Football Strategy & Schemes: Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams
Strategy is the bedrock of competitive football. Understanding the intricate details of offensive, defensive, and special teams schemes, along with the philosophies guiding them, is essential for coaches aiming to outmaneuver opponents and maximize team performance. From overarching system design to specific tactical adjustments, a deep knowledge of strategy provides a critical edge.
This page brings together American Football Monthly's in-depth articles exploring the vast world of Football Strategy. Here, you'll find detailed X's and O's breakdowns, analysis of different systems, and discussions on tactical decision-making across all three phases of the game.
Dive into resources covering a wide array of strategic concepts:
Sponsored Feature · In Partnership with EliteEdgeFB Third-and-6, clock moving, headset chatter — the moments that decide football games. Pho
Maximize Offense in the Real World of High School Football
IntroductionTime is a football coach’s most precious commodity. Most coaches at the high school and youth levels are challenged with limitations (such as player talent and perhaps a limited number of experienced coaches); but all teams are limited by time. Even the best coaches believe there simply isn’t enough time to fully teach, install and rep all phases of the game to all players. The Double Gun offense is unique because it offers such a wide variety of options with one simple, time-efficie
Leadership Strategies: How to Develop a Steady Stream of ‘Championship Level QBs in Your Program, Part I
There is not much argument in any level of football that to win consistently and compete for championships you need strong quarterback play. So what defines ‘strong quarterback play’ and how do you develop that consistently within an organization? This series of articles will lay out a clear path that can easily be followed in any program given the proper attention. Let’s first discuss what goes into the makings of a great quarterback. From there, you’ll be in a better position to choose who to
Effective Strategies for Dealing with Man - Coverage Beaters: Stacks, Bunches and Mesh
ULM’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme is known for its aggressive style of play predicated on five and six-man pressure. To effectively utilize this type of defense, the pass coverage system must be proficient in man-to-man coverage. The ability to play cover 1 and cover 0 allows the defensive line and linebackers a great deal of freedom to find numerous ways to pressure the quarterback and stop the run by outnumbering the offense at or near the line of scrimmage. Of course, no defensive scheme is withou
Post- Season Priorities - Wrapping up one season and transitioning to the next are critical times for successful programs
When your season ends, do you kick back, relax and get away from the game for a couple months? Of course not. Whether it’s formulating and implementing an off-season strength and conditioning program, ushering in a new group of players and preparing them for the following season or putting together motivational exercises, every successful coach knows that winter presents an opportunity for physical and mental team building.To find out how the best coaches approach the post season, AFM asked six
Leadership Strategies
Jeff Hancock is the head coach at Vidalia High School in Louisiana. He recently took part in AFM’s “Leadership Survey”. Included are his responses:How do you develop responsible and respected team captains?This question is best answered by talking about my Senior Leadership Council. For our program, the seniors are the leaders and sometimes decision makers for the program. Bringing them in for meetings to discuss policy, setting standards, and letting them know what I am planning so as to get th
Why Coach? Being Compassionate, Optimistic, Attentive, Confident and Humanistic are Some of the Qualities a Coach Should Possess
When I was invited to submit an article to AFM, I figured I would simply put some drills together, share some concepts, propose a few diagrams and maybe even talk about the transition of players from high school football to college competition. After all, that’s what we, as coaches, would need for personal or professional development, right? I shared my ideas with colleagues in the office and even surveyed some young coaches who were helping with our summer c
Leadership Strategies: Prima Donna Athletes – Transformational Leadership vs. Servant Leadership
Narcissus, a beautiful youth, glanced into a pool of water. Rejecting the nymph Echo, he fell in love with his own reflection. – Greek mythologyTying Greek mythology to football isn’t really a stretch, given the fact high school coaches are continually faced with one or more players who believe the team is there to serve them and not vice versa. Many coaches label these players as ‘cancers’. Unless, of course, they are clocked in the 40-yard dash under 4.5 or are of behemoth size and can run thr
Leadership Strategies: In Need of a New Direction
Coaching staffs should not expect seniors to lead simply based on their age. So, the ultimate goal of our program became to build better men, to help them to grow individually, and eventually teach them how to lead other young men. The result of our emphasis on leadership has been impressive. In 2014 we had a 13-game winning streak that included a #1 Missouri state ranking, a top 150 national ranking, and a narrow defeat in the Class 5 State Semifinals. Providing a Bigge
Leadership Strategies: Developing a Leadership Council
Jerome Learman was a high school coach for 20 years and 13 as a head coach. He received his doctorate in 2005 from Michigan State in Kinesiology. Learman is currently teaching at both Michigan State and Central Michigan University. While coaching, Learman developed a leadership council for juniors and seniors who received leadership training to become captains. American Football Monthly spoke to Coach Learman about his leadership council.After taking over for Craig Bohl, North Dakota State’s Chr
Building Champions to Win Championships
We recently surveyed coaches on a variety of topics, one of which was their interest in having more information about leadership. An astounding 80% said they would like us to present more information on this topic that is so vital to individual and team success.With this issue of American Football Monthly, we are introducing a new monthly Leadership report – Building Champions to Win Championships. AFM has assembled a team of leadership experts to explore, define and communicate key aspects of t
Speed Report: Visual Cues Deliver Exceptional Speed
Football players must rely heavily on having good field vision in order to play fast and move effectively. It’s a huge benefit having good visual skills which enhances “transition speed”. More specifically, angle and velocity changes executed with maximum velocity. Many athletes are naturally gifted with good visual skills. Unfortunately, many athletes also struggle with this skill. The good news is that you can develop this ability by using designed drills correctly and specific cues and techni
A Nine-Week Off Season Super-Cycle Strength and Conditioning Program
This article was published in the January edition of American Football Monthly with factual errors. The revised version is posted below. AFM regrets the errors.True developmental training at the collegiate level can be defined as two mandatory, nine-week training phases per year. The remaining time each year could be considered in-season, discretionary or possibly maintenance. The other possibility in the yearly scheme that might be considered as mandatory developmental would be the in-season pe
Managing Your Program: Evaluating Staff - Creating an Environment For Success
As the season ends, equipment is collected, banquets are planned, and goals are set with the returning players. It’s important to not lose sight of one very important component in your program – the coaching staff. The team’s success is very closely tied to the coaches who create the environment that nurtures that success, yet often, the staff is the last component attended to in the transition from one season to the next. Years ago, former Navy Commander and author of It’s Your Shi
Five on the Line - The 5-man defensive front is making a comeback – especially against traditional run-first offenses.
