FNF Coaches 2019 "Strength and Conditioning"

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The Magazine for High School Football Coaches

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april 2019

BUILD STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS Get results with your strength and conditioning program

college Q&A

WITH Arizona State coach Herm Edwards

PLAYBOOK

+ Beating Pass Protection + Defending Power Blast and Toss Sweep + Veer Concepts From Pistol Formation + Applying Count System in Option offense Lynden High (Wash.) coach Blake VanDalen with (front left) Payton Scott, Brock Heppner, (back) Jacob Kettels and James Marsh

Age is Just a Number for Coaches FNF Coaches Talk | Nominate Players for U.S. National Team | Legend Profile | Tech corner Teach QB Footwork | Nutrition Tips March Madness for Coaches

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08. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

herm edwards ARIZONA STATE SPEED OPTION PITCH

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playbook PRESENTED BY

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HALL OF FAME COACH DAVID GENTRY

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THE IMPORTANCE OF NOMINATING PLAYERS

12 age is just a number

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04. NEWS+NOTES 05. PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT CHANGE THE NARRATIVE 16. TECH CORNER 18. INNOVATOR’S SPOTLIGHT 20. GSC COACH-TO-PLAYER™ 32. QB TECHNIQUE 36. EARLY MORNING FUEL 38. MARCH MADNESS 40. INSPIRATION

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37

USA FOOTBALL’S CONTACT SYSTEM

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR We are proud to present our fourth edition of 2019, which has a strength and conditioning theme.

Spring practice schedule offers coaches an opportunity to recommit to a strength and conditioning program that best fit their players’ skill sets. Strength programs can morph into a secondary concern for coaches in-season, when much of the work in the weight room is spent trying to help players maintain and feel better after physical practices and games.

Coaches need to know how to share their vision with their coaches and players and have the maximum buy-in for the spring and summer. That process includes tweaking the strength program, mixing up the routine, and finding mentors who can add different ideas.

We will also share stories of program building, technology, strategy, and family. Our FNF Coaches staff recently attended the USA Football National Conference in February, so we are still sharing some of the lessons we learned from coaches across the country.

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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NEWS+NOTES

USA FOOTBALL INTRODUCES FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT MODEL COUNCIL

U

SA Football has introduced the council that will oversee the imple-

mentation of its Football Development Model for the sport.

The FDM, part of the overall American Development Model for athletes backed by the U.S. Olympic Committee, is a first of its kind framework to help parents, coaches and program leaders provide what players need to develop and grow as athletes and people through football participation.

Basically, the FDM is a roadmap for how football is presented, practiced and coached from youth through adulthood.

Chairing the council will be Dr. Brian Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer. Hainline will direct a group featuring doctors, scientists, researchers, coaches, administrators and former players, including Anquan Boldin, a top NFL receiver for most of his 14 pro seasons.

USA Football, the governing body for the sport, is aiming for up to 10 leagues nationwide as FDM pilot programs this fall. By 2020, the FDM formally will be rolled out to schools and youth football programs.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

RESEARCHERS FROM FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND

Computer Science and SIVOTEC Analytics in Boca Raton, and collaborators, are teaching machines how to predict recovery time from sports-related concussions based on symptoms like headache, dizziness and fatigue. With the dataset showing that the most prevalent reported sports-related concussion symptom was a headache (94.9 percent), followed by dizziness (74.3 percent), and then difficulty concentrating (61.1 percent), the symptom-based prediction models demonstrated practical clinical value in estimating sport-related concussion recovery time. Beyond clinical decision support, this insight also can help with planning academic accommodations and team needs.

TRENDING TOPICS @FNFCOACHES A new study found that student-athletes need to wait at least a week to return to school after orthopaedic procedures, including procedures to a knee ligament, as well as hip and shoulder operations.

That recommendation had nothing to do with when a student-athlete can return to competition. That measure is far less certain and relies more on individual recovery. This study focused solely on when it was safe for them to return to classes.

Indiana football is currently the only program in the nation using “1080 Sprint.” It’s a computer device that uses resistance to measure speed and power with every step. It isolates their weaknesses by identifying the flaws in each athlete.

They can figure out if a player has issues with balance or even if there’s an unknown injury holding them back from reaching their potential.

Indiana is also using an EMG system, which helps measure muscle coordination. The training staff uses a 3D camera and laser technology to track their every move and it tells players what workout is best for them.

04

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As a head coach, your effectiveness is not determined by the title you have.

It comes from the level of trust you have built with the team and that’s done through unselfish leadership. It’s not about you - it’s always about the team. @ROBERTSHIPLEY2 Great coaching staff CULTURES 1. Talk and Listen to each other equally 2. Always bring energy... 3. Talk to each other 4. Step across the line to help each other 5. When they break, the explore different answers and bring them back to the group! @TBANKS1906 As a coach, before you teach, instruct, or criticize your players, make sure they know you truly care about them as people. Once they know this, they’ll be more willing to let down their defenses and listen. @SPORTPSYCHTIPS The great challenge of leadership is not getting people to do the work. The challenge of leadership is getting people to want to do the work. @TIMOTHYKIGHT In off-season athletic period our coaches have study hall & athletics with their position group every day. My job is to create smaller family units to build our team culture. Connecting players with their coach each day maximizes the impact we have on every player in our program. @COACHKIRKTHOR

Despite being the fourth largest state in the United States, one report suggests New York is in the bottom half of the country when it comes to producing blue-chip athletes (prospects rated as four or five stars by recruiting services). That’s why Prospect NYS went the unconventional route and plans on making its events and services free for athletes. Those services include allowing players to submit profiles for Prospect NYS’ extensive database where prospects can include GPA, testing results and contact information. Prospect NYS hosted the first annual Power 50 Showcase on March 16. It was free to all student-athletes.

RUSH PROPST, WHO BECAME ARGU-

ably the most well-known high school coach in the nation during to his time at Hoover (Ala.), when he starred in the MTV series, Two-A-Days, was fired in March from his role as head coach of the Colquitt County (Ga.) football team. The Colquitt County Board of Education voted unanimously to fire the coach. An investigation by Colquitt County School Superintendent Doug Howell determined Rush Propst violated five standards of the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators, including by giving pills to students “on more than one occasion.”

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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.

Most of the buzz on coaching chat boards in March revolved around strength and conditioning programs and program building. We shared those stories in our daily Coaches Talk posts. Here are some of the more popular posts from March.

NFL Coaches Yell At Refs Because It Works

■■ FiveThirtyEight

Has anyone ever told you it’s a waste of time and energy to yell at the referee during the game? Turns out, that’s not true. Sideline bias in the NFL is real. To prove it, FiveThirtyEight looked at the rates at which refs call the NFL’s most severe penalties, including defensive pass interference, aggressive infractions like personal fouls and unnecessary roughness, and offensive holding calls, based on where the offensive team ran its play.

For three common penalties, the direction of the play — that is, whether it’s run toward the offensive or defensive team’s sideline — makes a significant difference.

In other words, refs make more defensive pass interference calls on the offensive team’s sideline but more offensive holding calls on the defensive team’s sideline.

What’s more, these differences aren’t uniform across the field — the effect only shows up on plays run, roughly, between the 32-yard lines, the same space where coaches and players are allowed to stand during play.

Granted, you don’t want to spend all game trying to influence the ref. But it’s certainly worthwhile to pick your spots — like when you see an offensive holding call and the ref is on the defensive team’s sideline.

For offensive flags, that association is reversed, at least on holding penalties.

Around midfield, offensive holding gets called about 35 percent more often on plays run at the defensive team’s sideline.

06

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■■ A study shows that yelling at NFL referees helps influence calls.

■■ In what ways to you try to influence the referee in-game?

How Kyler Murray operated Oklahoma’s offense to perfection ■■ SB Nation

Kyle Murray could potentially be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, which is a rarity for a quarterback who stands about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Taking account to account Murray’s unique skill set, it’s worth exploring how the Oklahoma coaching staff put him in positions to succeed. If you have a quarterback who is the most athletic player on the field, perhaps you could steal some of this.

OU’s strengths were in Murray’s unique skills, the overall run game, and the receivers. The Sooners became even more of a play action-oriented team, and Murray was great at making defenses wrong. Run schemes became that much more deadly,

because Murray could keep the ball and either hand it off, run it himself, or throw it. They still made time to take play-action shots over the middle to their tight ends and fullbacks.

So what worked for defenses against Murray? Nick Saban found out in the National Championship Game, but it certainly helped to have NFL talent all over the field.

The last game of Murray’s college career was the Orange Bowl semifinal against Alabama, and Nick Saban opted for a mix of nickel and dime. He kept both safeties deep more often than not, daring Oklahoma to win by beating tighter coverages with quick routes or beating a mammoth defensive line with the run and play action: ■■ What is your process for installing an offense that is built around your quarterback’s skill set?

New $400,000 scoreboard will light up high school football games in Millard ■■ Omaha World-Herald

Normally a school getting a $400,000 scoreboard wouldn’t be all that noteworthy on a national level, but this story caught our eye because of the way the football coaches justified the expense to the school board by citing the educational opportunities the scoreboard would provide.

Beyond the fan and athlete experience, the upgrade in technology offers educational opportunities for Millard students.

“Students can design videos and graphics and show them on the video boards,” Kleeman said. Passarelli called those “marketable skills.” He said students are already applying them in Millard.

It’s certainly something to consider for coaches looking to upgrade facilities.

Can the upgrade benefit other sports teams? And can it provide additional educational opportunities to students?

The Planning Board voted 6-0 Wednesday to approve a waiver of the height restriction. Mike Pate abstained because he’s on the Millard school board.

Have you been able to share the cost of any of your facilities upgrades with other sports teams or clubs? If so, how?

that certainly makes sense in theory, although we recognize most high school programs don’t have a strength and conditioning “staff” as much as one individual to design a program for 100-plus players.

“We wanted a guy that could individualize each position,” Brown said. “…We wanted somebody who related each thing they did in stretching and in lifting and in conditioning to football. Just like this morning in the offseason program, we had a first half, we had a halftime, the coaches got them ready to start, the coaches were

■■ Jimbo Fisher is overseeing a similar offseason program at Texas A&M to the one he ran at Florida State.

