just took a poor angle on an outside zone play, failing to connect with the ball-carrier.

BY JOE FROLLO

First down. On the very next play, your outside linebacker didn’t drive his feet after connecting with a receiver, who took it to the house. Game over.

While grading film after the game, both receive a negative score for a “missed tackle.” But do those two tick marks really help you identify what went wrong on those plays or provide a solution during next week’s practice plan?

It’s time for a new approach. USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System, developed in-conjunction with Richie Gray, an international and multi-sport tackling expert, offers coaches a progressive framework to improve their defense’s most critical skill.

Within this system, coaches learn easily identifiable and efficient metrics to classify successes and failures within each tackle. Using these indicators, coaches can turn to drills and troubleshooting progressions within the system to provide rich feedback and address specific concerns for each player.

“The Advanced Tackling System meets coaches where they are and helps them not only find deficiencies in tackling but ways to measure and help players dominate each tackle,” said Rob Currin, head coach at Alden (N.Y.) High School. “This system enhances

any current tackle system and can be implemented immediately.”

The foundation for this system was developed by Richie Gray, the founder of GSI and the 5 Fight Tackle System as well as a former professional rugby player who has coached on the highest levels in both that sport and American football. Gray worked in 2016 alongside the Miami Dolphins coaching staff to improve that team’s tackling skills and continues to work with individual NFL coaches and players each offseason.

The system breaks down every tackle into five core concepts, each of which can be defined and charted by coaches in both practices and games.

Track: The ability to get from anywhere on the field to the ball-carrier with speed, taking into account scheme, leverage and blockers in order to make the tackle.

Prepare: The ability to transition from tracking to getting into the correct body position with proper foot placement for imminent contact and type of tackle being made.

Connect: Winning at the point of

contact through technique, accuracy and the proper mentality.

Accelerate: The ability to generate force through the feet into the ground to provide sustained pressure and generate controlled power.

Finish: Taking the tackle to the ground with full control of the ball-carrier – all the way to the deck.

“You’ve got a player who misses tackles, you can track it back to one or two of our KPIs [key performance indicators],” Gray said. “The whole system can be very complex for the highest level, but it can easily be simplified down to whatever level you’re at.”

USA Football’s Senior Manager of Education and Training and shoulder tackling expert Andy Ryland serves as the on-screen instructor of the system.

“The shoulder tackle is still a part of our system. It’s a great start,” Ryland said.

“Now, what we’re doing, is we’re taking a chronological look at the tackle. We look at the pieces that lead up to the finish of the tackle. Within each of those pieces, I have a number of KPIs I can start to look at.”

Learn more about USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System by visiting footballdevelopment.com. Coaches can create a free membership and download any three of the videos to see for themselves what the pros are teaching.

■■ Series of three for second leg drill: The second leg drill within USA Football’s Advanced Tackling System teaches players how to transition from single-leg control to full control in order to bring the ball-carrier to the ground. This system, coming to USA Football coaching system site FootballDevelopment.com in January, gives coaches key performance indicators that they can identify, train and correct to develop better fundamental tacklers on the football field.

41

THE MENTAL SIDE OF THE GAME

Presented by

Indiana Coach on Time Management: Split the Season Into Quarters

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

O

X Sports allows coaches to reach players away

from the field and academic setting. With players spending more and more time on devices, it is the perfect avenue for coaches to share learning tools through photos, videos, scouting reports and customized tips. Each month, OX Sports sponsors a Q&A with a prominent high school coach.

Mike Kirschner was the head coach at Ben Davis High (Ind.) for 11 seasons (2007-17) before leaving for a new challenge at Mt. Vernon High last winter. While at Ben Davis, Kirschner’s participation numbers routinely surpassed 200 players. Since taking over at Mt. Vernon, the number has steadily increased from 80.

With that many players in his program, Kirschner has learned to be a time-manager. At each annual banquet in November, he hands out a calendar with football schedules for the next 12 months. He shared his plan with FNF Coaches, noting that the key is dividing the season into four quarters.

1st quarter – The Winter Program The winter program lasts from December through January. During this portion of the season, Kirschner holds practice on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. These players are also lifting during their free periods during the school day. The afterschool program is for speed development.

