Running Back Drill Series

Here is an everyday drill progression that I have always used with my running backs. Places an emphasis on holding on to the football at all times. Only takes 3-4 mins max.

Drill #1 – Hops

Purpose: Reps proper running form with a football in one arm. Practice keeping the ball “high” and “tight.”

Procedure:

  1. All backs will start sitting on a line with their legs out in front of them and the ball tucked in the “high” position of the right arm.
  2. On “hit” the players will begin running in place with only the arm motion. The ball should be gliding along the side of the players body and the running motion should be forward and fluid.
  3. On the whistle, the back will move the ball into the “tight” position and continue running in place.
  4. On the next whistle the ball will go back to the “high” position and then back into the “tight” position. The total drill should take 20 sec. for the right side and then another 20 for the left.

Coaching Points:

  1. Keep the elbow tucked and drive it back when running. No outward motion.
  2. Maintain 5 points of pressure in the “high” position.

    1. Fingers over tip, palm on side, forearm tight to the side, bicep locking in back tip and armpit / chest to control the back tip.
    2. Add the interior chest as a 6th point of pressure in contact zones. It should serve as the other hand.

  3. Off arm should remain locked at 90 degrees with the hand open in perfect running form.
  4. The butt should get off the ground if they are running correctly and hard enough. If not, repeat.

Verbal Cues:

  1. “High and Tight”
  2. Drive Elbows
  3. Vision through your eyebrows
  4. 5 / 6 points of pressure
  5. “We do not fumble”

Drill #2 – Form Running

Purpose: Next step in the ball handling progression. Reps proper running form with a football in one arm. Practice keeping the ball “high” and “tight.”

Procedure:

  1. All backs will on a line with the ball in both hands in front of their body. Stance should be balanced and the eyes should be down the field.
  2. On “hit” the players will flip the ball into the air and catch it with both hands. They will then tuck the ball in the high position to the right side and break into the prescribed drill.

    1. Form Jog
    2. Form Skips
    3. High Knees

  1. The player will carry out the drill for 10 yards with the ball “high” and then break into a sprint with the ball in the “tight” position.
  2. Turn around and go back with the left arm and repeat with the other drills

Coaching Points:

  1. Catch and tuck in the “high” position.
  2. Don’t run till the ball is tucked in the high position.

    1. Once they get better at the drill, have them move to the side they are going to tuck as they toss / catch the ball.

  3. Remind them of the running form information from the “Hops” drill.
  4. Stress the explosion into the sprint and through the goalline. Score the ball every time.

Verbal Cues:

  1. Watch the ball into the tuck.
  2. Focus on form.
  3. Smooth arm motion.
  4. Drive elbows.
  5. We do not fumble.
  6. Score the ball

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Creating a Strategic Advantage on Kickoff

Importance of the Kick Off Team

In my opinion, Kick Off is probably the 2nd most important special team. Punt is the first. When you design your kick off coverage, you have to make sure that there are no huge gaps in the cover lanes. When repping it, you have to be certain that your players understand their relation to each other on the field. Your cover unit has to stay even relative to each other. If not you’re going to give the return team a seam to run through.

I really don’t think this is an area overlooked by many coaches. Most coaches today are aware of the momentum that a KO returned for a touchdown can bring a team. It means a lot to me, personally, because, I started my first season as a head coach with a kick off returned for a touchdown. That’s definitely something I want to ever happen again. Why We Do What We Do

Our basic philosophy on kickoff and special teams over all is that we want to force the other team to spend time preparing for some thing that they will not see on a regular basis. The more time they spend in preparation for special teams , the less time they are going to have to spend on offense and defense. If they don’t prepare for what we are doing then we are at an advantage. If they simply extend their practice time, then they are risking loading their players down with too much information or wearing them out mentally. Goals

We want our opponent to start behind their own 30 yard line. The odds say that you’ll only score 1 in 8 times you get the ball behind your own 40 and 1-30 if you start behind your own 20. We want to give you the ball as far back as possible. We basically want our opponents to cover as much ground as possible. Alignment

Our base kick off sets up 3 huddles each 7 yards from the ball. The outside two huddles each consist of two players, stacked on the top or middle of the numbers. The middle huddle is 7 yards off the ball in the middle of the field. There are 6 players in this huddle, lined up shoulder to shoulder. The formation should look like this. The Kicker will set the ball up on the field, based on the call he gets on the sideline. He will kickoff from the right or left hashes or from the middle of the field.