Before the advent of today’s high-powered spread offenses, it was common for defenses to employ a 5-man front with a nose guard, two tackles and two ends. While many teams have gone away from 5-man fronts, AFM found a surprising number of 2013 state champions that use the front either exclusively or part time.Here, coaches from four championship programs share their insight and strategies for making the 5-man front effective, especially against the run. They are Matt Crossman, defensive coordina
Strength Report: How to Use Weighted Sleds for Explosive Acceleration
There are numerous products designed to increase speed, but one of the most effective, versatile and easiest to use is the weighted sled. The research on resisted sled sprinting has changed over the years, creating a lot of confusion for coaches. Fortunately, recent information has shown that proper use of these sleds can have a positive effect on an athlete’s ability to accelerate – the most important aspect of football speed. Which Way to Push Because the ability to accelerate has be
Five Keys to Defending the Wing-T With Your 4-3 Defense – To stop the Wing-T, use three different fronts, key on the guards and limit your blitzes.
Good Wing-T football coaches are tough to beat. They know their offense, formation, and series. They will know what the role of each player on your defense is, and which defenders they want to put in conflict.As a defensive coordinator, you start in a hole to begin with. Wing-T coaches always seem to have the answer, no matter what solution you come up with.So why do some defensive coordinators want to be the opposing offensive coordinator’s best friend? They gameplan for the Wing-T offense like
Your Take: Expanding Your Coaching Network
We all have a stack of business cards, or an inbox full of messages from other coaches throughout our network. When was the last time you reached out to one of those coaches to discuss a concept or to share a scheme? Have you applied or inquired about a job at a school where you did not know anyone on the current staff? Is there a chance that one of those contacts in your file has a connection to use?The concept of increasing value and depth to your network is one that should not be lost on youn
Teaching the Inside and Outside Zone Using 3-Person Groups
O-Linemen need to determine their defender’s alignment so they know if they are a covered or uncovered lineman.This topic is about teaching the inside and outside zone using 3-person groups during your individual periods.Before getting into the actual drills, a few things must be understood. The two plays are based on the teaching that in any inside or outside zone play, there are “covered” and “uncovered” linemen. Covered linemen are those that have a defender in an alignment directly across fr
Safety First: Concussion Management and Return-to-Play Protocol
It’s no secret that concussions are one of the biggest issues in football. According to The Center for Disease Control, 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur annually in sports and recreational activities, making it an important public health issue. Unfortunately, as more high-profile athletes fall victim to concussions and as the number of concussions in football continues to rise, larger amounts of misinformation about proper prevention methods and return-to-play protocol spread.It’s important
UPSET SPECIAL Give your underdog team a shot with these strategies.
Nearly every coach has entered a game week knowing that the only people picking his team to win are on his staff or inside his own locker room.These situations can be an opportunity to galvanize a team by instilling an us-against-them world mentality; freeing the underdogs to play loose and pulling off an upset.No one knows that more than George O’Leary, the head coach at the University of Central Florida. The Knights pulled off the biggest upset in BCS history by beating Baylor in last January’
Athletic Body Control The Movement Training Correlation to Football Speed
Before we move to the details of movement training, let’s clarify what is football speed – the velocity and control by which variable movement patterns are executed efficiently without velocity loss. Most of the time it’s far easier said than done. My term for this activity is “Transition Speed.”The second area to clarify is Athletic Body Control (ABC). The term “Athletic” means athletes and the exercises practiced by them in a sport that requires physical skill or strength. “Body” is the term t
The Business of Coaching - Joe Moglia is a prime example of how success in business and coaching go hand-in-hand.
If you pay attention to the great coaching stories in college football, then you already know about Joe Moglia.You may recognize him as the former CEO of financial services company TD Ameritrade, where he oversaw the firm’s meteoric growth during his seven years at the helm. Or, you may know him as the current head coach at Coastal Carolina, where, in his first season in 2012, he led the Chanticleers to eight wins en route to being named the Big South Coach of the Year. He followed that up with
The Coach’s Role on the Athletic Health Care Team
As a coach, you are likely to be involved in each portion of the athletic health care relay – prevention, recognition and first aid care, assessment and treatment, and rehabilitation.Your roles are defined by • Certain rules of the legal system and rules of your school administration, • Expectations of parents, and • Interactions with other athletic health care team m
Thoughts from an HSPD Veteran
Craig Jacoby, who is the site manager for the Rockland, New York, HSPD camp, has over a decade of experience with the program and has seen first-hand how it has benefitted hundreds of high school athletes. We asked him about the camp experience for athletes and the value of the DVD to coaches.AFM: How do HSPD athletes respond to the college-level drills at HSPD camps? Jacoby: In my experience, the players who attend HSPD are getting a training experience that can’t be duplicated by practici
Samson Equipment’s Strength and Conditioning Coaches of the Year
NFL: Luke Richesson Denver BroncosBackground - Luke Richesson began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Kansas, in 1997 after a four-year career playing safety for the Jayhawks. After one season as a strength and conditioning intern, he spent the next season at the University of Wyoming and the following two at Arizona State University as a graduate assistant before becoming the performance team director at Athlete’s Performance in Tempe. During his eight years with the com
Drills Report: Fumble, Strip and Interception Drills
As I watched bowl games in December and January, it amazed me how many errant passes were dropped by defenders and how many lost fumbles ended up going just past or through a defender’s hands. It reminds me of the old saying, “If your defense caught all of the dropped interceptions during a season, you would lead your league in interceptions every season.”We all work on creating turnovers during the pre-season, but during the season, it can be difficult to find time. That is why this past
Letter from AFM – Coach, Writer, Friend
When we first met Bryon Hamilton in 2007, he was an up-and-coming high school head coach in Northern California. His innovative offensive system, the Shotgun Zone Fly, was the cover story subject in our December issue. The SZF was putting up record numbers with its potent inside-outside running attack, which was a precursor of the misdirection run game employed by Gus Malzahn at Auburn in last season’s run to the championship game. The feature proved to be very popular with AFM readers and the s
Coach to Coach: An Efficient and Effective Play Calling System
Last year at this time, I wrote an article on the use of tempo as a weapon. I stated then that tempo was being used by many successful teams and that extremely fast-paced offenses were going to be a standard of football for years to come. Today, the use of the fast-paced, no- huddle offense is becoming more the norm than the exception.Webster’s Dictionary defines the word tempo as the “rate of motion or activity”. In today’s football terminology, the word tempo refers to how quickly a team can g
Building a Successful Football Program From the Ground Up
