Featured courses
- How to Be an Influential Football Coach by Grant Young
- How Football Coaches Can Build A Game-Changing Special Teams Unit by Grant Young
- Master the Art of Quick Passing for High Completion Percentages by Keith Grabowski
- 3 SPO’s to Protect the Passing Game and create opportunities in space by Keith Grabowski
- The Art of Running the Corner Route- Coaches and Players Prespectives by CoachTube Staff
- Evolve your Defense with Quarter, Quarter Half to Stop RPO by Coach Grabowski
- 5 Core Offensive Priniciples for a Winning Football Formula by Keith Grabowski
- Win Downfield - Attacking Different Areas Deep with 3rd Level RPO by Coach Grabowski
- WAKE FOREST’S UNIQUE RPO GAME by Keith Grabowski
- Adjustments to Defeat the Tite Front by Keith Grabowski
- Attack Defenses with The Versatile Y-Cross Concept by Keith Grabowski
- Play Action is a Cheat Code! - 5 Play Action Concepts to Increase Your Expected Points by Keith Grabowski
- Question from Rutgers OC - What does your offense say about your coaching? by Keith Grabowski
- Gap Schemes vs. Tight Fronts, Play Action Shots and Misdirection by Coach Grabowski
- Setting up your young Qb for success by Keith Grabowski
- The Hot Gap plus 3 Gap Scheme RPO’s to Stress the Defense by Keith Grabowski
- Unlocking the True Potential of Your Special Teams Play by Keith Grabowski
- The Most Important Components of Air Raid by Keith Grabowski
- 4 Plays that Benefit from Bunch Formations by Keith Grabowski
- 3 Third Level RPOs for Explosive Plays by Keith Grabowski
- The Role of the Screen Game in Explosive Offense by Keith Grabowski
- The Chess Match: Win on the Perimeter (Part 1) by Coach Grabowski
- Unlocking the Power of Gap Manipulation to Limit Explosive Plays by Keith Grabowski
- TCU’s 3-3-5 and facing bigger personnel by Keith Grabowski
- Elevating Your Team: Strategies from Coach Matt Ruhle by Keith Grabowski
- 7 RPO’s for your playbook by Coach Keith
- Beyond Quarters - The Need For Additional Coverage Concepts by Keith Grabowski
- Top 10 College Football Players to Watch for in 2022 by Alec Burris
- Clemson vs. Syracuse Matchup of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Sprint Out Passing: Move the Pocket for Success by Keith Grabowski
- How to Maximize Tackling Efficiency within Scheme by Keith Grabowski
- Offensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- How a Stoplight Can Make Your Fly Sweep Takeoff by Keith Grabowski
- Keep your Drills Fresh and Your Skills Developing - Offense by Keith Grabowski
- Coach Kevin Kelley, Outside The Box by Keith Grabowski
- Want your defense to get off the field after third down? Sims and Creepers are the answer! by Keith Grabowski
- Create More Turnovers with Circuit Training & Win More Games! by Keith Grabowski
- Devastate the Defense with TE RPOs by Keith Grabowski
- Red Zone adjustments by Keith Grabowski
- CoachesClinic.com Featured Matchup: Cincinnati vs Indiana by Caleb Hopkins
- 3 NFL ZONE RUN PLAYS FROM WEEK 7 by Alex Kirby
- Sonny Dykes Teaches You How to Put Together an Offense by Coach Grabowski
- FIVE REASONS TO RUN THE 3-3 DEFENSE by Alex Kirby
- Getting Your Defense Ahead - 1st and 2nd down Pressures from Noah Joseph by John Grayson
- Chad Morris Teaches How To Builds an Offense by Coach Grabowski
- Get Your Offense a +1 With the QB Run Game by Coach Grabowski
- Are You Causing a 14 Point Turnaround...Against Your Team? by Coach Grabowski
- Learn How to Improve Your Offense with USC’s “Harrell Effect” by Coach Grabowski
- The Power of Influence - Rick Jones, Mizzou by Coach Grabowski
- Easy QB Runs to Drive Defenses Crazy by Ryan Eisenberger
- How many different ways can you make the defense cover everyone? by Ryan Eigenberger
- Win Passing Downs with Creepers and Sims by Coach Grabowski
- Always have a plan to play your best 11 by Keith Grabowski
- Dominate the Defense with Double Teams by Coach Grabowski
- Buffalo OC teaches his model for game planning by Keith Grabowski
- Put your 3 Deep Coverage in a Better Position with Zone Alert Rotations by Coach Grabowski
- 5 Keys to Using Trick Plays by Coach Grabowski
- Learn from 'Juggernaut' Offense by Keith Grabowski
- Bob Wylie - Offensive Line Breakdowns by Coach Grabowski
- Utilizing the Hybrid Linebacker to take away Offensive Advantages by Coach Grabowski
