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Post by carookie on Jul 17, 2017 15:37:42 GMT -6
HC of a small team. Had 2 other coaches on board (minimum needed); just lost one due to his business struggling and work needing to be a focus for him, the other is only able to make about half the summer workouts and practices. The last thing I want to become is a program that spends a bunch of time in team; so I am looking for creative ways to work this with limited other coaches.
Do I have OLs practice receiver drills for a while and vice versa? Ditto with DBs/LBs/DLs? Etc?
What ways have you learned to maximize technique while being limited in the amount of coaches to teach technique?
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Post by mariner42 on Jul 17, 2017 16:03:26 GMT -6
HC of a small team. Had 2 other coaches on board (minimum needed); just lost one due to his business struggling and work needing to be a focus for him, the other is only able to make about half the summer workouts and practices. The last thing I want to become is a program that spends a bunch of time in team; so I am looking for creative ways to work this with limited other coaches. Do I have OLs practice receiver drills for a while and vice versa? Ditto with DBs/LBs/DLs? Etc? What ways have you learned to maximize technique while being limited in the amount of coaches to teach technique? You need a player who can run drills for you. We have 2 11th grade girls playing for us on my JV squad, they both played JV for me last year as 10th graders. They know all of our EDD type drills and they can coach them reasonably well. I have no problem saying "Bella, take the OL to the 4 man sled and work your progression" or "Suzy, I want you to take the backs and work Fool Me Drill for Buck Series" and knowing they'll be fine. It's not perfect, but it lets me focus more. You can also split your time for a short while where OL comes in for the first hour to work OL stuff, Skills start warming up during that time, team stuff for an hour, OL leaves, Skills stay and work passing, coverages, tackling in space, etc. Again, not perfect, but it's an option. Also, get some former players. Some of our best hires as a program the last few years have been 19-24 year old former players. |
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 17, 2017 17:09:59 GMT -6
HC of a small team. Had 2 other coaches on board (minimum needed); just lost one due to his business struggling and work needing to be a focus for him, the other is only able to make about half the summer workouts and practices. The last thing I want to become is a program that spends a bunch of time in team; so I am looking for creative ways to work this with limited other coaches. Do I have OLs practice receiver drills for a while and vice versa? Ditto with DBs/LBs/DLs? Etc? What ways have you learned to maximize technique while being limited in the amount of coaches to teach technique? You need a player who can run drills for you. We have 2 11th grade girls playing for us on my JV squad, they both played JV for me last year as 10th graders. They know all of our EDD type drills and they can coach them reasonably well. I have no problem saying "Bella, take the OL to the 4 man sled and work your progression" or "Suzy, I want you to take the backs and work Fool Me Drill for Buck Series" and knowing they'll be fine. It's not perfect, but it lets me focus more. You can also split your time for a short while where OL comes in for the first hour to work OL stuff, Skills start warming up during that time, team stuff for an hour, OL leaves, Skills stay and work passing, coverages, tackling in space, etc. Again, not perfect, but it's an option. Also, get some former players. Some of our best hires as a program the last few years have been 19-24 year old former players. I know this sounds nitpicky/whinybaby/negative nancy but : You may have no problem sending players to run a drill, but I don't know if the AD/principal/district risk manager/school district legal representation would feel the same. I can appreciate the idea behind it, but I just believe that such actions fall into the "indefensible behavior" category that I desperately try to avoid in my teaching career. Things that seem harmless to me (or in this case you) but should something bad happen or should someone complain, there is no real defense to the situation. In our super litigious society, I just think rather innocent things fall into the "no defense" category. I don't mean that the actions are reprehensible, just to be clear. I don't want you to take that the wrong way at all. Another "no defense" category even that happens all the time at my school is I see teachers having students move desks/furniture. I teach in an Elementary School. The kids are 5-12 years old. While it seems harmless, should something happen, I don't see a teacher being able to defend her position on that. Another is music played at our "dance" (really, who needs a 5th grade dance). While there is no explicit profanity, the underlying themes and suggestive language (if a word is edited out, the word is still suggested) is still "indefensible" in my opinion. Should a parent decide to complain, the teachers (and subsequently the principal) have no argument. They will just have to sit there and take the tongue lashing from whichever supervisor the complaint went to. |