The prospect of building a football program is an exciting challenge for any head coach of any experience level. There is no all-encompassing manual instructing a coach how to build a program. No one can wave a magic wand and turn a program into a success over night. The construction project will take time. It could take one season or several seasons to see significant progress. Building a football program is much like building a house - you must start from the ground up and build a solid founda
AFM Subscribers Ask with Joe Daniel Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Prince George High School (VA) - Part II
Joe Daniel has more than ten years experience coaching on the high school and college level. In 2009, Daniel began building a website which includes more than 300 articles on defensive coaching – www.Football-Defense.com Daniel is also the host of The Football Coaching Podcast and has written several eBooks, including Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, Installing the 4-3 Over Defensive Front, and Dominating Football Defense with the Zone Blitz. A frequent contributor to both AFM and Gridi
Game Planning Your Coaching Career (Part II)
The Third Quarter After the first half (introduction and growth phase) and making adjustments at half-time, the third quarter becomes the maturity phase of the coaching career. This does not mean that, as coaches, we do not continue to grow or learn. It means that we become more stabilized in our “giftings” as a coach. I admire the confidence of the FBS assistant who maintains a positive attitude that he will land a job in a better environment, after being let go as a staff member for not
AFM Subscribers Ask with Joe Daniel Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach, Prince George High School (VA) – Part I
Joe Daniel has more than ten years experience coaching on the high school and college level. In 2009, Daniel began building a website which includes more than 300 articles on defensive coaching – www.Football-Defense.com Daniel is also the host of The Football Coaching Podcast and has written several eBooks, including Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, Installing the 4-3 Over Defensive Front, and Dominating Football Defense with the Zone Blitz. A frequent contributor to both AFM and Gridir
Two Minute Crunch Time: 'Go-To' Plays and a Clock-Killing Strategy
With the increased use of the up-tempo offense at all levels of the game, some teams seem as though they’re running a two-minute drill the entire game. No huddles, keeping the defense off balance, quick scores. But a true two-minute offense, of course, has the added pressure of clock management. When you must have a score with limited time left, it’s critical that your offense remains calm under this pressure – advancing on every play, stopping the clock whenever possible and judiciously u
Strength Report: In-Season Training Considerations
One of the most common questions that a strength and conditioning coach will be asked is “what is your program”? The answer to this question could be extremely complex if you were to take all of the components of a coach’s program – volume, rest, time, conditioning protocols, speed work, agility drills, quickness training, reps, sets, progressions, strength development, power development, periodization models, etc. As you can see, this would be a long article! Instead, the short version of a mor
On Top of the World – AFM’s Annual State Champions Survey and Profiles
State champion coaches share their secrets to winning it all. The results may surprise you.Most high school coaches would agree that their ultimate goal is winning their state championship. Taking home the trophy after the punishing regular season and pressure-filled playoffs is the pinnacle for the 300+ teams that annually achieve that goal.But do coaches agree on the best methods to use to reach that mountaintop? What offensive, defensive and special teams strategies give you the best shot at
Top of the Heap
The two Texas high schools couldn’t be more different.Stamford High School, located in the small town of the same name in the west central part of the state, has a total enrollment of less than 200. Virtually every male student participates in the football program on one of their three squads. The town’s population, which hovers around 3,000, has seen a steady decline in the last few decades – like many towns in remote rural areas.Allen High School in suburban Dallas boasts an enrollment of over
Wide Open – Coaches share strategies for winning in summer 7-on-7 competitions.
The explosion in popularity of off-season 7-on-7 passing competitions has helped coaches put a better product on the field in the fall, mainly through player development. But don’t discount the value of putting your playmakers in competitive, late-game situations.“Ideally, I want each of our games to be 21-14 on the final possession, with us trying to score or prevent the tying touchdown,” said Bryan Gray, head coach at East Hall High School (GA) and a big believer in the benefits of 7-on-
Coach to Coach – College Coach or High School Coach: Comparing the Two
As I wrote in May, I recently resigned from my decade long head coaching position at Foothill High School and accepted the associate head coach and offense coordinator job at Shasta College in nearby Redding. The transition from high school head coach to college assistant coach has actually been easier than expected. It certainly helps that I am familiar with both the college assistant role and the Shasta College program as I previously spent six seasons (1997-2002) as an assistant coach there.O
Developing an Efficient Kickoff Team – Following a detailed teaching progression for your kickoff team will maximize their potential.
There are many factors that contribute to a successful season on special teams. The most important factor is the strong support and focus of the head coach to ensure that players and coaches are committed to this phase of the game. We always begin our practices with special teams and then break to offense and defense. That goes for installation meetings, film review and practice. We start with 20 minutes of special teams and end practice with a field goal or punt. The importance of special teams
Tools for Success
The NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard worked with Al Golden and the University of Miami to produce the 2013 practice plan and DVD – benefitting every high school program in America.When it comes to supporting the nation’s high school football coaches, no program can match the NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard. Not only does HSPD provide coaches with the opportunity to give back to the game by coaching in multi-day
Trick Plays: the “Trojan Horse” of Football
By Bruce Reynolds • Retired High School CoachSteven Covey’s principle, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” certainly applies to football. Too many coaches try to put in too many ‘new’ things for the big game. That is a big mistake. Concentrate on what you and your team know how to do best. Stay within your system and basic philosophy of offense and defense. Go with what you’re practiced a thousand times. By staying with
Zone Blocking, Part III – Proper Stances and Footwork
It doesn’t matter what scheme you run if your line isn’t fundamentally sound. In Part III of this series, we will cover the stances we use to develop our offensive linemen. As we master our techniques, the stance is the foundation we build great blocking on. STANCE You cannot overestimate the importance of the stance. A poor stance equals a poor start. Key Components We use both the three-point and two-point stances. Here are the key components of both stances: Bunch your stanc
Coach to Coach – The Check With Me Passing Series
There are three passing concepts from our “Check With Me” passing series that have been very successful for me and my quarterbacks. These plays are called by our QBs from the line of scrimmage and they are very effective in attacking coverage schemes.Here are three Check With Me passing concepts: 1. Check QuickThis “check with me” quick pass concept allows the quarterback to call a specific route combination based primarily on the pre-snap coverage read. This concept is executed form one of our
Safety First – Contact In Practice – Is It Worth It?