UNC’s New S&C Program Focused on Detail, Competition ■■ Inside Carolina

The University of North Carolina football team has a new strength and conditioning program and staff under Mack Brown. The common theme from the players is the new staff’s attention to detail. That means spending more time warming up, stretching and doing mobility exercises.

“One thing I will definitely say is that we spend a lot more time and a lot more attention to detail on warming up and doing a lot more stretching and mobility,” Crawford said. “We are doing a lot more football-related conditioning and footballrelated activity than we have done in the past. The attention to detail is a lot greater and I think that will help us in the long run.”

The strength and conditioning staff also designed specific programs for each position group. It’s a strategy

championship at Florida State. Fisher’s spring drills are all geared toward helping his players remain physical and mentally strong through the fourth quarter of games and the season.

Many of the drills are geared toward lower body development.

“Football is a lower-body game, with lower-body flexibility,” he said. “It’s played low to high, and you have to be able to stick your foot in the ground and change directions, and be explosive from the ground up with your knees bent.

“And you’re trying to do that at full

with them at halftime, we had a fourth quarter and then we had an overtime. So we want a guy who is a football strength coach who everything he does relates to helping them prepare for the game, and that’s what this bunch has done.”

■■ In what ways have you changed your strength and conditioning program this offseason?

Jimbo Fisher’s offseason approach has a familiar look at Texas A&M ■■ Houston Chronicle

Second-year Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher is hoping to instill physical and mental toughness in his players, traits that helped him lead a team to a national

speed, with technique and controlling your body as you’re doing it.”

Coaches who are looking to improve their players’ technique and body control would be wise to try some of these drills.

Hence his players circling cones and running around hoops, shoving their hands in a fast-approaching teammate’s shoulders, going “one in, one out” with their feet on a ladder laid across the turf, rolling from their backs and jumping to their feet, and multiple more activities meant to hone the lower body among other extremities.

■■ What are some of the drills you run in the spring to help build players’ lower body strength and flexibility?

07

COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

BUILDING A CULTURE SOME COACHES FIND

Q&A with arizona state

head coach herm edwards

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

I

n December of 2017, Arizona State announced the hiring

of former Jets and Chiefs head coach, and then-ESPN analyst/motivational speaker, Herm Edwards to replace Todd Graham as its head football coach. At the time, Edwards hadn’t coached anywhere in a decade after logging a 6–26 record over his last two seasons in the NFL. To the surprise of some of Edwards’ doubters, Arizona State went 7-6 overall during the regular season, and earned a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl.

FNF Coaches recently caught up with Edwards to discuss is return to coaching and his philosophy.

What has surprised you most about your return to coaching? What’s changed the most?

“Here, it’s the recruitment of high school athletes. Where it’s gone from when I was coaching to now, it’s like pro football. The volume of information you can obtain for guys in the 10th grade is incredible. What I understood is we needed to implement a way to evaluate players and define the DNA of what it takes to compete in the Pac-10. We had to dial in our recruiting and how we’re going to do it.”

Do you still involve high school coaches in the recruiting process? Or do the players have other handlers now?

“We still go through the high school coach.

These guys have handlers as well. The more information you can gather, the better off you are.

This is all about the relationships with high school

08

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coaches. Then, it’s forming relationships with players. How do we communicate with these guys?

The culture of Twitter and high school kids being on their phones all the time is huge in recruiting.

When can you do it? When can’t you? Guys are constantly being bombarded with texts.”

It seems like the best coaches are constantly adjusting their schemes. What have you changed since you’ve started at ASU? “My scheme is always based on who the players are that we have available. I’ve never built a system; the system is the players. Your No. 1 job is to make the guys that play for you successful. How do you do that? The system can’t be one dimensional. There are certain things I believe. I’m always going to believe you have to run the football on offense. The passing game?

That’s up for grabs. Who is the quarterback? Is he a running quarterback or a pocket passer? We can develop that. I have to be flexible as a coach.

Who are the players on defense? I was a guy who played 4-3 and 3-4, but I loved the 3-3-5 that Danny Gonzales ran at San Diego State. I brought him here, and we have five defenders on the back end. We can cover and use them as blitzers.”

Coaches always say that one of the most challenging aspects of the job is dealing with parents.

How do you manage overbearing parents?

“When kids come on official visits with their parents, I say, ‘Look, our culture is very simple.’

The first thing we talk about is being on time.

that the spring can be a difficult time to motivate players, with the next game still several months away. Not Herm Edwards.

“I’m an energetic person,” Edwards said.

“I wake up every morning motivated to help coaches and players get better. I choose four or five players every day, and I have a conversation with each of them. There are two types of leaders – people who lead from their seat and people who lead from their feet. I choose my feet. I’m everywhere – in the locker room, weight room, in the training room.”

Edwards also recognizes that what works for one player might not work for another.

“There are different types of guys – confident guys, type A personalities,” Edwards said. “Even those guys need certain things.

We all have bad days.

They’re all different.

That’s the uniqueness of coaching, managing personalities. How do you capture their attention?

That’s important. When I sit in a leadership position, I have to provide hope. That’s one of the strongest, most powerful words in the dictionary.”

Edwards believes the best coaches are constantly growing in the position.

“You learn it as you live life,” Edwards said.

“I’m going to learn something today from somebody. You can’t wake up thinking you know everything. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from someone else.

That’s what’s great about life. There are always opportunities to learn.”

Second, do your words match up with your actions every time?

Third, come here to compete, and it’s a level playing field. The best guys will play. I don’t care if you’re a five-star or a walk-on. Five freshmen started last year. That wasn’t by accident. Do those three things right, and you have a chance to be successful.”

High school coaches occasionally have to deal with disciplinary issues or players who are struggling to remain eligible for academic reasons. What can they do to help players stay on track?

“Some coaches say they want to treat everyone the same. That’s the wrong way to look at it. I treat everyone fair; I don’t treat everyone the same. That’s how life works.

When you’re not accountable in the way that’s necessary to be a studentathlete, you don’t practice. You don’t participate. I don’t care who you are.

I’ve benched players in the NFL for conduct detrimental to the team.

Good players understand. If they don’t play, that gets their attention.”

How has strength and conditioning changed at the highest level of football over the last decade?

“It’s in line with the evolution of all sports. You have to keep up with it.

The strength coach is called a head coach now. It’s so important. He is in contact with the kids more than anybody. He spends more time with them after spring ball. That’s how you build a program. Hire a guy that has a mindset of developing bodies with the nutrition that’s needed.”

Are you surprised by the time commitment head coaches make at the college level?

“No, because you only get 20 hours a week. You have to allocate that time efficiently. I always tell coaches this: ‘Players don’t have the ability to spend as much time as you do. It’s one thing we know. You have to teach the players what you know in the time that’s available to you.’

Most of the coaches have been at this level before. We hired a really good staff of coaches.”

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09

USA FOOTBALL

The Importance of Nominating Your Players for a U.S. National Team Regional USA Football is hosting U.S. National Team Regionals for football players nationwide. Athletes receive skill instruction from top high school and college coaches while also trying out for a U.S. National Team.

As a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the sport’s national governing body, USA Football assembles and manages U.S. National Teams for international competition.

Coaches may choose to nominate their top players for a Regional invitation, giving them a chance to participate in a two-day, non-contact training experience and tryout.

Athletes will have a unique development experience with elite coaches to gain positionspecific instruction, guidance on character development, a highly competitive atmosphere to sharpen their skills and more.

Below are some of reasons why some coaches, parents and players enjoy the Regional experience: ■■ There is a commitment to developing a complete athlete, on and off the field ■■ USA Football fits our family’s values ■■ A unique opportunity to represent the United States ■■ Bang for your buck; affordable ■■ Quality of instruction is off the charts; great high school and college coaches Regional invitees are put to the test against the top competition in their area, featuring individual drills, 1-on-1 training and 7-on-7 work.

However, Regionals have much more to offer than skill development and exposure.

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Participants also take part in a leadership and character development session.

A complete player experience is a crucial element according to Jason Tenner, an assistant football coach for Sheldon High School (CA).

“I nominated my players for a U.S. National Team Regional because of the quality of instruction.

After attending the Regional, my players learned the on-field skills that will help them excel in the fall. They also learned about winning off the field and established relationships that will continue to aid them in their growth and development.”

Regionals encourage student-athletes to be well-rounded individuals on and off the field, affording athletes a chance to be part of something greater and benefit from insights that will help them beyond the game itself.

Athletes are evaluated and selected based on their on-field abilities, character and coachability to represent their age bracket on a U.S. National Team at the International Bowl, which takes place at AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys.

Established in 2010, the International Bowl is the longest-running annual series of high school-aged international football teams.

Coaches receive considerable amounts of information on developmental experiences that they can forward to their players. No other training experience can offer the unique experience that a player can have by attending a U.S. National Team Regional event.

For more information on U.S. National Team Regionals, visit usafootball.com/regionals. To nominate your player for a National Team Regional event, or to learn how you can apply to coach at one of these events, please visit usafootball.com/national-coach.

■■ The International Bowl is the longest-running annual series of high school-aged international games.

Contact System

SAFETY THROUGH

SUPERIOR TECHNIQUE

The Contact System helps you enhance your team’s approach to blocking and defeating blocks.

Within the system, you’ll master the CUFF progression, which stands for COIL, UNCOIL, FIT and FINISH. Overall, you’ll see how both safety and performance work together to achieve ultimate results.

“This system changes the way coaches think. It’s a better way to do things. It starts small, then builds upon itself and you can see how it all comes together. It’s simple, it’s systematic, it’s progressive.”

BRAD ZELENOVICH, HEAD COACH SOUTHEAST POLK HIGH SCHOOL (IA)

ONLINE Learn and install the system with drills for blocking and defeating blocks through instructional videos and articles to help you fully implement the CUFF progression.

