Thursday, February 26, 2009
One of the web sites we keep active is http://addy.com/coachfree/1DailyDose.html. We used this idea with the kids we taught in our Be An 11 Class. Each day we would take motivational stuff gathered from numerous sources, copy it into MSword, one page front and back, duplicate it and give it to the kids at the end of the period; enough time to get it started, not enough time to read it all. There were other classes where they were given time to read things, so that would be the time they would pull it out and finish.
Each day's offering begins with a SuccessQuote and a response. Two of which follow, two of which I really feel are important for you to read. We are in the lifetime memory business. The things that you do will create lifetime memories for the kids that are in your program. You are in the making dreams come true business. I'm sure you remember "Remember The Titans," "We are Marshall," "Hoosiers." My little league baseball coach marred me for life with his comments about me and my playing ability; my high school football coach (Coach Herb Redding, a great leader of young men) boosted my self-esteem for a lifetime.
Each day's offering begins with a SuccessQuote and a response. Two of which follow, two of which I really feel are important for you to read. We are in the lifetime memory business. The things that you do will create lifetime memories for the kids that are in your program. You are in the making dreams come true business. I'm sure you remember "Remember The Titans," "We are Marshall," "Hoosiers." My little league baseball coach marred me for life with his comments about me and my playing ability; my high school football coach (Coach Herb Redding, a great leader of young men) boosted my self-esteem for a lifetime.
The Be An 11 Quote of the Day for Today states:
Haven’t seen Coach Graham since I was a teen,
But he keeps showing up in my head,
Forcing me to work harder whenever I feel like quitting,
Forcing me to be better.He gave me a feedback loop for life.
Forcing me to be better.He gave me a feedback loop for life.
Randy Pausch on his Pop Warner Coach
Question of the Day?
Who is your Coach Graham?
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I keep my friends as misers do their treasures,
because, of all things granted us by wisdom,
none is greater or better than friendship.
Pietro Aretino
The FreebFactor: In her book Jesus: Life Coach, Lauire Beth Jones says the most important things are relationships and memories. Want proof? For you adults, do this. Take out a sheet of paper and write down the people who sat in the first row of your Senior English class in high school-front to back. For you student athletes, write down the first row of your fifth grade class-front to back. Stumped? I cannot do it. But FactorThis: How many of your teammates can you name? Pick the team that you played on that had the most meaning (Memories) for you and name as many teammates as you can (Relationships) . . . Dan Henry, Kim Morelock, Walt Shreffler, Dickie Balziner, Mickey Stump, Mark Newcomer, Wade Smith, Lupe Castillo, Billy Bell, Bob Pretzler. See, you just do not forget, do you? No matter how long it has been, you just do not forget. Memories and Relationships, of all things granted none is greater than friendship. Remember the last line in Hoosiers? “I love you guys.” Make more memories and foster more relationships this week!
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The great end of art is
To strike the imagination with the power of a soul
The great end of art is
To strike the imagination with the power of a soul
That refuses to admit defeat
Even in the midst of a collapsing world.
Even in the midst of a collapsing world.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The FreebFactor: And what is athletic performance but art. It is the expression of what is important and vital for the soul of some. I remember seeing those kids in Sarajevo that were playing soccer amid the rubble that surrounded them. Certainly they had the souls of warriors, refusing to admit defeat while the world around them engaged in chaos. How many of us have that kind of determination? FactorThis: It is our job as coaches and teachers to offer up worthwhile programs where student/athletes may express themselves in a chaotic world. Everyone wants to be somebody special and it is our job to have programs where kids can express their specialness.
It is our job to offer up quality programs that kids can participate in which produce lifetime memories based on quality relationships that never are forgotten.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Defending the Inside Trap
Winng T Defense
In response to the dozens of you who have requested information, X's & O's on defending the Wing T we offer up these pages. First of all let me emphasize that their is no magic other than Making A Greater Individual Commitment to the scheme that (1) you believe in and (2) that you can sell to your athletes.
Is this thing called the wing T better because it is a better system? Or are the teams you face who run the T composed of better, higher quality athletes? (A thoroughbred will defeat a plow horse in every race.) Are they better coached? You are only going to be as good in coaching as you and your staff can convey to and convince the players that your system will work. It is not how much you personally know about the game. It is a matter of how much you and your staff can teach to your team in the time you have prior to the game. Of course, you final exam is on Friday night, under the lights, in front of the community.