At the end of the program, the players have a weightlifting competition.

“I set nine-week goals,” Kirschner said. “We max out every nine weeks for motivation.”

Kirschner also starts a leadership development program for a select group of players.

3rd quarter – The Summer Part of the reason Kirschner distributes the schedule for the next year at the end-of-year banquet is so players and coaches can plan vacations. This is the portion of the schedule that Kirschner encourages this.

“It allows parents to plan – and more importantly – it allows coaches to plan accordingly with their families,” Kirschner said.

“We leave that out sometimes, and that should be the biggest part.”

The players who are not on vacation practice on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The focus is on weight lifting and speed development, and practices are early in the morning so players can hold jobs. All practices on the field are no-pad practices.

“We’re teaching fundamentals,” Kirschner said.

4th quarter – In-Season High school football can be a seven-day-a-week commitment in-season, so Kirschner tries to cut days short when he can. On Saturdays, he reviews film with varsity coaches and players. Once they’re done, he kicks his staff out of the facility.

They come back Sunday morning for gameplanning, and he again has them out by 10 a.m.

2nd quarter – The Spring In the months of March, April and May, the players continue their lifting schedule and leadership programs. The focus is on weight lifting and speed development.

“Kids who play other sports are not involved with this,” Kirschner said. “That’s perfectly fine.”

Kirschner also uses this part of the calendar to recruit other athletes in the school.

“We go to basketball games, track meets, baseball games,” Kirschner said. “We’re visible to the kids.”

42

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■■ Mt. Vernon (Ind.) coach Mark Kirschner has led teams to two state championships.

The Mike Kirschner Profile Age: 57 Team: Mt. Vernon High (Ind.)

State championships: Ben Davis High (2014, 2017)

Career record:

109-62, five sectional, four regional, and two semistate championships

Accolades: Indiana

Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year (2014, 2017)

Education: Bachelor’s degree (Ball State University, 1983), teaching license (University of Indianapolis, 1989), Master’s degree (Olivet Nazarene University, 2006)

TECHNOLOGY CORNER

Presented by

The 2019 #PoweredUp Coaches Clinic Is a Special Opportunity for Coaches

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

S

ideline Power will host an event in February differ-

ent from any other clinic. The #PoweredUp clinic will offer Midwest coaches freebies, technology information, coaching advice, and opportunities to expand their networks. Sideline Power LLC specializes in outfitting teams with headsets, end zone and sideline cameras, drones and portable sound systems.

In February, Sideline Power will also look to improve the clinic experience for coaches through the #PoweredUp Coaches Clinic.

The 2019 #PoweredUp Coaches Clinic will be Feb. 22 and 23 at La Vista Conference Center in La Vista, Neb. The clinic will feature a host of guest speakers from the professional, collegiate and high school coaching ranks. Coaches will also have an opportunity to test the products and take home freebies among the allotment of products Sideline Power offers customers.

“We’ve taken feedback from coaches on what makes up a great clinic,” said #PoweredUp Coaches Clinic director Brett Davis. “We focus ourselves on customer service, and we’ll really try to make this a great experience for coaches.

It’s an opportunity to do some networking through small group sessions. We’re customfitting our clinic to meet coaches’ needs.”

The clinic has 28 spots for guest speakers, which are still being filled.

The confirmed list currently includes: ■■ John Walsh, Denton Guyer (TX) ■■ Keith Riggs, Jenks (OK) ■■ Clint Brown, South Dakota State ■■ Randy Dreiling, St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) ■■ Kim Nelson, Roosevelt High (SD) ■■ Brian Wilken, Newell-Fonda (IA) ■■ Bill Arnold, Topeka Hayden (KS) ■■ Chris Holt, Lathrop (MO) ■■ David Braun, Northern Iowa University ■■ Jon Holmes, Bishop Miege (KS) ■■ Tyson Veidt, Iowa State University ■■ Mike Cunningham, NW Missouri State ■■ Mark Farley, University of Northern Iowa ■■ Andy Means, Millard South (NE) ■■ Justin Smith, Seargent Bluff-Luton (IA) ■■ Jud Hall, Scottsbluff (NE) ■■ Jeff Tomlin, Grand Island (NE) ■■ Jeremy Christiansen, Fremont-Mills (IA) ■■ Zac Kliment, Creighton (NE)

There will be chalk talk sessions that provide coaches opportunities to talk X’s and O’s in small groups. Champion coaches from around the Midwest will be filling the speaking slots. There will also be special sessions for 8-man and wing-T coaches.