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Post by mariner42 on Jul 17, 2017 17:18:18 GMT -6
You need a player who can run drills for you. We have 2 11th grade girls playing for us on my JV squad, they both played JV for me last year as 10th graders. They know all of our EDD type drills and they can coach them reasonably well. I have no problem saying "Bella, take the OL to the 4 man sled and work your progression" or "Suzy, I want you to take the backs and work Fool Me Drill for Buck Series" and knowing they'll be fine. It's not perfect, but it lets me focus more. You can also split your time for a short while where OL comes in for the first hour to work OL stuff, Skills start warming up during that time, team stuff for an hour, OL leaves, Skills stay and work passing, coverages, tackling in space, etc. Again, not perfect, but it's an option. Also, get some former players. Some of our best hires as a program the last few years have been 19-24 year old former players. I know this sounds nitpicky/whinybaby/negative nancy but : You may have no problem sending players to run a drill, but I don't know if the AD/principal/district risk manager/school district legal representation would feel the same. I can appreciate the idea behind it, but I just believe that such actions fall into the "indefensible behavior" category that I desperately try to avoid in my teaching career. Things that seem harmless to me (or in this case you) but should something bad happen or should someone complain, there is no real defense to the situation. In our super litigious society, I just think rather innocent things fall into the "no defense" category. I don't mean that the actions are reprehensible, just to be clear. I don't want you to take that the wrong way at all. Another "no defense" category even that happens all the time at my school is I see teachers having students move desks/furniture. I teach in an Elementary School. The kids are 5-12 years old. While it seems harmless, should something happen, I don't see a teacher being able to defend her position on that. Another is music played at our "dance" (really, who needs a 5th grade dance). While there is no explicit profanity, the underlying themes and suggestive language (if a word is edited out, the word is still suggested) is still "indefensible" in my opinion. Should a parent decide to complain, the teachers (and subsequently the principal) have no argument. They will just have to sit there and take the tongue lashing from whichever supervisor the complaint went to. Good looking out! Honestly hadn't entered my mind. |
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Post by newt21 on Jul 17, 2017 17:54:18 GMT -6
Do some POD work. Basically different small groups working together. For example center/guards and fb would rep trap together while rest of team works rocket. They are working on their play specific skills while refining their timing. PM me your email and I will send our 2 coach practice plan for this season.
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Post by 53 on Jul 18, 2017 3:11:46 GMT -6
Going to be a tough row to hoe depending on the systems you're running and numbers.
Don't get too cute. Keep it simple as hell. Half line and POD is what you're going to live in. If the other coach unreliable, work out a rotation between skilled and linemen staying after to work more on Indy and fundamentals
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Post by sweep26 on Jul 18, 2017 7:28:05 GMT -6
Staff...another factor to consider when determining what system that you will run.
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Post by wildcatslbcoach24 on Jul 18, 2017 7:38:09 GMT -6
Simple offense: say outside zone scheme, power scheme, counter scheme, and maybe trap out of 11 or 21 personnel, have a quick game and play action off your runs. Have a TE or 2 base formation because it will shore up your run game and you can maximize teaching minimal position groups (OL, backfield taught as one unit, and your 1-2 receivers). Teach everyone how to block, especially footwork for OZ and how to kick out block. Keep things simple, nurture a (legal) nasty streak in your OL. Out formation opponents and use motions to put defenses in conflict; basically you will have to out game plan opponents a ton.
Defensively, I would suggest a 50 front. Reasoning again is that you can teach players on the front to be interchangeable along the front, fewer position groups to coach, and these fronts give option teams a little more trouble on their combos and block identification. I would coach the DL and LBs as a unit and have my other coach teach DBs unless you have a good OL/ DL coach on your staff. If you have 3 coaches then y'all can split the three position groups up based on your strengths.
I would suggest being a one gap 50 front and avoid (at least basing out of) a slant and angle 50 front as it takes much more coaching than it seems you'll be able to put into it with the staff size you have. Depending on what your opponents do you can be a 5-2 or 5-3. Take 2 maybe 3 coverages and teach the hell out of them. If 53 I'd say teach Cover 3, cover 1, and possibly 0. If 52 teach quarters and 0, maybe cover 2 if teams you face pass a good bit.