Football is changing. With the game under great scrutiny from a player safety perspective, those in and out of football are questioning long-held practices that may put players at greater risk of injury.One of those is full contact in practice. The old belief that contact drills and hitting are necessary in practice is giving way to a more restrained approach that limits or even eliminates contact in the interest of player safety. Rockhurst High School (MO) Head Coach Tony Severino knows there i
Zone Blocking, Part II – Footwork and Blocking Scheme
Proper footwork and technique are critical for an offensive lineman.In Part I of this three-part series, we introduced our offensive line philosophy, the basics of the zone offense and key offensive line coaching points. In Part II, we will discuss the footwork, co-op blocks, and schemes of the zone game. FOOTWORKThe footwork is different for the zone play than most other offensive plays. The first step is a directional step. The second step is a power step with the emphasi
Coach to Coach – Four Strategies in Preparing Your Quarterback for Success
At the start of the 2012 season, there were a lot of questions from coaches, players, fans and the local sportswriters regarding the state of our quarterback position. We had graduated a MVP quarterback in 2011 and the heir apparent was an undersized junior without any varsity experience. The questions regarding the position were legitimate and I knew that in order for our team to make another championship run, it was imperative that we continue to have great play at the quarterback position.For
Safety First – Training for Safety
Vince Lombardi once said, “Football is not a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.” This, coupled with the fact that every year, athletes at all levels are getting bigger, stronger, and faster, means that there is a very real threat to see a dramatic increase in football injuries. These run the gamut from minor injuries with no time lost to more severe injuries that could be season or career ending.Keeping a football team healthy is very often one
FREE FORM - How to Improve the Won-Loss Record: Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record
Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record. This form lists a series of strategies and tactics to do just that. Categories include identifying quality athletes, hiring quality coaches and analyzing the team’s overall durability, adaptability, and dependability. <!-- Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record. This form lists a series of strategies and tactics to do just that. Categories include identifying quality athletes, hiring quality coaches and analyzing the team’s overall du
Zone Blocking, Part I – Philosophy and Concepts
It is important for offensive linemen to learn to block through a detailed progression so they understand the overall concepts of the position. The zone blocking concept is an important element of Grossmont College’s running attack. In part I of this three-part series on our zone game, we will introduce our offensive line philosophy and the basics of the zone offense, emphasizing coaching points for offensive linemen. OFFENSIVE LINE PHILOSOPHYThe success of every team is based on the
Kickoff Coaching Strategies
Being aggressive on kickoff coverage while maintaining lane integrity is critical for successful kickoff coverage.Our kickoff strategy starts with the following: • We have a plan. • We believe in the plan. • We sell the plan to our players. The players that make up this unit need to be athletic in the open field and understand that the bottom line is getting to the return man with an all-out effort. When an
Sometimes the Best Strategies do Not Win Games
If you read American Football Monthly and Gridiron Strategies you can't help but be impressed by all the articles dealing with different offensive and defensive strategies. It is impossible to not be left with the impression that the strategy employed by the football coach is the key to winning or losing a game. When coupled with the ability of the coach to motivate the athletes, th
Who is the Typical AFM Reader?
At AFM, we like to think our readers are the smartest coaches in the game. They’re the ones who understand that coaching requires a lifetime of learning. They also know that the best way to be a smarter coach is to take every opportunity to learn from other successful coaches who are wiling to share their schemes, plays, drills, strategies and personal experiences. That’s what they look to AFM for and that’s what we try to deliver in every issue.The more we know about our readers, the better we
12 Coaching Points for Motivation: Trust, Respect, Caring, Honesty
The way we motivate our players is as important to what we do as our technical and strategic knowledge of football. There are many motivational concepts, philosophies, and even gimmicks. True motivation is built around trust, respect, caring, and honesty. I remember, as a young teacher, getting an evaluation form from a principal who asked what my techniques and strategies were for motivating my students. My reply was simple, “I talk to them.” I come across many gimmicky techniques that are inte
Strategies to Overcome a Poor Start
Football season is finally here.By the time you read this column, your team might have already played several games. Hopefully, the start of your season has been successful and is full of promise. The reality is, however, that each week 50% of all teams, coaches and fans suffer through a defeat. In my 20 plus years of coaching football, I have been a part of teams that started great and I have been part of teams that have struggled mightily out of the gate. Both situations can present challenges
Big Man on Campus: On April 27 last year, a massive EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 5 PM
On April 27 last year, a massive EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 5 PM. The storm skirted the University of Alabama campus and narrowly missed hitting Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of the Crimson Tide. The funnel cloud could be seen from Head Coach Nick Saban’s office. The tornado missed Saban’s home by a few yards.The destruction was devastating. Over 5,000 buildings in Tuscaloosa were either damaged or destroyed. Over 50 people lost their lives. The city was plunged into a rebuil
Inside and Outside Zone Blocking
Inside zone blocking helps create double teams while outside zone blocking is intended to stretch the defense.Zone is different than other offenses because there is no specific point of attack. As a result, the whole defensive front will be stressed. Inside and outside zone is not a man blocking scheme, but rather an area or zone blocking scheme. However, on inside zone you must block the first level first by getting vertical movement on the down defender to a second level defender.The zone play
Coach to Coach – Summer Session (Part II)
Using the summer months to organize and articulate your coaching philosophies and methods.In part two of using the summer months to organize and articulate your coaching philosophies and methods, I want to share with you a few methods and strategies in developing your game week schedule, practice preparation, organizing your game day, halftime responsibilities and addressing parent concerns.Game Week Schedule and PreparationsAt Foothill, we play our games on Friday night. Therefore our wee
The Power of Knowing the Future
As a Peak Performance Coach, I help athletes to identify and resolve blocks that affect performance. One of the most significant of these blocks is a coach with a negative coaching style. Generally, coaches have no idea how being tense, angry, threatening or abusive affects their athletes. Even a slouching coach has a negative effect. The coach's attitude quite literally trumps all attitudes. However, one of my coaches, Peter, challenged me
AFM Subscribers Ask with Pulaski Academy (AR) Head Coach Kevin Kelley
As AFM reported in April’s cover feature, “Mad Genius”, Coach Kevin Kelley of Pulaski Academy (AR) has an unorthodox approach to the game. His team never returns a punt, they almost never punt themselves, they kick off onsides virtually every time and they usually go for a two-point conversion. For Kelley, the unconventional strategy has worked with a 49-7 record over the last four years and multiple state championships. Many AFM subscribers had questions for Coach Kelley about his unusual philo
This page brings together American Football Monthly's in-depth articles exploring the vast world of Football Strategy. Here, you'll find detailed X's and O's breakdowns, analysis of different systems, and discussions on tactical decision-making across all three phases of the game.
Dive into resources covering a wide array of strategic concepts:
- Offensive Strategies & Schemes: Analysis of systems like the Air Raid, West Coast Offense, Spread, Pro Style, Option football, RPO concepts, and specific play designs.