Besides the networking opportunities and growth potential that the clinic offers, there will be tangible takeaways for coaches such as free swag and the potential to earn college credit through Drake University.

“More than anything, this will be about the speakers,” Davis said. “Will we inform coaches about our products? Sure, we will. We’ll set up sound systems, sideline headsets, and show them how to use end zone cameras. They’ll be able to see the products in use. We’ll give them opportunities to do some hands-on things that they wouldn’t get at other clinics.”

Davis and Sideline Power CEO Matt Starr decided to keep the clinic in-state for the Nebraska-based company after noticing that many Midwest coaches travel to Colorado or Kansas City for coaching clinics. Davis said this clinic will cater to coaches in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, although all coaches from across the country are welcome to attend.

“This gives us an opportunity to showcase our products and technology to our local coaches,” Davis said.

THE 2019 #POWEREDUP COACHES CLINIC PRESENTED BY SIDELINE POWER What: A clinic for Midwest coaches looking to become stronger leaders, gain access to the latest technology, and learn from the pros.

When: Feb. 22 and 23 Where: La Vista Conference Center (La Vista, Neb.) Website:

poweredupclinics.com

Cost: $75 per coach

through Feb. 12; $300 for an entire staff (6 coach limit)

Questions?

Call 1-800-496-4290

43

USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

THE USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

■■ Former Seattle Seahawks coach Rocky Neto (right) demonstrates tackling technique at the USA Football National Conference.

Why You Should Attend the

USA Football National Conference The 2019 USA Football National Conference will give coaches from all over the country a chance to network and learn from the most accomplished members of their field. Chalk-talk sessions, live field demonstrations, speeches from legends of the game, and opportunities to check out new technology in Vendor Village are some of the perks. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN Highland Park (Texas) High coach Randy Allen attended the 2017 USA Football National Conference to accept his award as the 2016 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.

He left with a lot more than that.

Allen said his first experience as a National Conference attendee taught him plenty of new things about coaching – even on the back end of an illustrious career that has included 376 wins, 26 district championships and three state championships.

“I learned the values associated with coaching and playing football,” Allen said. “I learned safer techniques for tackling. I visited vendors who had new equipment and switched to the Vicis helmet.

I networked with coaches from other states and exchanged ideas. And I learned a few X’s and O’s that helped our offense.”

44

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Allen carried that momentum to his third state championship with the Scots in 2017 and has become an annual presence at the National Conference ever since.

USA Football’s National Conference is returning to Orlando for the third consecutive year, taking place February 22 – 24.

Spend the weekend hearing from leaders in the game at breakout sessions, chalk talks and live demos. Covering topics from leadership and development to technique and strategy, National Conference is your chance to connect with more than 1,500 football professionals and be a part of growing the game.

Attend USA Football’s 2019 National Conference and help shape the future of football.

The USA Football National Conference Live Field offers a unique opportunity to take concepts

What: USA Football, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee that works for and with coaches to advance their training and development, invites all coaches to an all-youcan-eat gourmet buffet of knowledge and networking.

Why: The National High School Football Coaches Alliance, powered by USA Football, and the 2019 USA Football National Conference are gamechanging opportunities to learn and earn your program an advantage.

Where: The sixth annual USA Football National Conference returns to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. When: From Feb. 22-24 Who’s going? The event is the nation’s largest annual gathering of high school and youth football administrators and coaches, uniting more than 1,500 participants for three days of professional and program development. The National Conference also stands among the greatest networking opportunities in scholastic and youth football with attendees and presenters from coast to coast.

How to register: Registration is now open at usafootball.com.

How does it work?