I have been around Wing T football since I started to watch football practice as a kid in 1954. Our high school team ran the Wing T with special emphasis in the old Iowa Wing T philosophy. When I got into the Junior High Program, we ran the T, and we ran it in high school with some twists, turns and twekes here and there. Most everyone was running some form of the T back then. What separated us from the rest of the teams is that we ran the outside belly option. this was a true triple option which we read. We would run that play as many as 25 times a game if the situation warranted it.
The teams we face today do not run the triple option or even the option (double). I have not faced an option Wing T team in over 15 years. I believe after talking to many coaches is that they do not have the confidence and faith in their athletes to the point of giving them the freedom to run the triple. These pages, therefore, will deal with defensing the other base plays of Wing T teams, i.e., the FB buck, the TB sweep, the FB blast, the WB counter or reverse, the basic bootleg, and the basic play pass.
In defensing the Wing T one must remember it is the hybrid child of the single wing. Offensive line play in the single wing and, therefore, the Wing T involves lots of angle blocks, double teams, and pulling guards. The most important element in defending the Wing T is proper attention to the line play. It is a basic fact that whoever controls the LOS is going to control the game no matter what offensive scheme they are running.
The basic concept of the Wing T is to mesmerize the defense with backfield action. While the defense is trying to figure out what the backs are doing (usually flatfooted), an offensive blocker gets a good angle block on the defenders, drive open a large whole which results in another of those frustrating 4-5 yard gains. The Wing T coaches know that 4+4=8+4=12 yards and another first down. Against Wing T teams, it is not the 80 yard TD run that usually beat you, but those 16 play 10:00 drives that average 4 yards a carry.
Our basic defensive philosophy is to limit them to less than 3 yards per play. We do not really believe that we are going to throw them for a loss on every play. It's just not going to happen. We do believe, however, that limiting them to less than 3 yards per play will mean that we will get our offensive chances.
Against a Wing T team our #1 fundamental is: Never LOOK at the backfield action. Doing so means you will get ear holed and a bigger than desired gain will result. The FUNdaMENTALS of our 4-3 defense are:
1. Proper stance and alignment.
2. Make your move; read your keys
3. Locate the football/pursue
4. Gang tackle the ball carrier.
The number one play of the Wing T is the FB buck/trap/whatever. You must commit to stopping the FB or suffer the consequences. Our basic 4-3 alignment enables us to outnumber the offense at the POA
Our DT's align on the inside eye (shade) of the OG's. Their move is to strike the G, step into, and control the A gap to their side of the ball. The tackle is to keep his shoulders square to the LOS and "read" the G. If the G pulls, our DT is to "get into the hip pocket of the G" and travel down the LOS executing an inside out force on the ball carrier when he cuts to the LOS.
In the play pictured the LDT strikes the OG and prevents him from getting a quick inside line on M. The RDT strikes the OG and notices that he is pulling across the C. The RDT moves with the pulling G and is in perfect position to make a play on the FB.
We have the MLB'er up closer to the LOS VS. Wing T teams. Normally he will play 3-4 yards deep depending. Against Wing T teams, we want M to be 2 nor more than 3 yards off the LOS. The key for M is the head of the C. He keys through the head of the C, past the QB to the FB. If C's head moves left of right (to fill for a pulling G), M is to execute a run through and fill immediately through the area vacated by the C.
In most middle trap blocking schemes, M is accounted for by one of the G's. If M fills immediately to the vacated area of C, he will be untouched (if the DT's are striking the guards as designed) and meet the FB on/or usually beyond the LOS successfully defeating the FB trap up the middle. We commit 3 people to first cover the 2 A gaps on the LOS. These 3 people must be extremely aggressive. The T's must strike and there can be no hesitation by M. Hesitation give the offense what they want - a better blocking angle and a larger hole. Sometimes I refer to M as the Terminator/It is his job to terminate plays.
We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.
We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. Some people refer to this as TNT. They do not play this like we do. THE DT’s’ STILL PLAY A 1 TECHNIQUE WITH THE MLB’er DOWN OVER THE CENTER. We commit to taking away the inside trap, and this defensive front is very effective. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.
The center will be driven back into the backfield over 90% of the time in high school because over 90% of the time, the center will snap the ball and then block of take his first step. Less than 10% of the centers in high school football snap the ball “AS THEY ARE SNAPPING.” I know. I played center in high school and college. If you get one that can snap and step at the same time, you have a huge weapon on inside trap.
With the center driven back into the backfield for two yards, everything gets disrupted, especially any pulling guards or tackles, and on just about every play in the T schemes, someone is pulling to block for the ball carrier. Since they do not get there on time, the ball carrier is now running naked and subject to gang tackle.