- Defensive Strategies & Schemes: Breakdowns of fronts (4-3, 3-4, Odd/Even), coverages (Cover 2, Cover 3, Quarters, Man), pressure packages (blitzes and stunts), and run/pass fits.
- Special Teams Strategies: Techniques and schemes for kickoffs, kickoff returns, punts, punt returns, field goals, and PATs, including protection and coverage units.
- Situational Strategy: Adapting schemes and play calls based on game context (down & distance, field position, score, time).
- Strategic Trends & Evolution: Understanding how football strategy has changed over time and analyzing modern trends.
Strategies Search Results — page 1 of 3 (162 articles)
Smarter Sideline Strategies: How EliteEdgeFB Turns Your Hudl Data Into Friday-Night Play Calls: How the play-calling platform from record-setting coach Kevin Kelley turns the film you already have into…Sponsored Feature · In Partnership with EliteEdgeFB Third-and-6, clock moving, headset chatter — the moments that decide football games. Pho
Maximize Offense in the Real World of High School Football
IntroductionTime is a football coach’s most precious commodity. Most coaches at the high school and youth levels are challenged with limitations (such as player talent and perhaps a limited number of experienced coaches); but all teams are limited by time. Even the best coaches believe there simply isn’t enough time to fully teach, install and rep all phases of the game to all players. The Double Gun offense is unique because it offers such a wide variety of options with one simple, time-efficie
Leadership Strategies: How to Develop a Steady Stream of ‘Championship Level QBs in Your Program, Part I
There is not much argument in any level of football that to win consistently and compete for championships you need strong quarterback play. So what defines ‘strong quarterback play’ and how do you develop that consistently within an organization? This series of articles will lay out a clear path that can easily be followed in any program given the proper attention. Let’s first discuss what goes into the makings of a great quarterback. From there, you’ll be in a better position to choose who to
Effective Strategies for Dealing with Man - Coverage Beaters: Stacks, Bunches and Mesh
ULM’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme is known for its aggressive style of play predicated on five and six-man pressure. To effectively utilize this type of defense, the pass coverage system must be proficient in man-to-man coverage. The ability to play cover 1 and cover 0 allows the defensive line and linebackers a great deal of freedom to find numerous ways to pressure the quarterback and stop the run by outnumbering the offense at or near the line of scrimmage. Of course, no defensive scheme is withou
Post- Season Priorities - Wrapping up one season and transitioning to the next are critical times for successful programs
When your season ends, do you kick back, relax and get away from the game for a couple months? Of course not. Whether it’s formulating and implementing an off-season strength and conditioning program, ushering in a new group of players and preparing them for the following season or putting together motivational exercises, every successful coach knows that winter presents an opportunity for physical and mental team building.To find out how the best coaches approach the post season, AFM asked six
Leadership Strategies
Jeff Hancock is the head coach at Vidalia High School in Louisiana. He recently took part in AFM’s “Leadership Survey”. Included are his responses:How do you develop responsible and respected team captains?This question is best answered by talking about my Senior Leadership Council. For our program, the seniors are the leaders and sometimes decision makers for the program. Bringing them in for meetings to discuss policy, setting standards, and letting them know what I am planning so as to get th
Why Coach? Being Compassionate, Optimistic, Attentive, Confident and Humanistic are Some of the Qualities a Coach Should Possess
When I was invited to submit an article to AFM, I figured I would simply put some drills together, share some concepts, propose a few diagrams and maybe even talk about the transition of players from high school football to college competition. After all, that’s what we, as coaches, would need for personal or professional development, right? I shared my ideas with colleagues in the office and even surveyed some young coaches who were helping with our summer c
Leadership Strategies: Prima Donna Athletes – Transformational Leadership vs. Servant Leadership
Narcissus, a beautiful youth, glanced into a pool of water. Rejecting the nymph Echo, he fell in love with his own reflection. – Greek mythologyTying Greek mythology to football isn’t really a stretch, given the fact high school coaches are continually faced with one or more players who believe the team is there to serve them and not vice versa. Many coaches label these players as ‘cancers’. Unless, of course, they are clocked in the 40-yard dash under 4.5 or are of behemoth size and can run thr
Leadership Strategies: In Need of a New Direction
Coaching staffs should not expect seniors to lead simply based on their age. So, the ultimate goal of our program became to build better men, to help them to grow individually, and eventually teach them how to lead other young men. The result of our emphasis on leadership has been impressive. In 2014 we had a 13-game winning streak that included a #1 Missouri state ranking, a top 150 national ranking, and a narrow defeat in the Class 5 State Semifinals. Providing a Bigge
Leadership Strategies: Developing a Leadership Council
Jerome Learman was a high school coach for 20 years and 13 as a head coach. He received his doctorate in 2005 from Michigan State in Kinesiology. Learman is currently teaching at both Michigan State and Central Michigan University. While coaching, Learman developed a leadership council for juniors and seniors who received leadership training to become captains. American Football Monthly spoke to Coach Learman about his leadership council.After taking over for Craig Bohl, North Dakota State’s Chr
Building Champions to Win Championships
We recently surveyed coaches on a variety of topics, one of which was their interest in having more information about leadership. An astounding 80% said they would like us to present more information on this topic that is so vital to individual and team success.With this issue of American Football Monthly, we are introducing a new monthly Leadership report – Building Champions to Win Championships. AFM has assembled a team of leadership experts to explore, define and communicate key aspects of t
Speed Report: Visual Cues Deliver Exceptional Speed
Football players must rely heavily on having good field vision in order to play fast and move effectively. It’s a huge benefit having good visual skills which enhances “transition speed”. More specifically, angle and velocity changes executed with maximum velocity. Many athletes are naturally gifted with good visual skills. Unfortunately, many athletes also struggle with this skill. The good news is that you can develop this ability by using designed drills correctly and specific cues and techni
A Nine-Week Off Season Super-Cycle Strength and Conditioning Program
This article was published in the January edition of American Football Monthly with factual errors. The revised version is posted below. AFM regrets the errors.True developmental training at the collegiate level can be defined as two mandatory, nine-week training phases per year. The remaining time each year could be considered in-season, discretionary or possibly maintenance. The other possibility in the yearly scheme that might be considered as mandatory developmental would be the in-season pe
Managing Your Program: Evaluating Staff - Creating an Environment For Success
As the season ends, equipment is collected, banquets are planned, and goals are set with the returning players. It’s important to not lose sight of one very important component in your program – the coaching staff. The team’s success is very closely tied to the coaches who create the environment that nurtures that success, yet often, the staff is the last component attended to in the transition from one season to the next. Years ago, former Navy Commander and author of It’s Your Shi
Five on the Line - The 5-man defensive front is making a comeback – especially against traditional run-first offenses.