We like this formation for several reasons.

We always have the threat of the onside kick to the middle of the field. We also have the threat of the onside kick to the right or left if we line the kicker on the middle of the field. This formation makes it very hard for the return to identify who they are blocking. Because we are stacked, the return to is forced to either use a simple wedge return, or to use a zone blocking scheme. If the team uses a man scheme, you have forced them out of their comfort zone by doing something they are not familiar with. They will have to rep the new return or not be very good at it, or, if we are lucky, spend a lot of time on a new return AND not be very good at it. The return team can’t zero in on one man to block. The players are likely to become a little confused and therefore end up blocking no one.

Personnel

Ideally, our kickoff team would be filled with 2 free safeties, 4-6 strong safeties or outside linebacker types, and 2 inside linebackers. The kids would be fast, athletic and great tacklers. Unfortunately, none of us lives in an ideal world. To compensate for this, we look for kids with a lot of heart, desire, and willingness to be coached. We have a wide range of position players on our kickoff team. We have a back up corner all the way down to our 6’3″ 285 offensive tackle. The one thing they all have in common is that they all hustle and can get downfield in their coverage lane. The Element of Surprise

We motion from the stack before each kick off. Our players will move on the kicker’s signal. Ideally, when the ball is kicked, they should be in a straight line. This takes some practice with your kicker. He has to be consistent his timing or else, you’ll have uneven cover lanes. One of the nice things we’ve noticed about this coverage is that even if you come off uneven, you can still get good coverage. Because we are bunched up at the middle of the field, we have the threat of onside at all times. If we notice that a team is leaving the middle open, we can surprise them with an onside kick. Additional Kicking Resources:

With an understanding of why we use this kickoff strategy (See Creating a Strategic Advantage on Kickoff – Part 1), we can now move on to implementation and drilling the kickoff.

We really only use three drills for the kick off team: Team versus Air to work on proper takeoff and coverage lanes and live team to work proper cover lanes, tackling, and block avoidance. Those are the two we use the most. During two-a-days and in the early part of the season, we use a drill I got from AFCA’s Complete Guide to Special Teams in an article by Greg McMahon. The diagram below shows how we set up the field for this drill.

Equipment Needed:

  • 8 Cones or something to be used for landmarks, 2 hand shields, Bag or dummy large enough to be tackled

Description:

Cover man (CM) starts on one sideline, then on coach’s command, sprints across field. He must avoid first bag while staying w/in the 3 yd box, he then regains his coverage lane to the next scout player. The CM then uses a two-hand butt technique in the ATTACK zone to defeat and shed the 2nd block. Once past this point, the player will sprint to the cones and settle his feet (chopping) in a good football position. The returner will then be released by the coach to run full speed to one of the landmarks. The CM will shuffle to the side that the returner is running to and execute an open field tackle on the bag the returner is holding. The players will then rotate to the starting position at the opposite sideline. One coach will be on each side to release the CM and returner. Variation: This could also be down using a kicker or punter, so that the returner gets practice fielding kicks and the CM get accustomed to moving on the kicker’s movement.

Coaching Points:

  • Players should use any means possible to avoid the first blocker, but must stay w/ in the 3 yd box and regain lane integrity.
  • On attacking the 2nd bag, players should gather feet to prepare for contact. On contact, they should stun pad with heel of their palms and shuck pad to one side.
  • Do not release return man until CM has gathered feet at cones.
  • Ensure proper form tackle on the returner’s bag. Have CM execute form tackle and bring bag to returner’s spot while still in form tackle.

Any great play starts with communication. In the case of our kickoff scheme, that is certainly the case. Here are some details regarding how we communicate the play to the team.