If the trap is called, the play is blown up before it gets started. Watch the video! There is a perfect end result shown there.
If they are faking the trap and running the sweep, the MLB’er has an inside out force on the play. The HB carrying the ball will be running laterally to the LOS 5-7 yards deep. We will get a hard corner force on the play meaning the runner will either have to cut back (which happens 75% of the time) our bounce deeper. Either way, the MLB’er is pursuing down the LOS to intercept the runner when he cuts up. The better the force, the more the runners cut it up into a smaller ‘window’ which means our defenders have less distance to cover on pursuit.
Therefore, we commit to stopping the inside trap or the T teams.
In response to the dozens of you who have requested information, X's & O's on defending the Wing T we offer up these pages. First of all let me emphasize that their is no magic other than Making A Greater Individual Commitment to the scheme that (1) you believe in and (2) that you can sell to your athletes.
Is this thing called the wing T better because it is a better system? Or are the teams you face who run the T composed of better, higher quality athletes? (A thoroughbred will defeat a plow horse in every race.) Are they better coached? You are only going to be as good in coaching as you and your staff can convey to and convince the players that your system will work. It is not how much you personally know about the game. It is a matter of how much you and your staff can teach to your team in the time you have prior to the game. Of course, you final exam is on Friday night, under the lights, in front of the community.
I have been around Wing T football since I started to watch football practice as a kid in 1954. Our high school team ran the Wing T with special emphasis in the old Iowa Wing T philosophy. When I got into the Junior High Program, we ran the T, and we ran it in high school with some twists, turns and twekes here and there. Most everyone was running some form of the T back then. What separated us from the rest of the teams is that we ran the outside belly option. this was a true triple option which we read. We would run that play as many as 25 times a game if the situation warranted it.
The teams we face today do not run the triple option or even the option (double). I have not faced an option Wing T team in over 15 years. I believe after talking to many coaches is that they do not have the confidence and faith in their athletes to the point of giving them the freedom to run the triple. These pages, therefore, will deal with defensing the other base plays of Wing T teams, i.e., the FB buck, the TB sweep, the FB blast, the WB counter or reverse, the basic bootleg, and the basic play pass.
In defensing the Wing T one must remember it is the hybrid child of the single wing. Offensive line play in the single wing and, therefore, the Wing T involves lots of angle blocks, double teams, and pulling guards. The most important element in defending the Wing T is proper attention to the line play. It is a basic fact that whoever controls the LOS is going to control the game no matter what offensive scheme they are running.
The basic concept of the Wing T is to mesmerize the defense with backfield action. While the defense is trying to figure out what the backs are doing (usually flatfooted), an offensive blocker gets a good angle block on the defenders, drive open a large whole which results in another of those frustrating 4-5 yard gains. The Wing T coaches know that 4+4=8+4=12 yards and another first down. Against Wing T teams, it is not the 80 yard TD run that usually beat you, but those 16 play 10:00 drives that average 4 yards a carry.
Our basic defensive philosophy is to limit them to less than 3 yards per play. We do not really believe that we are going to throw them for a loss on every play. It's just not going to happen. We do believe, however, that limiting them to less than 3 yards per play will mean that we will get our offensive chances.
Against a Wing T team our #1 fundamental is: Never LOOK at the backfield action. Doing so means you will get ear holed and a bigger than desired gain will result. The FUNdaMENTALS of our 4-3 defense are:
1. Proper stance and alignment.
2. Make your move; read your keys
3. Locate the football/pursue
4. Gang tackle the ball carrier.
The number one play of the Wing T is the FB buck/trap/whatever. You must commit to stopping the FB or suffer the consequences. Our basic 4-3 alignment enables us to outnumber the offense at the POA
Our DT's align on the inside eye (shade) of the OG's. Their move is to strike the G, step into, and control the A gap to their side of the ball. The tackle is to keep his shoulders square to the LOS and "read" the G. If the G pulls, our DT is to "get into the hip pocket of the G" and travel down the LOS executing an inside out force on the ball carrier when he cuts to the LOS.
In the play pictured the LDT strikes the OG and prevents him from getting a quick inside line on M. The RDT strikes the OG and notices that he is pulling across the C. The RDT moves with the pulling G and is in perfect position to make a play on the FB.
We have the MLB'er up closer to the LOS VS. Wing T teams. Normally he will play 3-4 yards deep depending. Against Wing T teams, we want M to be 2 nor more than 3 yards off the LOS. The key for M is the head of the C. He keys through the head of the C, past the QB to the FB. If C's head moves left of right (to fill for a pulling G), M is to execute a run through and fill immediately through the area vacated by the C.