Get 3 free lessons or subscribe today at footballdevelopment.com/contact-system

IN-PERSON COACHES CLINIC

IN-PERSON PRIVATE

Receive hands on, in-depth training that takes place both in the classroom and on the field.

You’ll be able to learn the why behind the system and execute drills yourself to master the technique.

Learn more about this year’s clinic options and see all the locations at usafootball.com/clinic

CHOOSE OWN PATH AND START DOMINATING OPPONENTS IN THE UPCOMING SEASON.

THE COACHING LIFE

THE ANTI-AGING BENEFITS OF COACHING SARAH DAREN, A

writer on the Today Show, blogged at the Coaches Clipboard there are some benefits to coaching into the senior years.

Keeps your mind sharp.

■■ Former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder (left) retired at the age of 79 after last season.

Age is Just a Number: SUCCESSFUL COACHES

PROVE PROFESSION OFFERS PATHS FOR ALL GENERATIONS

In 2016, the International Coach Federation commissioned a global study on coaches and found that a majority of new coaches begin their careers in their mid-40’s. But, the IFC also discovered there was a wide range of ages in the coaching profession – from 20-somethings to those nearing retirement.

BY DEREK SMITH

So the question is, does age really matter when it comes to coaching others? The answer seems to be not necessarily. Coaches can be, and are, successful at any age.

The winning coach of Super Bowl LIII in February was either going to be the youngest ever to win the NFL’s penultimate game (Sean McVay) or the oldest (Bill Belichick). Belichick’s record as a coach is exceptional. His six Super Bowl titles are unmatched in the NFL. Many see him as the greatest coach in NFL history. He is 66. Meanwhile, McVay, 33, is seen as the brightest young coach in professional football. At 30, he became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He led the Rams to the Super Bowl in just two seasons.

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Younger coaches are said to be more relatable to players better, are more up-to-date on the technology of the game, have more stamina to put in the long hours required and can influence players more effectively.

Older coaches, on the other hand, can bring added experience to their teams, have a greater depth of wisdom for the game, command additional respect and provide a broader insight into the intricacies of running a program.

The coach at South Carolina’s McBee High School, Johnny Kline, was hired to lead the town’s football team at the ripe old age of 25 after only two years of high school coaching.

The 2011 graduate of Rock Hill High School

Being a coach is a mental exercise. The constant problem-solving and leadership you must display helps keep your brain active. The social and physical aspects of coaching can provide an additional boost to your brainpower.

Exercise. Exercise is key for people of all ages, but it is especially important for older people. As the body begins to age and slow down, staying fit can be challenging, particularly if you’re retired. Just three hours a week of physical activity can help offset these normal effects of aging, and can increase lifespan by approximately five years.

Stay involved with the younger generation. As a

coach, you get to pass on the wisdom you’ve gained over the years. You’ll also gain the benefits younger generations have to offer.

You may learn new things, stay up to date with what’s important to young people, and stay involved with members of the community of all ages.

Boost your emotional health. Many seniors

struggle with emotional health after they have retired. Lacking challenge, older people often feel that they have no meaningful contributions to make, which can lead to problems like isolation and depression.

(S.C.), one of that state’s top programs, played collegiately at Newberry College and served as a student assistant for one year.

Following two seasons at a nearby school where he was co-defensive coordinator and then head junior varsity coach, Kline was hired in May of 2018 and was thought to be the youngest high school head coach in South Carolina at that time.

“Some people called me crazy but I just knew there was something about this place that attracted me.” Kline said. “I just felt comfortable here and have since day one.”

He began coaching recreation and travel baseball with his father when he was in high school in Rock Hill but discovered football was his passion. Kline learned the importance of offseason workouts growing up in the small town known as “Football City, USA” because of the dozens of players from there who have played in the NFL, including former No. 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney. He has implemented a year around weightlifting program at McBee. “I bring high energy. I’m always on the go. I’ll tell kids we’re going to outwork everybody and they feed off that,” Kline said. “I have an easy job connecting with the kids. I tell them it wasn’t that long ago I was in their shoes.”

Armando Jacinto, 55, an assistant athletic director at Spring High School (Texas), spent 23 years as an assistant football coach before becoming head coach at Travis High School in Austin, Texas.

He had also been a head coach for a middle school basketball team for a couple of years and an assistant and head baseball coach for six years.

Jacinto was comfortable in those roles while he waited for his next opportunity.

“I knew if I ever got in a position of leadership that I would remember what I looked for in a head coach as an assistant,” he said.

After being an assistant football coach for over two decades he said there were several leadership traits he promised his himself he’d exhibit when he became a head coach – visibility, approachability and accessibility.

“I tell my coaches all the time I’m going to be these three things. That’s what I wanted from my head coach when I was an assistant,” Jacinto said.

Another Texas coach, Blake Sandford, 53, was a 20-year assistant in football and a head coach in baseball before taking over the program at Early High School (Texas).

Sandford always wanted to be head football coach but enjoyed coaching under others- some of whom he considered friends- and making an impact with his players as an assistant.

“I was working with some really great head

coaches and I really liked working beside them,” he said. “It didn’t necessarily matter if I had the title of head coach. It mattered more what we were doing with our kids to build relationships.”

Like Jacinto, Sandford also said he doesn’t forget what it’s like to be an assistant coach and that their ideas matter.

He discounts the notion that older coaches don’t have the stamina to keep up the teenagers of the new millennium.

“We don’t coach with our hands in our pockets.

You will not seeing us standing around. All of our coaches believe we’re going to have energy,” Sandford said. “We don’t think we have to compete (with younger coaches). Our deal is based on making relationships with the kids.”

The benchmark age for retirement in the U.S. is ■■ Armando 65 years old.

Jacinto Many American workers call it quits by the mid-60’s but some stay employed into their 70’s.

Coaching is a profession in which someone could conceivably keep doing until then assuming they are in good health.

After Kansas State’s Bill Snyder retired at the end of the 2018 season at the age of 79 years old, Ohio’s Frank Solich became the oldest coach in college football at 74. Pete Carroll, Seattle’s head coach, is the oldest in the NFL at the age of 67.

Sandford said one of the things younger coaches will learn is how to represent the team and school in front of the community, business people, other teachers and the administration.

“I feel like that’s one of the most important things I do anyway,” Sandford said. “Be an advocate for our kids and our school district.”

Young or old, Sandford and Kline both agree – coaches play an important role in teaching their players “the value of what life is outside the field.”

“Build great men. Be the best,” Kline says, he stresses to his team.

■■ Early High (Texas) coach Bill Sandford

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COACHING LEGEND

Hall of Fame coach Gentry returns to chase record The town of Murphy, N.C., breathed a figurative sigh of relief when veteran coach David Gentry announced he’d be returning to coach the Bulldogs again in the fall.

And why wouldn’t folks in this small mountain hamlet in western North Carolina be excited that Gentry was going to lead the local team for the 36th year?

BY DEREK SMITH

THE GENTRY PROFILE TEAM: Murphy, N.C.,

High School

YEARS AS HEAD COACH: 48 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: 8 COACHING RECORD: 406-185-3 2018 RECORD – 13-1, CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONS

The Hall of Fame coach has won eight state championships, six since 2010, and over 400 games in 48 years of coaching.

His record of 406-185-3 is second best in North Carolina and puts him seven wins away from breaking Jack Holley’s total of 412.

In June he’ll be inducted to the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Bismarck, North Dakota. “(The induction) means a lot to me. Heck fire.

You can’t get any better than that,” Gentry said.

Since 2010, Gentry says, he’s been considering retirement but has coached the last decade on a year-by-year basis. He turns 73 in May. At the team’s banquet in February, he told his players, their parents and boosters that he wasn’t ready to leave the sidelines just yet.

“I go back and take some time off and think about if I’m going to be ready for that six-month grind from the end of July to the middle of December – six days a week from morning until night. I decided I wanted to do it again,” Gentry said. “And of course the record is close. It would be nice (to break it) but I never really thought about it until this past year.”

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The record Gentry is trying to break is the all-time number of coaching victories in North Carolina. He earned his 400th career win on Oct. 19 with a 49-7 victory over Swain County and sometime during the 2019 season he could set the mark. “(400) is a pretty big number. It was just another win really,” Gentry said, of becoming just the third coach in North Carolina to win that many games. “It’s just a number but it was good, pretty good. We’ve just been real fortunate to be in a good place.”

Gentry says there are three things a coach needs to be successful building a competitive football program like Murphy - great players, dedicated coaches and community support.

“You’ve got to have several things going for you,” he said. “When you’ve got kids coming up through the ranks it’s important to them (to play football). You’ve got to have good coaches. When we go to practice we know what we are doing.

You put that all together and we can build on that. I’ve just been blessed by having all those things that are positive to having a winning program. It’s been a real good thing and a real good ride.”

PROFESSION: Teacher;

Chatham, Va., High School (1971-73); Edneyville, N.C., High School (1977-83)

EDUCATION: Edneyville,

N.C., High School; Elon University FAMILY: Wife, Kelly,

a retired guidance counselor; five children

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Western North Carolina Hall of Fame, 2013 National Federation of State High School Associations National Coach of the Year

Prizes Include: COACHING SURVEY Enter to Win New Products for your Football Program!

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Your School on the cover of FNF Coaches

TECH CORNER

Legacy End Zone Camera is lightweight, yet durable Sideline Power works to find and bring new technology to the industry in order to help coaches win. Sideline Power has partnered with FNF Coaches to create an educational article each month on different innovative products. It’s time to get #PoweredUP with this month’s featured product, the Legacy End Zone Camera.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

End zone cameras have been used in football for decades. They are the tried and true method for identifying gaps in spacing, and opportunities for RPO teams. But with a plethora of end zone camera systems on the market, it gets difficult to figure out which one is right for your program. First, you need to break down the necessities. How tall does the tripod NEED to get the camera in the air? How fast does the pan and tilt NEED to be? Do you want internal cabling or external cabling?

Do you want wireless control of the camera and pan/tilt? And the most important question of all, what is your budget? All of these questions help guide a program’s decision making process.