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Punt Block Drill Series

Objective

  • To teach the proper placement hands and arms when blocking a kick.
  • To teach the blockers to work their arms until the very last minute
  • To help identify players who will be successful on the block teams.

    • This drill requires that the players dive onto the ground and not catch themselves. The players that perform the drill exactly as described and can keep their eyes open will be on the block teams and have the greatest chance at success.

Equipment

  • No equipment is required for this drill, but you can use volleyballs to have the players actually blocking a ball when extending their hands from their hips.

Description

The whole team begins on a yard line going across the field. The players start out on their knees, then on ball movement or coaches’ sound, begin moving their arms as if they are running. I take this time to emphasize form running with their arms bent at the elbows and pulling their elbows back as far as possible. Then on the whistle, the players, will shoot their hands straight out from their hips. Their arms should pull their body out onto the ground and their hands should cross at the wrists. If done properly, they should look like Super Man taking off.

Coaching Points

  • The arms should go straight out from the hips, not up into the air. The arms will pull player’s body out. If they shoot their hands into the air, they will end up doing a belly flop on the ground.
  • The hands should be crossed at the wrist, not parallel. This way, the ball will not go in between their hands.
  • The players should also keep their eyes open as they hit the ground, so they can watch the ball come off the kicker’s foot.

Objective

  • To work on the get off phase of punt and PAT block
  • To work on Proper Angles used when blocking a punt or PAT
  • To work on running through the block point and not leaving your feet
  • To get used to making contact with the ball at the block point

Equipment

  • You will need a spacing tape, a snapper and a punter and several balls. Depending on the variation of the drill, you may also need blocking bags or volleyballs to use instead of footballs

Description

The players will align in A-D gaps on the spacing tapes. They should be in a 3 point sprinter’s stance. On the movement of the ball, one player at a time will execute a perfect get off and run through the block point to block the punt or kick. A punter or coach will be catching the snap and punting the ball. The punter will take slow steps initially to allow the blocker to block the ball. The drill should be performed as rapidly as possible to get the maximum number of reps. Variations: This drill can be done using volleyballs instead of footballs because the volley ball will be softer on the players’ hands and make repeated contact easier. The players will not shy away from contact with a volleyball. Also, bags can be added to the OL to force the rushers to get skinny through their gaps.

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Wild Thing PAT

Over the next several weeks, I will be writing about our PAT/FG unit, I call it the “Wild Thing PAT.” We have always been a muddle huddle team, but a few years ago after reading some people’s thoughts on www.coachhuey.com, I decided to implement a new style of muddle. The year after that, we decided to install the “Navy” or “Unbalanced” PAT formation.

Basic Concept:

Muddle Huddle, swinging gate, and the lonesome pole cat are different terms for an alignment that many coaches use when preparing for a point after touchdown. (PAT). The specifics may vary with the coach, but the basics are all the same. There will be a center over the ball; one to two players will be behind the snapper in a position to catch the snap, either directly or by shotgun snap; finally, the offensive line will be aligned 5-10 yds to the right or left of the snapper with one eligible player behind them in a position to catch a direct snap. Many teams also like to put one eligible receiver on the opposite side of the line to go out for a pass. If the defense does not “cover” the muddle huddle or the receiver, the ball can be snapped to the eligible man behind the OL for a 2 pt run, or snapped to the QB so he can throw to the WR for a 2 pt pass. In a PAT situation, the players will shift to their PAT/FG formation if the defense aligns themselves and run a normal PAT/FG kick. Our “Wild Thing” PAT incorporates these ideas, and allows our players to spontaneously align themselves before the PAT attempt to create a wide variety of looks. Instead of consistently going to one side of the field, as many teams do, for the muddle, the players are given simple rules that allow them to align anywhere they wish on the line of scrimmage to confuse the defense

By the numbers:

We installed the full “Wild Thing” PAT package with 3 games left in the 2008 season. That year, we were 2 for 4 on 2 point conversion attempts: In 2009, we installed the full package during fall camp and we were able to convert on 100% of all passes and 66% of all snaps to the right or left. The full “Wild Thing” package added another dimension to our PAT. It gave us a lot of flexibility to run fakes, limited the number of block attempts by forcing teams to prepare for an unusually pre-shift and post-shift alignment, and added another scoring threat to our PAT team when our kicking might have been up to par.

