NFL Tackle Football

I was at a clinic a week ago where Ron Hill, the NFL Vice President of Football Operations of the NFL, spoke. He showed the coaches/players/educators in attendance the staggering number of just how few of the kids who play high school football actually make it to the NFL. For those who are lucky/fortunate enough to make it, they often have very short careers. In other words, don't put all of your marbles in one basket. Create a plan for yourself as if pro football was NEVER going to happen in your life. Look at it like this - if you construct a plan for how you are going to go to college and play ball and get a degree in what interests you the most, then IF pro ball does come along you are still fine. If you are hurt in college or if you just aren't good enough to be drafted high and end up having a short career in the NFL, then you will have something you can use to make a good living. If you don't feel as if you need a plan for an education and putting forth the work, then you are taking a BIG gamble with the your life – you only get one chance in your life to do well in high school and college and that is what will ultimately lead you to have a productive career. There are no do-overs in life and very seldom, if ever, do you get second chances. If you have the plan for if ball doesn't come along or your career is cut short then you have the luxury of having something already in place. Otherwise, you will be on the streets with no education, no one to pay for your education, no football, no future in football and no one to help guide you which way to go. Use the people and listen to the people who have been down that road. Look at and understand the statistics on how few actually make it to the big leagues. If you are good enough to get a college scholarship, make sure you take advantage of EVERY situation that is offered to you as there will not be many come your way throughout life. You need to capitalize on what is before you rather than putting all of your life in the hands of a dream. Listen to your coaches, teachers and parents because they have the one thing you don't have - life experiences.

All of the positions for tackling are described as follows - head up, back flat, tail tucked and feet shoulder width apart. Have your shoulders slightly ahead of your toes and your weight evenly distributed on your feet. I am not sure of how to answer the next part of the question and be safety correct, but I will say you have to keep your eyes up at all times and NEVER drop your eyes. Tackle with the top of your head or you will risk serious injury. Look them into you. Let the cheek of your face slide to the side of the body and that will allow the shoulder to make solid contact. If you turn your head before contact, then it will make you hit with the "point" of the shoulder, and this too could result in an injury. Just like in every movement in sport, tackling is determined by force into the ground and the rate at which it is developed. The faster you can extend your legs, the more force you put into the ground and the harder you will hit. Throw your arms around the ball carrier as if you are hugging an old sweetheart, and then squeeze like the dickens once you've got a hold. Your feet should continue to run through the tackle and not lunge or jump towards the ball carrier. This one aspect is where the "naturals" of tackling seem to have the edge as they know exactly when to initiate their tackling sequence.

As to your second question of stamina - I can answer it very simply, it is extremely important. If you come out and run up a score of 21-0 in the first quarter and then run out of gas (stamina) in the second, third and fourth quarter, you will probably get beat 50-21. It is very important. Watch the high level college and professional games when there are two excellent teams playing. Watch the pace and intensity of the game - it will pick up to a high point somewhere in the second half (more than likely around the end of the third quarter and most definitely the fourth quarter). I used to work for a man that said that regardless of the score play the fourth quarter like you are behind. It is the fourth quarter where so many famous games have been won or lost and so many great plays have been made. Look at this year's Super Bowl - the last 4 minutes of the game. Both teams were playing at a higher and higher rate until the deciding play.

I am sure the awesome cougars little people football team will be so much better with you on it. I hope this can be of some help to you and your tackling ability. Good luck to you and the Cougars!

I am going to give you some great advice here - whether you make the varsity or not does in some respects depend upon talent, but talent alone is not what coaches seek. You must possess the desire to want to win and help the team to win. Not only is this going to be something you are going to experience at this juncture of your life, but this is going to be something you will see throughout your entire life. Not always does the position go to the most talented person, but to the person the coach feels can give their team what is needed to win. From the way you describe yourself and the numbers you've put up in your early career, I can almost guarantee the coaches know of your arrival on the team. It is in their team's interest to know all of the kids and their abilities coming to their team. With your apparent size, speed, strength and tackles it will be hard for them NOT to notice you. Now it is up to YOU to go show them you can do the same thing at the next level. Go be the best, and don't let anyone slow you down.

Once you've played the position of QB and remained in the game of football, going back to it should not be as hard as you may initially think. Youth is on your side. You can adjust quickly to new concepts. You need to understand just like anything else you have done or will do in your life; this is going to take a lot of work to catch yourself up. I'm unsure of your ankle problem, as it sounded you had either torn or had surgically repaired the ligaments/tendons in your ankle. If this is true, then you need to make sure you are continuing and will continue throughout your athletic and adult life with the rehab/strength exercises given to you post op. It makes no difference what position you play, if your ankle is hurting you will be hampered. There have been many before you and will be many after you to play with bad ankles and as you said - if I can't play QB, then I may have to give the game up. If you are passionate about the game as it sounds you are, then stay with it as long as you possibly can. Regardless if you are the star or on the last team, the game and being able to compete and work with a group of other young men are the life's memories you will take to your olden days. Never give up and quit as this will only set the stage for things to quit in later life as there will be other "injuries" to you and loved ones that will bring you back to this same crossroads and decision making. NEVER GIVE UP. Stay and fight the fight to your best ability. You will be admired for courageous leadership and toughness.

There are people scouting all of the time. Why is it that you don't have any video on your playing days? Most all of the schools that play have some form of video work done for game days. I would try to secure some video and find an agent that will represent you to the teams of the NFL and see if you can get a tryout. I am not sure if there are open tryouts around the country by the NFL. You may need to contact someone in the league office to answer those questions.

I assume you are a college player in eligibility. If I assume correctly, then I would go ahead and get on the US team and go have a wonderful experience playing international basketball. I would try to find an agent to represent me to the NFL and see if I could get a tryout with a club. If you are playing basketball, then you are still in condition and will be ready if and when the opportunity comes your way. Go, and enjoy the moment in basketball! Obviously you are good at it or you wouldn't have made the US team.

I think that you first have to stop the run. With this being said, you need to make sure each and every member of the defense understands his run fits on each defense that is called. If the player knows where he is suppose to fill or his area of responsibility then that allows him to not have to think and react, but rather just react to what he sees. I have always been a stickler for perfect technique on playing your individual position. Whether you are a defensive tackle or a cornerback, you have your individual techniques that have to be mastered before you will ever reach your potential. Once you have mastered these two traits then protect against the pass and work on team pursuit to the ball. This will pretty much take care of all facets of what needs to be continually practiced. You can hear a lot of coordinators say we need to create turnovers, and this is very important, but I can guarantee you if you spend your time on creating only turnovers and not know where your fits and not know how to perform your individual techniques correctly -YOU WILL BE SOUNDLY DEFEATED.

You will have the same problem on offense as well as defense. My suggestion for you to be able to come off the ball quicker is to develop your leg strength. It is very important to start immediately at your age and continue throughout your football career. The added strength will allow you to move your bodyweight faster and with less energy than previously. Another drill is to find a very stationary box/object that will hold your bodyweight easily and has a large surface to land on. Stand in front of the box/object and without moving your feet jump up on top of the box/object and land with both feet. Step down, and repeat. Do this for a total of 10 times, rest 2 minutes, and repeat another two times for a total of 3 sets of 10 repetitions/jumps. This will give you the speed with which to come off the ball faster. This coupled with the strength you will be gaining by strengthening your legs results in the best of both worlds. In addition to the jumps (which should be done on a Mon-Wed-Fri schedule), on some days without wearing pads practice getting down in your stance and coming off the ball using the dummies or sleds at your school. This can add a little leg drive as well. Good luck! If you work hard at these drills, I guarantee you results by next football season.