With most end zone camera systems falling within the 20-30 foot height range, choosing the right height is important, but not a deal-breaker. The pan/tilt operation, however, is more critical, since a manual pan/tilt is more responsive and nimble than an electronic pan/tilt. Manual pan/tilt, however, requires an operator to be stationed at the tripod for the entirety of the game. With electronic pan/ tilt, you have multiple options including fully wired, wired/wireless, and fully wireless. While fully wired still requires an operator stationed at the tripod, wired/wireless offers remote control of the pan/tilt functionality with a wired video monitor. Fully wireless systems enable wireless pan/tilt functionality and video feed. When it comes to cable management, many people view internally run cables as easier and more efficient. Keep in mind that with an internal cable system, if a cable breaks, the entire system has to be sent in for repair, rendering the whole system inoperable. External cable systems might take a couple extra minutes to set up and take down, but, in the long run, if a single cable breaks, replacement is quick and easy. While all of this information is important, the most important question to answer is which system fits in your budget, and do you really have to sacrifice features because of cost?

The good news, you don’t have to break the bank to purchase a reliable, feature-loaded end zone camera. The Legacy end zone camera is a great example of abundant features in a cost effective package. With a high strength carbon fiber tripod, the Legacy is lightweight, yet extremely durable.

Large handled quick-lock latches for the mast make set-up and take-down quick and easy.

Fully extended, the Legacy reaches a maximum height of 27.5 feet, yet remains stable in winds over 20 mph. For added stability, the Legacy includes three saddlebag style bags that can be filled with sand or any other material to add weight to the base.

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THE LEGACY CAMERA AT THE TOP OF THE

tripod tower, a Sony CX405 HD video camera is mounted to an electronic, wireless, pan/tilt module. A wireless range of 25 yards allows the camera operator to safely control the camera from a remote location. The only cable running down from the camera is an HDMI cable, providing the live video feed to a Lilliput monitor.

The Sony CX405 HD video camera offers Optical Steady Shot with Intelligent Active Mode for blur free footage even in shaky conditions. With a 30x optical zoom and a 60x digital zoom, the Sony CX405 can capture clear video from one end of the field to another.

Combining the Sony CX405 with the wireless pan/tilt capabilities on top of the lightweight yet durable carbon fiber Legacy tripod, creates a fully featured end zone camera system for under $3,000.

Visit sidelinepower. com and see how we can help your program get #PoweredUp.

MATT STARR FOUNDER AND CEO, SIDELINE POWER

INNOVATOR’S SPOTLIGHT

TackleBar drives participation, makes game safer Each month, FNF Coaches selects a product that makes the game safer or more enjoyable for players, and allows a representative from that company to share the benefits of the product. For the April edition of FNF Coaches, we’ll feature TackleBar.

COACHES TELL US THEY

BY JEREMY LING, FOUNDER OF TACKLEBAR

Greetings, fellow coaches and football enthusiasts.

I’m grateful to share with you some background on a project called TackleBar because it seems to represent many of the larger trends facing football today.

I’m a longtime football coach and board member of a youth football association. Ten years ago, we had hundreds of kids in our third- to eighth-grade program. However, we saw that participation almost evaporate over the last five years, and we could no longer field teams below seventh grade. We explored offering flag football for sixth grade and under, but board members pushed back, wanting to keep players in pads, and wanting to be inclusive of all athlete types, promoting the value of teamwork.

My career is in biomedical engineering, and therefore I’m trained to have a problem-solving mentality. As the participation crisis was unfolding for my football association, it triggered me to explore proactive solutions to help make the game better and safer.

TackleBar was developed with input from the world’s leading tackling experts, along with countless practice and scrimmage hours. My players

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WHY USE TACKLEBAR?

graciously trialed prototype designs. In 2016, we piloted TackleBar football as our league’s game format for players 12 and under. We saw over a 40 percent increase in sign-ups when we made this pivot. The feedback at season’s end was very positive from our coaches, players and parents. This gave us confidence to launch TackleBar to the larger football community in 2017, and we now have thousands of players at the youth through high school level.

TackleBar football is a safer approach to the game that preserves the tradition and spirit of the sport. Players wear traditional football equipment, plus a TackleBar harness that holds two foam bars across the lower back. The defender must track and engage the ball carrier with proper form tackling technique, then wrap the ball carrier and rip a bar from the harness. With this approach, players stay on their feet rather than driving the ball carrier to the ground.

are turning to TackleBar as a game format because: ■■ TackleBar teaches sound form tackling fundamentals, where the players focus on the body.

■■ It better prepares kids for the transition to tackle football.

■■ Players wear helmets and shoulder pads, providing maximum protection.

■■ TackleBar increases participation.

USA Football is promoting a Football Development Model, whereby players progress from flag, to a modified game, eventually transitioning to tackle. TackleBar is an ideal modified game.

With growing concerns of the potential health risks in playing football, we want to provide a proactive opportunity for kids who love this game to learn the fundamentals and continue to play.

tacklebar.com Twitter: @TackleBarFB

■■ TackleBar football is a safer approach to the sport that preserves the tradition. It has been used as a pilot program for leagues with players 12 and under.

If you would like to have your product featured in the FNF Coaches Innvoator Spotlight section, please contact editor Dan Guttenplan at dguttenplan@ae-engine.com.

PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTEST

FNF PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: NOMINATION ROUND Nominate your favorite high school football photographer for the FNF Photographer of the Year contest! The winning selection will be featured in the print edition of FNF Coaches magazine and will also have their school and work featured in an article on the FNF Coaches website. When the photographer wins, your program wins as well! This is a great way to not only recognize your team photographer, but gain added exposure for your school. The nomination round will conclude on April 30, so be sure to nominate your photographer now. The FNF editorial staff will select 10 photos to be featured in an online contest, with online voting to take place from May 3 through May 11.

NOMINATE YOUR TEAM PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE FNF COACHES PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR CONTEST: FNFCOACHES.COM/PHOTOGRAPHERS

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ON-FIELD TECH

Continued growth 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.

■■ The GSC Coach-to-Player system was used by coaches at the East-West Shrine Game in Nebraska.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

GSC’s Coach-to-Player™ is looking forward to making its mark on high school football in the coming months – as a key piece of technology that can help teams in 7-on-7 and spring practices.

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

■■ Bellevue West High (Neb.) coach Mike Huffman

20

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Playoffs,” GSC Director of Operations Alex Shada.

GSC also is prepared to become 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. NFHS rules also prohibit headset communication at the high school level, but that technology is allowed in practice and 7-on-7 competitions.

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

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.”

THE CONTINUED REWARDS OF GSC C2P BELLEVUE 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.

TAKE PRACTICE TO THE

NEXT LEVEL

CHAD FOX Head Coach, Wahoo High School

AND SEE THE RESULTS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

Coach-to-Playerâ„¢ Helmet Communication System Simple. Effective. Affordable.

Learn more at gsc.us.com

#Hear2Win

@GSC_Hear2Win

PLAYBOOK presented by Beating pass protection

BY ROB EVERETT

D

ialing up the perfect pressure and the perfect

moment is what defensive coaches live for.

While we spend a lot of our time being creative with what players are coming and the coverage behind the blitz, understanding the pass protection rules is the foundation of a great pressure. Let’s investigate the different types of pass protections and the pressures and stunts that are designed to exploit weaknesses. We will focus on four- and five-player pressure and stunt concepts that can be paired with zone coverage.

MAN SLIDE VS. EVEN

DIAGRAM 1

MAN SLIDE VS. EVEN UNDER

DIAGRAM 2

Man and slide protection There are three main types of pass protection used by offenses in the traditional dropback game.

Before jumping into what pressures are most effective, it is important to identify the offense’s tendencies when it comes to pass protection.

Consider the game scenario, personnel (offensive and defensive) and pressure shown when investigating what the offense prefers to do.

■■ Man protection: Each offensive lineman blocks the defensive lineman that is shaded on him. First level twists will usually be locked.

Uncovered linemen combo with the closest shade is responsible for picking up second level pressure players. Running backs could be involved in this protection or are released into a pattern.

■■ Man/slide protection (half slide) (diagrams 1 and 2): This protection has three or four offensive linemen responsible for a gap in a designated direction. Any covered offensive linemen opposite the slide use their man protection rules. A running back or tight end will remain in to block second level pressure players opposite the slide.

■■ Full slide protection (diagram 3): This protection has the entire offensive line owning a gap in a designated direction and the running back(s) responsible for edge players opposite the slide.

This protection is used mainly against walked-up pressure or two-back formations.

Attacking man/slide protection When pressuring a team using man/slide protection, it is vital to know what direction the slide is going (diagram 4). Here are several keys to investigate, when figuring out the direction of the slide: ■■ Opposite the tailback side: The side the tailback is on will usually be the first indicator as to the slide direction as it is the most natural in terms of angels and visual for the blockers. Most teams will have the tailback checking across the quarterback as an adjustment – but not as the base.

■■ Opposite the 2/3 removed receiver side: The

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quarterback is responsible for the extra pressure player opposite the slide and is given a hot option. Usually, this hot route is a slot player as the throw is closer and cleaner.

■■ The field: The wide side of the field is another indicator to look into for a slide direction. Most defenses bring pressure from the field, so offenses counter with sliding that way.

Pressuring opposite the slide side is the most effective approach. Fiveman pressure can be brought in two ways: ■■ Overload: Bringing 4 to the side opposite the slide will outnumber the protection. As previously stated, the quarterback is responsible for the extra rusher so make sure the coverage is set for the ball to come out hot.

■■ Plus 1: Bringing a fifth rusher opposite the slide puts them back in the protection. Edge pressure is best brought from depth, not walked up on the line of scrimmage. Interior pressure is most effective when brought across the midline from slide side to the man side

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

FULL SLIDE VS. PRESSURE

FULL SLIDE 21 VS. EVEN

DIAGRAM 3

DIAGRAM 4

Attacking man protection Pressuring a man protection scheme is all about match-ups. Using down/distance and other tendencies as a guide to “guarantee” the pass, encourage your front to be creative with alignment and launch points to stress their opponent.