Alignments:

We use two types of muddle Alignments and an unbalanced line on PAT and FG kicks. The first muddle huddle is called Zoo. The players will align in a typical muddle as described in the table below. The 2nd muddle alignment we use is called “Jungle.” A “Jungle” call tells the X he is to line up off the line on the right hash facing the S. His left foot should be on the 5 yd line and his body facing the S. The L and R line up in their normal alignment, as do the Snapper, Holder and Kicker. The rest of the team (the OL) may line up anywhere on the LOS that they would like as long as they are not outside the Ror the . We can run all normal fakes from “Jungle”. We can also snap the ball to the X on the right with a “Rhino” call. The key to the “Jungle” call is for your line to line up in as many different alignments as possible.

Zoo PAT Alignment

Pos

Stance

Alignment

Y

2 Point 1 foot split from OT, feet even w/ OT

OT

2 Point 1 foot split from IT, feet even w/ IT

IT

2 Point 1 foot split from LG, feet even w/ LG

LG

2 Point 1 foot split from RG, feet even w/ RG

S

2 Point Hand over ball Over Ball

RG

2 Point 1 foot split from X, feet even w/ X

X

2 Point Right foot on left hash, toes on S’s toes, facing GL

L

2 Point 1 yd behind RG. Facing S.

R

WR Stance Right #’s on ball

H

Shotgun Heels at 5 direct behind S

K

2 point Heels on the 10 yd line behind S

Jungle PAT Alignment

Pos

Stance

Alignment

Y

2 Point

On or outside left #. Must be end man on the LOS to the left

OT, IT, LG, RG

2 Point

Anywhere on LOS in between Y and R

S

2 Point Hand over ball

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Simplifying Your Screen Game

By Brett Dudley

Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach

Antioch (CA) High School

Editor’s Note: Brett Dudley currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator at Antioch HS in the Bay Area. He has coached football for 6 years and was recently promoted to Varsity Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach making him the youngest OC in school history.

Over the past few years, we have run a variety of screens with much effectiveness. Specifically, we run your classic quick screens bubbles, and jailbreaks in addition to a slow and solid screen (shown later in the insiders version). And while I like each of these for their own reasons, I truly believe that is our offensive line play that has made these screens so effective. Anyone can throw the ball into space and win with a superior athlete, but when the linemen are able to get involved in a consistent and structured way the likelihood of success from year to year is greatly increase.

The key to our success and buy-in by the linemen is the simplicity of our scheme. Here are some of the ways that we develop this concept:

  1. Every screen is essentially blocked the same way. The only variation is how they “set-up” the play with their initial movements.
  2. The concept is flexible and works against any front, coverage, and blitz if executed properly.
  3. The fact that it is a single concept increases the amount of reps that we get on the concept.
  4. All five line positions have the exact same steps, path, and rules. So if guys get moved around up front due to injury, grade problems, or position change, it doesn’t change their assignment as long as they know the rules.

Base Blocking Rules

Before I getting into the nuance of the “set-ups” for each screen, I wanted to lay the foundation of our concept by looking at the rules that we use in our blocking concept.

 

Rule #1: All five linemen release on all of our receiver screens. For back screens, like our Slow Screen, we have both tackles high wall defensive ends and only release the interior linemen.

Rule #2: After the set-up for a particular screen, all releasing lineman open up to the playside and run flat down the line of scrimmage for a minimum of 10 yards.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for them to run flat down the line of scrimmage. Experience has taught us that it is so much easier for our linemen to adjust their path by working flat as compared to coming up field then trying to get back flat.

