The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Every coach has been trying to figure out just what's going to happen with the 2020 football season. From state to state there seems to be just as much uncertainty today as there was 3 months ago. This week's episode of The Football Coaching Podcast takes a look at the questions your coaching staff needs to address to get ready. This is not about what's going to happen. None of us really know what is going to happen with COVID-19. It's actually about preparing your football program for what could happen this season. What Could Happen This Season? There are multiple possibilities. Things could turn out pretty good (at least from a football standpoint). It could turn out very bad. This is not about any scientific or political beliefs you hold personally. It's about being prepared for very real possibilities. From state to state, we will all be dealing with different situations. We've already seen different plans within the same state, like California and Texas. To keep track of what's happening around the country, there's a state-by-state look here. Possibilities for the 2020 Football Season Many states are still on track to start on time, or within a week to two weeks of the planned starting time. None of that is official until teams actually start stepping onto the field. But even for those coaches that are getting back to practice as expected, there are a lot of issues to plan for. This episode addresses the issues you need to expect in the 2020 football season even when starting on time. Then there are states with a longer delay planned. Anywhere from one to two months. Several of those plans include shortened seasons. You're already dealing with a shortened off-season as well. How much do you need to simplify your playbooks? Other states have looked at flipping some spring sports with the fall season sports, or moving football entirely to the spring this year. Those longer delays can open up a whole new can of worms - like totally flipping the weather dynamic. Is it better to play in 100 degree weather when you're just starting, or fatigued from the season? I don't know that answer. And then there's the elephant in the room. What about a situation where you don't even have a 2020 football season? Not in 2020. Not in Spring 2021. Not at all. Scary, but a very real situation. One that Spring 2020 sports already had to face. Prepare for Adversity This Year There's a lot of questions. This episode doesn't even touch on all the possible questions that could be asked. I'll be working with our JDFB Coaching Systems clients to get better insight on the big issues each scenario causes through the next 6 months or more. One thing is sure. Teams that are prepared for the adversity of the 2020 football season are going to fare better than the teams that are not. There are opportunities for your program to get ahead despite all the uncertainty that has been caused by COVID-19 this year. Check out this episode for some of the steps your program can take to find those opportunities.

Coaching defensive line technique for young players can be frustrating. There's a world of bad habits and natural instincts you've got to break. During Season 7 of The Football Coaching Podcast we've looked at how to use some of the core principles from JDFB Coaching Systems to solve problems. Those core principles include shows on coaching using ASKA and pulling levers for constant improvement. Now it's time to apply those concepts to defensive line technique and solve those problems we see all the time with young defensive linemen learning the position. Top 5 Defensive Line Technique Issues Football is a complicated game. With JDFB I'm always working to simplify it for coaches. That will simplify the game for players. We're focusing on 5 big technique issues that Defensive Linemen at the High School level often have. 1. Staying Low: Every defensive line coach knows this one. We're constantly screaming about pad level. Low man wins! There's some critical levers to pull with your ASKA to solve this one. Honestly, if you can fix this problem your defensive line is going to be significantly better regardless of what else you manage to improve. 2. Eyes in the Backfield: You know that look. When you've got a defensive lineman trying to look over the shoulder of his blocker. That's not a good thing. Let's fix that technique issue too. 3. Getting Trap Blocked: Seems simple. Don't get up the field. But the levers you need to pull to solve that problem are a lot more complex. Kind of like telling a wide receiver to just CATCH THE BALL! We'll pull the levers to solve this defensive line technique problem. 4. Staying Blocked: The ability to get off blocks is critical for defensive linemen. They need to use active hands to get off the block. We'll look at some drills and coaching cues to make this happen. 5. Losing Quarterback Contain: It's not the top-of-mind issue for coaches. But this is a defensive line killer. Losing contain on an athletic quarterback when you have great coverage is a disaster. It often extends the drive for an otherwise sputtering offense. Find out how to solve this issue when you listen to the podcast. Constant Improvement Using the ASKA principle and the Levers method gets constant improvement for your defensive line technique. Follow the concepts that I'll talk about in this episode and apply them to any position on your football team if you want to keep getting better all season long. This episode of The Football Coaching Podcast uses critical elements of JDFB Coaching Systems. You don't need to run every front, every coverage that we teach to get the most out of our systems. They are a framework for your football team to maximize the performance of your football players. Click here to find out more about JDFB Coaching Systems and get instant access to 5 Complete Coaching Systems and all of the resources JDFB clients enjoy.