■■ Edge rushers vs. tackles: Space and time are the friend and enemy of offensive tackles in man protection. First steps should be hard up the field and the set of the lineman will dictate the counter move to beat the block with speed against squared shoulders or strong set and work underneath and back out against turned shoulders or an overset. NOTE: You can take the gap and still hold contain.

■■ Interior rushers vs. guards and centers: The key is to identify where the one on one match up is. Traditionally, the interior offensive linemen will “jump set” in big on big protection so working away from contact to undermine the base of the protection will open up the chance to press the pocket with hands on the secondary move.

There are certain things that a defense can do to force man protection. Walking up interior pressure often triggers a man call. Our “magic” tag tells our box players to be creative with stances and alignments pre-snap, which usually compels man protection.

Using stunts Line stunts are a great way to give the illusion of an overload pressure without sacrificing coverage. The stunt techniques are different between the run and the pass.

For that “first” lineman, in the run, you want to bubble back or get across the face of an offensive lineman stepping to you. In the passing game, it is the opposite: get away and vertical of the lineman assigned to you. This forces them to have to move their feet and chase.

The next part of stunts against pass protection is when to make movements into gaps. Against man protection, defensive lineman and pressuring players should get vertical for several steps before making a move. Against slide protection, the gaps should be taken right off the snap to not allow them to set.

Using bluff, show and stem The greatest weapon a defense has in pressure is the disguise of intention before the snap.

Showing edge pressure will rarely get a free rush on the quarterback but can have big implications on checks to protection.

■■ Bluff: Walk up to the line of scrimmage but do not come. Occupy the eyes of the tailback or force a check of protection for no reason.

■■ Show: Walk up the line of scrimmage and pressure from there. Mixes in with bluff.

■■ Stem: Defensive line movement changing shades. Effective in against man schemes to disrupt assignments.

Pressuring the quarterback with four- and five-player pressure is more about understanding your opponent than being complex with the scheme. It is not about getting free runners but rather occupying the eyes of blockers and getting them off balance.

While getting home is the goal in the pass rush, having pressuring players getting hands back on an off-balance blocker to press the pocket can be just valuable.

■■ Rob Everett is the defensive coordinator at Bridgewater (Va.) College. He was the defensive coordinator at Westfield High School, helping that program win a Virginia Class 6A state championship. He also served as head coach at Springfield (Va.) Robert E. Lee High School. Everett also is the founder of Innovative Coaching Technologies and is involved with several football projects off the field. He advises for the Go Army Edge football simulation program, consults for GameSense Sport IQ Testing and recently finished a defensive instructional book titled “The Modern 4-2-5 Defense.” Follow him on Twitter @NineInTheBox.

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PLAYBOOK presented by Defending power blast and toss sweep within the 3-5-3

BY THOMAS COUSINS

T

he 3-5-3 is an adaptive, effective defensive scheme

designed to make the most out of quicker, albeit smaller defensive teams.

High schools and colleges across the nation are turning to this option when personnel challenges make running the traditional 4-3 and 3-4 fronts difficult. They also are doing it when the No. 1 goal is to just get the 11 most athletic people on the field at the same time.

Like every scheme, the 3-5-3 defense does not live in a vacuum to be pulled out when needed.

Instill in your defenders the following characteristics and approaches to maximize success.

■■ Pressure: Every defensive coach wants to keep offenses off-balance and wondering what the defense will do next. Sending pressure from different positions and from different areas of the field allows the defense to stay one step ahead of the offense.

You cannot stay in a base defense without sending someone and expect to be successful in this defense.

Everything is predicated on causing the disruption of offensive schemes through pressure.

■■ Surge: The defense will need a surge upfield by the defensive linemen while linebackers create a new line of scrimmage one yard up the field.

■■ Game plans: Take away what offenses do best.

Dictate what offenses run. Don’t let them dictate what you can and cannot do.

■■ Offensive coaches: Make them waste valuable time in devising ways and practicing how to cover a wide variety of blitzes and stunts.

■■ Divide: Keep receivers out of the middle of the field with the inside linebackers.

■■ Creativity: Be willing to try something new.

Do not be bound by what you have been engrained to believe are sound football practices.

■■ The quarterback: Force him to throw off-balance and in a hurry. Keep him guessing about where pressure will be coming. Force the quarterback to lose confidence in his offensive linemen.

■■ Running backs: Pursue relentlessly and wear them down by gang tackling. Make the running back not want to carry the ball.

■■ Receivers: Never let a receiver cross a defender’s face without being hit. Pretty soon, the receivers will be more concerned about getting hit than catching the ball.

■■ Offensive linemen: Keep them in a state of confusion. They never know where a stunt or blitz will be coming from. Make all five offensive linemen account for your three defensive linemen.

The success of the 3-5-3 defensive scheme is

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DEFENDING DOUBLE TIGHT BLAST

WP

DIAGRAM 1

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N

T

W

M

S

C

FS

DEFENDING DOUBLE TIGHT TOSS SWEEP

WP

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ST

C

DIAGRAM 2

T

N

T

W

M

S

ST

FS

C

largely predicated on the use of pressure to disrupt blocking schemes and keep the offense in a state of confusion. Pressure can be achieved by line slants or by one-, two-, three-, four-, or five-player blitzes.

Pressure is the great equalizer in terms of personnel mismatches in speed, size or a combination of both. To achieve success with this defense, pressure needs to be understood and mastered.

Diagrams 1 and 2 show how the 3-5-3 lends itself to defending specific power offense plays.

■■ Thomas Cousins is an assistant football coach at West Ashley (S.C.) High School, a position he assumed in 2006. Before joining the Wildcats’ staff, he coached at Avon Park (Fla.) High School for seven seasons (1999-2005), the last three as the Red Devils’ head coach. Involved with football for more than three decades as either a player or a coach, Cousins began his coaching career in 1991 as a defensive line coach at his alma mater, Newberry College.

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Veer concepts from the pistol formation

BY JAMES VINT

T

he veer is an option play that allows the

offense to quickly attack the B, C and D gaps. Run as a triple option – either inside or outside – the veer has three possible ball-carriers each play, providing the offense with opportunities to get the ball into the hands of good athletes in open space.

The inside veer is a quick-hitting option play that attacks the B gap of the defense. Like the midline, the quarterback has a player he is reading.

The offensive line rules are simple for the inside veer. Linemen block gap away.

While the offense has the ability to man block gap away, zone combination blocks can be much more effective. Linemen work in tandem blocking a down defender and tracking a linebacker.

With the inside veer, the offense reads the first player on or outside the playside tackle. This usually is a 5 technique.

The running back aims for the inside hip of the guard while working downhill.

The quarterback steps at a 45-degree angle with his playside foot, bringing his second step to a near parallel position.

Reaching the ball deep to mesh with the back, the quarterback rides the back into the hole. The rule as to whether the quarterback gives the football to the back is the same as the midline: Squeeze and chase, pull and replace.

If the player the quarterback is reading squeezes and plays the back, pull the football, get downhill and replace the read defender. If the defender does anything else, give the football.

Veer blocks Veer blocking at the point of attack is crucial to success. The tackle always blocks the B gap away from the call.

If the B gap has a down defender, the tackle makes a tandem call with the guard, putting the tackle and the guard working together to knock the down defender into the linebacker.

If there is no down defender in the B gap, the tackle makes an inside release to the inside backer. As with the midline, the tackle in veer reduces his shoulder so he doesn’t get slammed down by the defensive end.

Another release for the playside tackle is the outside veer or arc release. The tackle dropsteps with his outside foot to gain depth, then crosses over and rips through to gain enormous width.

Two tracking two The two-tracking-two concept used with the midline option carries over to the veer option as well. The offense can have a second player tracking the playside linebacker to the free safety.

This can be the Y, the fullback or a receiver. The offense has the versatility to show the defense several different looks while finding new ways to gain leverage on the defense.

In the picture below, the playside tackle and the second player tracking the playside linebacker to the safety both have their eyes on the playside backer. The playside backer steps up into the B gap, meaning the playside tackle blocks him. The second player tracking the playside backer then climbs to the free safety.

Installing the Inside Veer ■■ Pressures the A, B, C and D Gaps ■■ Simple read for the QB ■■ Downhill action stresses the playside linebacker ■■ Eliminates the defensive end ■■ Can eliminate stunts ■■ Opportunity to hit the perimeter ■■ Allows for multiple option concepts with one blocking scheme ■■ Read the frontside player ■■ Offensive line utilizes zone combination blocks ■■ Run from multiple formations ■■ Aggressive, downhill run play

the mesh ■■ QB takes flat step with outside foot ■■ Second step into the hole ■■ Eyes go directly to the C Gap ■■ Back takes short drop step ■■ Make a deep, soft pocket and work downhill ■■ Back aims for inside leg of guard ■■ James Vint is the offensive line coach at Estacado High school in Seminole, Texas. He has been both an offensive and defensive coordinator at the high school and college levels, including Truman State University and Iowa Wesleyan College.

PLAYBOOK presented by Applying a count system in an option offense

DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUE & NUMBERING SYSTEM

BY C. RAY GREGORY

E

very offense has its own way of communicating and

identifying alignments, fronts, coverages, stunts and blitz reads. Many presnap reads, calls and signals must be prepared to have a chance for a successful play.

If part of a team’s offensive package has an option phase, this requirement should be consistent with the general premise of adding ideas into the offensive system.

Option offenses count and identify one, two and three defenders who are used as reads for dives and pitches as well as to help designate whom to block. In our offensive system, we use a count system as our form of communication and identification on every play. We are ready to check and call plays from the line of scrimmage as well as have calls made by other members of the offense. The count is the first phase of our efforts to establish these rules.

The count starts from the center playside, inside-out, as our linemen identify this defender as our dive read (diagram 2). This defender must be on the line of scrimmage. Mid-line count starts from the playside guard out – from a 2i out to a 5 technique. Triple count starts from the playside tackle 4i out technique.

