Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Glazier Clinics Webinars free during the month of June

Watch live Glazier Clinics Webinars free during the month of June. With a Glazier Clinics Season Pass, you have immediate access to watch over 250+ archived Glazier Clinics Webinars on-demand.
Schedule for June 3 - June 26:

Monday, June 2, 2014

Free Webinars for Head Coaches

Coach,

Head Coach Academy provides free, live webinars to train head coaches in every sport to be great CEOs of their programs.

If you're a head coach or an aspiring head coach, we're here to equip you! Use the links below to sign up for any or all of these upcoming sessions.

Missed a webinar? Click here to watch past webinars on-demand. For a limited time, we are only allowing coaches on our email list to view past webinars.  This means you will not find this special link to the archives anywhere on our website.

Schedule for June 4 - June 23:


See you on the webinars!

Allen Means
Head Coach Academy
719-536-0069 Ext. 1117


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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Changing the team's culture in the off-season



This first thing about changing a teams culture in the off-season is that there is no off-season!  They are competing with their teammates, opponents, athletes across the state and even country for playing time, accolades, and scholarships.  The school I am currently had a strength coaching for the 2013-2014 school year and he was very successful working will all sports.  If the athletes followed the program than they would get bigger, faster, stronger, and would move better.  The problem was buy-in we had several athletes skip the athletic period we would run them make them sore but no real buy in.

So we started with our ideal end product and worked from there:

  • They would have passing grades
  • They would have perfect attendance
  • They would attend powerlifting practice 
  • They would attend track practice
We broke them up into 4 teams with 2 captains for each team.  We had to develop some leadership from those guys we were going to count on for the coming up season. Then we had a Draft where each team would pick every person in offseason.

Points System
·         Attendance
o   +100 for entire team showing up on the same day
o   +20 for going to track practice
o   +20 for going to power lifting practice
§  Additional +20 for going to both
o   +35 for attending and competing in a meet for either track or power lifting
o   -30 points for excused absences with a call or email.
o   -100 points for skipping
§  Skipping is any absence without a call or email
o   -15 points for being the last person to the weight room
·         Effort
o   Bonus points given by coaches for being seen, putting out effort, doing extra.
·         Gains
o   +1 point/lb increase
o   +10 points for every .1 decrease in running time
o   +10 points for every 1 inch increase in jumping
·         Grades
o   +75 points for straight As
o   +10 for a passing grade
o   -100 points for failing
o   +100 points for taking the SAT or ACT
§  Additional +50 for taking both
·         Competition
o   Determined by the competition and coaches
·         Discipline
o   -30 points for not knowing locker combo
o   -50 points for missing clothes
o   -15 points for not filling out sheet
o   – 15 points for minor discipline problem
o   -100 points for major discipline problem
o   – 30 points for arguing with a teammate
o   -100 points for arguing with a coach
·         Rewards
o   End of year party for winning team
o   6 week Navy Football instead in of running
o   Large Towels for 1st place team
o   Release based on team place

o   Last place team wears shimmel shirts


Average strength increase for the football team across the three core lifts from Thanksgiving break to February 1st.


Power Clean
Squat
Bench Press
Total Lbs
Team Average
15
45
25
79.4


Average strength increases in pounds based on attending after school workouts from Thanksgiving break to February 1st.


Attendance
Power Clean
Squat
Bench Press
3+ / week:
17.5
70
32.5
1 or 2 times / week:
13
48
28
Not at all:
11
24
20

The final results were the following:


Out of 64 athletes..

At the start of the offseason, 12 had a vertical higher than 24 inches.  Only 4, jumped higher than 27.3 (Nike Sparq National Average)
Now there are 26 jumping higher than 24, with 11 posting marks over 27.3

At the start of the offseason, 19 athletes had a standing broad jump over 7 feet 5 inches.
Now there are 27.

At the start of the offseason, 17 athletes ran the 5-10-5 in under 4.72 (Nike Sparq National Average).
Now there are 29, with 14 posting marks under 4.49 seconds.