In most middle trap blocking schemes, M is accounted for by one of the G's. If M fills immediately to the vacated area of C, he will be untouched (if the DT's are striking the guards as designed) and meet the FB on/or usually beyond the LOS successfully defeating the FB trap up the middle. We commit 3 people to first cover the 2 A gaps on the LOS. These 3 people must be extremely aggressive. The T's must strike and there can be no hesitation by M. Hesitation give the offense what they want - a better blocking angle and a larger hole. Sometimes I refer to M as the Terminator/It is his job to terminate plays.
We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.
We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. Some people refer to this as TNT. They do not play this like we do. THE DT’s’ STILL PLAY A 1 TECHNIQUE WITH THE MLB’er DOWN OVER THE CENTER. We commit to taking away the inside trap, and this defensive front is very effective. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.
The center will be driven back into the backfield over 90% of the time in high school because over 90% of the time, the center will snap the ball and then block of take his first step. Less than 10% of the centers in high school football snap the ball “AS THEY ARE SNAPPING.” I know. I played center in high school and college. If you get one that can snap and step at the same time, you have a huge weapon on inside trap.With the center driven back into the backfield for two yards, everything gets disrupted, especially any pulling guards or tackles, and on just about every play in the T schemes, someone is pulling to block for the ball carrier. Since they do not get there on time, the ball carrier is now running naked and subject to gang tackle.
If the trap is called, the play is blown up before it gets started. Watch the video! There is a perfect end result shown there.
If they are faking the trap and running the sweep, the MLB’er has an inside out force on the play. The HB carrying the ball will be running laterally to the LOS 5-7 yards deep. We will get a hard corner force on the play meaning the runner will either have to cut back (which happens 75% of the time) our bounce deeper. Either way, the MLB’er is pursuing down the LOS to intercept the runner when he cuts up. The better the force, the more the runners cut it up into a smaller ‘window’ which means our defenders have less distance to cover on pursuit.
Therefore, we commit to stopping the inside trap or the T teams.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Equalizer Football Faxuals Playbook
All:
Most of you know I have our offensive and defensive playbook uploaded online. The “jvm” boys sold out and did not tell me, so now that address no longer works. I have spent two full days with the problem and getting things figured out and hopefully fixed; which is to change the “jvm” to “addy” so the URL would now be http://addy.com/coachfree/ To view the link this is now the address to be used. Also, the dailydose of motivation is now changed to http://addy.com/coachfree/1DailyDose.html
All the posts and references to web pages that have a "jvm" in them need to be changed. Just change the "jvm" part of the URL to "addy" and you will get directed to the proper page.
Sorry for the problem but that’s the price of their “progress.”
On a scale of one to ten - In All that you do . . . Be An 11!
CoachFreeb – BFS Toll Free 800.628.9737 ex: 603 - Cell 503.312.2138 PS 105:5; Gal 6:9Roger Freeborn, Director of Certification & New Construction www.BiggerFasterStronger.com
Share info online with other coaches Free’s’s BLOG: http://footballfaxuals.blogspot.com/ -
Equalizer Football: http://addy.com/coachfree - EQualizer Coaching Group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=59835380816
Most of you know I have our offensive and defensive playbook uploaded online. The “jvm” boys sold out and did not tell me, so now that address no longer works. I have spent two full days with the problem and getting things figured out and hopefully fixed; which is to change the “jvm” to “addy” so the URL would now be http://addy.com/coachfree/ To view the link this is now the address to be used. Also, the dailydose of motivation is now changed to http://addy.com/coachfree/1DailyDose.html
All the posts and references to web pages that have a "jvm" in them need to be changed. Just change the "jvm" part of the URL to "addy" and you will get directed to the proper page.
Sorry for the problem but that’s the price of their “progress.”
On a scale of one to ten - In All that you do . . . Be An 11!