No, they are not. There have been players who have worn soccer shoes for football shoes. However, with all the good companies making quality shoes of every variety these days, I feel it is easy to find a shoe that will fit all needs. Make sure you are getting a well made shoe, as your feet are what you push through to create any and all movement on the football/soccer fields.

Great question, and one every coach should know and understand. There are a series of steps in rehab that will bring a player back to his pre-injury status. I would suggest that once the trauma of a sprain has been reduced and the initial soreness and swelling has subsided, then you begin with just walking and if you have the ability to use a swimming pool, have them work in there without putting too much pressure on the joint. Progress as the person and the injury allows. The one key point is if the joint starts to swell once again, then you need to ice and elevate and reduce the work you are asking of the athlete. It is a slow, but methodical process to get where the young person can once again move. Once he can move in a straight line have him start doing easy figure 8's around the numbers on the football field. As a coach, you can observe his movement patterns and see if he is able to make the cutting movements with any speed. Once he can run these 8's at full or close to full speed, then he should be put with his position coach and asked to perform the movements he will be asked to do on the field. Keep close observation of the joint for soreness and swelling.

One thing many people do not do, but is highly important, is keep this person coming in and getting treatments on the particular area of concern for the remainder of the season. When the season ends continue to bring the athlete back in for follow up work and have him do the rehab exercises for at least another 3 weeks after season ends. If he is a senior, then he will finish his eligibility, but if he is an underclassman, then when the semester is over, have him back in for rehab getting more aggressive with trying to build back strength/flexibility to the area.

As far as a strain of a muscle is concerned, a person should be out the next day doing some movement work on the strained area. To make this answer simple, I will use the hamstring as the muscle that is injured. Have the person walk the next day and then have him ice as much as possible. Before he ices, you need to stretch him as much and as long as possible with all of the muscles that surround the hamstring, as well as the hamstring itself. Have the athlete do this for 3 times per day, and after a few days, if you have the ability to use a swimming pool, then use it to do your running motions and exercises in the pool. The water resistance is perfect and consistent for the right movement needed to replicate the running motion. Once the pool work is done, continue your stretching just as before and you need to make sure you hold the stretches for 90 seconds each stretch. Once the pool work can be done well, then use the running drills called the ABC's of running. I suggest doing 10 reps for 10 yards for each exercise, and walk back to the start point and go again. After you watch the injured athlete perform these and he can do so without any hitch in his gate, then he can start striding for lengths of 30 yards. Start his volume of runs low and make sure he gets ample recovery time. Have him perform the toe touch stretch for 60 seconds after each run.

Another great method of treatment is finding a massage therapist and let that person break down the scar tissue that occurs from strains and pulls within the hamstring group. The scar tissue has to be broken down before there can be full restoration. If a therapist is not available, then use the STICK, which can be found in many of your sporting goods booklets, to assist in warming up the muscle before exercise. The STICK also helps to reduce the scar tissue and any other trigger points that may be associated with the pull/strain. Ask for the input of the athlete, but at the same time you must understand that it is your decision as to whether the player is ready or not. Remember most every athlete I've been around wants to play, and they will think they are fine when in fact they are not quite there yet. If you make a bad judgment by put them back into play too soon, then you stand the chance of losing the player for the rest of the season.

There are only a couple of ways to create gaps for the running back, either with line splits or excellent blocking. Some formations are being used to give advantages to run the ball such as the Notre Dame box, single wing, wishbone and now the spread formations. Each formation has the same goal: to create mismatches for the defense. I always feel if you are playing a team that plays a two gap defense, then the splits will help a whole lot due to the fact that the defender has more room to cover in his gap/area of responsibility. There are all kinds of traps that can be used for a penetrating defense that will also create the gaps for the running backs.

One of the best means for creating those gaps is for the RB to understand where the hole is and for him to not "dance" in the hole. Once a RB chops his steps, then he has to reaccelerate and that is way too much time to spend at the LOS with the ball. He has one cut and one cut only - anything more than this is not going to create any yardage. I feel this is a very simple thing, but not coached hard enough and understood by many running backs.

That is a good question. I will have to defer to someone with a rule book, but my first impression is NONE. No one can in the neutral zone.

Yes. Bones will calcify and become strong once again. This should not interfere with your young athletic career.

My suggestion to you is to practice, practice and practice some more. Remember the snap from center is no different than the learned trait of shooting a free throw. It takes many repetitions to get it just exactly where you want it. One thing I can suggest is to get as many footballs together as possible and place a trash can with the open end to you at the same height as your QB and at the same distance the coach has the QB to stand from the ball. While keeping your eyes upward, try to blind snap as many as you can into the garbage can. Also another good thing to practice along with your snap to the QB is the first step you have to make on your blocking assignment. This will not only enhance your quickness and the accuracy of your snap, but will allow you to function the same way as you do during a game. With consistency of practice and the correct technique, you will make large improvements in your abilities. You have to do it enough and be confident enough in your snap to not even have it enter your mind as to where the ball may end up. Good luck!

It appears to me that you have the people in place to be successful already. My suggestion to you is to put the TB on the bench or at wingback and put the wingback at TB, and run the FB a lot more with some short traps. You seem pleased with the wingback's speed and ability. If he is a running back already, then put him in there and let him carry the load. Design your offense around these two players (FB and the new TB, formerly the WB) and place the TB in a position where he can block. One thing is that you cannot try and wait for him to get better while the other 10 players are busting their humps and doing what you ask. It is a team game, and he needs to understand that he is just 1/11th of the equation.

As far as drills are concerned to help him, I'd suggest a simple one that includes the linemen as well. Place two dummies 3-4 yards apart and put an offensive blocker and a defensive person opposite each other with the running backs lined up their same distance from the LOS. Have the two linemen perform a one-on-one drill and the back take a direct handoff from the QB. This will teach the importance of hitting the hole quickly, teach blocking to the OL, and teach defending a blocker and making a tackle to the defensive player.

It depends upon the number of reps that each player got during that 75 minute period. If there was a whole lot of coaching going on as I would suppose there was then the number of reps per individual would have been low. If, on the other hand, it was a rapid fire off the ground up and go again without the instruction for better technique, then yes the reps would've been too high. I strongly believe, as I have stated earlier, that kids need to be taught the basic fundamentals of the game-stance, start, body position to block and tackle and to do this well, then you must practice them, and not talk about them. These 8-year olds are not trying to win the Super Bowl, but are trying to ready themselves for their senior high school experience of playing. A good feeder school program from the youth football to the Junior High and from the Junior High to the high school is paramount for a successful high school program. Without these fundamentals being taught by the youth coaches, the high school will not be nearly as successful, and the players will not be able to experience the most success possible because of the lack of proper teaching at a younger age.

I would hope the coaches of your son's team would be wise enough to know how much is enough and how many reps a kid can have before his well-being comes into the picture. As I have stated before, a good coach is a good teacher. The better coaches a kid can be around at any age, then the more the kid will progress. This does not mean that the coach may be liked by many of the players/families, but they do understand that the coach is doing the best thing for the child's development - this is the bottom line. I would hope that your son's coaches understand this and the teaching progression of all fundamentals.

Yes. Now, by saying yes to that question, I put myself in a position of saying yes, without knowing any existing rules your particular governing body of football may have. In all situations I have been in, the answer to your question is yes. You can also just let the QB punt the ball as he is usually your best athlete anyway. Having him punt the ball in that situation is probably best and the safest because he is simply your best player.

The one thing to remember once football practice starts is to NOT stop your workouts. Continue your workouts, but they must change quite a bit. By that I mean that the greatest part of your energy is going to be expended in practice and in the summer heat, especially with the frequent two-a-days. If this is the case, the first thing you must do is make sure you are getting enough fluid in your body to offset the loss during practice. Many times, you will not feel as if you are hungry, but only thirsty. Make sure you choose foods that will satisfy your hunger and satisfy to some extent your rehydration. One easy and correct way to see if you are hydrated well enough is to check the color of your urine upon rising in the morning. If the color is dark and yellow, you are not hydrated enough and must begin to drinking water to rehydrate yourself.