These results were amazing considering the following:
  • Our Head Football Coach/ Athletic Director resigned 2 weeks into the off-season
  • We went through an exhaustive search which lasted from Mid January to a week before Spring Break
If you would like to know more about the program please contact  Garson Skelton garsonskelton@gmail.com   

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Fixed or Growth Mind Set

I am doing a teacher leader academy for my school district and we watched this video about fixed vs growth mind set. What you are about to watch is a game changer.  But first take this quiz to see where you are at on the mind set spectrum.

http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/index.html

Once you have figured out you mind set now watch this video:


 Now let’s apply that to coaching and talent.  If you are a fixed mind set can you grow as a coach?  No
When dealing with players do you praise talent or work ethic?  work ethic
There is a point where talent limits what you and your team achieves its sets a celling whereas relentless effort and hard work is infinite.        
 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

PHIL 4:13

Warning this post is has nothing to do with football or attention to detail or does it?

I had a couple of girls qualify for the regional powerlifting meet. I noticed a fellow coach who was our week one opponent this past season. I noticed that he all of his lifters had Titan shirts and squat shirts on.  I started talking to him and told him that I had planned on becoming a Titan school.  He said that I had better order now because they were on back order and in fact his lifter who was lifting in the same weight class as mine didn't have a small enough size to fit her.  Well it came down to deadlift my athlete was 15 lbs away from all she had to do was tie her because she weighed 92 lbs and the other girl had to drop weight to be in the 97 lb weight class.  My athlete could not pull the weight and the other coaches girl ended up going to state and the story could have ended there.   

You see we are doing this book study at church and the book focuses on 4 major themes:
  • Prayer
  • Study
  • Generosity
  • Evangelization 
So I asked my lifter if she wanted her suit to go to state and she agreed so I gave the squat suit and bench shirt to the girl's coach who just beat my athlete. And he called his athlete over and she thanked me which was enough but then her coach gave me this:


You see we are going through a change in leadership where I am coaching at now and there is a lot of uncertainty going on right now.  But I know:
and have come to terms with whatever this exciting profession has in store for me and my family!


Saturday, February 1, 2014

An Old School Answer to a New School Problem

This past season we ran the Zone Read and Counter Read with the Triple option.  Which was effective to a point when people started to gap exchange it did create some problems for us. especially with the Zone.  We would have the Defensive End who chased down back and the Linebacker would just stand there our Zone and he would end up stacked up with the defensive end because of the horizontal movement of our offensive line. Also the Pitch key would blitz making it a really short pull and pitch.  Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator Matt Wallerstedt breaks down the film of what opponents started to do with us.


Our counter out of the pistol looks like this:



Our Jacks Formation everybody does the same exact job just from different positions. Our H and B Backs are aligned in B Gap two yards from the heals of the offensive linemen.  

As you can see we keep it simple but complex to Defensive Coordinators I am stealing this idea from Gus Malzahn of Auburn who is an ex wing-t guy and was taken from one of the greatest coaches of all time Vince Lombardi.  

 





Nothing changes for our 8 of our players the Offensive Line and A Back is still running Counter. The X and Y are still running their Routes.  
The H is Buck  "Buck is he kicks out the defense's force player."
The B is Packer "Packer runs flat across the center then sickles around getting shoulder pads vertical blocks linebacker to safety."  
QB Opens Up to the Left reads the DE is he chases the QB is pulling and replace and runs the ball in the alley.  
So basically the H and the B are running buck sweep if they were the guards if the Quarterback gets a pull read.  


Putting it all together it should look like this:




In conclusion be a great answer to Defensive Coordinators who Gap Exchange and bring their Force Defender off the Edge. Also linebackers are going to have Offensive linemen pulling in front of them going one way and backs pulling across the other way that action will slow down their reads. I
  



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Assistant Coach and the Star fish

As an assistant you control what you can and if the powers that be will see your work its ok if not its still ok. I heard this story in church this morning:

Based on the story by Loren Eisley...


I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.


As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."


As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, strectching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."


The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."


I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.


