COACHING POINT

CoachFree read this coaching point on the plane today: To increase the team's attention when viewing this week's scout film, have each player 'grade' the player he will line up against for this week's game and check numbers against your evaluation. First I heard of this and I've been at it since the 50s.

Dr. K. Anders Ericsson is a psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University responsible for the study (2007) leading to the development of the 10 year/10,000 Rule for developing expert performances and written about by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (2008), and Geoff Colvin, Talent Is Overrated (2008).

The implication for educators is that if we want our students & athletes to perform their absolute, level best as an 18 year old Senior, they need to be actively engaged in deliberate practice on or before age 8.

For 35 years, Bigger Faster Stronger has been in the business helping coaches and athletes raise the bar on athletic performances pioneering the BFS Readiness Program in the early 80s for use in Junior High and Middle Schools.

With these points in mind, in 2007 BFS Clinician Jeff Sellers established the State Championship Club of Fort Branch Indiana with the stated goal of playing for the 2015 AAA Football State Championship in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis IN.

The first State Champion Club group with 4th graders. There now are 3-4, 5-6, 7-8th groups that working together. They have just finished football season and the 8th graders have chalked up a 37-0 record over the 4 year time period. Success at all levels and sports (football, basketball, baseball) is off the charts.

We are in the initial stages of gathering information and developing a program that can be “Cloned” and implemented in your setting.

I am checking interest. What are your thoughts? We know that following the BFS Core Program enhances athletic performance. Everything we do at BFS is designed to help athletes run faster, jump higher and be more explosive. From our personal experience with family members (and other clinician children), the program works at all levels, all ages. On a scale form one to ten, how interested would you be in starting a State Championship Club program at your district?

Is Your Mission enough to maintain motivation?

I love this story - pretty good results from someone who "cannot play QB in the Pros" & esp considering that you cannot run the option in the NFL.

Cover 5

COVER 5 ZONE IS A GOOD PASS COVERAGE DEFENSE AND ALSO A GOOD CALL AGAINST A TEAM EXPECTED TO RUN WIDE AGAINST THE DEFENSE. BY MOVING THE WLB'ER OUT INTO THE FLAT, WE BASICALLY ARE IN A DOUBLE SS SITUATION WITH A THREE DEEP ZONE BEHIND THEM.

THE SS AND WLB'ER ARE IN POSITION TO TAKE AWAY THE SHORT SEAM PASS ROUTE AND ALSO ABLE TO SUPPORT QUICKLY FOR CONTAIN SHOULD THEIR BASIC KEYS INDICATE A WIDE RUN TO THEIR SIDE IS COMING.

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This is a great all around defense both against the run and the pass. I for the life of me why more coaches do not run a defense like this. One of the things that I have seen more of these days against the pass happy folks is a loss of contain or hard force to keep the outside run contained. This defense would take care of that.

All gaps are covered, there are people responsible to contain the run on both sides of the formation, and there are three deep defenders. All the majro zones have a defender for good all around pass defense.

Coach Lavelle Edwards from BYU told me at a clinic, in fact it was the last clinic of his career, that if you do not want to get beat deep, have a 3 deep secondary.

Of course, when they are in a passing situation, say 3rd and 12, we would call a passing defense like Nickel or 5 under man. And if we expect them to be running, we would be in more of a run defense like 4-3, cover 2.

Observe both the LSU and AL LOS stances. Both Excellent examples of what good stances should be - great examples of the power angles we talk about for stances in the playbook: http://goo.gl/ipKNZ

Stance

All Football palys begin with a stance. In recent years, we have seen more and more stances like the one on the right along the high school LOS. Last SAT at teh 'Game of the Century" we saw the LSU exhibit the stance on the left. Isn't any wonder why they are rated #1.

Situation: We are driving to score. Need 2 yards for a first down and keep the drive alive. We are going to run behind the LSU tackle. Do you think he will open the hole or be defeated by the guy on the right?

Do you have a laser focus on what you are supposed to be focused on -

Are you seeing what you're supposed to be seeing?

Secondary: READ YOUR KEYS

Reading you keys will put you into position to make the play faster than any other single activity you can do. Many offenses will go out of their way to “fake you out” with great backfield maneuvers. If you stay disciplined and “read your keys,” you will beat them with your brains and abilities.

The basic key for DB’s is the end-tackle-near back to your side of the formation. The end is your primary and first responsibility. If he releases for pass you must get to your pass responsibility ASAP and play the receiver in your area if we are in zone coverage. If the end blocks on the line of scrimmage, you are to execute your run support responsibility ASAP. If you do, you will be in position to make the tackle or turn the play in to the coming pursuit.

It cannot be stressed enough that reading your keys will put you into position to make the play better than anything you can do. Proper reading of your keys will lead you to success.

The following four situations are the ones you will see 95% of the time. Practice at reading your keys will enable you to react at ever faster times and put you into better position to make the play. Read and react to the following situations as fast as you can.