The next thing is to cut the reps of your exercises down to no more than 3 reps per exercise (in a lot of cases only do 1 rep), but you may end up doing 3 sets of one rep. Do a workout which would look like this: 1) warm-up very well 2) do these percentages of max -50% x 5 reps, 60% x 2 reps, 70% x 1 rep, 75% x 2 sets x 1 rep. This will give you 10 reps, and will be more than enough to keep your strength during two-a-day practices. This same sequence with a few adjustments during the year is the same thing you need to do to continue your strength program during the football season. You need to structure your workout days to parallel your practice schedules. Make sure during the season you get a very light workout along with some tempo runs to flush out the body of any soreness from the games. This will help you recover more quickly as well as be ready for the next week of practice and game. The other workouts can be on Monday and Wednesday assuming you played on Friday nights. Make sure you cut out a lot of the "extras" that you do during the off season as this will expend energy and you do NOT have any to waste. You'll be fine if you stick with the main exercises such as cleans, squats, and presses.

There are many reasons to keep the lifting going during the season, but I am sure that you can certainly maintain your strength level if not increase it during the season, even with a season as long as the NFL complete with playoff games. This will give you a big advantage for the upcoming year and will greatly enhance your chances of not being injured.

Teaching a team to play hard for the length of the game is a learned trait. Sure, you are going to have a few players who will always play hard just because of their love of the game, but a majority of kids will not understand how to sustain a maximum effort. In answering your question, you must teach them how. As a coach, you have to understand that when you get the kids at a young age, they will more than likely know nothing or at best only a few things about how to play the game. Just like in our educational system, when a kid enters the first grade that teacher has to be exceptional, because he/she is setting the learning curve and thirst for learning for many years to come. You are no different than the first grade teacher. You have got to break down the game into each category and teach them how to do everything, including one of the greatest lessons a kid can learn from sports-to NEVER GIVE UP! If you do a good job of teaching from the ground up, which includes max effort all of the time, this will last the players far longer than their football careers will ever last.

You need to reinforce your teachings (verbally) to their efforts during practice. When a kid is seen not giving a good effort, you need to point it out to him and to the rest of the team. Then, you can use this and other examples of what you are looking for to teach. When you change someone's learning curve, even though they are young and adapt quickly, it is going to take time. Be patient; praise the efforts of the ones that go all out, and point out the efforts of the ones who do not. You can also tell them about the lessons they are learning for later life. Although, they will more than likely not pay much attention as many of my past players did, but will come back to you 20 years later and say thanks for teaching them the ability to not quit. Please believe me when I tell you this - NOTHING can take the place of a young man coming up to you and saying thank you for teaching me a life lesson on the football field that is serving me in my present day life. No amount of money can buy that type of respect.

Good luck and good teaching/coaching!

If you don't have the athletes to compete in your district but you still have to play them, then my suggestion is that you work from the other side of the street meaning you need to drill your team to make no mistakes. Have your team take pride in making either no mistakes with the ball or as few as possible. If you aren't as physically gifted, you may be able to play the game closer or win by reducing two things - mistakes (fumbles, penalties or interceptions) and not allowing the team to have the long play which usually becomes an "easy touchdown". A lot of this is accomplished by coaching and making YOUR players aware of what is needed for them to win. If you are outmanned, the kicking game can also be a tremendous edge to you. Make sure you win this, too! If your team is in outstanding condition to play the entire length of the game, no matter the score, you will be surprised how many "talented" teams are undisciplined and unwilling to "pay the price" to play the entire game each and every down. You will need to ask a great deal of commitment from your players in order to even the game.

You also have to remember, that at some point during your career, you are going to face more talented and better coached teams that are just flat out better. You will be MUCH better off doing the things you can do well, rather than trying to "trick 'em" with some new formation or defense. Most blitz packages and "trick plays" work best because the opponent is worried about stopping your A game.

I coached and taught for a while in the public schools and you need to know that each and every year that you are not going to be delivered a championship team, but what you teach the kids through football WILL LAST THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. Things they are going to have to "live" each and every day can be taught on the football field. In the end, regardless of the outcome of the season, you will have done a great service for each player if you teach them the basics -preparation, discipline, hard work, team work and sacrifice. There are not many places left in today's society that can and will teach these basic elements of life.

I don't know anything about nine-man football, but I will give you my suggestion. If you are a big team that cannot run well, try to close down the middle with your size and force the other team to run outside. Hopefully, you can put two corners or outside linebackers that have better speed than the others there. They may be able to out run you as a team, but can they out run these four players? I hope this helps.

Yes-running on a hard surface will, over time take its toll on your feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. If possible, try to limit the amount of work you do on concrete, and use grass or other softer surfaces for your exercises...you will thank me for it in the years to come.

You need to understand that unless you hit a growth spurt then you will not be a big back. Don't let this concern you, but rather focus on what you have to work with - your implied great acceleration and good elusiveness as a “scat back”. Remember every touchdown counts for 6 points whether you are a 225lb running back crossing the goal line or not. The point I am trying to make to you is that you need to hone your skills of running, start on a great lifting program and totally dedicate yourself to it forgetting all about your size. Be a strong, quick, fast hitting and elusive back.

You must understand one important aspect of weight training; if you are dealing with young kids between the ages of 8-12 years old, you cannot just "start right up" on a full scale weight program WITHOUT engaging in at least 3 months of preparatory exercises and movements that will strengthen the entire body and ready the young bodies for some moderate lifting. Young people's motor learning skills are highly adaptive, and they can perform fairly high amounts of workload, but they DO NOT have enough strength to engage in formal lifting programs without some training. It is important to find out where each athlete's shortcomings may be-such as any joint impingements or lack of local muscular strength before fully engaging in weight lifting.

I can refer you to the videos I've done to help you see the things that need to be done with athletes prior to a formal lifting program. Remember that a lifting program is just the same as the education program-when you start off in kindergarten or first grade, you are trying to learn how to write and say the ABC's and color within the lines etc. As the child gets older and progresses from grade to grade, then the education process becomes more in depth, just the same way that a lifting program should follow.

Please do not be one of the many to do a disservice to the young people and get them involved too quick into a formal lifting program. Give them what they need and allow them to progress as their abilities will allow them to. They will be much more capable of handling a lifting program after they have followed what we have set up for them to follow. Take a look at other answers I have given on this website, they should answer a lot of questions you may have at this time.

I cannot honestly tell you what the best supplement to take is on today's list of supplements. I can say that there are a lot of "bogus" products out there that claim one thing but do absolutely nothing for you or that may have some ingredients that are not suitable for young athletes. My best advice is be careful and do a lot of research before buying.

I will add this-the period for supplementation to work best is the first 15-20 minutes after working out and prior to going to bed each night.

Your question requires three different answers. I know this age group well as this is the age of kids that I started out coaching in Junior High. If I had to go back and do it all over again, this is what I would do. I think this will answer your question, too.

First for this age athlete, I think the main thing to do with them is to get them started on a proper weight training program. If you request a copy of the JPD speed and strength DVD shot in New Jersey with Bill Parisi and myself, then you will get a lot of answers to your questions. Additionally, you will have a "how to" guide to view as well.