CoachFreeb – BFS Toll Free 800.628.9737 ex: 603 - Cell 503.312.2138 PS 105:5; Gal 6:9Roger Freeborn, Director of Certification & New Construction www.BiggerFasterStronger.com
Share info online with other coaches Free’s’s BLOG: http://footballfaxuals.blogspot.com/ -
Equalizer Football: http://addy.com/coachfree - EQualizer Coaching Group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=59835380816
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
DE Play
One of the things we did defensively that greatly improved our DE play was to play our DEs in 7 techniques - Always. We also assigned them two responsibilities: 1. protect the C-Gap; 2. Rush the QB from the outside in, for contain. That's it. It allowed them to be more aggressive. This would fall into one of those K.I.S.S. simplifications. Playing the DE inside actually gave our secondary a faster truer run/pass Key so they could get into their pass responsibilities quicker. It also helped them keep their shoulders square to the LOS which helps them stuff C-Gap plays better. It also drew the block of the TD on running plays which kept that TE off the LB'ers so they could make their key reads quicker as well. Playing the DEs in a 7 tech will improve the play of your entire defense. There is a short video of this posted below.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
EQuote of the Week:
02.15.2009
To dream anything that you want to dream.
02.15.2009
To dream anything that you want to dream.
That's the beauty of the human mind.
To do anything that you want to do.
To do anything that you want to do.
That is the strength of the human will.
To trust yourself to test your limits.
To trust yourself to test your limits.
That is the courage to succeed.
Bernard Edmonds
Bernard Edmonds
Mark Inglis - On Top Of The World:The first double amputee to scale Mount Everest.
Question of the Week?
Can you summon the courage and
Strength of will to live Your Dream?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Why 4-3 Defense?
Over the years we evolved to our version of the 4-3 defense because we had a need for a multiple defensive scheme that allowed us to defend the Double Wing one week and change fairly easily to shotgun no backs, pass happy offenses the next and be prepared for everything in between.
It took us a couple decades of coaching and seeing things change over the years on the other side of the ball to get where we are today. The scheme is designed to be multiple, but with the ability to change from one scheme to the next without losing the basic concepts that it is based on and that means that we are not changing the basic FUNdaMENTALS of the defense for each of the players.
We do this a number of ways. For example, our DEs have just two main responsibilities: (1) Defend the C-Gap, (2) Rush the QB from the outside in-contain him. That’s it. We do not ask him to shoulder other major responsibilities.
The same holds true for other positions on the defense. We do not want to give too many different responsibilities to the players because if you do, you limit their aggressiveness. They become tentative. They do not execute well.
Another example of simplifying responsibilities on defense is that we have 4 different positions in our secondary: Strong Safety, Halfback, Free Safety, and Cornerback. The SS and HB always play on the same side. The SS always has flat and force. The HB (along with the FS) always are to stay deep, keep your feet, keep everything in front of you. Likewise, the CB always has force to his side of the defense. He also, in certain coverages, has to cover deep outside third to his side requiring him to be the most talented athlete in the secondary.
Doing this means that the aggressor (SS) in the secondary is never asked to learn to play deep zone coverage as he would in “Sky and Cloud” schemes. Also, the HB who is the least likely player in the secondary to come up and contain is not asked to do so since the SS is always to his side and the SS is always asked to force.
Our run defense puts 9 guys near the LOS – 4 linemen, 3 LB’ers, 2 (SS & CB) secondary types. Our super pass defense (Nickel Cov 7) places 8 defenders on the pass; and the thing is we can go from one to the other and things in between without major difficulties because the defense is based on simple, sane, FUNdaMENTALS.
The video ‘Why 4-3?’ shows some of the basics of the defense and the way things change as we go from one to another. For example, we can go from a great run defense, 4-3 cover 2, to a great run/pass defense, 4-3 cover 5, and change just one defender, the WLB’er. We only have to teach one defender a new skill – defending players in the flat – everyone else plays their basic defensive responsibilities. And so it is as we move from one defensive scheme to another.
You can read about the defense online at www.jvm.com/coachfree and you can see more video on the defense at www.maxcast.com/equalizer.
It took us a couple decades of coaching and seeing things change over the years on the other side of the ball to get where we are today. The scheme is designed to be multiple, but with the ability to change from one scheme to the next without losing the basic concepts that it is based on and that means that we are not changing the basic FUNdaMENTALS of the defense for each of the players.
We do this a number of ways. For example, our DEs have just two main responsibilities: (1) Defend the C-Gap, (2) Rush the QB from the outside in-contain him. That’s it. We do not ask him to shoulder other major responsibilities.
The same holds true for other positions on the defense. We do not want to give too many different responsibilities to the players because if you do, you limit their aggressiveness. They become tentative. They do not execute well.
Another example of simplifying responsibilities on defense is that we have 4 different positions in our secondary: Strong Safety, Halfback, Free Safety, and Cornerback. The SS and HB always play on the same side. The SS always has flat and force. The HB (along with the FS) always are to stay deep, keep your feet, keep everything in front of you. Likewise, the CB always has force to his side of the defense. He also, in certain coverages, has to cover deep outside third to his side requiring him to be the most talented athlete in the secondary.