Rule #3: We never pass up color if someone crosses your path you pick them up. This is what allows us to release all 5, and not have to worry about penetration or end getting hands up to stop the screen. If anyone comes up the field then they will run right into one of our OL who is running flat down the LOS and we will rip and run right through him.

It is key that the players understand that they don’t get out of their assignment when the encounter someone running through. Instead, I teach them to work through him like a reach block and continue down field. This has effectively stops the defenders penetration still promotes our player getting out to his original assignment.

Rule #4: As a rules based running team, we felt it only made sense to stick with that concept in the screen game as well. To do that, we have instituted our “Out, Up, In” Rule that works as follows:

  • Out: As the player releases down the line of scrimmage, he looks “out” (to the sideline we are running towards) for any unoccupied color. If we see any defenders from the outside/flat area that are unblocked then they continue to collision that players and work to execute a reach block.
  • Up: Now if we see all of the “out” defenders accounted for the player transitions into the “Uup” phase of the concept. At this point, the lineman turns his head and shoulder up the field (facing the goal line) and looks for backers or safeties who are coming up the field in pursuit.
  • In: Lastly, if there are no unblocked players to the outside or up the field, the player turns his eyes “in” (Opposite sideline of play direction). This allows him to find players who are pursuing from the backside, like scraping backers and trailing ends.

The advantage of this concept is how it adapts to any defensive call or look. This is, of course, useful since you cannot always predict the defense before the play. Sometimes our receivers won’t know who they are blocking until the ball is snapped, so by teaching my entire the lineman a concept as opposed to a man, they are able to account for any possible unblocked defenders on that side of the field.

 

Another advantage is that this system can account for players who get caught up on the line of scrimmage. Again, I don’t know which lineman will get a clean easy release on a given snap, that’s why they are all taught to run flat. Sometimes tackle gets caught up with end, keeping him occupied. And we will get guard blocking out, center blocking up, and backside guard and tackle blocking in.

Varied Releases

With those rule in place, we can ensure that all of the screens end the same way with the same techniques. The only difference between the concepts that we run, from a lineman’s perspective, is the release that they take to get into their “Out, Up, In” path. Below I have gone into more detail on how we have adapted these releases to best match our offensive style and concepts.

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Developing A Comprehensive Screen System

The first part of my screen series will be describing what each of the screens is. We all have different terminology so I will briefly explain what we use at my school. I didn’t invent this, it is TFS terminology, we might have some slight tweaks but this is how we call our screen game.

We call our screens both by number and by name. In terms of numbers, screens at 40s/50s.

  • 40 to the Right
  • 50 to the left

The second digit describes which skill player is getting the ball.

  • 41/51 = #1 WR
  • 42/52 = #2 WR
  • 43/53 = #3 WR
  • 44/54 = #4 WR

The number by itself indicates who is getting the ball, what direction, and if no tag is used it is the first screen in our screen series which we call QUICK SCREEN.

Quick Screen and Bubbles

A Quick screen is also known as fast screen or hitch screen. #1 WR foot fires 2 steps up field, comes back catching ball behind LOS and reads his blocks.

Now we have adapted from traditional TFS for the other WRs on quick screens. I didn’t like #2 and #3 WRs on the quick screens, so we modified it to make them automatic bubbles. So a 42,52,43,53,44,54 are all bubble screens. The called WR runs the bubble, the other WRs stalk their man. We only run bubble when we have a numbers advantage (some teams only have 2 players out there to cover trips) or if we see OLBs who are cheating to stop run and they aren’t honoring our inside WRs.

Solid Screen

Solid is almost the same thing as quick, except with a run fake opposite the direction of the screen first. We can call this play as Solid Rt/Lt. Or by saying 41/51 Solid. Number explains the player and the direction, the “Solid” tag explains that its our solid version of the screen.

Jailbreak

You can probably guess, Jail Rt/Jail Lt. or we can say 41/51 Jail.

