Hearing that Coach Jay resigned was an immediate shock for me, but after thinking more about the situation, it made sense. Coach Jay was gettin’ pretty old by now, I mean he had been the head coach for our football team for about 25 years by the time I ever stepped foot onto the team. He was old but his strength and willpower from when he used to play the game always showed. Behind this strength though was a gentle and caring man, who cared more about his players than anything. If I was going to come in and coach even just one game, I’d have a lot to live up to.
Regardless, I agreed to coach their opening game of the year. I visited the school to see what I had to work with. The varsity team had a good mix of size and speed, and a few kids stood out in particular for their ability. Our QB however, was a true freshman starting on varsity. I knew instantly that the outcome of this first game would depend on his nerves. Throughout the week of practice I was there for, I wanted to try something interesting for my way of coaching. So I personally lined up on the defense for certain practice drills (wearing 20lb ankle weights for a handicap). I wanted to teach the DB’s first hand the techniques that I used to quickly accelerate, or locate the ball. And show them what to look for in a QB’s movements, that might give you some insight on where he’s about to throw the ball. During these practices too, I talked with our QB, and told him these same clues that I look for, that way he could start practicing avoiding making those subconscious signals. While we only had a week of practice together, the group’s dynamics were already starting to evolve.
As we took the field for week 1 of the season, I knew that these kids were ready to rock. Our DB’s played lights out, putting their new skills to good use, they were able to read the opposing QB and make quick breaks on the football. We had 5 INT’s that first game. And on offense, our QB played pretty well too, even though he did throw a pick of his own on our first possession. He immediately knew his mistake though and corrected well for the following drives. For my first game ever coached, I think I did well to help the team reach their 40-24 victory.
Regardless, I agreed to coach their opening game of the year. I visited the school to see what I had to work with. The varsity team had a good mix of size and speed, and a few kids stood out in particular for their ability. Our QB however, was a true freshman starting on varsity. I knew instantly that the outcome of this first game would depend on his nerves. Throughout the week of practice I was there for, I wanted to try something interesting for my way of coaching. So I personally lined up on the defense for certain practice drills (wearing 20lb ankle weights for a handicap). I wanted to teach the DB’s first hand the techniques that I used to quickly accelerate, or locate the ball. And show them what to look for in a QB’s movements, that might give you some insight on where he’s about to throw the ball. During these practices too, I talked with our QB, and told him these same clues that I look for, that way he could start practicing avoiding making those subconscious signals. While we only had a week of practice together, the group’s dynamics were already starting to evolve.
As we took the field for week 1 of the season, I knew that these kids were ready to rock. Our DB’s played lights out, putting their new skills to good use, they were able to read the opposing QB and make quick breaks on the football. We had 5 INT’s that first game. And on offense, our QB played pretty well too, even though he did throw a pick of his own on our first possession. He immediately knew his mistake though and corrected well for the following drives. For my first game ever coached, I think I did well to help the team reach their 40-24 victory.