Doing this means that the aggressor (SS) in the secondary is never asked to learn to play deep zone coverage as he would in “Sky and Cloud” schemes. Also, the HB who is the least likely player in the secondary to come up and contain is not asked to do so since the SS is always to his side and the SS is always asked to force.
Our run defense puts 9 guys near the LOS – 4 linemen, 3 LB’ers, 2 (SS & CB) secondary types. Our super pass defense (Nickel Cov 7) places 8 defenders on the pass; and the thing is we can go from one to the other and things in between without major difficulties because the defense is based on simple, sane, FUNdaMENTALS.
The video ‘Why 4-3?’ shows some of the basics of the defense and the way things change as we go from one to another. For example, we can go from a great run defense, 4-3 cover 2, to a great run/pass defense, 4-3 cover 5, and change just one defender, the WLB’er. We only have to teach one defender a new skill – defending players in the flat – everyone else plays their basic defensive responsibilities. And so it is as we move from one defensive scheme to another.
You can read about the defense online at www.jvm.com/coachfree and you can see more video on the defense at www.maxcast.com/equalizer.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Fundraisers That Work
The news here in Oregon is that the budget is shot. In fact, schools could close 2 weeks early. All budgets are frozen. Obviously, coaches are in a huge financial pickle……..not only here, but similar things are taking place all across America.
When I coached here, we never really had an account in the first place and therefore had to think of ways to get the money to get the equipment to get the job done. We would have to fundraise to book a clinic every year for the athletes to hear the BFS Story from the best, buy equipment, go to camp, and use money fro lots of team functions. The kids would hear the message, go to work, it made a positive difference in their performance, and the people of the community would feel good about supporting the fundraiser because of the positive program results and the whole thing became mutually reinforcing.
The purpose of the EQualizer Group board is to share and help each other with ideas and programs that work. I propose that we share ideas on Fundraisers That Work. Post up fundraisers that you have done that have raised money, not nickels and dimes, but thousands of dollars that can be easily reproduced by coaches across the country. We are not talking Gold Cards here since this is not the traditional start time for Gold Cards and probably has been already done. A fundraiser that we would do every year that raised enough funds to book our clinic, equipment and camp was:
Every woman in Town wants to have her windows washed in the spring, and every man in town does not want to do it. So we organized to do it. We set a weekend date for the project. Put a mother in charge of take phone orders; advertised what we were going to do; go door to door in the neighborhood to make washing appointment; on the day of we broke the team down into groups that would take a neighborhood each having an adult supervisor for the team; supply them with buckets & brushes and other necessary equipment from Home Depot, and go out and get the job done. The community loved it because they saw the players actively engaged in an activity that was a win-win. They almost viewed it as community service – that’s how dreaded window washing is.
We had a standard charge for the standard house (5 years ago it was $30-should be closer to $50 now). Bigger houses had a larger charge. We had some people in big houses on the hill with lots of large windows that would pay hundreds of dollars ($300)to get their windows washed. It got to the point that people would call up and ask, “When are you guys going to wash windows? Put me on the list.”
If you would organize your team on this project, once in the spring and once in the fall, you will raise thousands of dollars, elevated your team’s standing in the community, raise enough money to pay for your program & Be An 11 Clinics, pay for some needed equipment needed in your weightroom and have some left over for other needs.
Two other successful fundraisers that were conducted when I was in Wyoming (high desert, right?) is with fruit boxes and seafood boxes – two different campaigns at different times of the year. The team would pre-sell boxes of fruit from Florida or flash frozen seafood from Alaska. There would be a truck that would show up on a given weekend, the kids would show up and deliver the boxes ordered. Thousands of dollars were raised with each of these. I will go to work on contacting suppliers for these.
And yet another classic fundraiser we would conduct during the spring of the year: Rent A Ranger or have a slave auction of the players who would then show up at the buyers house to do the spring clean up work or whatever the people wanted.
When I coached here, we never really had an account in the first place and therefore had to think of ways to get the money to get the equipment to get the job done. We would have to fundraise to book a clinic every year for the athletes to hear the BFS Story from the best, buy equipment, go to camp, and use money fro lots of team functions. The kids would hear the message, go to work, it made a positive difference in their performance, and the people of the community would feel good about supporting the fundraiser because of the positive program results and the whole thing became mutually reinforcing.