To answer your question regarding strength, I highly suggest the complex exercise. This particular set of exercises will increase strength, increase work capacity, increase cardio and will detect any joint mobility problems in the athletes. The complex is a series of six exercises done in succession without setting the weight down. The first exercise is the upright row done from the knee. The athlete has to assume a proper athletic stance with his shoulders slightly in front of his knees, back flat, eyes forward and feet underneath the armpits. The first movement is to stand up and simultaneously raise either the dumbbells or barbell as close as possible to the body up to the chest level making sure to keep the elbows higher than the weight. Also, when you raise the weight to it's highest point, extend up on your toes as much as possible. This will give as much work to the important ankle joint as possible. The second movement is the mirror of the first one (upright row). It is the muscle snatch. It is the same exact movement as the first, but done by standing up as fast as possible and pulling the bar overhead. The easiest way to explain the portion of movement from the chest (where the upright row ends) and the remainder of the lift is as if you had two Frisbees in your hand and are throwing them straight above your head. You will not be strong enough to do this without having to "catch" the bar in or around the nose area of the face. Turn your wrists under the bar at this time and press out the remaining portion of the lift. DO NOT move your feet or bend your knees to make this portion of the lift easier. The third portion and the fourth portion are combination exercises - the back squat and the push press overhead. Lower the bar to the back of the neck after completion of the muscle snatch and place it squarely on the shoulders. In proper squatting form where you keep the end of the bar BEHIND the toes of the foot and come down to just BELOW parallel, rise up fast and when the legs reach just about full extension begin to press the bar overhead. Lower the bar to the back and repeat. Make sure you come down very smooth and slow to the bottom of the squatting position, but rise up fast enough to give the bar some "jump" overhead. The fifth portion of the lift is accomplished by taking the bar from overhead and placing it in front of the body at arms length. Once in this position, assume the first position we have talked about - the correct athletic stance. Now, instead of stopping the bar at the knee, continue to bend the knee more which will allow the bar to go below the knee. Keep the eyes and back the same as in all other positions, but now place all of the weight of the body on the knuckle of the big toe to the heel. You will NEVER let the heels leave the floor in the bent over row portion of exercise. You should be able to wiggle the big toes while doing this exercise. From this position the bar will be below the knee, but very close to the knee/leg area. While maintaining this position using nothing but the arms, pull the weight to the chest until it touches the chest and return to the starting point. The last and sixth portion of the lift is the RDL, which stands for Romanian Dead Lift. Assume the standing position with the bar in front of the body at arms length and with a SLIGHT bend in the knees, weight on the heel of the foot and not the toes. Let your hips move backward and allow your upper body to bend at the waist and the bar slide along the leg until it goes beyond the knee joint and the upper body is parallel to the floor. When you have reached this bottom position, keeping the weight as mentioned, straighten the body back up to the original starting point. I recommend standing up on the toes once again while shrugging the shoulders. The shrug happens the same way as if someone asked you a question and you did NOT know the answer.

Do six repetitions of each exercise for a total of 36 reps. This will accomplish some of the facts we mentioned earlier. It will give you a tremendous amount of work as you can multiply the number of total reps (36) times the amount of weight lifted to give you the total tonnage of the exercise. Even with small weights such as 30-50lbs, you can lift a large amount of weight if you do 3 to 5 series of the complex. The complex, along with some incline presses, bench presses and some sit ups without feet being grounded and hands on hips should be enough for anyone, much less a beginner in lifting.

Another great point is that once you teach the complex properly and the kids master the technique of each portion, there will NOT be another facet of lifting that will require double teaching. You will be able to assume the correct positions for doing any major lift you will be asked to do, IF you master these positions and movements. You will also master the number one component of all sports - learning how to apply force into the ground which initiates movement.

IF you increase the strength component of the young athletes, then you will increase their speed, too. Speed is no different than "learning" how to do the above exercises properly. You have to learn how to run and move properly. It is a learned activity, just the same as shooting a free throw, throwing a baseball or putting a golf ball. Teach the correct running form by repeating 60 yd runs with a walk back to the start. The coach should position himself around the 50 yd area and instruct each athlete as they come by about some facet of their running. Do not give them more than one aspect to correct per time, per day and per workout. You should instruct the kids to run at 80-90% of capacity for this activity. OBVIOUSLY this will not occur without a thorough and proper warm up. Start with 6 to 8 runs and as the athletes accommodate to it, then you can add more and more reps. You must understand that around 2,000 yards should be max for anyone.

Quickness is the first segment of acceleration/speed and is best developed by developing strength along with some two footed jump drills. I love doing standing long jumps and rockets. Standing long jumps are just what they sound like - stand with the toes behind a line and jump as far as possible marking where the heel hits. Measure the jumps and you will find the faster athletes jump the furthest. The rockets are accomplished by squatting down and placing the fingers BETWEEN the toes and not in FRONT of the toes. Head is up, and back is flat. When you jump, extend BOTH arms as high as possible. As soon as you land, bend the knees and assume the starting position, and go again. If done properly, the exercise will resemble a pogo stick look.

Hope this helps you. I recommend doing the complex on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the running on Tuesday and Thursday. Good luck! I guarantee you if you do this for two months in succession, you will have tremendous athletic development.

There are a lot of things you can do without the convenience of a weight room. You will need access to some chairs and a chin up bar, and you can use your own bodyweight to do the following regime this will accomplish not only body tone and strength, but cardiovascular training as well.

Write the following list on a 5x8 note card that you can carry with you during your exercising. Have the equipment needed already set up and ready to be used before starting. Go from one exercise to the other without rest, continue until you reach the last exercise. Once you complete the last exercise, take a 3 minute rest, or if you know how to, check your pulse and when it returns to around 110 bpm, begin again.

Follow the order of exercise and number of repetitions noted for each.

1. BENCH STEP-UP
With one leg on a solid bench or chair, step up until the leg on the chair is straight-you do not need to put the other foot on the chair as only straightening the leg you have on the chair is needed. Switch feet after the reps have been completed. (10 reps per leg)

2. SIT-UPS
Sitting on the floor without the feet under anything to secure them and hands on hips with your chin tucked to your chest, do a sit up until you almost reach vertical with your upper body, and then come back down to where the shoulder blades touch and repeat. (15 reps)

3. PUSH-UPS
A fairly standard exercise that every athlete should know how to do. Make sure you keep your eyes looking forward and your chest will graze the ground on each rep. Keep the body from "sinking" or jackknifing from the hips. (12 reps)

4. SUPERMAN
While still on the floor, assume the position of superman flying with your hands touching and extended out in front of you and with your feet touching and together behind you. Start by raising the right hand and left leg simultaneously. Switch to the other side and repeat, To finish, raise both hands and both feet at the same time. This works the lower back very well. (8 reps of each movement 8+8+8)

5. FRONT LUNGE
In a standing position with your hands beside you, take a long step forward and allow the opposite knee to graze the ground. Push yourself back to the starting position Stay on this same leg until the required reps have been done. (10 reps per leg)

6. CHIN-UPS
From a secure bar or other apparatus overhead, reach or jump up to the bar with an underhanded grip shoulder width apart, and then pull yourself up until the chin can come over the bar. (10 reps)*
*If you cannot do 10 reps to begin, then do as many as you can but use good form and DO NOT cheat. You will soon be able to reach the desired number. If you are unable to do any reps at this, then see if you can lower the bar and with your body at an angle and the bar at about chest height, use the same grip and pull your chest up to the bar-this is less demanding and may need to be the way to start.

7. KNEE-UPS
Sit with your behind at the edge of a chair and your hands gripping the sides of the chair. Extend your legs in front of you, lift your feet up and pull your knees up to your chest. Extend your legs and allow your feet to come back to the original place. Try to keep the feet from touching and keep a constant movement without jerking. (20 reps)

8. ROCKETS
Start in a squatting position with your hands between your feet (not in front of your toes) and your chest and eyes upward and outward. Jump as high as possible keeping your arms tightly at your sides. Once you hit the floor, go back to the starting position and jump again. (8 jumps or rockets)

The goal is to complete 3 circuits, but you will have to determine your own work capacity. Always remember to start correctly and do not sacrifice proper technique of the exercise to accomplish a required number of reps. If you do it right, it will pay off. Make sure to keep moving after one complete circuit and do not sit down. Try to drink some water and keep walking.