Jailbreak is a screen to the outside WR, he will push it up the field further than quick, OL pass sets and releases, QB will pump one way retreat and throw the jail. I have seen some guys refer to this as a tunnel screen. This is my favorite of our screen plays because most teams buy the pass look we show from all 11 guys, blitzers are rushing hard, coverage guys are dropping off getting deep, and then we hit this and get our whole Ol in front leading the way. It was a great play for us this year, our varsity team’s best play this season.

Slow Screen

Slow screen is your typical RB screen, he sets up to block, kinda rolls off and catches the screen. We didn’t run this screen a ton, but more on that later.

So now that I have introduced the basic terminology we use and what each screen is, I will go more in depth into the individual techniques of each screen.

break

Here is how we use the skills talked about in part 1.

Quick Screen:

The #1 WR (widest WR) to the called side foot fires, a lot of exaggeration from arms and feet, really want the CB thinking he has to get deep. He should go about a yard up field, then come back to catch the ball where just behind the LOS. My biggest piece of advice here, is repping the screens live in practice, so he gets used to cutting off his blocks and finding lanes. We allow them to come inside a few steps to let their blockers get in front of them, but it hits best when they get back outside after this. On these WR screens are best long gainers, were when the WR dipped in (behind an OL or WRs block, then got up field or back outside)

Slot WR(s) : The #2 WR has the rule of #1MDM, or most dangerous man to making the play. If he sees a very tight corner then that corner is the most dangerous man and our #2 WR must block him. If the corner is soft and the OLB over him is playing tight then that is the most dangerous man. If both guys are playing soft he will slow play it, going half speed off the LOS looking for who is coming downhill to attack the screen first.

If we are in trips and have a #3 WR he then blocks the second most dangerous defender. We work everyday drills in practice with the WRs recognizing who is picking up who based on their depth.

RB: Original TFS stuff has the RB also getting out on the second defender play side, but ours never really did anything, my Ol were better blockers so I eventually stopped releasing them to block from the backfield. I would either move them out to empty so their path is shorter, or if they are in the backfield they just step up in case somehow someone comes through completely untouched and can possibly fluster the QB.

QB: Grip it and rip it… that’s really it. It is called quick for a reason, he throws it as soon as he gets it. With a kid who has bigger hands I think he can get away with not even getting the laces and just getting it out. I tell my QB to throw the ball to where the WR starts out pre snap. If they throw the ball right there, the WR (after going up and back) should be in the perfect spot to catch the ball.

Bubbles:

Bubbles are fairly simple for the skill guys. We run these to our #2 and #3 WRs, as well as to the Rb out of the backfield.

Called WR runs the bubble route which I teach as follows:

  • Align a little deeper than normal for easier window for QB
  • Cross over step toward sideline on the snap
  • Lose 1 yard on first step
  • Run flat down the line after that
  • Shoulder North/South
  • Head Turned back to Qb

I dont like big looping bubbles, QB has to be extremely accurate and lead the WR just right. We align deeper and lose 1 yard off the snap so we have more depth, makes QBs throw easier. Then we run (kind of a cross over type run) toward sideline, since ou shoulder are square Qb can just throw the ball aiming to throw it in front of the front shoulder, once ball is in the air it is easy for the WR to adjust. Very effective and I don’t recall my team having a single incompletion on bubble all year.

QB: Similar Grip it and rip it idea, key is aiming for bubble man’s front shoulder.

Other WRs: Stalk your man

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Simplifying Film Study for the Post Season

By Jeff Minter

Columnist

X&O Labs

Editors Note:  Since 1998 Coach Minter has served as a head coach, coordinated all three phases of the game, and worked with the defensive line, offensive line, linebackers, quarterbacks, and wide receivers. In the past few years, Coach Minter has become one of the most popular and respected coaching bloggers on the web and is excited to be a regular contributor for X&O Labs.

Playoff season has arrived and with it comes more pressure, more responsibilities and in many cases unfamiliar opponents.  Each of these factors makes it crucial for coaching staffs fortunate enough to be in the playoffs to have a detailed plan on how they plan on studying their opponent with the added time constraints and pressures.

The key to successfully navigating your post-season film study is simple…WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER!