The purpose of the EQualizer Group board is to share and help each other with ideas and programs that work. I propose that we share ideas on Fundraisers That Work. Post up fundraisers that you have done that have raised money, not nickels and dimes, but thousands of dollars that can be easily reproduced by coaches across the country. We are not talking Gold Cards here since this is not the traditional start time for Gold Cards and probably has been already done. A fundraiser that we would do every year that raised enough funds to book our clinic, equipment and camp was:
Every woman in Town wants to have her windows washed in the spring, and every man in town does not want to do it. So we organized to do it. We set a weekend date for the project. Put a mother in charge of take phone orders; advertised what we were going to do; go door to door in the neighborhood to make washing appointment; on the day of we broke the team down into groups that would take a neighborhood each having an adult supervisor for the team; supply them with buckets & brushes and other necessary equipment from Home Depot, and go out and get the job done. The community loved it because they saw the players actively engaged in an activity that was a win-win. They almost viewed it as community service – that’s how dreaded window washing is.
We had a standard charge for the standard house (5 years ago it was $30-should be closer to $50 now). Bigger houses had a larger charge. We had some people in big houses on the hill with lots of large windows that would pay hundreds of dollars ($300)to get their windows washed. It got to the point that people would call up and ask, “When are you guys going to wash windows? Put me on the list.”
If you would organize your team on this project, once in the spring and once in the fall, you will raise thousands of dollars, elevated your team’s standing in the community, raise enough money to pay for your program & Be An 11 Clinics, pay for some needed equipment needed in your weightroom and have some left over for other needs.
Two other successful fundraisers that were conducted when I was in Wyoming (high desert, right?) is with fruit boxes and seafood boxes – two different campaigns at different times of the year. The team would pre-sell boxes of fruit from Florida or flash frozen seafood from Alaska. There would be a truck that would show up on a given weekend, the kids would show up and deliver the boxes ordered. Thousands of dollars were raised with each of these. I will go to work on contacting suppliers for these.
And yet another classic fundraiser we would conduct during the spring of the year: Rent A Ranger or have a slave auction of the players who would then show up at the buyers house to do the spring clean up work or whatever the people wanted.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Best Practices Exchange
The idea here is that you would log on to the discussion board for the Equalizer Group and post your information under the "Best Practices Exchange" topic. Here are my 11:
1. Implented our 4-3 Defense: It solved the dilemna of how do you defenese the double tight, double wing offense one week and switch to defending shotgun, no backs, call everything at the LOS the next week.
2. Created the EQualizer Offense. It allows teams with limited talent (compared to the talent they have to face) to compete for the Championship.
3. Used the BFS Total Program: BFS helps athletes achieve athletic potentials sooner, cuts team injury rates by more than half, and positions programs to compete for the Championship every year.
4. Implemented a 5-Under Man defensive scheme for pass happy offenses. This one thing really elevated the effeciveness of our pass defense, ESPECIALLY when you incorporate collisioning the receiver at 5 yards to disrupt timing.
5. Incorporated the midline series into the offense. This series accelerated our offensive output significantly.
6. Married our Quick Pass Offense to the midline series increasing the effectiveness of both.
7. Breaking the secondary positions into four distinct positions: Strong Safety; Halfback; Free Safety and Cornerback and listing the attributes of each and declaring that the SS & CB always have flat and force while FS & HB always have deep coverages. It simplifies and expediates secondary defense.
8. Implemented plyometrics into our BFS training program. Plyos, including box jumping and the plyo ramp, did more for our team footwork and team speed than any other single training activity.
9. Committing to play our DTs in a 1 technique and our DEs to a 7 technique. In doing so, our ability to stuff the trap increased dramatically, our secondary got better pass/run reads elevating their play and our LB'er play got better as they were more protected.
10. Made Be An 11 part of the program and created the class. We taught a Be An 11 Class on attitude, motivation, goal setting, visualization part of the daily curriculum. It became the most popular class taught in three different high schools. Kids still, 25 years later, have their notebooks from the class.
11. Journal write with the kids. Through the Be An 11 Quote of the Day and the Be An 11 Journals we created for class, we would carry on a dialogue with the athletes whoc would write things on the page they would never tell me face to face. I got to know them on a deeper, more meaningful level. It even led to some victories out there on the field.
What are your Best Practices?
Post them up!
Be11!
RF
1. Implented our 4-3 Defense: It solved the dilemna of how do you defenese the double tight, double wing offense one week and switch to defending shotgun, no backs, call everything at the LOS the next week.
2. Created the EQualizer Offense. It allows teams with limited talent (compared to the talent they have to face) to compete for the Championship.