You are not too young to lift, and as a matter of fact, you need to start ASAP.

You also need to try to understand that the quest is not to see how much you can lift to start off with, but rather to start training properly (technique wise) to establish the correct motor pathways for things to follow, and to allow for a total overall body development. Remember when you train to be an athlete, you are training differently than other lifting regimes, but yet again similiar to all.

To quote my old boss, Coach Bear Bryant, "It all counts 6 points when you score regardless of your size and speed". You must understand that if you are a bigger back then more than likely you will not have the blazing speed of smaller backs. With this being said, you can still have great acceleration speed which is much more important in football than is top end speed. Acceleration is from 0-35 yards. If you look at the majority of runs in football, the first 35 yards are certainly the most important. Don't be too caught up in the fact that you cannot run a fast 40 yard dash time, but more concerned on how fast you hit the LOS (line of scrimmage). Don't be something you aren't - hit the line as fast as possible and NEVER dance around in the hole. Each and every time you run the ball, make a quick decision as to where exactly you are going to hit the LOS. When you make your decision then try to run the fastest 10 yard dash of your life. What this does is create yards when there is little or no movement at that point. Another important aspect is that if there is a hole then you will run through the arm tackles on your way to the end zone. If you have some smaller defensive backs (usually safeties) come up to make the tackle on you then make them feel your weight and drop your shoulder on them. When the second half comes around, they will not be as quick to "fill the hole" like they were in the first half.

As to how to increase your quickness and acceleration speed, I suggest you start in the offseason on a well-rounded strength program, jump program, run program and flexibility program. Most of these have been covered in past questions, and if you can refer to the website, you will see the programs I mentioned. One great thing I would suggest for you to do to increase the acceleration speed is hill training and/or sled pulling. If you have a hill near your training site then use it, and if you don't, then go to the stadium steps. Use the following protocol for sled pulling and hill training. Run 3 reps with the sled for a distance of 20 yards with a full 2 minute rest between repetitions. At the end of the 3rd rep, take the sled off and run a rep without the sled. Take a break of 8 minutes and continue to stretch and move (do not sit down) and then run another series the same way. Once your conditioning level jumps up in about 2 months, then add another series. You can do the same thing with hill/stadium running, but run 4, then take the 8 minute break before running another series. Now, it is very important for you at this time to make sure you run 3x50 yard strides at around 80% of max to re-elongate the stride. This is very important when any type of hill work is done, but you do not need to do it when you are running sleds since the last rep of each series will be an unweighted run.

Good luck, and make those tacklers FEEL your size!!

The 40-yard dash is a standard test to demonstrate your 0-40 yard acceleration rate. Just like I stated in previous answers, the ability to run the first 10 to 20 yards is VERY important. If you are a lineman, then it is probably the most important aspect of the test. There are a number of things you will need to do to better your times. I will not go into lengthy detail on each, but rather touch the major aspects. The number one thing is knowing HOW TO RUN. This is accomplished with a good coach and running tempo runs at 80% max effort as well as running drills which break the run down into categories. Another aspect is flexibility. Another aspect is strength with leg strength being the most important. Not to say that total body strength is not important, it is just prioritizing the area that will give you the best results for the 40 immediately. Once you have learned how to run fluidly and without any joint impingement, you have gotten your lower body strength to the correct level for your bodyweight. At that point, you can begin to specialize with work in the area of starts, correct body position to starting, jump training to improve power output, different drills designed to improve the acceleration portion of the run (i.e. wall marches and runs, stadium/sled/hills and parachute training). Now, this seems like a lot and to be truthful it is, but the secret is to have a coach who knows how and when to use these tools to apply them to you to bring out the most of your potential.

A lot depends on how old you are, and what is your classification in school? If you are an upperclassman in high school (Junior or Senior) then you are a perfect size for a linebacker or a tight end. If you possess running skills, then you could easily be a fullback. A lot depends on how old you are, as you will develop a lot from the ages of 13 to18 years old. You may put on 20lbs from one grade to the next during this time span. As far as the speed is concerned, you have enough speed to play a lot of positions.

There are a number of things to consider when improving your bench press. The first thing is how long have you been working out? If you have been at it on a consistent basis for a couple of years, then you will have already made some significant gains. Some suggestions I have are to start adding some dips after your bench press day, as well as adding some tricep extensions with either a barbell or dumbbells. Also make sure you do not bench press more than 2 times per week, preferably a Monday and a Friday. Also you need to create some variance in your workouts, such as doing pauses for 2 seconds on your chest on Fridays. Do not do more than 3 reps per set and stay around 75% of maximum energy to begin with. You can start with 3 sets on the first week, 4 sets on the second week and 5 sets on the third week, and then drop back to 2 sets on the fourth week. Your body will need a recovery week every fourth week to adjust to the work load you have placed it under the previous weeks. Without a proper recovery week of less work and less weight lifted, then the body will not have time to recover/replenish itself from the workload, and if you continue lifting heavy and hard, then you will become over trained, and will most certainly begin to lose not only strength but weight which will in turn make you lose your appetite to train. It will take 2 to 3 weeks to come back from overtraining, and in a lot of cases longer than that. You do not need to concern yourself too much at a young age about how much you can do for one rep, which is maxing out, but rather see if you can obtain 3 reps with increasing weight as time goes by. Too many max days in a short period of time, at a young age, will have an adverse affect on you and your strength levels. You have to learn to become stronger while you are working out, and realize that maximum attempts during the training year should be kept at a minimum. You get stronger by training, rather than by maxing out.

As far as the speed goes, you need to understand one thing-the stronger and more explosive the legs are, then the faster you will become. The two joints I always recommend to strengthen are the ankle and hip. The knee is the fulcrum between these two joints, and will have to move if the other two do. The foot is the first thing that hits the ground, and the reactivity of the ankle/foot will result in your speed. If the foot is on the ground for a longer period-then you are slower, and if it is on the ground for less than one second, then you will be faster. The ankle can be made stronger by doing one legged dumbbell toe raises, and it can be made more reactive by doing reactive jumps. A couple of jumps to do are ankle flips, with your hands on your hips and with very little if any knee bend, jump with just the ankles as the joint of movement. These are more hops than jumps and can be done for 20 yards. Walk back and repeat for 3 to 5 series. Another good ankle jump exercise is the basketball back board touch. You can do the same over a door frame too. With your hands extended over your head, use your ankles to jump up, and as soon as the foot touches the ground, jump back and try to touch the same place with your hands. Remember in both the ankle flips and backboard touches, the heel of the foot should never touch the ground.
The hips are best developed by the barbell back squat. Once you are able to squat double your bodyweight, then that is enough strength to be at your optimum for speed development. Make sure you find a knowledgeable person to teach you the proper way of squatting, and make sure you do not start out with too heavy weight. A lot of problems occur from doing this exercise improperly, and that is why a trained person should be able to watch you squat for at least the first 6 months. Also one legged squats are great. Sit in a chair with your buttocks at the edge of the chair and both feet placed firmly and flat under you. Stand up a few times with your eyes and chest up and without bending forward at the waist. Now if this is easy and you can accomplish without any problem, then remove one foot from the floor and extend that leg forward, and now stand up on the one leg. Do 10 reps with each leg and try to do 3 sets on each leg. Remember, you only have one foot on the ground when you run, and you will need the strength in each leg equally.