Before the advent of today’s high-powered spread offenses, it was common for defenses to employ a 5-man front with a nose guard, two tackles and two ends. While many teams have gone away from 5-man fronts, AFM found a surprising number of 2013 state champions that use the front either exclusively or part time.Here, coaches from four championship programs share their insight and strategies for making the 5-man front effective, especially against the run. They are Matt Crossman, defensive coordina
Strength Report: How to Use Weighted Sleds for Explosive Acceleration
There are numerous products designed to increase speed, but one of the most effective, versatile and easiest to use is the weighted sled. The research on resisted sled sprinting has changed over the years, creating a lot of confusion for coaches. Fortunately, recent information has shown that proper use of these sleds can have a positive effect on an athlete’s ability to accelerate – the most important aspect of football speed. Which Way to Push Because the ability to accelerate has be
Five Keys to Defending the Wing-T With Your 4-3 Defense – To stop the Wing-T, use three different fronts, key on the guards and limit your blitzes.
Good Wing-T football coaches are tough to beat. They know their offense, formation, and series. They will know what the role of each player on your defense is, and which defenders they want to put in conflict.As a defensive coordinator, you start in a hole to begin with. Wing-T coaches always seem to have the answer, no matter what solution you come up with.So why do some defensive coordinators want to be the opposing offensive coordinator’s best friend? They gameplan for the Wing-T offense like
Your Take: Expanding Your Coaching Network
We all have a stack of business cards, or an inbox full of messages from other coaches throughout our network. When was the last time you reached out to one of those coaches to discuss a concept or to share a scheme? Have you applied or inquired about a job at a school where you did not know anyone on the current staff? Is there a chance that one of those contacts in your file has a connection to use?The concept of increasing value and depth to your network is one that should not be lost on youn
Teaching the Inside and Outside Zone Using 3-Person Groups
O-Linemen need to determine their defender’s alignment so they know if they are a covered or uncovered lineman.This topic is about teaching the inside and outside zone using 3-person groups during your individual periods.Before getting into the actual drills, a few things must be understood. The two plays are based on the teaching that in any inside or outside zone play, there are “covered” and “uncovered” linemen. Covered linemen are those that have a defender in an alignment directly across fr
Safety First: Concussion Management and Return-to-Play Protocol
It’s no secret that concussions are one of the biggest issues in football. According to The Center for Disease Control, 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur annually in sports and recreational activities, making it an important public health issue. Unfortunately, as more high-profile athletes fall victim to concussions and as the number of concussions in football continues to rise, larger amounts of misinformation about proper prevention methods and return-to-play protocol spread.It’s important
UPSET SPECIAL Give your underdog team a shot with these strategies.
Nearly every coach has entered a game week knowing that the only people picking his team to win are on his staff or inside his own locker room.These situations can be an opportunity to galvanize a team by instilling an us-against-them world mentality; freeing the underdogs to play loose and pulling off an upset.No one knows that more than George O’Leary, the head coach at the University of Central Florida. The Knights pulled off the biggest upset in BCS history by beating Baylor in last January’
Athletic Body Control The Movement Training Correlation to Football Speed
Before we move to the details of movement training, let’s clarify what is football speed – the velocity and control by which variable movement patterns are executed efficiently without velocity loss. Most of the time it’s far easier said than done. My term for this activity is “Transition Speed.”The second area to clarify is Athletic Body Control (ABC). The term “Athletic” means athletes and the exercises practiced by them in a sport that requires physical skill or strength. “Body” is the term t
The Business of Coaching - Joe Moglia is a prime example of how success in business and coaching go hand-in-hand.
If you pay attention to the great coaching stories in college football, then you already know about Joe Moglia.You may recognize him as the former CEO of financial services company TD Ameritrade, where he oversaw the firm’s meteoric growth during his seven years at the helm. Or, you may know him as the current head coach at Coastal Carolina, where, in his first season in 2012, he led the Chanticleers to eight wins en route to being named the Big South Coach of the Year. He followed that up with
The Coach’s Role on the Athletic Health Care Team
As a coach, you are likely to be involved in each portion of the athletic health care relay – prevention, recognition and first aid care, assessment and treatment, and rehabilitation.Your roles are defined by • Certain rules of the legal system and rules of your school administration, • Expectations of parents, and • Interactions with other athletic health care team m
Thoughts from an HSPD Veteran
Craig Jacoby, who is the site manager for the Rockland, New York, HSPD camp, has over a decade of experience with the program and has seen first-hand how it has benefitted hundreds of high school athletes. We asked him about the camp experience for athletes and the value of the DVD to coaches.AFM: How do HSPD athletes respond to the college-level drills at HSPD camps? Jacoby: In my experience, the players who attend HSPD are getting a training experience that can’t be duplicated by practici
Samson Equipment’s Strength and Conditioning Coaches of the Year
NFL: Luke Richesson Denver BroncosBackground - Luke Richesson began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Kansas, in 1997 after a four-year career playing safety for the Jayhawks. After one season as a strength and conditioning intern, he spent the next season at the University of Wyoming and the following two at Arizona State University as a graduate assistant before becoming the performance team director at Athlete’s Performance in Tempe. During his eight years with the com
Drills Report: Fumble, Strip and Interception Drills
As I watched bowl games in December and January, it amazed me how many errant passes were dropped by defenders and how many lost fumbles ended up going just past or through a defender’s hands. It reminds me of the old saying, “If your defense caught all of the dropped interceptions during a season, you would lead your league in interceptions every season.”We all work on creating turnovers during the pre-season, but during the season, it can be difficult to find time. That is why this past
Letter from AFM – Coach, Writer, Friend
When we first met Bryon Hamilton in 2007, he was an up-and-coming high school head coach in Northern California. His innovative offensive system, the Shotgun Zone Fly, was the cover story subject in our December issue. The SZF was putting up record numbers with its potent inside-outside running attack, which was a precursor of the misdirection run game employed by Gus Malzahn at Auburn in last season’s run to the championship game. The feature proved to be very popular with AFM readers and the s
Coach to Coach: An Efficient and Effective Play Calling System
Last year at this time, I wrote an article on the use of tempo as a weapon. I stated then that tempo was being used by many successful teams and that extremely fast-paced offenses were going to be a standard of football for years to come. Today, the use of the fast-paced, no- huddle offense is becoming more the norm than the exception.Webster’s Dictionary defines the word tempo as the “rate of motion or activity”. In today’s football terminology, the word tempo refers to how quickly a team can g
Building a Successful Football Program From the Ground Up