 

As an assistant I challenge you to throw as many starfish back as you can and I challenge the head coaches to have their entire staff throw back as many starfish as they can.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Lessons learned from the Book "The Tao of Chip Kelly:

Lesson 1 "Win the Day" 

The only thing we can control is today.  It means practice harder be Freddy Kruger like in attentiveness and focus on execution.  (Freddy Kruger= Relentlessness)

Lesson 2 "Feed the Tuna Mayonnaise" 

Become efficient No one stops to correct or explain things to one player while everyone else stands around watching.  If a player needs it explained he is substituted out of the play until he gets it while every else continues.  The goal is to get as many reps in practice as possible one rep every 20 seconds in Group, Seven on Seven, Inside, Half-Line, and Team.
http://www.footballscoop.com/news/9676-take-a-look-at-chip-kelly-s-music-playlist-for-practice

Lesson 3 Receivers are expected to block 

Receivers are expected to block on run plays and screens just as well as they catch passes.  It is a very selfish player who refuses to block for his teammates.  (See 2.32 of YouTube video bellow)


Friday, January 3, 2014

Play Calling

There are several factors involved in play calling.
  • Personal
  • Space 
  • Defensive Structure 
  • What is working
  • Preparedness 
Personal this is determined by several factors your personal should be getting better right now until August rolls around.  This is off-season workouts, 7 on 7, Spring Ball (if you are allowed to do it), summer workouts, and finally having to steal for Urban Meyer high GSF.  My philosophy of personal is that you cannot control what level of athleticism that they came to you at but your job is to guide them to get as close as you can to that genetic ceiling as possible.  Remember Michael Jordan was cut as a high school freshman from the basketball team and through inhuman determination with practicing for the sport he loved became the greatest basketball player ever! You ever wonder what Mike Leach is writing down on that little index card during games? It was a hit chart that he counted how many times each of his receivers got the ball he was looking for even distribution.  The problem is that I don't live in that world I can only on campus recruit.  This coming up year I will have a couple of really good high school football players.  I am going to make sure that each one of those of guys touch the ball at least 20-25 times a game and then after that I am going to equally distribute the ball to the rest of the offensive skill guys.    

Space we are going to attack space.  In the run game look for bubbles and in the pass game look for grass.  With our offensive scheme the defense is going to have to defend 53 and a 1/3 yards wide and 18 yards from the line of scrimmage.  Also we are going to throw the post against outside leverage Un Capped and throw the go or the corner route against inside leverage Un Capped.

Defensive structure it's a mathematical equation:

2 Safeties= run the ball


1 Safety=utilize the option


0 Safeties=Throw the ball and Screens



Now of course we will run the ball, throw screens, and throw the ball against all defensive structures but as a general rule to attack the defense it is simple why try to run a play against the teeth of a defense when your hims are the same or not as good as his hims.

Do what is working try not to out smart your-self. Against one team this year we ran Counter 31 times for 260 yards for an 8.3 yards per play. Both of Bill Snyder's stints at Kansas State if his offense would find a play that worked he world run it over and over again until the defense stopped it then he would go to the next read or complement to it.


I am going to go back to my Copperas Cove days and since we run only two basic run schemes a Gap and Zone.  I am going to talk to our Offensive line coach and see what he thinks about just working Gap one day and Zone the other day.  The way we conduct practice offensive line gets a minimum of 10 5 minutes segments of individual.  That way all of his individual run blocking drills can be focused on that scheme for that day and tie in our screen game and passing game into it.  

Zone Day:
  • Zone Running Stretch, Inside Zone, Speed Option and Speed Sweeps
  • Sprint Out Passing Game
  • Solid Screens
  • Fast Screens
  • 3 Step Passing Game

Gap Day
  • Gap Running Game Counter and Power
  • 5 Step Passing Game
  • Counter Screens
  • Jail Break Screens
  • 3 Step Passing Game
Time and Reps last year we averaged 1 rep every 30 seconds during Group and Team.  This year our goal is going to run 1 play every 20 seconds if an athlete continually makes mistakes then his coach will pull him out put in a back up in and coach him up. We are going to have to coach off of film and coach on the run.