Uphill running (up stadiums and up any form of incline) will help the acceleration portion of speed. This is the major factor in most of sport, and should receive the most attention in obtaining. One of the reasons uphill running is good is that the foot is on the ground for a much longer period of time than a level field. This time under tension will create a great speed specific base to build upon. One thing you need to always remember when using an incline of any form to run o, is that when you have finished your prescribed workout for that day, ALWAYS finish up with 2x50 yard strides at around 80% of your max speed. The reason is that when you train a certain way, in this case uphill, it will affect how you run on a flat surface and by “re-educating" the muscles to perform as they will be required to you have made sure the uphill training has provided what it was intended to do without any problems occurring later on.

Another great exercise for athletes that aren't strong enough to begin with is to hook them up to a weighted sled of nominal weight and while maintaining excellent running form, walk for 40 yards. Remember to maintain perfect form and not allow yourself to lean into the walk. This is a good specific strength builder for running as is the uphill work. Also, remember to stretch the calves of the lower leg very well as they will be very sore from the uphill training.

Speed development can be developed by increasing the strength levels of the entire body, especially the hip, legs and ankle area. It can also be developed by learning the correct movement patterns in arm, leg and torso while running at full speed. You need to also understand at this young age, that most of sports are about acceleration rather than top end speed. The exceptions to the rule are track and field and in some instances soccer. So the distance from 0 yds to 30 yds is of the utmost concern, and this is improved when you can increase your power output, which is force x distance divided by time.

Love to hear from a young man that has a passion to try to get better. I hope and pray that this answer will do you justice. It has been my experience that you need to shorten the whole tackling process down to having a person or dummy in front of you and work rep after rep on placing your head properly on the person/dummy with just the fast extension of the legs and hips. Once you have done a good many reps at this position and feel comfortable with how your head is placed and the follow through with the arms on the tackle, then move back a few yards and have the person move from side to side and work on keeping your base under you and placing your head in the proper position for a ball carrier running either right or left. Now, when I say keep your base under you, I mean have your feet shoulder-width apart and your hips located over your feet and not leaning in front of your feet. If your hips get too far in front of your feet, it will be really hard to "put the hat on them" when they cut back. Practice this procedure daily and you will find in a short period of time that you will get the feeling back on how to do it once again. Remember one very important fact - tackling is a learned movement, no different from learning how to shoot a free throw, punt a football, putt a golf ball or throw a baseball. It has to be practiced and perfected. It will always boil back down to that old four letter word – WORK! You cannot be a good tackler by watching film or talking about it. You have to tackle to be a good tackler! You have to understand the proper foot position to make you a safety that RB and WR fear. Good luck!

My suggestion is to go to the website where Morten Anderson teaches kicking in Atlanta, Ga. I know Mort, and I can vouch for his understanding of how to teach a person to kick the ball effectively. He was as natural a kicker as I have ever been around. More importantly, he is a good teacher/coach that can communicate very well with athletes.

I think you just answered your own question. You said that after you changed your hand placement in order to receive the snaps better. Although this may necessitate the center moving the ball around for you to take the laces properly, this can be done without much trouble. I don't think it is anything that you have not already figured out. I'd just have the center change to meet your hand placement, and if the center is able to do this without greatly changing his technique, then you have found the answer yourself. As always, it will take countless numbers of reps to take the snap properly, and you and the center must spend at least a full 10 minute period prior to your practice start time in order to work on nothing but the snap and first step for each of you. Without this exchange, the game cannot take place.

I think I can quickly and easily answer this question. I can answer it as honestly as I will ever answer any question, because the answer was "taught" to me. The answer is simple - block each and every day until the task is learned. Blocking is the same motor function as shooting a free throw or putting a golf ball. It must be done over and over and over again until it is perfected as close as that particular individual can do it. You will need to teach the blocking in the same sequence as you asked the question. First, stay low which will require you show the player where his "aiming point" is located. Then, come off the ball. This is accomplished the same as the start of the 100m race and can be enhanced with jumping exercises. Being aggressive and finishing the blocks is nothing more than attitude and understanding the aspect of blocking properly. It is nothing more than a learned trait. It is going to take some players much longer to "learn" how to block than others, but if you are teaching the blocking techniques at each practice for at least 30 minutes per practice, then the players will learn to block. Make sure you start off with the players close together (only a ball's distance between them) to allow for correct head placement. As the player achieves success at this position, you can back the defensive player (i.e. a linebacker) away from him and then have him learn blocking technique which will require more foot movement. Simple one-on-one drills are the best way to teach blocking. This will in turn teach some of the other ingredients you are also seeking.

Hand strength can be improved in a number of ways, but the easiest and cheapest way of doing so without having to purchase any exercise equipment are the following simple measures. Find some bricks and grip the bricks with only the end of the fingers and thumbs. Then, have your son walk around for 60 seconds carrying the bricks in each hand. Time him and if he doesn't get to 60 sec before dropping the bricks have him pick them up again. After a two minute break, you should repeat. Do this for 3-5 reps. When he is able to accomplish without any trouble, then have him remove one finger at a time. Another great exercise is have your son hang from a chin up bar or limb for a timed period. You should try to achieve two minutes for good/superior hand strength. The other simple means is to purchase some heavy duty putty to squeeze in both hands while doing anything around the house.

I suggest you start off throwing the ball to your son and watching how he positions his hands when receiving the ball. Also watch his eyes to see if he is following the ball into his hands. You want him to focus on the point of the ball and position his hands away from the body and put the trigger fingers together along with the thumbs which will almost make a triangle gap between the hands. Look the tip of the ball into this "triangle" and as the ball enters the triangle, the girth of the ball will cause the hands to collapse on the ball and end up in a catch. This should be started by a very simple means of throwing him the ball while facing him (approximately 10 yards apart) and coach and critique each catch until you "teach" him the correct feel/sight of catching the ball. Once this has been accomplished, then you can increase the complexity of the drills by having him turn halfway around and turn and face you quickly before making the catch and finally turn all the way around and upon your command turn and find the flight of the ball and create the triangle at the same time. Once you have this drill down, then you can escalate to other more complex catches, but you must remember the FIRST MAIN OBJECTIVE - LEARN TO CATCH THE BALL FIRST AND GET FANCY SECOND.

Not only will your son soon acquire the ability to receive better, but it will give the two of you quality time together. This is something that will be remembered by both of you far longer than any of the catches he will make.

I suggest that you break the tackle technique down into steps and teach him the simple aspects before teaching the complex aspects of tackling. First, your son needs to know where and how to place the head when tackling. Have him stand without moving and practice on another teammate until the first aspect is learned to perfection. Then continue to move forward. Just like a golf swing, a basketball free throw, or any other learned skill, the ability to tackle is learned by repetition.

That is a good question. First, I would suggest viewing some of the previous workout programs posted on our website that will give your son strength to throw the ball better. If he increases his overall body strength, then he will be able to ALL things better, including throwing the ball.

One great exercise I used for all quarterbacks is the medicine ball throws against a stationery wall. Stand approximately 3-5 feet in front of a solid wall and hold a medicine ball overhead with both hands. The ball should weigh around 2kg (4lbs). Keep your feet no wider than the arm pits and square your shoulders to the wall at all times without moving them. With the ball overhead and your body square, pick out a point on the wall to throw the ball. You can use a piece of tape to mark the spot. Throw the ball with both hands as hard as you can on the wall and expect for the ball to rebound quickly back to you. When the rebound occurs, catch and throw the ball back as quick and hard as possible.

This exercise develops strength in the same area and is the same release as throwing a football. You can do 15-20 throws before practice each day as a warm-up. It can also be used after practice as a strength builder (which is what I think you are looking for) on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday rotation using 3 sets of 20 throws per set. Rest about 2 minutes between sets.