In reference to coaching and film study this does not mean you can be lazy. You still need to put in the time. However, by prioritizing and organizing how you study film you can reduce the hours you put in allowing you to deal with all of the additional variables that come with post season play.

 

 

Delegate to Dominate

 

The best you can, delegate the film study by position group. Doing this not only empowers more coaches and helps them understand the opponent, but it also allows for more depth of study at each of the given positions.

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Winning the Passing Game With Press Technique

By Zach Cunningham

Secondary Coach

Harrisonville (MO) High School

Editor’s Note: Coach Cunningham currently serves as the Secondary Coach at Harrisonville High School in Missouri. This is his 4th season at Harrisonville, and prior to that he served in the same capacity at William Chrisman High School in Independece, Missouri. Coach Cunningham played his college ball at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. 

I want to first start by thanking X&O Labs for the opportunity to write about Press Technique. I also want to take a quick moment to thank the coaches I have worked with in the past and especially those in the Kansas City area for their experience and support. Lastly I want to thank all of the players that have played for me for their talent and effort throughout the years.

I have spent the past three seasons as the Secondary Coach at Harrisonville High School, which is located outside of Kansas City, MO. On defense we play an attacking 3-4. We blitz 90% of the time, so we are in man-to-man coverage 90% of the time, mostly with no safety help.  Our opponent completion percentage last season (2011) was 28.7% and in 2010 was 32.4%. When we blitz we feel playing man, instead of zone, allows us to dictate what the offense can and cannot do.

There are many benefits of press-man coverage. It disrupts the timing on the routes, and with us blitzing 90% of the time the ball will be out of the quarterback’s hands quickly. We like press-man coverage for three man reasons:

  1. It allows the defense to put more guys in the box.
  2. It closes the space between the receiver and defender, which tightens the window for the quarterback to throw into.
  3.  Wide receivers just don’t like being pressed off the line.

Alignment/Stance

Alignment and stance must be addressed first. Everything in the following report will be discussed out of a Cover-0 look. When we are pressing, we will align with an inside shade (defender’s nose to receiver’s inside ear) (Figure 1). I like to use the nose-to-ear as a starting point because it allows my defenders to have a comfortable base with their feet. Some players are naturally wider and longer than others, and some guys are quicker and more explosive with a wider stance. We want to squeeze the line of scrimmage as much as possible, or get as close to being off-sides as we can if the wide receiver is ‘on’ the line. If he is ‘off’, we will align further away from the line of scrimmage and move inside more than usual. I want our defensive backs in a comfortable stance: knees slightly bent, butt behind, eyes up, arms loose (Figure 2). Putting the butt behind the defender allows more room to keep the receiver in front of the defender. It is going to take more steps and work for the wide out to get behind the defender.

 

Technique:

This is where we will win or lose on the route. I like to teach playing press in two phases:

  • 1st phase is the initial contact and the first 3-5 yards of the route.
  • 2nd phase is route progression and playing the ball.

1st Phase:

1st phase is usually won or lost on the line of scrimmage. Many coaches teach the slide step and off-hand jam. I prefer more of an attacking method with a punch/counter-punch (p/cp) into the off-hand jam technique. We are already aligned inside the receiver. I teach this to take the inside away and put the defender between the QB and receiver. When we punch/counter-punch (p/cp) our first step is forward with our inside foot. (See figure 3) . This step is not a big one, it’s more like a 6 inch step with the inside foot forward. Simultaneously we will “punch” our inside hand to the inside chest-plate of the receiver. This takes away the inside and forces the wide out to go one direction. The key to this is to not lunge; but stay balanced with a solid base or risk being out of phase within the first step. The second step will match the release of the receiver (outside or inside). The defender’s other hand will “counter-punch” to either the outside chest-plate (outside release) or shoulder (inside release) (Figures 4-5).