The prospect of building a football program is an exciting challenge for any head coach of any experience level. There is no all-encompassing manual instructing a coach how to build a program. No one can wave a magic wand and turn a program into a success over night. The construction project will take time. It could take one season or several seasons to see significant progress. Building a football program is much like building a house - you must start from the ground up and build a solid founda
AFM Subscribers Ask with Joe Daniel Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Prince George High School (VA) - Part II
Joe Daniel has more than ten years experience coaching on the high school and college level. In 2009, Daniel began building a website which includes more than 300 articles on defensive coaching – www.Football-Defense.com Daniel is also the host of The Football Coaching Podcast and has written several eBooks, including Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, Installing the 4-3 Over Defensive Front, and Dominating Football Defense with the Zone Blitz. A frequent contributor to both AFM and Gridi
Game Planning Your Coaching Career (Part II)
The Third Quarter After the first half (introduction and growth phase) and making adjustments at half-time, the third quarter becomes the maturity phase of the coaching career. This does not mean that, as coaches, we do not continue to grow or learn. It means that we become more stabilized in our “giftings” as a coach. I admire the confidence of the FBS assistant who maintains a positive attitude that he will land a job in a better environment, after being let go as a staff member for not
AFM Subscribers Ask with Joe Daniel Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach, Prince George High School (VA) – Part I
Joe Daniel has more than ten years experience coaching on the high school and college level. In 2009, Daniel began building a website which includes more than 300 articles on defensive coaching – www.Football-Defense.com Daniel is also the host of The Football Coaching Podcast and has written several eBooks, including Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, Installing the 4-3 Over Defensive Front, and Dominating Football Defense with the Zone Blitz. A frequent contributor to both AFM and Gridir
Two Minute Crunch Time: 'Go-To' Plays and a Clock-Killing Strategy
With the increased use of the up-tempo offense at all levels of the game, some teams seem as though they’re running a two-minute drill the entire game. No huddles, keeping the defense off balance, quick scores. But a true two-minute offense, of course, has the added pressure of clock management. When you must have a score with limited time left, it’s critical that your offense remains calm under this pressure – advancing on every play, stopping the clock whenever possible and judiciously u
Strength Report: In-Season Training Considerations
One of the most common questions that a strength and conditioning coach will be asked is “what is your program”? The answer to this question could be extremely complex if you were to take all of the components of a coach’s program – volume, rest, time, conditioning protocols, speed work, agility drills, quickness training, reps, sets, progressions, strength development, power development, periodization models, etc. As you can see, this would be a long article! Instead, the short version of a mor
On Top of the World – AFM’s Annual State Champions Survey and Profiles
State champion coaches share their secrets to winning it all. The results may surprise you.Most high school coaches would agree that their ultimate goal is winning their state championship. Taking home the trophy after the punishing regular season and pressure-filled playoffs is the pinnacle for the 300+ teams that annually achieve that goal.But do coaches agree on the best methods to use to reach that mountaintop? What offensive, defensive and special teams strategies give you the best shot at
Top of the Heap
The two Texas high schools couldn’t be more different.Stamford High School, located in the small town of the same name in the west central part of the state, has a total enrollment of less than 200. Virtually every male student participates in the football program on one of their three squads. The town’s population, which hovers around 3,000, has seen a steady decline in the last few decades – like many towns in remote rural areas.Allen High School in suburban Dallas boasts an enrollment of over
Wide Open – Coaches share strategies for winning in summer 7-on-7 competitions.
The explosion in popularity of off-season 7-on-7 passing competitions has helped coaches put a better product on the field in the fall, mainly through player development. But don’t discount the value of putting your playmakers in competitive, late-game situations.“Ideally, I want each of our games to be 21-14 on the final possession, with us trying to score or prevent the tying touchdown,” said Bryan Gray, head coach at East Hall High School (GA) and a big believer in the benefits of 7-on-
Coach to Coach – College Coach or High School Coach: Comparing the Two
As I wrote in May, I recently resigned from my decade long head coaching position at Foothill High School and accepted the associate head coach and offense coordinator job at Shasta College in nearby Redding. The transition from high school head coach to college assistant coach has actually been easier than expected. It certainly helps that I am familiar with both the college assistant role and the Shasta College program as I previously spent six seasons (1997-2002) as an assistant coach there.O
Developing an Efficient Kickoff Team – Following a detailed teaching progression for your kickoff team will maximize their potential.
There are many factors that contribute to a successful season on special teams. The most important factor is the strong support and focus of the head coach to ensure that players and coaches are committed to this phase of the game. We always begin our practices with special teams and then break to offense and defense. That goes for installation meetings, film review and practice. We start with 20 minutes of special teams and end practice with a field goal or punt. The importance of special teams
Tools for Success
The NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard worked with Al Golden and the University of Miami to produce the 2013 practice plan and DVD – benefitting every high school program in America.When it comes to supporting the nation’s high school football coaches, no program can match the NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard. Not only does HSPD provide coaches with the opportunity to give back to the game by coaching in multi-day
Trick Plays: the “Trojan Horse” of Football
By Bruce Reynolds • Retired High School CoachSteven Covey’s principle, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” certainly applies to football. Too many coaches try to put in too many ‘new’ things for the big game. That is a big mistake. Concentrate on what you and your team know how to do best. Stay within your system and basic philosophy of offense and defense. Go with what you’re practiced a thousand times. By staying with
Zone Blocking, Part III – Proper Stances and Footwork
It doesn’t matter what scheme you run if your line isn’t fundamentally sound. In Part III of this series, we will cover the stances we use to develop our offensive linemen. As we master our techniques, the stance is the foundation we build great blocking on. STANCE You cannot overestimate the importance of the stance. A poor stance equals a poor start. Key Components We use both the three-point and two-point stances. Here are the key components of both stances: Bunch your stanc
Coach to Coach – The Check With Me Passing Series
There are three passing concepts from our “Check With Me” passing series that have been very successful for me and my quarterbacks. These plays are called by our QBs from the line of scrimmage and they are very effective in attacking coverage schemes.Here are three Check With Me passing concepts: 1. Check QuickThis “check with me” quick pass concept allows the quarterback to call a specific route combination based primarily on the pre-snap coverage read. This concept is executed form one of our
Safety First – Contact In Practice – Is It Worth It?