Remember one more important aspect of throwing the football is leg strength. This is paramount in assisting the throwing of the ball.

The pre-game and pre-practice warm-ups should mirror each other very closely. It has been my experience that most athletes will spend a little extra time on game days warming up or being stretched/loosened prior to the game. I think this is due to time restraints with practice usually starting quickly after classes/meetings. A game is a much more time relaxed atmosphere than practice.

The routine should always have the same theme. First and foremost, the goal should be to create blood flow to the muscles themselves. This is accomplished with movement, which will encompass the major joints of movement- the ankles, knees and hips. With these major joints being moved along with the shoulder girdle area, the athlete is sure to bring blood flow to the muscles that create movement. After the blood flow to the muscles occurs, you should engage in stretching the areas, but not holding the stretches more than 10 seconds.

I always would have the athletes start out with skipping forward for 40yds, and then backward skip for 40 yards followed a side slide, which is a lateral side straddle hop one way for 40 yards then returning the opposite direction. At this time, I would have them stride down and back the same 40 yards. Once they return to the start, I would have them perform a series of squats in place for 10 reps followed by a body rotation of 5 circles to each side and 5 lunges (can be done in any or all planes of movement- forward, lateral, backward, crossover and diagonal). Then, we would do a toe touch stretch where we would place one foot over the top of the other and hold for no longer than 10 seconds.

We would continue to integrate the movement patterns with stretches to the areas. After a few series of each, we would have the athletes get up and perform another 40 yard movement of walking lunges or a low skip and scoop. This would give us another 80 yards of movement and then right back down on the ground for additional movements and stretches. You can build this into a very inclusive package of warming up.

We always would end up with 2x40 yard build ups, where I would give the players a certain percentage of effort to run. Finish with a backward run.

The first and foremost rule for any defensive back is to NEVER let them throw the ball OVER your head for a TD. Now, you have just covered the most important rule of defensive back play. Whether you can look into the backfield to determine the nature of the play depends upon what defense is called – man-to-man or zone. In many zone defenses, the corners are lined up off the ball and can venture a look into the backfield to determine what is being run. On some press zone coverages, where the corners are leveled to take away the short zones, they play it the same as man defense and that requires you to pay full attention to the WR and not allow him to release freely downfield. You need to understand when you play a leveled zone corner or a man corner that you have to disrupt the path of the WR and you have a 5 yard rule in effect for contact. Make the receiver take as long as possible to release from the line of scrimmage before moving downfield as this will allow the pass rush to get to the QB or allow for over the top safety help to come. Remember that time is on your side and the longer it takes the WR to release, the better you do your job. To answer the last part of the question - it is ALWAYS pass first and run second.

Allowing him to quit will be a hard and agonizing decision for you both. If you allow him to quit the first time, then the next time he wants to quit, it will just keep getting easier to where he will not even have to think about it much. I suggest you use this time in his young life to teach some life skills/lessons to him. Let him know that things don't always go your way and you don't always get to win. The most important thing is how you prepare and how you set the example for the other kids. If he sets himself apart from the others by his dedication and pride, then others will follow - I will promise you this. He will thank you 25 years from now for teaching him the things that will make him a valued member of society. By taking a year off, he will lose the skills he has acquired the last 5 years. There never has been anything good accomplished and there never will be anything good accomplished by quitting. This is a crossroad for him as a young man and he needs a strong male figure, like you, to point out the right way to go. In the future, he is going to be faced with the same feelings, but at that point in time the stakes will most likely be much higher.

Congratulations on making your decision to enter the coaching field. It has to be a game that you do truly LOVE and have a thirst and passion to be around. One other important ingredient is that you need to be able to communicate well with people/kids/players. One other main ingredient you need to possess is discipline. You need to portray this discipline and work ethic so the kids will try to duplicate your desire and passion and work ethic for the game. It doesn't matter if you are a great player/athlete or not. Some of the better coaches never played college football, but learned it as you are doing. The game is played at the beginning level by groups of very young kids who do not know or understand a thing about the organized game of football. Make sure when you start with them you have a plan for the steps on how you are going to teach them and for their progression. Do not go too fast for them and make sure that they learn the basic fundaments of football from you at this beginning level. You should be teaching them things like how to line up properly, how to get in a good stance, how to make a block correctly and how to tackle correctly. If you can achieve these things with the aforementioned discipline and work ethic, then you are on your way to becoming a very successful coach that is being a positive, influential force in a young man's life. I wish you all of the luck in the world, and NEVER forget to stick to the basics.

My first suggestion to you is to obtain a teaching degree/certificate if you do not already have one. To do this you can enroll at a local college that offers a degree in education. Next, you should find the best head coach in your area and when his season is over and he has some down time, go by and discuss the option of you coming to either volunteering your time or work as only a coach and receive some compensation for your efforts. If you do not find a good coach to learn from then the ability for you to learn and grow as a coach is going to be shortly curtailed. It may take some convincing on your part to persuade the coach to allow you to help, but persistence is a great asset. Once you have your foot in the door and can understand ALL aspects that coaching entails then you can make the decision to step out on your own or stay where you are. I know of no other way to attack your problem. Make sure you have your ducks in a row when you go speak to the head coach - be truthful and open about your intentions.

Check out my answer to a previous question about creating gaps for the running back and the part about the RB's hitting the hole with only one cut and as fast as they can. This is a big part of the answer for you and anybody else who runs the ball. Looking at the majority of long runs with teams today, the number of them that hit it running and not dancing in the hole is far greater for the fast, hard hitters of the hole, with the one cut mentality.

One of the best tried and true drills that can ever be used for the running backs as well as the offensive blockers and the defenders is the one-on-one blocking/tackling drill between the dummies. It teaches the back about gaining the tough yards first and allows the RB to understand that there will more than likely be some contact at the point of attack. At this point, he needs to initiate it and run through the arm tackles that should occur if the offensive blocker is doing what he is asked to do. It is a great drill that can help out everyone involved in the drill. I would use a lot of this in the off season and limit the reps during the season, but still brush up on the quality and speed of the drill by having each back get 3-5 reps once or twice earlier in the week. You can do a lot of coaching with the kids who, at their age group, need all of the understanding about how the game should be played as they can handle. They need to understand that the successful teams run the ball well and defend the run well. You can do both in one simple drill.

If you teach a young athlete that it is alright to quit or just for the sake of it change teams, then it is a pretty hard and sometimes gut wrenching decision to make. But faced with the same decision the second time, the quitting or changing becomes easier and easier to where you hardly even have to think about it. I think you should stay with the team you had initially placed him on and if he is the star player of that team then he has the opportunity to inspire others to be as good as he is. In my humble opinion, I believe if you are not loyal to your employer, team, family, friends and whatever life situation you can name, then you are just that much less of a good example for people in general. You have a good opportunity NOW to teach a life lesson about what lies ahead for him 20-30-40 years from now. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO SET THE EXAMPLE, and just as importantly tell the young man WHY you are making this decision.

I know the glitz and glamour of possibly better coaching and a team is intriguing, but my finding is that they very seldom turn out to be the bang for your buck that you so desire.

Football for you was fast and furious when it started, and you had some years to mature before starting. When you started you probably were behind in technique of how to read flow, drops and keys, but you were a good athlete and ended up playing college ball. Go back to your first days on the football field, and try to understand what your first days were like. I have said this many times to many coaches - don't get the cart before the horse. Every coach wants his players to be "the best", but they forget about the learning curves that have to first take place to master the basic techniques of football. This is what you should be teaching and should continue teaching every single day you are with these kids because playing linebacker, whether you are 10 years old or 30 years old is about the same thing - taking on a block and getting rid of the blocker, tackling, reading your keys, knowing your coverage areas and playing aggressively. Throw in there the understanding of where to line up and you just about have it. Now, there are a lot more subtle things to learn as you move forward, but you CANNOT move forward until you learn the basic fundamentals. It has been my finding that the best coaches are those that focus on the fundamentals. They put out the best players, too.