You can argue if it's the best, but the power blocking scheme is definitely one of the most used running plays in football today. On this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we're doing a deep dive into all the details of this great gap blocking scheme attack. Gap Blocking vs. Zone Blocking I'm biased. Power is a core run play in The Pistol Power Offense System. But the other primary blocking scheme is the zone run game. So we get started with a discussion about Gap Blocking vs Zone Blocking schemes. Inside Zone and Outside Zone runs are like pattern matching on defense. That means they take whatever you do on the other side of the ball and use it against you. There's nothing soft about zone blocking. But there is a somewhat passive nature about zone blocking. We're letting you make the decision on how we're going to beat you. With the Power blocking scheme, it's the opposite. This is a gap blocking play. The offensive line is going to create a seam where we want it, when we want it. Gap blocking schemes like Power use angles and numbers to create an advantage and open the hole whether you want us to do it or not! Blocks for Running Power Now that we've established the difference in gap schemes vs zone schemes, it's time to work through the rules of the Power blocking scheme. It starts with identifying the different types of blocks your players need to execute. Down blocking is critical in any gap scheme play. Power is no different. Base blocks aren't used very often, but we'll talk about them too. The combo is the other major feature of the power blocking scheme - a double team at the point of attack against most defensive fronts. That's where you force the issue to create your run lane. Of course you have the other two notable features of a power run play. The kickout block on the defensive end, and wrapping the back side Guard to block the play side Linebacker. There's intricate details of angle and footwork you've got to teach to get the most of out your play. Those details are also in the podcast. Power Blocking Scheme Rules And finally, you need a set of rules. When you're a Coach Simple, Play Fast, Win offensive coach you have to keep those rules in check. There can't be a lot of if-then situations. I'm not going to blow your mind with the basics of Power. It's more about the little details. That's what makes this play work for absolutely any offensive attack. You use angles to create the running lane and get great at the play because you keep it simple. Blocking Assignments for Power If the Guard is covered, and Center uncovered combo between Guard and Tackle. If the Guard is uncovered, combo between Tackle and Tight End. If the Guard is covered and the Center is covered everybody down blocks. Center always blocks back. Tight End, if not in the combo, blocks the A Gap Area. Back side Guard wraps to block the back side number of the play side Linebacker. Back side Tackle hinges. H-Back, Fullback, whoever your kick out guy is going to be based on formation - kicks out the man on or outside the Tight End. With no Tight End, it's the man on or outside the Tackle. Flexibility of the Power Blocking Scheme Finally, this podcast closes out with a look at how versatile the blocking scheme really is. This is not just one play. In fact, in the Pistol Power Offense System we built an entire series around it. Click here to get my free 3 video series on the Power Series! Power Read. 'G' Power. 1-Back Power. Counter and Counter Trey. You can get a lot of mileage out of this one single gap blocking scheme. So invest in it! Listen to this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast to get all the details on running the Power Blocking Scheme. Then subscribe so you don't miss great new episodes coming out every week.

Time to put the finishing touches on that defensive playbook to get ready for the upcoming season. How much do you need in it? The biggest problem many coordinators will run into this season is not going to be not having enough play calls. It's going to be having a defensive playbook that is too big. And for no reason. When you're using a Coach Simple approach, that defensive playbook needs to only include the calls you absolutely need. Especially with a shortened off-season. Check out this podcast to find out just how much you need in your defensive playbook this season.

Understanding horizontal and vertical seams is critical to your run fits on defense. Let's take a deeper look at the concepts. This concept is a big one in run fits. Understanding horizontal and vertical seams, and how to pull the levers to fix those seams for your force defenders, is one of the fastest ways to improve your defense. Seams is a fancy word for run lanes… or run lanes is a fancy word for seams. They can happen horizontal to the line of scrimmage, or perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. But the issue remains, when you have seams in your defense, you create run lanes for the offense. In this episode we'll explain what horizontal and vertical seams are, how they create run lanes, why they happen, and how to fix them. This is a critical episode if your defense has had trouble maintaining force on the perimeter. Show Links Pulling Levers for Constant Improvement: FBCP S07E06 Coaching the ASKA Principle: FBCP S07E03

What does it take to run a Championship caliber 4-3 Defense? Find out from Coach Dave Dugan. Bishop-Fenwick High School in Massachusetts is a perennial title contender and their 4-3 Defense run by Defensive Coordinator Dave Dugan is a big contributor to that success. Coach Dugan joins The Football Coaching Podcast to talk about what's worked in building his defensive attack. Find out how this brand of the 4-3 Defense teaches simple Linebacker reads and a pattern match Cover 2 coverage to shut down their opponents. Plus you'll find out how you can prepare your team with a short off-season - because in Massachusetts they do it every year!

Strength calls are important to get your best players in position to make the play. Here's how to use them. There's a reason defensive coaches make strength calls. But there's a lot of thought that needs to go into those strength calls. In this episode we'll talk about how to make your strength calls fast, make them easy, and make them work for your defense. Because if they're not helping your defense, they're making your defense worse.

Do you have a plan for when your team gets to start practicing again? Here's the Do's and Don'ts. In some areas, coaches are getting to start working with their players again. In other areas, that time is still a long way off. But you need to have a plan. I'll share the 7 things you cannot do if you want to have success in the 2020 season when teams start getting back to work. Plus the plan for teams getting back to work in June, July, August and beyond.

The concept of using Levers to get constant improvement on the field has fascinated me. Here's how to make it work for you. Nothing has changed the way I look at coaching football in the last twelve months like the concept of pulling levers. It takes everything I've learned about coaching and puts it into a systematic approach to constant improvement. I love the levers concept because it builds on the ASKA principle we've been using with our defensive position groups for several years. Now you can use that ASKA principle to create levers you can pull - like buttons to press - to get incremental improvement all season long.