Coaches, athletic directors and subject matter experts lead presentations in largeand small-group sessions, sharing insight to make a program and its athletes the best they can be.

Any legendary players or coaches? Past National

Conference speakers include Pro Football Hall of Famers Cris Carter, Tony Dungy, Bill Polian and Mike Singletary; Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden; and Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

you’ve learned and putting them to use. From proper shoulder tackling to the Rookie Tackle program, find out how that idea will play out on the field.

USA Football is still locking in its list of speakers and vendors for 2019, and if the previous two conferences are any indication, the coaches on hand will be treated to a speaker list that includes Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches, players and league executives. The vendors will include major distributors of helmets, gear and innovative technology.

Greenwood High (S.C.) coach Dan Pippin attended the 2018 USA Football National Conference and returned to South Carolina armed with new ideas for his program. He plans to attend again this February.

“Attending the USA Football Clinic was one of the best learning experiences I have had as a coach,” Pippin said. “All of the breakout sessions were very informative and well presented. The vendor area was second to none. The best part of the conference for me however was the other coaches that I met. It was great to share ideas with some of the best football minds in the country. I certainly plan to continue to attend.”

This year’s conference is of particular interest to many coaches because it marks the first since the formation of the National High School Football Coaches Alliance. That partnership of coaches stretches 37 states.

Led by state high school coach association directors, the Alliance will provide access to unique and progressive professional development and continuing education platforms, digital and physical coaching tools and communication vehicles extending beyond state and regional borders.

“Football stands on innovation and perpetual learning, which comprise the heart of our National Conference,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said.

“Orlando is an extraordinary host for the football family, and we look forward to exciting, expert-driven insight that will be gained there in February.”

“This is a significant ‘first’ for high school football,” said Rob Younger, Oregon Athletic Coaches Association executive director and inaugural president of the Alliance. Younger worked as an Oregon high school educator and football coach for more than 40 years. “The Alliance brings coaches together in ways we’ve not seen before and strengthens our community through USA Football’s exceptional and vast coaching resources.”

The Alliance’s physical and digital platforms are powered by USA Football.

Supporters of the Alliance include the National Organization of Coaches Association Directors, which generates revenue and assists athletic and other student activities of high schools in its members’ states.

■■ The Live Field is a popular place for coaches to convene at the USA Football National Conference.

benefits of attending the conference RON WHITE, COMMISSIONER OF THE GOLDEN

Empire Youth Football League (Calif.), is a veteran National Conference attendee. Throughout his years of attending every Conference, White has experienced hundreds of speakers and sessions.

Through these experiences, Commissioner White developed a list of his top five reasons to attend National Conference: ■■ Beneficial content provided during sessions ■■ Networking opportunities with coaches and leagues ■■ The diversity of speakers and topics ■■ Numerous chances to build relationships with peers ■■ The size and duration of the event “The Conference has provided the opportunity to really refine the way we manage our program, the way we look at and mitigate risk and confirm national standards and practices,” said White.

JEFFCO (COLO.) COACH JEFF GLENN HAS

attended each year to help better his program. Glenn listed his top reasons for attending the conference: ■■ The focus on all levels of football ■■ The expansion of the Vendor Village ■■ Hearing from others on how they operate ■■ Information on what’s cutting edge in football ■■ Meet and network with people from across the country

STATISTICS FROM THE 2018 USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

16

States represented by coaches who spoke at the National Conference.

74

Combined high school state championships that last year’s speakers won.

10

101

Combined high school state championship-game appearances that last year’s speakers made.

1,000

20

38

Average years of coaching experience of speakers at last year’s National Conference.

Speakers who had coaching experience at the collegiate level

The number of coaches and administrators within the football community at the National Conference.

USA Football partners and vendors at last year’s National Conference.

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MAKING TIME FOR FUN

What do coaches do for fun?

The intensity of a high school football season can wear on a coach by the end of the season. Just like players, coaches need outlets that help them relax and recharge. Consider some of the following hobbies so that you can return for next season rested and rejuvenated. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE

a number of veteran coaches shared their passions

WICHITA SOUTH (KAN.)

outside of football. Here are some of the responses:

Ron Stolski, Brainerd High (Minn.)

