Do You Expect Your Players To Study Football?

I am not a big fan of chalkboard installs, mental reps, and things of that nature; I don't think there is as strong of a correlation between those things and what they do on the field to spend a lot of time on it. Some time, yes, but I have worked with coaches who behave as if a kid should be able to execute something simply because there was an X with a line drawn from it.

If we are what we repeatedly do, and football is won by the players who best execute rather than those who best remember what was drawn up, then I'd rather have them spend their football related time DOing those things they need to DO on the field.

Of course this is all relative typing because maybe my 'little bit' is more than another man's 'a lot'. To be more specific I expect them to study films anytime we are doing it as a whole (which is usually an hour review on Saturday's and a 35 minute install on Monday). I expect them to study their scouting packet as we go over it as a team, and to be ready to correctly answer any major tendency question I have in there. So however much they need to study to do that is on them- (but I doubt its more than 10 min all told).

That being written, I know there are some coaches who are big on film as a way to prepare kids for college ball. If your concern is preparing your kids to be in a college program (where they emphasize film work) then you should probably mandate and punish.

I don't believe every single football player is into studying the game, but I believe they all should be. Once some of them get a taste of what mental prep can do for you on friday nights, they fall in love with studying. The edge it gives them during the game is insane so I try to preach to all my guys to study a certain thing each week. They play so much faster when they do it's insane.

Over the years I've tried all of this (except the jog to the playbook rules) and I don't even attempt it any anymore.  Well, sometimes I drag a white board onto the practice field, but only the first week.

What I do is a painstakingly thorough explanation of each install while on the field.  We only have 5...so it  takes  just a few days to put in our entire run system.

Now...if a kid comes to me and asks for something to read, I'll give it to him.

Remember, these guys are young teenagers who simply want to run around and have some fun.  The vast majority of them have no interest in learning the game up to a coaches level, and after high school the majority of them will never put on another jock strap.

If you give them a list of study material (and some coaches I know give written tests) they're going to think they are taking ANOTHER CLASS...with tests and homework.  Try to remember how you thought about things when you were 16. 

Teenagers don't want to invest as much work and emotions into the game as the coaches do.  Learn that early in your career...it saves you from the ulcers!  Make your game simple, easy to explain, and playable for kids their age...use the time you save from classroom stuff to make practice fun.  They co-operate with that.

I reference Madden when talking about routes, even though I don't play Video games but I know my players do, and they surprisingly can relate some route combos that way.

Our kids don't watch college and NFL.

They wouldn't give a phuk about studying a playbook.

I'd love to start making decisions on starters based on who studies the most.  But, when I start thinking like this, I have to remind myself that these players aren't like me.  I was a guy who studied A LOT!!!  Things made sense to me drawn out on paper and I made a lot of tackles on defense based on my study of game film of the opponent.  However, I have to realize that not every kid watches game film the same way that I did.  With this, I have to come to the realization that if they don't watch it the same way that I do/did, then they might as well not be watching it if it is going to give them bad ideas because they aren't watching it the way that I want them to--so if they don't understand football the way that I do, then they won't be watching film the way that I want them to, so why worry about trying to make it happen, etc.  Also, I have to realize that I'm not at a school within a community where parents are going to stress it to their kids.  Because of this, we'll end up with kids who have no chance of seeing the field watching a ton of film and kids who are on the edge of starters vs. subs watching very little.  I can't change how athletic a kid is, no matter how much I want to.  

Over the years, perhaps I've just decided (very much subconsciously, not to be so tough), but I know how often kids watch film, and I realize that if I don't specifically teach it to that kid (not just that position), then I can't possibly say that I've made sure that every kid has learned it.  Like it or not, it's the fact.  Because of this, I've just decided that I want to do as few things on offense and defense as possible, since I have to walk our team through every single aspect of it.  Very few coverages, very few stunts, very few checks (both sides of the ball).      

I can continue complaining about the fact that they haven't learned some obscure coverage based on their independent film study, or I can make them really good at 3 basic coverages that I teach them personally, no big deal.  In high school, at least in the conference and sectional that I play in, it doesn't matter as long as I'm ready to say we do this one already, etc.  

I did a defense only highlight from last season. Put some of the music they like and a couple animations. They watch the ch!t out of that.