Hope this helps! Good Luck
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Post by wildcatslbcoach24 on Jul 18, 2017 7:43:41 GMT -6
I know this sounds nitpicky/whinybaby/negative nancy but : You may have no problem sending players to run a drill, but I don't know if the AD/principal/district risk manager/school district legal representation would feel the same. I can appreciate the idea behind it, but I just believe that such actions fall into the "indefensible behavior" category that I desperately try to avoid in my teaching career. Things that seem harmless to me (or in this case you) but should something bad happen or should someone complain, there is no real defense to the situation. In our super litigious society, I just think rather innocent things fall into the "no defense" category. I don't mean that the actions are reprehensible, just to be clear. I don't want you to take that the wrong way at all. Another "no defense" category even that happens all the time at my school is I see teachers having students move desks/furniture. I teach in an Elementary School. The kids are 5-12 years old. While it seems harmless, should something happen, I don't see a teacher being able to defend her position on that. Another is music played at our "dance" (really, who needs a 5th grade dance). While there is no explicit profanity, the underlying themes and suggestive language (if a word is edited out, the word is still suggested) is still "indefensible" in my opinion. Should a parent decide to complain, the teachers (and subsequently the principal) have no argument. They will just have to sit there and take the tongue lashing from whichever supervisor the complaint went to. Good looking out! Honestly hadn't entered my mind. Have the leaders do it pre practice format. Have them do step review, formation recognition, blitz review, any drills or walk through a that are minimal to non contact and build muscle memory. That way you coaches can coach the contact drills. When your running inside run have your backup QB throw to the WRs so they get reps and timing, then switch and have your starting QB throw while your backup gets time in inside run. |
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Post by blb on Jul 18, 2017 7:46:34 GMT -6
I disagree '50' defense is better for small staff.
You have FOUR separate position groups: DE, TNT, LBers, and Secondary. If one coach has to handle more than one group, one or both positions will be getting shorted time-wise.
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Post by fkaboneyard on Jul 18, 2017 8:41:51 GMT -6
Stating the obvious, I'd start looking for coaches right away. I realize this could be inviting a HUGE headache, but are there any dads of players that can run drills?
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Post by freezeoption on Jul 18, 2017 9:46:33 GMT -6
I've been in small programs, where sometimes it was me, although the numbers were small on the team it was still just me running practice because all my guys were volunteers so a lot of the time they had jobs get in the way. You can still do indy, group and team, just have the ones that are not in that group be your cones or bags or whatever. I would keep looking for coaches. It can be done but you will have to plan, I always had two plans each day, one with assts and one without so if they called up and said they were not going to make it I wasn't saying crap and running around.
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Post by blb on Jul 18, 2017 10:07:36 GMT -6
If it's just you, one-man coaching staff:
Have Specialists come in 15 minutes early - one day Pass routes, next day Kicking.
Warm-up
Form Tackle
Team Agility (Agile bags if you have them)
Team Sled (one day Offense, one day Defense)
Clap Drill (for Cadence on Offense day before Team Sled)
Formation-Motion Recognition-calls Walk-thru (Defensive day)
Team or Half-Line
Switch
Kicking Game (one day Punt-Punt Return, next KO-KO Return)
Finish (1-man Pursuit Drill or "Perfect Play" Drill for ex.) |
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Post by funkfriss on Jul 19, 2017 20:04:02 GMT -6
Never been in this situation, but off the top of my head I might try something like this.
1. O-Indy - One coach take the OL, other takes RBs. WRs catch for QBs warming up - 15 min
2. O-Group - OL and RBs work run game (teach RBs to hand off so coach can coach); QBs and WRs work pass (have WRs snap so coach can coach) - 15 min
3. O-Team - 15 min
4. Special Teams - 15 min
5. Team tackling (One coach w/ DL/LB big men, other with OLB/DB) - 10 min
6. D-Group - DL/LB work run fits/stunts/blitz; OLB/DB work pass. - 15 min
7. D-Team - 15 min
8. D-Indy (for next day of practice) - One coach takes DL; other coach takes DBs (LBs are done for the day and will have Indy tomorrow).