If we read No. 1 for our dive read, he will not be blocked. The quarterback will read his actions and either give the football to replace the read or locate the No. 2 defender for the pitch player. The quarterback must be ready to either keep or pitch the football. If the read does not take the dive back, the quarterback should keep the ball and replace the dive read or continue to the second defender who is in a stack-look area read.

We use single, one-way reads on mid-line as a dive read. We also employ speed and counteroption plays to read as the pitch man. One exception would be triple-option play against an even 4-3 look reading the Mike linebacker as the No. 1 read.

We also count and identify the No. 2 defender, looking for a pitch player or a dive read. He will not be blocked, regardless of whether this defender is on the line of scrimmage. If he’s not on line of scrimmage, the quarterback should look at linebacker’s depth. Is the No. 2 defender lined up outside or stacked with the No. 1 defender? We have double-reads as two-way goes.

Our double-option entails reading two opponents, who will be read and not be blocked. This

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41 T

C

DIAGRAM 1

32

21 G

B

101 C

A

THREE-WAY GO READ

12 G

A

B

45 T

C

DIAGRAM 2

3

C

23 34

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2

M 1

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E

DIAGRAM 3 S

C

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M E

SPEED OPTION PITCH

C

B

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DIAGRAM 4

B

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$

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DIAGRAM 5 S

S C

B

1 E

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B E

DIAGRAM 6 3

S C

B E

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2

B 1

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DIAGRAM 7 F

3 C

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DIAGRAM 8 Option Type

Read No.

Pitch No.

MID-LINE

NO. 1

NONE, SHOW ONLY

MID-LINE TRIPLE

NO. 1

NO. 2

TRIPLE

NO. 1

NO. 2

TRIPLE H

NO. 1

NO. 3

TRIPLE BASE

NONE

NO. 3

COUNTER

NONE

NO. 2

SPEED

NONE

END MAN ON LOS

OUTSIDE VEER

NO. 2

NO. 3

■■ C. Ray Gregory has been the slot backs coach at BethuneCookman University since 2008. With more than two decades of experience, he also has coached at Southern Utah, Millsaps, Hines (Miss.), Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Itawamba and Buffalo.

Three of his teams won NCAA rushing titles while running his renowned option offensive system.

situation entails our mid-line triple option, which is good against odd-stack looks. This play facilitates getting the football outside quickly on pull-pitch scenarios. In these situations, we are ready for both blood and easy stunts. Triple mid-line cowboy assigns the dive back to block the No. 1 defender. It is also good against odd stack and stunts.

In the triple option, you must always count to three. Because this defender could be a linebacker or a safety, he would be blocked on most all option plays, either by the slot or the receiver. One variation of the triple is utilizing an H call in which the slot blocks the No. 2 defender. The quarterback reads the No. 1 defender for dive. If the read takes the dive back, he then keeps the football, goes up the alley and pitches the ball to the pitch man.

On triple base, both the playside tackle and the slot block No. 1 and No. 2. It is great way for the quarterback to get in the alley and upfield with a pitch player riding with him. Depending on what No. 3 does, the quarterback can either keep the ball or pitch it to the pitch man.

On triple or mid-line cowboy, the dive back is assigned to block No. 1, which helps the quarterback with his reads. This approach is great against teams that are taking the dive back. The outside veer playside tackle base-blocks No. 1 and the dive back must change his track to the inside leg of the playside tackle. The next player out is the dive read. The playside slot load-blocks with the playside guard.

Every phase must be accounted for on all option plays. Getting correct checks and calls start with everyone being on the same page.

Defenders against the dive read and the pitch player will only be blocked with buzz words added into a core play. The blocking scheme is set signals made before the play is initiated unless the game clock dictates otherwise.

Diagram 8 is a list of option schemes with cheats.

Key Coaching Points: ■■ Teach team offense.

■■ Reinforce the importance of making contact and running their feet, while blocking.

■■ Make sure all players understand the count.

■■ Make sure all players can to communicate and identify the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 defenders.

■■ Make sure all players understand their assignments, using rules and buzz words to help them remember.

■■ Make sure all players can apply tags, using the appropriate count and rules.

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The best strength and conditioning programs energize

Bigger, Faster, Stronger The spring is the perfect time for a coach to revamp his strength and conditioning program. There are still four or five months left to build before the in-season strength training strategy transition to maintaining.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

■■ Lynden High (Wash.) players work out in their newly renovated weight room.

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players with challenging lifts, innovative training ideas, and a healthy dose of motivation from coaches. That motivation does not come easy in the spring, so it’s important to spruce up your strength and conditioning. Redecorate the weight room, add new exercise, create new challenges.

In the spring, the weight room can still offer a structured, intense environment. Leaders emerge and much of the team hierarchy is decided before that first preseason workout. Let your players dictate who they believe to be the leaders.

Design an offseason program that challenges players to compete with each other. Make sure every scheduled team function has a purpose – whether it’s building strength, speed, agility or team chemistry.

While the athletes might not have the constant reminder of a scoreboard to measure their success, you can provide them with motivators such as offseason awards, point systems or leadership opportunities. Spend time reviewing team values and goals. It’s the perfect time to eliminate bad habits and work to make weaknesses strengths.

High school athletes thrive on competition. Pit teammates, classmates, position groups and peers against each other, and stress that the key to winning the offseason is winning each day.

6 Steps to Upgrade Your Weight Room The first step in upgrading your program’s strength and conditioning program might be making renovations to the weight room. There are ways to make that happen that don’t involve increasing your local community’s taxes. Include as many sports teams and athletes as possible into your plan so that the community can share the expense.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

FINDING A STRENGTH PROGRAM ONCE HE HAD ALL OF

■■ The Lynden High weight room renovation required almost $200,000 in funding.

Shortly after being promoted to the head football coaching position at Lynden High (Wash.) in 2016, Blake VanDalen turned his attention to the weight room. Lynden High had a great space for the weight room, as the previous administration blocked off a 60 x 70-foot space for strength training when the school doubled in size in 1993.

“I give the previous head coach and Principal credit for establishing that footprint,” VanDalen said. “The space was there. That’s the best thing the district did 25 years ago. They moved all of the weight equipment from t he 1950s, 60s and 70s into that weight room as part of the physical education program.”

However, none of the weight room equipment had been upgraded since that time, and most of the equipment was at least 30 years old.

“I said, ‘We need to upgrade the weight room,’” VanDalen said. “But the School Board had just passed new bonds for a brand new middle school and elementary school. New taxes and bonds wouldn’t work.”

VanDalen took the following steps to get almost $200,000 in funding for a weight room upgrade.

Share a plan with the School Board. VanDalen, along with students from the football and volleyball teams, asked the Lynden School Board if they could ask the community for support to remodel. Lineman Cooper Brown, running back

1

Trevin Melendez and a couple of volleyball players went to the school library and lifted weights while VanDalen made his pitch to the school board.

Seek out private donors. From March 15 into June, VanDalen met with 60-70 companies, families and organizations in Lynden and was able to raise $150,000. Lynden High recently partnered with Papa Murphy’s for a day on which all pizza proceeds went toward funding the weight room.

Give the players a fundraising goal. Kids themselves have been a big help too. They put together a lift-a-thon in the spring that raised $8,000.

Find a contracting partner. VanDalen partnered with Sorinex, an exercise company out of South Carolina. One of its employees, Kevin Kamphouse, was a student and player for VanDalen when he coached and taught at Nooksack Valley for a year.

Sorinex recently installed a new training facility for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other clients are the Boston Red Sox and the University of Oregon.

Complete the project in steps. The equipment was ordered in June and a new floor was installed in preparation for the equipment, which was delivered Aug. 22. The total project cost is $200,000, so there is still bit to go.

Customize it to your team’s history. Giant framed photos of past Lynden High School state championship teams and athletes line the walls of the Lions weight room.

2

3 4 5

the equipment he needed, VanDalen needed to find a program that worked for every student in the school.

As a teacher of the classes: Weight Training and Fitness for Life, his reach extends beyond just the football team.

“I have a special education degree, so I needed to use many resources to build a program for every kid in the school,” VanDalen said. “I want to provide an opportunity for each kid to individualize the program to work for them.”

VanDalen takes advantage of the school’s block schedule by maximizing every minute of the 83-minute class periods.

His class consists of a full warmup, stretching, and a 1-hour lift before the students get changed back into their school clothes.

He also offers an advanced weight training class for athletes who are familiar with lifting. He teaches eight of those classes throughout the week.

6

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BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER

Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson’s strength, speed and agility workout In the offseason, football players need to build a proper base, striving to enhance their performance with every workout. This makes the next four months of training all the more important since, during the season, the focus is on making sure they don’t get hurt and preventing muscle loss.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Joe Holder, a Nike Master Trainer, has developed his own holistic wellness plan, called The Ocho System, which refers to an overarching fitness philosophy made up of eight core tenets.

Holder’s path to becoming a go-to celebrity trainer began in 2015 when, while working at a gym in New York, he signed with Nike’s training concierge service. One of his clients includes Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson.

Holder shared Johnson’s strength, speed and agility workout with FNF Coaches.

Warmup ■■ Self myofascial release: Use a vibrating foam roller on a low-level setting to get deeper into the muscles and fascia and prime your body.

Phase I: Reactive Series 1. Partner Mirror Drills ■■ How to do it: One partner will be the bait—or, the “rabbit”—who’ll shuffle side to side. The other partner will be the “dog,” mirroring the moves of the rabbit. The rabbit will move quickly and randomly, trying to shake the dog. After 15-20 seconds, switch roles. Do one round.

■■ Nike Master trainer Joe Holder

2. Lacrosse Ball Drop ■■ How to do it: Football players often respond to silent counts, or have to react to an external stimulus. With this drill, Partner A will hold a lacrosse ball. Partner B will stand behind a series of mini cones, about 10 feet away from Partner A, and come into an athletic stance, ready to pounce.

Partner A will randomly drop the lacrosse ball, and Partner B will snap into action, sprinting around the cone, attempting to catch the ball before it bounces twice. This works on acceleration and linear speed. Switch roles between reps; complete 5 times each.