Not sure if I have logged into hudl in the last two months either.

Years ago when I first became a head coach I was into issuing playbooks (Technology BC). Stopped wasting my time with it when I went out to lunch with the staff and found a couple of our playbooks in the booth at the McDonalds. Over time I realized that very few of the boys I coached were not into football as much as I or the coaches were. Also... working in small Catholic schools for most of my career did not allow for much extra time for the boys to "study" football so I just incorporated that study time into our practice time.

When HUDL came out I thought "Wow, finally, I can get the team to watch more film!" No... not happening at my school. IF they watched "some" video I was thrilled. Most didn't however. So... at a team meeting I asked this one question, "How long are you guys on your cell phones?" Interestingly the numbers watching "some" film increased after that meeting.

Did spending more time on "studying" the game for our players when they were not on the field equate to more wins for us? No, not really. I'm sure it varies from school to school, and even coach to coach. But in the end you have to do what's best for your situation and roll with it.

1.  Classroom sessions in which players SEE it on film, HEAR coaches talk about it, and WRITE it down (before going on the field & doing it over and over until it becomes "rote").  Players write their own playbooks (Coaches will take them up & grade them).
2.  Written tests.
3.  Film segments of practice.  Coaches make up a sheet of "Correctable Mistakes" from those films to discuss with players in the film session.  Corrected at next practice.
4.  Players get "Tip" Sheet for each opponent.
5.  Players have HUDL.

ETC.

Yes, but it is taught TO them in this manner (for the most part it's not "independent study"):

1. Do the "WHO" (assignment) and "WHY" (theory of play) in the classroom, and the "HOW" (to execute) on the field.

2. Classroom sessions in which players "SEE" it on film, "HEAR" coaches talk about it, and "WRITE" it down. Players write their own playbooks (Coaches will take them up & grade them).

3. Written tests (on playbooks).

4. Players go on the field & doing it over and over until it becomes "rote".

5. Film segments of practice. Coaches make up a sheet of "Correctable Mistakes" from those films to discuss with players in the film session. Corrected at next practice.

6. Players get "Tip" Sheet for each opponent.

7. Players have HUDL.

ETC.

We put in the work to give them the opportunity to watch what we put on hudl and use google forms to check understanding. Set an expectation that watching it is important and the kids usually buy into it. If we have some that don't then it may determine whether they play or not only if it is a close competition. But I look at it as it is our responsibility to get them prepared from the time practice starts to the end. If they aren't understanding it then they aren't capable or we aren't doing our job and need to fix our approach. If they buy into the idea of watching and learning it will make them better and our team. We have to sell them on this. But I know what it is like to be 14-18 and I enjoyed chasing other things on my off time.

I don't do written test anymore, although there is a "quiz" reminder during pre-game meals on Friday. When I did give "test" the questions were general alignment communication, coverage rules, etc. There were no "if-then" scenarios or "where do you fit vs. power". Questions were "what is your rule in cover 4?"  The answer had to be 8x1 alignment, 21 reads, all of 1 vertical. I might ask "if you hear scoot from the safety, what do you do?", answer was slide over 1 gap.

Our Friday stuff is just formation gameplan checks. I give them a formation they give me the check.

I found there was a direct correlation to "bombed" test and player mistakes, even if they were kids that had to play for us. I used to kinda rub it in their face a little by saying something like "not surprised you blew the call since you also answered it wrong on the test." I stopped doing that because, well it never made any difference. I have my own "hit chart" for practice now. We have things scripted in order to get a certain amount of correct reps for the week. Used to be more random and although we definitely practiced what we should be doing I felt I needed a system to quantify the possibility for success/failure. If it's a gameplan coverage, check, pressure, etc and we don't hit that number in practice we don't run it. If we're not even close by Wed. it is scrapped. Aside from base, which has it's own check system, I go into a game with 6 or less calls.

Maybe I can help give y'all a player-friendly option here. Not to self-promote too much but my iPhone app, QBIQ, is a way to test your kids on YOUR plays vs. YOUR OPPONENT'S defensive sets. 

It's unique because kids are always on their phones, so the appeal of taking a football test on their phone through an app feels familiar to them. Since it's on a familiar platform, they're more motivated to test themselves whenever they have a free 5 minutes.