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Post by aceback76 on Jul 19, 2017 20:15:22 GMT -6
HC of a small team. Had 2 other coaches on board (minimum needed); just lost one due to his business struggling and work needing to be a focus for him, the other is only able to make about half the summer workouts and practices. The last thing I want to become is a program that spends a bunch of time in team; so I am looking for creative ways to work this with limited other coaches. Do I have OLs practice receiver drills for a while and vice versa? Ditto with DBs/LBs/DLs? Etc? What ways have you learned to maximize technique while being limited in the amount of coaches to teach technique? I wouldn't care to try it, but it can be done IF you have two GOOD coaches!!! I have seen a staff of two coach 88 varsity prospects in August 2-a-days. They were fine coaches, & well organized, but did a LOT of large group work (ever see 88 kids do agility drills at the same time)? They would have 44 kids going in a scrimmage (22 from the 40 to one goal line, & 22 from the other 40 to the OTHER goal line (alternating running plays). After about 20-25 minutes, they ran the other 44 guys out & repeated that procedure. This was when Coaches Ed Karpus & Jack Westfall coached a very fine Thomas Dale HS team in Chester, Va. They had a JV Coach (Bill Moss) who was on hand SOME of the time, but mainly two Coaches did it! |
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Post by M4 on Jul 19, 2017 20:19:44 GMT -6
]I coached a season with 2 coaches, we would break it down into periods similar to this, we had 1 guy who was a Quarterback/wr / db guy ad one who focused on O-Line / dl / lb
period 1 warm up
period 2
O-Line in indy with coach 1
coach 2 had Quarterback / wr / Running Back doing ball security, agility, pass indy, perimeter drills etc
period 3
O-Line and Running Back and do run and pass pro install and polish
Quarterback and WR's and do pass indy and install
period 4
Defensively, one guy would take DL / LB and do front 7 run full / blitz review while the other did db indy
period 6
db and lb doing pass coverage / Skelly while the DL did indy
period 7
offensive team vs scout
period 8
defensive team vs scout
we did all our specials on 1 day
The positions that get screwed are the Running Back and LB's because they area always going with the group that is doing the "system" work and not the indy work, but usually those are your best kids so you an get away with coaching them on the fly.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 19, 2017 21:16:44 GMT -6
I just don't understand how telling a story about 2 guys who coached 88 kids at a camp in the 70's helps the guy who posted this thread? #NameDrop While I understand your point, I will say that I can see some benefit from his story. Namely, that there is some hope. the original poster isn't in uncharted or impossible territory, although it may seem like it from time to time. |
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Post by tippecanoe41 on Jul 20, 2017 20:36:19 GMT -6
Never been in a situation that was this short on coaches. Best I can suggest is to get with your seniors and other leader type kids and work through as many drills as you think they can handle for them to run their own drills. It's a tough dynamic, but it could work if you teach them how to handle the drills correctly with the correct type of attitude toward each other.
I'd think you would really have to lay out very specific drills so that a kid won't have to be accountable for seeing small nuances. Meaning-- if you have a play where your guard kicks out, don't just tell the kids to do it and tell guys to make sure the guy is working upfield. Instead, actually go out on the field and paint a line for the guard to put his feet and a line he should run down and make contact on his kickout so that it's cut and dry as to whether he took the correct path, etc.
I'd also try to make drills take place in as close proximity to each other as possible so that I could jump between drills and try to see as much of each drill as possible, or at least if there is a question you can tell all other groups to go and you go to that group to sort it out.
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Post by carookie on Jul 20, 2017 22:14:20 GMT -6
I want to thank all for their advice...its been a handful so far, but I think I might have found some help sometime soon
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 8:42:43 GMT -6
HC of a small team. Had 2 other coaches on board (minimum needed); just lost one due to his business struggling and work needing to be a focus for him, the other is only able to make about half the summer workouts and practices. The last thing I want to become is a program that spends a bunch of time in team; so I am looking for creative ways to work this with limited other coaches. Do I have OLs practice receiver drills for a while and vice versa? Ditto with DBs/LBs/DLs? Etc? What ways have you learned to maximize technique while being limited in the amount of coaches to teach technique? Keep the schemes super simple on both sides and pick systems that lend themselves more easily to being split into only 2 groups. So on offense, run something like Double Wing or another Full House offense OR go the opposite way and run a spread. Have a backfield coach (with WRs if you're spread) and an OL coach. On defense, have a front coach and a backfield coach. Again, keep it very simple in terms of techniques taught so there's not that much to teach and drill in the first place. One advantage of a full house offense like Double Wing is that you can work the basics with everybody and just coach them all up on how to down block, kick out, log, wrap, etc. A defense that only runs man coverage isn't ideal, but it doesn't need to teach zone techniques or pattern match at all. On days you have 2 coaches, do Indy/Group drills with those two groups, then maybe a circuit (blocking/tackling focused), a ST period, and then go to Team--do film study on this day, as well. On days you're by yourself, coach the players in shifts. Stagger the practice so you can bring linemen or skill in first for their indy, then have the other group come in for a team period/circuit training (include Special Teams here), then keep the other group after for their Indy work while the linemen leave to lift. I knew a guy who once had to coach his whole team of 35 by himself his first year as a HC after all his assistants quit. On 1-2 days a week he'd bring in linemen for a linemen practice in the morning, then skill players for a skill practice while the linemen lifted, then he'd put them together for team one or two days a week. On the other days, he just ran separate practices for linemen and skill: one in the morning, the other in the evening. One other thing: get there really early so you can set up as many drills ahead of time as possible for BOTH groups to save time. Move from station to station quickly. 35 gallon trash cans from Wal-Mart are your friends for "scout team players." If you can get a manager or walking wounded to help with things like filling water bottles, taking attendance, and other low level administrative/grunt work tasks, do it! Volunteers who may not be interested in coaching are good for this sort of thing. Every community has some mentally challenged guy who just wants to be part of the team... |
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