Football is changing. With the game under great scrutiny from a player safety perspective, those in and out of football are questioning long-held practices that may put players at greater risk of injury.One of those is full contact in practice. The old belief that contact drills and hitting are necessary in practice is giving way to a more restrained approach that limits or even eliminates contact in the interest of player safety. Rockhurst High School (MO) Head Coach Tony Severino knows there i
Zone Blocking, Part II – Footwork and Blocking Scheme
Proper footwork and technique are critical for an offensive lineman.In Part I of this three-part series, we introduced our offensive line philosophy, the basics of the zone offense and key offensive line coaching points. In Part II, we will discuss the footwork, co-op blocks, and schemes of the zone game. FOOTWORKThe footwork is different for the zone play than most other offensive plays. The first step is a directional step. The second step is a power step with the emphasi
Coach to Coach – Four Strategies in Preparing Your Quarterback for Success
At the start of the 2012 season, there were a lot of questions from coaches, players, fans and the local sportswriters regarding the state of our quarterback position. We had graduated a MVP quarterback in 2011 and the heir apparent was an undersized junior without any varsity experience. The questions regarding the position were legitimate and I knew that in order for our team to make another championship run, it was imperative that we continue to have great play at the quarterback position.For
Safety First – Training for Safety
Vince Lombardi once said, “Football is not a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.” This, coupled with the fact that every year, athletes at all levels are getting bigger, stronger, and faster, means that there is a very real threat to see a dramatic increase in football injuries. These run the gamut from minor injuries with no time lost to more severe injuries that could be season or career ending.Keeping a football team healthy is very often one
FREE FORM - How to Improve the Won-Loss Record: Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record
Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record. This form lists a series of strategies and tactics to do just that. Categories include identifying quality athletes, hiring quality coaches and analyzing the team’s overall durability, adaptability, and dependability. <!-- Every coach wants to improve his won-loss record. This form lists a series of strategies and tactics to do just that. Categories include identifying quality athletes, hiring quality coaches and analyzing the team’s overall du
Zone Blocking, Part I – Philosophy and Concepts
It is important for offensive linemen to learn to block through a detailed progression so they understand the overall concepts of the position. The zone blocking concept is an important element of Grossmont College’s running attack. In part I of this three-part series on our zone game, we will introduce our offensive line philosophy and the basics of the zone offense, emphasizing coaching points for offensive linemen. OFFENSIVE LINE PHILOSOPHYThe success of every team is based on the
Kickoff Coaching Strategies
Being aggressive on kickoff coverage while maintaining lane integrity is critical for successful kickoff coverage.Our kickoff strategy starts with the following: • We have a plan. • We believe in the plan. • We sell the plan to our players. The players that make up this unit need to be athletic in the open field and understand that the bottom line is getting to the return man with an all-out effort. When an
Sometimes the Best Strategies do Not Win Games
If you read American Football Monthly and Gridiron Strategies you can't help but be impressed by all the articles dealing with different offensive and defensive strategies. It is impossible to not be left with the impression that the strategy employed by the football coach is the key to winning or losing a game. When coupled with the ability of the coach to motivate the athletes, th
Who is the Typical AFM Reader?
At AFM, we like to think our readers are the smartest coaches in the game. They’re the ones who understand that coaching requires a lifetime of learning. They also know that the best way to be a smarter coach is to take every opportunity to learn from other successful coaches who are wiling to share their schemes, plays, drills, strategies and personal experiences. That’s what they look to AFM for and that’s what we try to deliver in every issue.The more we know about our readers, the better we
12 Coaching Points for Motivation: Trust, Respect, Caring, Honesty
The way we motivate our players is as important to what we do as our technical and strategic knowledge of football. There are many motivational concepts, philosophies, and even gimmicks. True motivation is built around trust, respect, caring, and honesty. I remember, as a young teacher, getting an evaluation form from a principal who asked what my techniques and strategies were for motivating my students. My reply was simple, “I talk to them.” I come across many gimmicky techniques that are inte
Strategies to Overcome a Poor Start
Football season is finally here.By the time you read this column, your team might have already played several games. Hopefully, the start of your season has been successful and is full of promise. The reality is, however, that each week 50% of all teams, coaches and fans suffer through a defeat. In my 20 plus years of coaching football, I have been a part of teams that started great and I have been part of teams that have struggled mightily out of the gate. Both situations can present challenges
Big Man on Campus: On April 27 last year, a massive EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 5 PM
On April 27 last year, a massive EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 5 PM. The storm skirted the University of Alabama campus and narrowly missed hitting Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of the Crimson Tide. The funnel cloud could be seen from Head Coach Nick Saban’s office. The tornado missed Saban’s home by a few yards.The destruction was devastating. Over 5,000 buildings in Tuscaloosa were either damaged or destroyed. Over 50 people lost their lives. The city was plunged into a rebuil
Inside and Outside Zone Blocking
Inside zone blocking helps create double teams while outside zone blocking is intended to stretch the defense.Zone is different than other offenses because there is no specific point of attack. As a result, the whole defensive front will be stressed. Inside and outside zone is not a man blocking scheme, but rather an area or zone blocking scheme. However, on inside zone you must block the first level first by getting vertical movement on the down defender to a second level defender.The zone play
Coach to Coach – Summer Session (Part II)
Using the summer months to organize and articulate your coaching philosophies and methods.In part two of using the summer months to organize and articulate your coaching philosophies and methods, I want to share with you a few methods and strategies in developing your game week schedule, practice preparation, organizing your game day, halftime responsibilities and addressing parent concerns.Game Week Schedule and PreparationsAt Foothill, we play our games on Friday night. Therefore our wee
The Power of Knowing the Future
As a Peak Performance Coach, I help athletes to identify and resolve blocks that affect performance. One of the most significant of these blocks is a coach with a negative coaching style. Generally, coaches have no idea how being tense, angry, threatening or abusive affects their athletes. Even a slouching coach has a negative effect. The coach's attitude quite literally trumps all attitudes. However, one of my coaches, Peter, challenged me
AFM Subscribers Ask with Pulaski Academy (AR) Head Coach Kevin Kelley
As AFM reported in April’s cover feature, “Mad Genius”, Coach Kevin Kelley of Pulaski Academy (AR) has an unorthodox approach to the game. His team never returns a punt, they almost never punt themselves, they kick off onsides virtually every time and they usually go for a two-point conversion. For Kelley, the unconventional strategy has worked with a 49-7 record over the last four years and multiple state championships. Many AFM subscribers had questions for Coach Kelley about his unusual philo
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