- Always have a plan to play your best 11 by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: #6 Oklahoma vs #21 Texas by Caleb Hopkins
- Easy for You - Difficult for Them Adjustments by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: Davidson College vs Presbyterian by Caleb Hopkins
- Week 5 National High School Football Rankings by Keith Grabowski
- Protecting Aaron Rodgers (and your own QB) by Caleb Hopkins
- Defensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Woo Pig - Add a wrinkle with these Arkansas Downhill Run Variations by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: #7 Cincinnati vs #9 Notre Dame by Caleb Hopkins
- Offensive Drills of the Week by Keith Grabowski
- Coach Jason McEndoo Teaches #12 Oklahoma State’s Top Running Play by Keith Grabowski
- Adjustments - Attach Screens to your best plays, defend star receivers, & movement to stop the run by Keith Grabowski
- Coachesclinic.com Featured Matchup: Army vs #16 Wake Forest by Caleb Hopkins
- How To Implement A Running-Back-By-Committee Scheme by Brandon Ogle
- How To Become The Most Feared Offensive Lineman In Your League by Chrisian Benavides
- Wylie, McNally and Alexander Key Coaching Points on the Wide Zone Play by Keith Grabowski
- #21 Coastal Carolina’s play that is a whole offense within itself by Keith Grabowski
- 4 Plays that Benefit from Bunch Formations by Keith Grabowski
- Best Mesh Concept Plays by Ron McKie
- Forming Families For Football by Darryl Page
- Top 5 Things Coaches Should Strive To Get Out Of Spring Camp by Darryl Page
- 10 Tips To Know Before Attending Football Camps by James Breland
- Offensive Line Drills by Rick Bouch
- You’re a captain, now what? 5 Tips to bring your team together and establish yourself as a true leader by Lester Crafton
- COACHING THE 4-2-5 DEFENSE VS SPREAD TEAMS by Alex Kirby
- Gifts From Grinch by Coach Grabowski
- A Package to Help You Win Mid to Late Season by Coach Grabowski
- The Future of American Football: How to Run the Spread Offense by Coach Scott
- Chris Ash teaches Longhorn Tackling by Coach Grabowski
- The misunderstood Yet Powerful Run Scheme - Duo by Coach Keith
- THE GUS MALZAHN QUARTERBACK COUNTER PLAY by Alex Kirby
- FIVE TIPS FROM GUS MALZAHN ON HOW TO BUILD YOUR PLAYBOOK by Alex Kirby
- LITTLEST KID ON THE FIELD TRUCKS LINEMAN – YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP by Jacob
- HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR OFFSEASON FOOTBALL TRAINING by Dominic
- BAD CALL, GREAT COACH: THIS IS WHY PLAYERS LOVE PETE CARROLL by Jacob
- How to Get Recruited for Collegiate Sports by Brandon Ogle
- How Offensive Coaches Win with Pre-Snap Movements by Trevor Strong
- HOW VAN HALEN AND CHIP KELLY CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER COACH by Alex Kirby
- FIVE REASONS TO RUN THE JET SWEEP by Alex Kirby
- THIS GUY’S DESIGNS ARE MAKING NFL HELMETS LOOK LIKE RELICS by Jacob
Top 5 Things Coaches Should Strive To Get Out Of Spring Camp
- By Darryl Page
With spring practice just around the corner for many programs, here are a few things that if you teach and emphasize in the spring, it will pay off in the fall.
Spring football practice is one of the most important periods for any high school football program. I know that in some states, there is no spring practice (I couldn’t imagine). However, here in South Carolina, it starts on May 1st, and it is critical to what we do. It is a time of teaching. Teaching the what, when, where, how, and why of football to high school aged kids. That point (high school aged kids who think like high school kids) has to be considered in all that you do in spring practice.
Many staffs have been to clinics, studied film pulled from YouTube, and have visited spring practices at colleges throughout the country. From those excursions, staffs have a ton of notes and ideas that they want to implement. Go back to the previous paragraph and note the bold type. Just because it looked easy at Clemson or Alabama, doesn’t mean that it will be easy for your kids. Clemson and Alabama got “dudes” that you probably don’t have. With that in mind, I have created a Spring Practice Checklist. It is not a spring practice guide, but it is a reminder of what spring practice should be about (it’s a little time between spring practice and a real game). Create a timeline, re-examine it daily, and tweak when necessary.
