The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

You've got those really cool blitzes in your package. And you love to bring the heat. But when is the right time? Or is there a right time? Rather than just calling your blitzes at random, how about using some reason and logic behind them? In Episode 135 of The Football Coaching Podcast, I'll tell you my 7 top reasons to use a blitz when calling a game.

Game Planning gets this mystic wonder attached to it. Fans often confuse a team being better at executing, with a coach having a great game plan. The truth is that game plans rarely will win you the football game. And the pursuit of the perfect game plan can help you coach yourself right out of a victory. So what should you be looking for? What do you need to do to prepare the perfect game plan? This month I am releasing The Game Planning eCourse for JDFB Insider Members. We'll look at every aspect of preparing a great game plan. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we scratch the surface of preparing your Offensive game plan.

Coach Simple. Play Fast. Win. That's the message with Joe Daniel Football. But how does it apply to the field? This year I've been working harder than ever to simplify. To give our kids the bare essentials of instruction that produce the results. Kind of 80/20 approach. 80% of the results are produced by 20% of the coaching that we give our kids. So why not cut out the other 80% of verbiage, drills, and detail? All the stuff that is clouding up our football player's heads. In Episode 133, I'll share 5 tips that are helping us to keep it simpler during the 2015 Football Season. At the time I recorded this, we were less than 24 hours removed from the first scrimmage. And while it wasn't great, we are far ahead of last season.

The first day of practice is almost here. And in Virginia, that means 3 days with just helmets. 2 days in helments and shoulder pads. How can we get the most out of the opening of camp? I used to think those first 3 days were a waste. They're not. Football practice without pads can be a huge benefit for your team. You can get your playbook installed, but there's even more. Focus on footwork. Teach attack angles. Learn how to practice fast, without contact. But safety is still your number one concern. I'll give you some pointers on staying safe during your pads-free practice, too.

In 2004, I was captivated by the idea of throwing on every down. Chris Hatcher had me hooked. The Air Raid is absolutely brilliant. With just a handful of passing concepts, a simplistic running game, and a few screens and draws, you can make sure the defense is never right. Like every other scheme in football, it doesn't always turn out that way on the field. But it sure is a cool idea. While the offense is still being used, it's not as revered as it once was. You can look back to the '90s, when Kentucky's passing offense took the SEC by storm. Hatcher's teams that dominated Division II Football. And of course, Mike Leach throwing the ball all over the lot at Texas Tech. Not to mention, Tony Franklin System teams were dominating High School Football. When we look at the landscape today, it doesn't look quite as bright for the Air Raid. Leach and Kliff Klingsbury have struggled recently, as has Hatcher. (for what it's worth, I'm not a TFS member so I can't say for sure - but Tony seems to have evolved...) That doesn't mean it's not fun to talk about! So sit back and listen to Episode 131 of The Football Coaching Podcast. We're talking Mesh, Y-Shallow, Y-Stick, and just generally chucking the football all over the field!

You need to be prepared for anything, and that goes far beyond X's and O's. These are 8 important parts of your program that need to be addressed before practice starts.

How you install your defense shouldn't be scary. There's no right way to do it - but there's a lot of wrong ways. Coaches are often concerned way too much with how much to install, how fast. That's not the big issue. If you install too much, too fast, it's because you have too much in your playbook. It's a whole different issue - but one that I'll address in this podcast too. No, your bigger conern is not how much or how fast. The question is, is your focus in the right place? When you start installing all kinds of whacky defensive fronts and blitzes, your focus is no longer on the kids. Your focus is now on the X's and O's. That doesn't win football games. Listen to Episode 129 of The Football Coaching Podcast to find out how you can keep your focus where it needs to be when you install your defense this season.

I love the Wing-T Offense. So here's what I think about it. I'll tell you a basic overview of how I view the Wing-T Offense. It's incredibly versatile, but there are some basic rules. Then I'm going to give what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of running this type of scheme. If you're a Wing-T Guru, maybe you'll hear some things you agree with and some things you don't. For coaches who may not know a whole lot about the Wing-T, I hope this will spark you to learn a little more.

There's a lot of myths about tackling. But the truth of coaching better tackling is much simpler. I always hear coaches talking about violence. There's some misguided idea that if you don't lay the lumber you can't play defense. In reality, the whole goal of tackling is to get the man with the football on to the ground. He doesn't need to be hurt. We don't need cracked ribs, or snot bubbles (yes, a The Program reference). We just need him down on the ground, not gaining any more yards. How do you make that happen? It's not some special sauce. You don't need to hire some tackling guru. I do like what I've seen of USA Football by the way, I just don't believe that alone could fix your tackling woes. The key to better tackling is to coach specifically what you want from your kids in a tackle. Build confidence in their own abilities to make a tackle. And then get some help for them. 1 on 1 tackling is always going to be a tough job. The kids who carry the football are usually the best athletes on the field. If they weren't... well, they'd play more defense. But 3 on 1 is always good odds. By pursuing to the football, defeating blocks, and getting better with our reads and keys, tackling will automatically improve. More guys to the football means more chances to finish the tackle.

It's a huge Mail Bag episode today! Plus a short interview with Coach Ricky Coon from Southeast Missouri State. Here's what's on the menu... What are some key tips for a first year Head Coach? How should I adjust my practice plan for Junior High football? What adjustments do we make to the practice plan schedule for Training Camp? How do you align your corners for Cover 3? What are the 5 Defenses every coach should study? How do you hold the Linebackers on the Jet Sweep? Big mailbag show. Dive in and find some good stuff.