3. Hurdle Hole Series ■■ How to do it: Set up mini hurdles every few feet as linemen on the line of scrimmage. Each space represents a “gap”: Running backs have specific gaps they typically have to hit during a play. Sometimes that gap changes, depending on

30

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what happens in the play, so this drill mimics that lateral shuffle to explode. Partner A will come into an athletic stance and shuffle as quickly as possible side to side, while Partner B will stand behind them. On Partner B’s command, Partner A will explode and run through the gap he’s in front of. Switch roles between reps; complete 5 rounds each.

4. Watt Bike Conditioning ■■ How to do it: Partner A will hop on a Wattbike or Airdyne bike; the air and magnetic resistance will give you a great deal of feedback regarding your power output. Sprint on the bike for 10 seconds, giving your maximum effort, then jog on a treadmill for 60-90 seconds to recover while Partner B works on the bike. Switch on and off, completing 3 rounds

THE OCHO SYSTEM IN ADDITION TO BEING

a star player on the UPenn football team, which earned seven national titles, Holder spent his time at college studying sociology, psychology, and marketing, all of which interestingly found a way into his passion for sports and fitness.

The Ocho System is a health philosophy that he uses now as a trainer, which promotes productivity and progress through physical wellness, but more importantly encourages a goal of being holistically, and wholly, better.

Aside from staying on top of fitness, Holder believes the real key to a healthy lifestyle is maintaining a good diet.

For the Master Trainer, that has largely meant sticking to plant-based food choices.

Phase II: Strength Series “We worked David’s posterior chain and hinge pattern,” Holder says. “He needs to be able to sprint, so we just worked on some things that’ll cross over onto the field. Strength is typically just structural insurance: If David is strong, it’ll help him reach maximal contractions a bit quicker while also making sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

1. Barbell Hip Thrust ■■ How to do it: Sit on the floor in front of a bench.

Prop your shoulders on the ledge of the bench as your partner helps lower a loaded barbell (with a pad positioned over your hips for comfort) onto your hip crease. Grasp your hands, palms down, around the barbell, and plant your feet into the ground about shoulder-width apart. Drive through your heels as you explosively extend through your hips, creating a straight line from knees to chest. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then slowly lower back to the floor. Perform 3 sets of 8–12 reps.

The focus here is maximum contraction at the top of the movement. “I want to make sure David is not just pushing a lot of weight, but able to move it quickly.”

2. Hex-Bar (Trap-Bar) Deadlift ■■ How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart inside the hex bar. Hinge your hips back and bend your knees until your hands can grip the handles.

Your lower back should be flat. Inhale, brace your

abs, and maintain a proud chest as you drive your heels into the floor and lift the weight up. You want to push your knees apart and retract your neck (kind of like you’re making a double chin). At the top of the movement, lock out your hips and squeeze your glutes. Don’t shrug your shoulders or lean back. Keep your back flat as you hinge your hips back and lower the bar. Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

“David lifted on command, because the theme of the workout was testing his ability to hold contractions and turn tension on and off, making sure he could respond accordingly and move properly,” Holder says. “Hex bars typically allow for faster bar speed, slightly heavier weight, and take pressure off your lower back, so we elected to use this instead of a straight bar.”

You can also substitute hex-bar deadlifts with landmine squats if you don’t have access to a hex/ trap bar, or have a bad back.

3. Landmine “Bus Driver” ■■ How to do it: Begin in a standing position with a barbell in a “landmine” attachment or held sturdy between two corners of a room (you can also pile sand bags and wedge the bar in between). Place your hands toward the top of the bar. “Drive the bus” by performing a controlled rotation, starting on one side of your body. If it’s your right side, keep your arms straight and engage your abs as you lower the bar toward your right hip. Pivot off the opposite foot to take torque off your knee and return to start. Pause, then return the bar to the top position. Stay tall and don’t bend into the exercise; you want your abs to control the motion. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps each side.

“This core drill works on rotation, but also dynamic stability through the core—a great attribute since it not only connects the upper and lower body, but also has to absorb and transfer force correctly so you don’t waste any energy,” Holder says. “We also did this on command, focusing on the explosive concentric portion, while stopping at the top, then controlling the bar down.”

Cool Down ■■ Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson

Foam roll again and work through total-body stretches.

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QB TECHNIQUE

THE BALLARD REPORT

Jim Ballard JOB: Director of Jim Ballard Quarterback Academy PLAYED: 13 years professionally in the NFL, CFL and Arena League COLLEGE: Broke

numerous school, conference and NCAA records at Mount Union College

■■ Former Mount Union quarterback Jim Ballard

Teach Quarterbacks Proper Footwork The key to throwing with accuracy as a quarterback is the footwork. Coaches should work with quarterbacks so they are consistently using the same technique on 3-, 5-, and 7-step drops. When it comes time to throw, a quarterback should have a consistent platform.

Jim Ballard played quarterback professionally for 13 years and is an inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. While at Mount Union, Ballard broke numerous school, conference and NCAA records en route to leading the Purple Raiders to their first ever Division III National Championship in 1993. He now runs the Jim Ballard Quarterback Academy, teaching quarterbacks from all over northeast Ohio.

He has five rules for teaching quarterbacks the proper footwork.

1

Simplify the game by making it black and white. Ballard recommended that

coaches require their quarterbacks to draw up plays that will work against specific opponents. He also urged coaches to stress red zone rules (no sacks, penalties or turnovers).

2

Ask three questions before each play.

Ballard says quarterbacks must know where they are on the field (yard line, hash mark, etc.), the down and

32

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instance, and the remaining time in the quarter and timeout count.

3

Give the quarterback three keys in scouting the opponent. Ballard believes the

quarterback must know the identity of the opponent (i.e. head coach, defensive coordinator, defensive tendencies), how they play (4-3, 3-4, zone, blitz, etc.), and which defensive players can make the biggest impact.

Give the quarterback cheat codes. Make a wristband for the quarterback with simple reminders. Collaborate with the quarterback and offensive coordinator to determine which two or three plays the quarterback likes each week.

Teach perfect footwork. In order to get the best results from your quarterback, you need to be specific with the steps in his drop-back. Put all steps on an imaginary clock (i.e. “Step to 10 o’clock.”).

Ballard always asks his quarterback to step to 5 o’clock in the quick game. He does not teach the punch step. The front

4 5

HONORS: In 2008, Ballard was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame.

ankle sets the shoulder’s position, and the hips drive the passing motion.

Footwork Drills ■■ Rapid Fire: Six receivers line up across the line of scrimmage. A center snaps the ball to the quarterback as one receiver runs a specified route. The quarterback throws the ball to the receiver, and immediately prepares for the next snap. He throws one pass to each receiver (six total passes) in succession.

■■ Wave Drill: A coach signals a direction for the quarterback to shuffle while remaining in a passing position. Once the coach claps, the quarterback fires a pass to the coach.

■■ Mirror Drill: A coach moves and the quarterback mirrors the motion while keeping his eyes downfield. Upon the coach’s clap, the quarterback passes.

■■ Obstacles: A coach throws padding at the quarterback as he prepares, so the quarterback will learn not to flinch when pressured.

MENTAL PERFORMANCE

Change the Narrative: Open Your Doors to Players Who Are Struggling Rachel Baribeau is the founder of #ChangingtheNarrative and a national host on SiriusXM collegiate channels. He has visited more than 30 college campuses to speak with male athletes about living lives with purpose, passion and platform.

BY RACHEL BARIBEAU

I speak with male athletes about being a KING every day of their lives, especially when no one is looking.

This movement focuses on the three P’s: purpose, passion and platform. To break it down: Who are you away from the track, field, diamond, etc.?

What makes your heart beat faster? What is your purpose? Because while it’s amazing to be a great athlete, and that is part of your platform, there is more, much more.

We also talk about masculinity and mental health. Quite frankly, I’m trying to destroy the stigma that it’s not masculine or manly to ask for help. Because in actuality, and from a woman’s perspective, that is when you are most strong: when you ask for help and desire to be a better man, a KING! Lastly we talk about dating and how we really — deep-down — look at women in this day and age. In the moments with their friends, do they objectify women/girls OR do they respect, protect and cherish women? Because if we leave the mentorship of our young men to social media and popular culture, we are doomed.

And I know many a coach like you that are reading this: you care, you want the best for them, but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to parent/mentor them all.

I feel you, honestly. And that’s why I would like to offer what I’ve learned because, quite frankly, we are experiencing all sorts of life-change with this movement. Guys forgiving dead-beat dads, guys reuniting with estranged moms, guys telling me, “I want to be better because I’m going to be a father and I know I’m not doing right.” Or, “I’m not treating my girlfriend like a QUEEN.” (By the way, I also have a program for young ladies, because they need to walk out being a QUEEN everyday of their lives as well.)

The life-change is real. I’m so grateful I could use my life’s story to affect these young people.

And we are just getting started. The first NFL team just called, so the movement is growing.

But here’s what I want to leave you with: What are your players hesitant or ashamed to tell you?

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What load are they carrying? Is it a load that they aren’t meant to carry? Could you talk to them about it? Could you say, “Hey, I really want you to tell me what’s going on, deep down?” Because here’s what I’ve learned out on the road, here’s what they tell me: “I don’t tell my coach I’m struggling mentally, injured, etc. because I fear losing playing time, his faith in me and/or being seen as weak. In college they fear losing their scholarship.

This is a reality. So I wonder if we could collectively start to foster a culture, around the country, where our athletes could feel free to lay down their burdens, without judgment or condemnation.

That’s the world I envision – a world where we don’t have young men taking their own lives. A world where there is no more bullying because you are so broken inside or come from a dysfunctional/broken home. A world where young athletes start to set the standard in the way they treat (and protect) young ladies. A world where we have healthy young KINGS and QUEENS in every aspect of their lives. And because of that, they dominate in their sport(s) of choice.

If you’d like more info on #ChangingtheNarrative or would like to get in touch, please visit: imchangingthenarrative.org/virtual-training.

■■ Coaches should encourage players to share their fears and insecurities.

EAT. SLEEP. PLAY. REPEAT. There’s always time time for for aa BUBBA BUBBA burger. burger.