Hobby: Fishing with friends Now heading into his 57th year of coaching, Stolski enjoys a trip with friends to Namkan Lake on the Canada-Minnesota border. The tradition started in 1966 with seven friends.

“There are three of the original eight still alive and making the trip,” Stolski said. “We have brought in some reinforcements over the years.

“Family, football and fishing – those are my passions,” Stolski said.

Jason Filbeck, Augusta High (Kan.) Hobby: Art Filbeck is an art enthusiast. He creates series, including one with Rorschach tests and phobias.

“It’s a weird combination, a football coach who taught art,” said Filbeck, 34, who teaches physical education at Augusta. “It’s just kind of a weird thing that the Lord has blessed me with more than one passion. I wanted to pursue both at the same time.”

He started drawing because of a sibling rivalry, eager to create drawings that one-upped his brother.

A middle school teacher recognized his ability, and he now has a website where he sells his art.

“I really enjoy using that side of my brain, being creative,” Filbeck said. “I have a weird imagination. I think that’s OK to have.”

Joshua Stratton, Canal Winchester (Ohio) Hobbies: Reading, family time “My hobbies are reading and hanging out with my wife and daughter.”

Tom Audley, Andover Central (Kan.) Hobby: Golf trips When Andover Central’s final summer weights session end, Audley often visits his younger brother, Larry, who owns an Irish pub in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

“I always go right after we finish summer weights and before we come back and do our conditioning week,” Audley said. “I need to get away. My players don’t need to see me during that week. They need a break from me. I come back recharged, and I’ve had some fun.”

Golf is the main activity on Audley’s trips.

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■■ Wichita South (Kan.) coach Kevin Steiner

“Golf is where I can be the participant,” said Audley. “When you grow up and you played multiple sports … well, my body won’t do any other sport now. [Golf is] what I’m stuck with.”

Randy Allen, Highland Park (Texas) Hobbies: Playing the guitar, fishing with his brother, spending time with his grandchildren “I’ve watched other coaches retire, and I got to thinking that I need some hobbies. But coaching is such a full-time job – whether you’re preparing a game plan, evaluating video or watching 7-on-7 in the summer. It becomes your life.”

Jack Henzes, Dunmore High (Pa.) Hobby: Gardening “I enjoy it. It’s a hobby for me. It takes a little work.

You have to keep after it, and it’s very relaxing.”

coach Kevin Steiner, 34, says he doesn’t look like a marathon guy. “I’m short and heavy-set. Not really a runner’s body,” he said.

Coaching football tends to mean late nights, like Friday game nights, when he rarely thinks of eating until about 11 p.m.

“Then it’s get something quick and get home,” Steiner said. “And normally that involves the drive-through or get out of practice, take care of paperwork until 7:30 or 8 p.m. and get through the drive-through.

His family history made him think twice about embracing that lifestyle.

He decided to take up running to fight off potential heart problems.

“I lost my dad at 49 to a heart attack,” Steiner said. “With not having a runner’s body, I need to get that exercise in.”

Running is something he can do with Rachel, his wife of eight years.

He discovered the competitive side and has run in one marathon and four half-marathons.

■■ Brainerd High (Minn.) coach Ron Stolski

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INSPIRATION

Many of the best football coaches and players provide inspiration to the people around them on a daily basis. We often present quotes from former players/coaches on Twitter @FNFCoaches. The following quotes received the most buzz from our followers.

Work Ethic

I’d take a 2-star recruit with a 5-star work ethic over a 5-star recruit with a 2-star work ethic any day.”

– Mike Krzyzewski

Effort

“It is not all about talent. It’s about dependability, consistency, being coachable, and understanding what you need to do to improve.” – Bill Belichick

DISCIPLINE

Discipline is not a light switch.

Discipline is a way of life.” –John Harbaugh

Preparation

How do you play well? You practice well.

You prepare well.” –Kirby Smart

CULTURE

Talent alone doesn’t win championships.

You have to create an atmosphere where you get the most out of that talent.” –Tony Dungy

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