Engagement Matters

T

he game of football by its basic nature is a physical sport. Players run into one another in some fashion or another on every play; blocking and tackling are the most basic fundamentals to playing the game. Albeit that engagement is necessary in playing the game, teaching how to engage, is another matter. Many football players are unable to maximize their physical abilities because they have not been exposed to the basic concepts frequently enough. Instead of teaching posture and leverage, players are allowed to run the drill; as coaches, we substitute effort and emotion for doing things right. Not all players are inclined to be physical in nature. This does not mean that the person cannot become a good player. I believe that we can promote a great deal of confidence in a player by how we practice the contact part of the game. It is my contention that we must put players into a position, frequently and supportively, to enhance their development, thus promoting confidence and enjoyment. Placing a player in the ideal engagement position, then moving them into this position, after which we add stimuli, would be the natural progression toward teaching a player the importance of how to engage another player. How we practice the contact part of the game will affect the player’s physical, mental and emotional outlook on the sport of football. How much contact, the tempo used to teach contact and who you practice contact against are all issues that coaches have to deal with. A starting player may have as many as 600-800 hits in a season of 10 games. Players will wear down throughout the season and become more susceptible to injury. It is important to keep players fresh while continuing to practice the basic fundamentals. Our philosophy is to practice our first team players together, thus we have to define the tone of that particular session. TAG, thud and live are terms used to describe the tempo (tone) we want to practice at. TAG is used when practice gear is limited, therefore limiting contact. It means we run a play full speed but the defense will only get into position to make the play. Thud is the most commonly used tempo. It is live blocking and contact with a ballcarrier but we do no tackle low or attempt to take the ball carrier down. Live means that the tempo is game like and the ball carrier must be tackled. Whenever we

go live we determine the number of reps that will be used rather than allocating a certain amount of time. We work hard to promote competition for a position but we do not stress winning/losing with a teammate. We do not want to have a division existing amongst players on the opposite side of the ball. Wide receivers are an example of the positive examples that come from being engagement conscious. More big plays result from their perspective on being physical than from any other position. Our wide receivers block exceptionally well. It is a fundamental skill that is demanded of them, therefore, they practice it a great deal. The toughness and discipline they exhibit not only makes them better receivers, because they are more aggressive to the ball, but it becomes a positive influence on all other offensive players who are called to block on a regular basis. The reciprocal part of this is that our defensive backs are difficult to block and they too are more aggressive driving on thrown balls and hitting on receivers. Incidentally, our offensive statistics for a 10 game season bear out a balance of running and throwing but they also show that yards per play were excellent.

Engagement Matters

Mike Plinske Defensive Coordinator

10 Game Statistics Runs: 413 Yards: 1,882 TD: 27 Passes: 304 Yards: 2,199 TD: 14 As a staff, we continually evaluate the structure of practice to insure that we are meeting the objectives established for that practice. How we teach, how much we practice, against whom we practice, and results are monitored on a regular basis. A factor in determining the make-up of our practices are the injuries we have incurred throughout the season. We lose very few players to injuries that occur during practice partly because of the structure of our practices. Although, at one point during the season we had one healthy defensive lineman out of the four we rotate, due to game injuries. The practice outline for a typical Tuesday during the season will show that there is quite a bit of contact. Practice con sists of 24 five minute periods. Tuesday - Fundamentals of Contact Individual (position): Seven to nine periods (Two periods devoted to a five sta tion tackling circuit). Special Teams: Three periods of thud tempo, punt & kickoff.

• Proceedings • 77th AFCA Convention • 2000 •

Bethel College St. Paul, Minn.

Tandem (front two vs. two), Option: Two periods of live tempo. Hull (front eight), One-on-One: Approximately six reps of live tempo. Goal Line, First and Goal on Seven: Live tempo. Outcome determines next play Skelly: 2-3 periods of thud tempo. Team First Down: Two periods of thud tempo. Scout Team (Opponent Run Plays): Two to three periods. • TAG, thud, and live are terms that suggest the tone. • First down situations are practiced on Tuesday, third down situations on Wednesday. When we practice our first offense and

first defense together, we are looking for execution of alignment and then assignment. We will constantly remind them of not only the situation being practiced but the tone of that session as well. We use a videotape that has all of our engagement drills on it to teach our players how to perform the fundamental and what it looks like to execute the drill. Going from simple to difficult and easy to complex insures the players that there is a natural progression and encourages their approach to the drill. It also causes a relationship between coach and player that is built on respect and trust. Coaches should monitor the tempo and frequency of engagement sessions so that

players are able to practice and practice well. While the bottom line is to get your players to play hard, you want to practice the things that will enable you to get better. My point in this whole matter of engagement is that we as coaches should engage our players in a caring, constructive, teaching and supportive manner so as to promote an appropriate response from them. Players will do things right more frequently, they will develop confidence in their abilities and, therefore exude a positive behavior that make playing the game a meaningful experience. Coaches will enjoy coaching, players will enjoy playing and success will be a by-product of doing things right.

NCAA Football and NAIA Football Promotional Programs Benefit College Football at All Levels For the first time in the history of intercollegiate athletics, the AFCA, NCAA, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) have joined together to create NCAA Football.

Board of Directors: NCAA Football will have a 14member board comprised of 10 Division I-A conference representatives, one Division I-AA conference representative, one NCAAstaff representative, one AFCA representative and one NACDA representative.

The coalition announced a partnership to improve, preserve, promote and market the game of college football. The program is expected to generate ‘new’ dollars that will go to athletics departments at all levels.

Who Benefits?: NCAA Football will take the collective initiative of conference commissioners, football coaches, athletic directors and the NCAA to create, with corporate America, specific initiatives to promote college football. Revenue generated will be directed back to a national marketing fund established to build and promote college football. Participating institutions will receive revenues for usage of their marks.

The organization will be charged with heightening interest in and awareness of college football. It will market and promote the game on a national level by developing a marketing fund for promotions, licensing, merchandising, media, hospitality and grass-roots initiatives. What Is NCAA Football?: NCAA Football represents a coalition of AFCA, NCAA, NACDA and the CCA formed to improve, preserve and promote the game of college football. It is the first time these groups have pooled their resources under one umbrella for the betterment of college football. We call this “The Power of One.”

What Institutions Will Participate?: All 566 NCAA football-playing institutions will have the opportunity to participate in the program. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is developing a similar program called NAIA Football . For information on NCAA Football and on NCAA Football decals for your school’s football helmets, contact Host Communications at 972-778-7700.

Mission Statement: To improve, preserve and promote the game of college football for those who play the game, those who coach the game and for those who support the game. Where Did NCAA Football Begin?: The opportunity to promote college football on a national level got its start in several places. NCAA Football evolved from the 125th Anniversary celebration of college football and College Football USA. College Football USA was an initiative begun by the AFCA and NACDA.

• Proceedings • 77th AFCA Convention • 2000 •