1. Establish Discipline:
If you don’t have this in your program, you are setting yourself up for failure. Kids have to understand that there are “consequences (either positive or negative) for every action”. Rules are established during this time, and punishment is dispersed accordingly. The quicker that this is established, the teaching environment is set. Point of emphasis: it has to run throughout the program (from the head coach on down). Not one kid should think that he can go to this coach or that coach, and be allowed to do something different from what has been clearly stated. This is where you “prepare the ground for planting”!
“Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline, or the pain of regret” regret”
2. Establish Routine :
Can’t be emphasized enough. Everything starts with this. Routine includes: classroom time, daily practice (stretch, pre-practice, individual periods, special teams periods, tempo periods, tackling, key reading, etc.). This list could go on forever. Your job as a coach is to teach/train your kids. Regardless of what many so called “experts” think, kids appreciate routine. It helps them make good decisions. You can include such things as properly putting on equipment (you will be surprised at the number of kids who don’t know how), the way that the locker is expected to be kept, the proper attire for practice (there are not many kids who don’t own black shorts and white t-shirts), and reading and understanding the practice schedule (can be an adventure for the kid who is out for football for the very first time).
3. Offensive Emphasis:
The focus of your offense for spring practice should be establishing fundamentals at all positions. That includes, but is not limited to: getting into a proper stance, understanding the language (A gap, 3 technique, stem, outside release, hat reads, key reads, deep half, flats, swim, rip, kickstep, etc,). If this is a kid’s first year playing football, just those few terms can seem like a foreign language. We have not even touched on signals and indicators. Just the volume of terminology can be overwhelming. KISS is the best way. Give it to each position a little at a time. Make sure that they can digest it all, and then give them a little more. I can’t overemphasize the importance of a planned out calendar. Plan your work, and work your plan! Some of these can be included in your EDD (everyday drills) OL- stance, alignment of the down defenders, pass protection technique, constant foot movement, where the ball is going on run plays, whether you are on the playside or the backside, and base run plays. RB- stance, alignment, blocking (run and pass), fits in pass protections, ball security, base run plays, swing routes, and blitz alerts. WR- stance, alignments, formations, blocking out in space, proper route running, and identifying coverages. QB- this list would be too long. This young man will be the leader of your offense, and he needs to know what you know. You should have a fundamental period with him daily (if only for 10 minutes). Good quarterbacks are developed from the “neck up” He has to spend from 5-10 minutes in what I call “grid period” (run plays on air with the RB’s; great time to emphasize the fakes that he will use.). He has to throw the ROA vs. air (I like it against cans or cones; so that the QB’s can see where the defenders are supposed to drop).
"Lethal simplicity”! icity”!
4. Defensive Emphasis :
DL- stance, alignments, gaps, TACKLING, how to handle the double team, how to use his hands, attacking the offensive lineman (half a man), and his alignment in all of the base defenses. LB- stance, alignments, TACKLING, run fits in each defense, key reads, the alignments of everyone in the front 7 of every defense, pass drops, PURSUIT and ANGLES TO THE BALL, and identifying offensive formations. DB- stance, alignments in each coverage, TACKLING, PURSUIT and ANGLES TO THE BALL, knowing each coverage , knowing offensive formations, key reads.
5. Special Teams:
Often overlooked in spring practice (big mistake). 1⁄3 of football involves some form of special teams. Assign a minimum of 2 coaches to teach fundamentals of special teams (with at least 2 more serving as the assistants). Play your best players on special teams (be at least 2 deep at every position on every special team. Practice those kids in those positions, and move special teams to the early part of practice (so kids can see how important it is to you).
Find those kids who can run, yet are big enough and strong enough to make a real difference in special teams. Give those teams “nicknames” (for example, the KO team can be called “the bomb” squad- we blow sh*t up (feel free to change that).
Put the kickers and punters in pressure situations daily (field goal to win it at the end, an onside kick, punting out of the end zone, just to name a few).
Finally:
This is not a “be all to end all” in regards to spring practice. Not once was installing a whole playbook ever mentioned. Teach the kids the fundamentals, because fundamentals will win for you a whole lot more than a double pass or a trick play. Have a great spring coaches!
This article was written by Darryl Page. Check out his CoachTube page here.