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INSPIRATION

Fueling Tips for Early Morning Exercisers During the spring and summer, many football players train in the early morning.

Athletes who need to be at school or work on time often train at 6 a.m. Many of these athletes report eating nothing before their training session. The question arises: What’s the best way to fuel for early morning workouts?

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Let’s first address the physiological goals for fueling before morning workouts: ■■ To change the stress-hormone profile. Cortisol (a stress hormone) is high in the early morning. This puts your body in muscle-breakdown mode. Eating carbs and protein can switch to muscle-building mode.

■■ To provide energy and prevent low blood glucose with the consequences of feeling light-headed, dizzy, and needlessly fatigued.

■■ To be adequately hydrated. Dehydration slows you down.

If you are making the effort to get up early to train, you might as well get the most out of your workout. In a fueling study, athletes had dinner the night before and then a 60-minute exercise test the next morning. They performed 6 percent better in the 10-minute sprint to the finish when they had some fuel (carb) compared to having had nothing; 6 percent better when they had adequate water (compared to minimal water), and 12 percent better when they had both fuel and water (a sport drink).

Your body can digest pre-exercise food and use it to energize your exercise as long as you are exercising at a pace that you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. (If you do stop-andstart exercise, you can still digest the food, but at a slower rate.)

In another fueling study, athletes ate dinner and then nothing for the next 12 hours. Those who ate 180 calories (sugar) just five minutes before an hour-long exercise test performed 10 percent better in the last 15-minute sprint compared to when they ate nothing.

If you are tempted to skip pre-exercise food so you can lose weight by burning more fat, think again. Yes, pre-exercise food will contribute to burning less fat at the moment, but that is irrelevant. The issue is not whether you have burned

EARLY MORNING FUELING STRATEGIES HERE ARE SOME OPTIONS FOR FUELING

early morning workouts.

■■ Eat a quick and easy snack with about 200 to 400 calories (depending on your body size and workout intensity). Some popular options include: English muffin, toast, bagel or banana (with peanut butter); oatmeal, a smoothie, Fig Newtons, or granola bar.

■■ Wake up four hours before important training sessions/events, eat a simple breakfast (bread and peanut butter), then go back to bed.

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fat during exercise but if you have created a calorie deficit by the end of the day. Eating excess calories after a fat-burning workout gets you nowhere.

All of this means consuming some food and fluid will enhance your workout—assuming you have trained your gut to tolerate the food and fluids. If you are worried about intestinal distress, start small (a few crackers) and work up to a handful of crackers, and then add, let’s say, a latte. For workouts longer than 60 minutes, the recommended intake is about 200 to 400 calories within the hour before you train. That recommendation obviously varies according to body size, exercise intensity and duration, and personal tolerance to food.

If you have been exercising on empty, you will likely discover you can exercise harder, feel better, and get more enjoyment from your workouts. Research subjects who ate 400 pre-exercise calories were able to exercise for 136 minutes until they were exhausted, as compared to only 109 minutes with no breakfast.

■■ Eat your breakfast the night before via a

bedtime snack, such as a bowl of cereal, or yogurt with granola. If you have dinner at 6 p.m., you’ll be ready for a bedtime snack by 9 p.m.

■■ Fuel during your workout. If your stomach isn’t awake when you first get up, it may be receptive to fuel when you are 30 minutes into your workout. Be sure you have some fuel with you: sport drink, dried pineapple, gels, chomps, gummy bears—whatever is easy to carry and simple to digest.

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

NANCY CLARK, MS, RD

NANCY CLARK MS, RD

counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, Massachusetts. Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for marathoners, cyclists and soccer players offer additional information. They are available at NancyClarkRD.com. For her online workshop, visit NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.

USA FOOTBALL

New Lessons with Videos and Drills Added to the Contact System In 2018, USA Football launched the Contact System to help coaches teach proper use of the hands and hips to help reduce helmet contact through exceptional technique when instructing players on blocking and defeating blocks.

The system provides a progression for both blocking and defeating blocks that gives every coach on your staff one language to instruct players on those contact areas. This is known as the C.U.F.F. progression, which stands for: ■■ COIL. Coil ensures that athletes are in the proper position before contact occurs.

■■ UNCOIL. Uncoil teaches the extension or explosion from the hips prior to contact that helps athletes use their hands as an effective delivery mechanism for contact.

■■ FIT. Fit teaches the strike or initial contact delivered onto an opponent.

■■ FINISH. Finish focuses on the techniques designed to help develop a player’s ability to secure control of their opponent after initial strike through the end of contact.

When the system was released in 2018, instructional text, drill video and troubleshooting materials helped show coaches how to execute each level of the progression. This was applicable to any position on the field, for both offense and defense.

“These drills are appropriate for any level of football that wants to teach the skills of blocking and defeating blocks,” Joe Frollo, USA Football’s Senior Manager of Education said. “This is going to make your players better and help you coach the fundamentals in a progressive path to make it easier to remember. The goal is to help you win on game day, but it’s also designed to eliminate that natural step that leads kids to put their head down, to take the head out of the contact.”

USA Football committed to adding new materials to the Contact System, beyond just the initial release. At USA Football’s 2019 National Conference, 15 lessons and 20 videos were added to the System. Below you can learn about some of the new materials that were added.

■■ The USA Football Contact System helps coaches teach the proper blocking and tackling techniques.

EXECUTING SPECIFIC BLOCKS Most of the new material is focused on blocking and it’s designed to help coaches teach the execution of the full C.U.F.F. progression.

Here are three areas that are specifically highlighted: ■■ Base Blocks ■■ Down Blocks ■■ Second Level Blocks The website for the Contact System, footballdevelopment.com/contact-system, now includes a new navigation tab containing all this material called “Execute.”

NEW TROUBLESHOOTING INSTRUCTION AND VIDEOS Coach education material that covers the perfect-world scenario alone is relatively useless. That’s why USA Football places a premium on developing troubleshooting materials for each of its systems. These are key coaching points, metrics or resources to help you

diagnose and find solutions for common problem areas.

This new release for the Contact System added new troubleshooting content for both blocking and defeating blocks in existing and new lessons for the C.U.F.F. progression. This content is designed to help the coach teach their players how to execute the progression, whether or not everything on the field has gone according to plan.

HOW TO ACCESS THIS NEW MATERIAL Anyone who is a current subscriber to the Contact System automatically has access to all new material, including the new content that was released in the past two months.

Anyone interested in previewing the system can register for three free lessons, including the new material that has been added, by visiting

footballdevelopment.com/contact-system.

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FNF COACHES MARCH MADNESS

recap: 2018 NFL Coaches

March Madness Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

FNF Coaches readers selected the best NFL coach of all time, tournament bracket-style!

Semi-Finals

Championship

Vince Lombardi

Bill Walsh

Bill Walsh

Bill Belichick

Vince Lombardi Don Coryell Vince Lombardi Tony Dungy Mike Ditka Tony Dungy Vince Lombardi Chuck Noll Chuck Noll Tom Coughlin Chuck Noll George Halas George Halas Weeb Ewband

Champion

Tom Landry

Bill belichick

Mike Tomlin Tom Landry Jimmy Johnson Jimmy Johnson Hank Stram Tom Landry Bill Walsh John Madden Bud Grant John Madden Bill Walsh Bill Walsh Blanton Collier

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football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

follow @fnfcoaches on twitter to See who wins the 2019 All-Time College Coach Bracket!

Semi-Finals

Round 3

Round 2

Round 1

Bill Belichick Andy Reid Bill Belichick Dick Vermeil Dick Vermeil Guy Chamberlin Bill Belichick Bill Parcells Bill Parcells Steve Owen Bill Parcells Joe Gibbs Joe Gibbs Mike Shanahan

Bill Belichick Don Shula

Don Shula Sid Gillman Don Shula Marv Levy Marty Schottenheimer Marv Levy Don Shula Bill Cowher Curly Lambeau Bill Cowher Bill Cowher Paul Brown

FNF COACHES MARCHÂ MADNESS

I

n each of the last two

years, FNF Coaches has run a March Madness pool of its own.

Last season, we set out to allow the coaches to vote on the Greatest NFL Coach of All-Time. We hosted polls on Twitter for each matchup, and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick came out on top over 63 other coaches.

This year, we asked coaches to vote on the Greatest College Coach of All-Time. We opened the voting at the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and we have been hosting voting polls for each matchup via our Twitter account — @FNFCoaches.

Follow us on Twitter, vote on your favorite college coaches, and tune in to see which legendary coach comes out on top.

Paul Brown George Allen

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USA FOOTBALL

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.

Hard Work

Everybody wants to do it. Not everybody is willing to do what they have to do to do it.” –Nick Saban

Determination

You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself to be.” –Lou Holtz

RESPONSE

You can’t always control circumstances – you can always control your attitude, approach and response.” –Tony Dungy

Enthusiasm

Your number one contribution is the energy that you bring to what we’re doing.” –Geno Auriemma

DEDICATION

No one’s ever gotten better by practicing less.” –Ron Jaworski

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COACH HEAD SMART Real-time head impact monitoring to coach safe play Accurate data from the Prevent system helps coaches see which athletes consistently put themselves at risk due to poor technique.

Gain insight into where and when athletes are sustaining head impacts. Identify athletes experiencing high magnitude head impacts or high impact load.

Implement Prevent to make your organization a leader in improving safety, performance and growing the game of football.

preven tbiometrics.com

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A Football Holiday Gift Suggestion from FNF Coaches Magazine

t, i b a r G , t i k c i cl , t i e t crea t! i y a l p Fun + Indoor Friendly + Mom Approved + Great for All Ages + Home and Office Use + Great Stocking Stuffer

BUY YOUR KIDS A FOOTBALL FOOOTY

!

Hey Coach

The FOOOTY is a multi-sport ball that can be clicked together and shaped to make a football, soccer ball, juggling balls and even a frisbee.

for $5 off

FOOOTY fits in every pocket and can be used indoor and outdoors. With the FOOOTY we want to make it easy for everyone to play more football!

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