If you go back and look at all of the successful head coaches of the last 50 years, you will find they were strict technique teachers, which makes their teams tough and hard to beat because as the opposing team you have to be just as well coached on your fundamentals or you be beaten at the point of contact.

My suggestion is to slow it down and teach the basic fundamentals. I promise you that during mid-season to the end of the season, you will see marked improvement in the skills linebackers need to play the game the correct way.

Most kids at this age are not aggressive when it comes to blocking and tackling the proper way, but it can be taught just like our education system where kids begin by learning their ABC's and progress to Algebra and much more in depth studies. Football is no different. The better the teachings early on and with proper support from home, the child will flourish. With the proper football gear on, have the young man learn a good stance first and foremost. He should stand with his feet shoulder width apart, head up, back flat and with his hips down. You can start out with a hand held dummy and teach him to roll over the balls of his feet and extend his legs quickly, while placing his head in the correct position. MAKE SURE HE KEEPS HIS EYES UP!! Have him do this time and again. Then, teach the natural swing or throw of the arms to wrap up the tackle. If you start a young person slow and understand that it will take considerable time before he reaches the finished product, then you are on the right path. You cannot go out there and throw him into a full scale scrimmage and expect him to tackle like Dick Butkus. Many, many, many reps need to be done before he engages in hitting another person, as this certainly changes the difficulty of tackling. When the proper technique of "how to do it" is learned, then it will lessen the fear of tackling a person, but you have to remember that as I stated earlier, it is going to take a lot of time and even years to accomplish.

On the same note, by teaching a young person how to play football I truly believe you have one of the last bastions of teaching life's skills to young people. You are teaching these kids things that they are going to have to rely on in the everyday world of today. Again, as we mentioned at the onset, that the better teachers (coaches) will do the best jobs of teaching and have more "successful" players/students. They will teach them the things that will carry them through life-discipline, work, team chemistry/bonding and winning. These are lessons that are learned from just the simple beginnings of football.

In closing to this question, be patient. Do not negatively coach this kid because if it takes him until he is a senior in high school and all he ends up playing is in a backup capacity, he STILL has learned and achieved far more, than when he first started. YOU can take pride in the fact that you helped him through the hardest phase-the learning phase!! You will take great pride in your efforts (as all teachers and coaches should) when they see their students/athletes go on to become good people/players.

I suggest taking a look at the Football Curriculum videos under HS Player Development on this site. Look at the Stance videos of different positions to get the basics of the 3 pt. stance. Another drill to have the kids try is to do the 3 pt stance in the mirror. This will allow the kids to see if the are unbalanced.

That is a great question! I don't know that I can honestly give you a definite age. There are so many aspects of look at when answering a question of this scope. This is my belief - any kid needs at least one year of preparatory work before he begins tackle football. I know from being a father of a son who played football that you need to be VERY patient with their development. All parents think they are housing the next Joe Namath, but that is just not true for the most part.

With all that being said, I would pick the ages of 8-10 years old. I think this will give them ample time to develop their abilities into fine senior high football players. In this case, they should have at least one good year of preparatory work prior to their eighth birthday.

You are right in the middle of the age for your son to better himself. If he is a late bloomer, then all the better. You can improve footwork just like you can improve any other learned motor skill, but you have to understand the flip side of that statement-there is a lot of work involved in learning/improving. More than likely your son has unreactive ankles, which makes him more flat footed or heel prone when running. Check him out as he strides/runs down the field and see what part of his foot strikes the ground first. If his heel hits first, which I suppose is the case, then he is preventing himself from moving forward and his lower leg is not responsive. He should be told and taught that he needs to let the ball of the foot strike the ground first as this allows the foot to be placed underneath him and allows his hips to move forward. By having his heels hit first, then his leg is extended in front of his hips and this is not conducive to speed development or foot speed.

One of the best exercises to use to help create ankle reactivity and coordination is rope jumping. Have your son start with going 15-20 seconds per rep and teach him how to cock the ankle where he strikes on the ball of his foot, but not on his toes, which will elevate the heel of the foot too much. He will feel the strong position when he lowers his heel to the ground. This will create a muscle memory of the correct position to be in when moving his feet. Expand his time and reps to whatever he can handle and once he has the ability to go for 60 seconds without missing, then have him go one footed. There are a number of other exercises that he can use to develop this aspect of ankle reactivity, but he must finish each workout with his proper sequence of steps that is required of his QB coach. He will develop quicker and better foot agility, but he needs to rehearse his actual movements, where he can put his newfound quality into actual football movements. Just like with any other learned motor skill this will take time and reps and consistency and most athletes get bored by the same old thing. Once you see this happening, then shoot me another question and I will show you another stage to go to that will keep his attention and will continue his progress.

This is a good question, and it is one that every parent should ask themselves. I truly believe 100% that if your school has a solid and competitive track program that this (track) is the best sport to help out football players. The number one ingredient in football is speed, and there is nothing better to help develop a young person than a good track coach and a competitive track program. Regardless of whether your son is a lineman or not, he has to be able to run. It will also get your son in great shape, and if he is a lineman then it will keep him from getting too big which is what I am seeing with a lot of high school linemen today.

Another thing your son needs to start is a well designed and implemented strength program under the guidance of a qualified teacher/coach.

Good question and a question that should interest many people. Punting a football is like so many other aspects of sport - it is a power movement. The most explosive/athletic person who has the same capabilities will punt the ball the farthest. The things you need to do, that we've outlined for players on this website before are the same things that your son should do to become a better punter. You will notice as his strength/power exercises continue to get better, his punting will do the same. His hang time will be a few tenths of a second better and his distance will be a few yards further. As he continues to progress athletically, then he will progress as a punter. He must understand that he always needs to continue punting the football and that it is a learned trait just as putting a golf ball or shooting a free throw. The more he does it the better he will become, but he has to make some improvements before he will make the large jumps in hang time and yardage. Also make sure your son practices directional punting. He should be able to place a punt where he wants it to land.

You need to do exactly what your coach tells you to do. You have to remember one piece of information - when you stop your feet or slow down and wait there are 11 defensive people coming to get you. It is in your best interest to get what you can on each and every play since not on all plays do things "open up" for you to run for a TD. Most of the gains are made by explosive moves into the designated holes. Great vision and great acceleration are two major ingredients for a productive RB. I heard it phrased best from a coaching friend – “you get to make one cut and then you are running toward the goal line”. Offensive linemen cannot block a defensive lineman for very long so you need to mesh with their blocking scheme and moments of contact to make the most yards. Your coach is coaching you exactly right – now the rest is up to you.

I suggest a 3 point stance. With this being said, there are some little points I’d like to give you. Work on putting the hand down that is closest to the gap of responsibility. For instance, if you are a right defensive tackle (2 technique) and you are playing on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard, put your left hand on the ground. If you are playing on the inside shoulder of the same offensive guard, put your right hand on the ground. This will coordinate your feet and aiming point a lot easier. Another good thing to remember is to place your hand in front of the shoulder so you are placing a lot of weight on the hand on the ground. This will make you come off the ball with the correct back and leg angle to create as much power into the offensive lineman as possible. If your hand is underneath you too much, it will allow you to stand up straight quicker and easier and you will not be able to deliver the blow to the offensive lineman as well. Next, work with your hand placement, and as with any and all skills/techniques in football, you must work tirelessly everyday to perfect these movements.