Series Overview
In my experiences as both a high school football player and a coach, I have been involved with programs that landed on every part of the spectrum when it comes to efficiency and success. For example:
Talented vs. Non-Talented
Organized vs. Disorganized
Communicative vs. Inconsistent Information
Bought In vs. Tuned Out
…the list could go on and on
This series of blog posts will cover what I view as important systems for a high school football program to implement. In my opinion, these 10 practices for managing a program help everyone involved: players, coaches, families, administration, and the community. Inevitably, some of these topics will overlap and intertwine with one another. But that is how a football program works, and how our lives are operated, too. Each post will cover topics that are logical, attainable goals that promote an efficient program both organizationally and in achieving success on Friday nights.
Part 1: Summer Time Balance
Verbiage Continuity
Football as a whole is built on systems. From offensive and defensive systems that start on the whiteboard and are carried over on the field, to how a program fundraises. A coaching staff is always looking for ways to make any system that they implement a little bit better.
Continuity should also be factored into how a system is initially developed as well as over time. It is important that there is a clear reasoning for how and why a system is put in place, and how any changes or tweaks to a part of that system can affect the bigger picture. Ultimately, if the coaching staff is on board, it is easier to get the players on the same page.
Obviously, an important system that relates directly to both coaching and playing football is the schemes that are deployed. To help teach and communicate those schemes effectively, schemes need specific verbiage to let players know what they need to do on each play. There are a myriad of ways that coaches can choose to organize their scheme. Whether it is telling a specific player to run through a specific hole (example: 24 Iso) or giving a coverage family a theme-based naming convention (example: all Cover 3 variants are colors), there should be some type of clear organization and structure to support teaching, learning, and executing. No matter what a coaching staff goes with, it should be taught and used the same way from the Varsity level all the way through the Freshman team (and even into middle school or the youth/feeder programs if possible).
Once a decision is made for the program, every coach should use it as often as they can to communicate with players and with each other. For example, if a main component of your run game is Inside Zone and you have named it “Indiana”, that name should be used any time Inside Zone is mentioned. Whether it is being introduced during install or practiced during walk-through, indy, inside run period, team, etc. When your coaches and players see Inside Zone, everyone should be thinking and saying Indiana.
This includes defensive coaches. For example, if a defensive coach is trying to prepare his linebackers for the run schemes they will see from the upcoming opponent, they can use verbiage that is familiar to their players who have repped that as an offensive player to make the preparation process more efficient. The Mike LB could also be their backup H-Back, or maybe the Sam has played TE in the past. Not only does teaching and recognition of that play get sped up, but those players should be somewhat familiar with how that play should look. The same can be said for other offensive concepts that a program runs and will face throughout its season.
The continuity of verbiage also translates to other aspects of team/coaching dynamics. Running the scout team is an important job, and it can be arduous at times. But if the team you are about to face runs a version of Cover 2 as their base coverage, and you run some Cover 2 as well, relaying those rules to your scout team during 7-on-7 should be a lot easier. Some of the alignments or adjustments for their defense may be different, but the main concept is the same.
Another element of coaching where verbiage continuity comes into play is dissecting and organizing film. Whether it is logging the past week’s game, game planning for the next opponent, or an analytical breakdown of the entire season, having the whole coaching staff on the same page when it comes to identifying and naming concepts is useful. If you have confidence that your DB coach and OL coach have a grasp of the same base terminology that is at the core of your program, that will go a long way in the game planning process, staff accountability, and coach relationships.
Of course, there are limitations to this practice. If a team you are facing is running Buck Sweep and your team does not run that play, you have to decide as a staff how you will name it for your players. Then, teach it to your scout team with as many “same as” statements as you can. Just like everything else in coaching, this is not a perfect method. But it is one that helps you maximize your teaching and learning amongst the program as a whole