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3 Tips to Create Special Teams Buy-In

by Abe Mikell

Assistant Football Coach

Stuarts Draft High School (VA)

A while back, I was talking with a fellow special teams coach about his team and he mentioned that he was having trouble getting buy in from his kids and his fellow coaches.  The more I thought about it and the more gamefilm I watched, I realized that this problem is probably much more common than many of us “special teams nuts” might want to admit.  With that in mind, I compiled a few tips to help you super charge your special teams by increasing “buy in.”

Tip #1:  Involve All Coaches

First and foremost, your head coach needs to take an active role in coaching special teams. He sets the tone for the team so his involvement and energy are a must and show his support for what you are teaching.  Our head coach runs most of the scout teams, except for scout kick off, because he has a position to coach on kick off return. Our scout teams work well. It may be that he can motivate them to try hard simply because he is the head coach.

With the head coach on board, you can now delegate position coaching responsibilities to each additional coach.  During the preseason, they are responsible for teaching the technique that their position will use to execute their assignment. During preseason camp we work 1-2 phases a day and the coach will get 5-7 minutes with their positions. We will also do circuits to work on specific phases and skills, and the coaches are responsible for stations in the circuit. We have 6 coaches on staff, and 4 are used on each special teams except for kickoff, and then everyone is used except to head coach. He has scout kick off return.

I am the coordinator, which means that I design and teach the schemes to the players and coaches. I am also responsible for creating the scouting report during the season and planning how to use the time for special teams during the practice day. I also adjust the depth charts during the games and for the upcoming week based on input from the “position” coaches.

Tip #2:  Manage Your Player/Personnel

Many teams treat special teams far differently than their offense and defense.  They post depth for O and D and give detailed scouting reports but then give the bare minimum when it comes to special teams.  By using this method, you are creating the perception that special teams are not that important and that they don’t deserve that much time and focus.

We counter this perception intentionally through the way we communicate and manage our players/ST personnel.  We usually have a relatively small squad, but one of the most beneficial things that we have done is to create a special teams practice squad. We use this much more in the early part of the year and in preseason. For each team, I have a 2 deep depth chart and a scout team. Ideally, it would work like this: The starters on punt would be your scout team punt, unless they are on the 2 deep for punt return. Your starters on punt return and your scout punt return unless they are on the 2 deep.

The guys that are left over go with the coaches who don’t have a position responsibility. They can work on whatever they want, football skills, whatever. Most of the time these guys will be your offensive line. The only special teams most of them will be on is PAT/FG.  By working them during special teams time, we are making sure that players don’t see special teams reps as an opportunity for a long break on the sidelines.  This encourages participation across the board.

If your personnel are not getting it done, fire them. I feel like I prep our kids well. This year, I post the weekly scouting report and depth charts for the team to read on a board in the locker room. It is their responsibility to see and read it, especially the depth/personnel. I still go over and communicate any changes, but this way they get it more than once.

By the way most of our subs this late in the season have played on that special teams at some point in the year, they made a shift up or down the depth for one reason or another, usually injury.

Tip #3:  Practice Plan for Success

I think you need 15-20 min a day, period. Early in the year, our head coach was forgetting to give any time on Mondays to special teams. It showed in our production. We sucked the 1st couple of games, and he knew it. He gave the time back. Be organized in your time. Try to get as much done in your time as you can, but still be clear in your communication, don’t rush too much. During the season, here is our schedule.

Monday: 10 min punt/10 min punt return. On each, I go over the game plan and adjustments for 3-5 min then 5 min or so of team reps. Half are live and ½ are 15 yd cover or punt blocks. I try to get subs in, but it doesn’t happen much. Punt Block time is diminishing due to a small, but helpful adjustment I made. The defense is our punt return, but we will sub in 3 defensive line to get speed/fresh legs on the field.

Here is how we manage our time to ensure we are prepared for gameday:

Tuesday: 4 reps punt, 8-10 min KO, 7-8 min KO Return. Punt reps and fast and rapid. This week we had to work on getting on the field and executing a punt in under 17 secs including shifts and motion. KO: 3-4 min review and scout then ½ the reps are to15 yard coverage, then ½ are full speed. KO Return: 3-4 min review and scout then ½ the reps are to contact, then ½ are full speed.

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