3. Used the BFS Total Program: BFS helps athletes achieve athletic potentials sooner, cuts team injury rates by more than half, and positions programs to compete for the Championship every year.
4. Implemented a 5-Under Man defensive scheme for pass happy offenses. This one thing really elevated the effeciveness of our pass defense, ESPECIALLY when you incorporate collisioning the receiver at 5 yards to disrupt timing.
5. Incorporated the midline series into the offense. This series accelerated our offensive output significantly.
6. Married our Quick Pass Offense to the midline series increasing the effectiveness of both.
7. Breaking the secondary positions into four distinct positions: Strong Safety; Halfback; Free Safety and Cornerback and listing the attributes of each and declaring that the SS & CB always have flat and force while FS & HB always have deep coverages. It simplifies and expediates secondary defense.
8. Implemented plyometrics into our BFS training program. Plyos, including box jumping and the plyo ramp, did more for our team footwork and team speed than any other single training activity.
9. Committing to play our DTs in a 1 technique and our DEs to a 7 technique. In doing so, our ability to stuff the trap increased dramatically, our secondary got better pass/run reads elevating their play and our LB'er play got better as they were more protected.
10. Made Be An 11 part of the program and created the class. We taught a Be An 11 Class on attitude, motivation, goal setting, visualization part of the daily curriculum. It became the most popular class taught in three different high schools. Kids still, 25 years later, have their notebooks from the class.
11. Journal write with the kids. Through the Be An 11 Quote of the Day and the Be An 11 Journals we created for class, we would carry on a dialogue with the athletes whoc would write things on the page they would never tell me face to face. I got to know them on a deeper, more meaningful level. It even led to some victories out there on the field.
What are your Best Practices?
Post them up!
Be11!
RF
WheelerDealer
When Chuck was a young cowboy in Montana he bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.
The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news... the horse died."
Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."
The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse."
The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"
Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."
The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead horse!"
Chuck said, "Sure I can, Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead horse?"
Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998."
The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"
Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."
Chuck grew up and now works for the government. He's the one who figured out how this "bail-out" is going to work.
The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news... the horse died."
Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."
The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse."
The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"
Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."
The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead horse!"
Chuck said, "Sure I can, Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead horse?"
Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998."
The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"
Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."
Chuck grew up and now works for the government. He's the one who figured out how this "bail-out" is going to work.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Glory days! Holmes, Steelers rally, win Super BowlBy BEN WALKER
From selling drugs on the street corner to Super Bowl MVP. Now that's a story Santonio Holmes will share forever.
In a game that stunningly got better with every play, the Pittsburgh Steelers saved their very best for the end.
Somehow, Holmes managed to keep his feet planted in the end zone as he pulled in Ben Roethlisberger's pass for a 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left, and the Steelers shocked the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 Sunday for their record sixth Super Bowl championship.
The fourth quarter was filled with wild swings. The whole game, really, featuring heroes in step with today's economic times: first the Steelers' James Harrison, cut by so many teams that he thought of quitting football to be a bus driver, and then Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, a former Super Bowl MVP since deemed over the hill by three different teams.
The biggest story, though, belonged to Holmes.
Earlier this week, Holmes told the tale of his childhood in poverty-stricken Belle Glade, Fla.
He admitted he didn't need the money he got selling drugs for food or to help his family. He mostly spent it on shoes and gifts for himself.
"I'm pretty sure some kids can get a feel for changing their lives and not doing those type of things, and can get an opportunity to get out of the ghetto, the 'hood, to be successful," he said a few days ago.
He couldn't have found a better stage to get his message across.
Moments after Warner's 64-yard lightning strike to Larry Fitzgerald put the Cardinals ahead 23-20, the Steelers rallied.
Roethlisberger lofted a pass over three defenders into the back right corner of the end zone, and Holmes stretched every inch of his 5-foot-11 frame to catch the ball. Officials went to an instant-replay review, and it confirmed what every Steelers fan packed into Raymond James Stadium already knew — touchdown.
As Bruce Springsteen sung at halftime — Glory Days!
"Before that drive, I told him, 'Ben, I want the ball in my hands no matter what, no matter where it is,'" Holmes said. "I wanted to be the one to make the play."
The Steelers won their second Super Bowl title in four years and broke a tie with Dallas and San Francisco for the most. They also made 36-year-old Mike Tomlin the youngest coach to win the crown.
Together, the teams managed to do something that few football fans believed was possible in this game: Equal last year's Super Bowl, when the New York Giants upset the undefeated New England Patriots.
FreebNote: You might say that the Steelers Stole Victory away from the Cardinals.
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