O Line Skills

And just like that… summer is over and another football season begins.

At our preseason “Meet the Coaches,” for both parents and players, one of the most important things we discuss has very little to do with football. It is about having the courage to give—and receive—honest feedback.

Too often, people soften feedback because they care more about how the conversation feels than whether the problem gets resolved or the issue gets addressed. Honest feedback can be uncomfortable. But growth often is.

As coaches, our responsibility is not to tell players what they want to hear. Our responsibility is to help them become better football players, better students, better teammates, and ultimately better young men. Those conversations are not always easy, but avoiding them doesn’t help the player.

When a coach gives direct feedback, the message should never be, “I am trying to criticize you.” The message should be, “I believe you are capable of more, and I am willing to tell you what you need to do to get there.”

A coach who doesn’t care can simply allow a player to continue making the same mistakes. That’s easier. There is no difficult conversation. There is no uncomfortable moment. But that isn’t coaching.

There is another equally important part of the equation: the ability to receive feedback.

Many people say they want honest feedback. What they really mean is that they want feedback delivered in a way that never makes them uncomfortable. They want affirmation, not information. Those are two very different things.

Constructive criticism may not always feel good. A player may disagree with it or be disappointed by it. But maturity requires moving beyond that initial reaction and asking a more important question: What can I do with this information to get better?

Parents play an important role in helping young athletes learn that lesson. Being corrected is not the same as being attacked. Coaches will not always tell players—or their parents—what they want to hear. We owe it to our players to be honest with them.

Parents need to trust that when a coach gives their son difficult feedback, it comes from a desire to help him succeed. Coaches need to trust that parents will help their sons respond constructively rather than protect them from every uncomfortable experience. And players need to trust that they can hear the truth, learn from it, and come back tomorrow determined to improve.

That kind of trust creates an environment where people can grow.

Exceptional results happen when people care enough to give honest feedback—and when others are courageous enough to hear it, own it, and do something about it.

NFL Hall of Fame Coach Tom Landry used to say, “Coaches make their players do things they don’t necessarily want to do in practice, so they can achieve things they never thought they were capable of in games.” Those kinds of results are born of candid and honest feedback with a goal of making each individual and the entire team their very best!

Regardless of your role on our team (player, staff, faculty, etc…) if I seem to hold you to a higher standard, it’s because I believe in your potential.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

How we do things matters more than what we do.

As teams across the country report to training camp, they will all run drills, lift weights, install offenses, teach defenses, and develop special teams. The what of football is remarkably similar from one program to the next. The difference between average programs and exceptional ones is rarely found in what they do. It is found in how they do it.

Culture is built in the details.

Two teams can run the exact same drill. One jogs from station to station, goes through the motions, and waits for the whistle to end the rep. The other sprints between stations, finishes through the echo of the whistle, encourages teammates, and demands excellence from one another. The drill is identical. The outcome is not.

The standard is never the drill itself. The standard is how the drill is executed.

Successful programs understand that excellence is a habit. It doesn’t magically appear on Friday nights. It is developed in practice, in the weight room, in the classroom, and in every repetition. We communicate. We compete. We finish. We pay attention to details. We hold one another accountable. Those habits become our identity.

Anyone can build impressive facilities, purchase the latest technology, or install the newest offensive or defensive scheme. Those are resources—not culture. Culture is built through consistency. It is refusing to cut corners. It is doing the little things right when no one is watching. Every action either reinforces the standard or erodes it.

Our philosophy is simple: games are not won on Friday nights. They are won in the thousands of decisions players make long before kickoff—decisions about effort, discipline, preparation, attitude, and accountability.

When players fully embrace how we do things, the what becomes far less important. Whether we’re running a fundamental drill for the hundredth time, studying film, lifting weights, or practicing indoors on a rainy day, our standard never changes.

We work hard.

We work smart.

We are tough.

Long after our players forget the plays they ran or the drills they completed, they will remember the standards they lived by. More importantly, those standards will continue to shape them as students, leaders, husbands, fathers, coworkers, and members of their communities.

That is why how we do things will always matter more than what we do.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

The 2026 North East Kingdom 7v7 Tournament, Strongman Competition, and O-Line Challenge were a tremendous success for everyone involved—players, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and spectators alike.

Our student-athletes had the opportunity to showcase the skill, strength, and commitment they developed throughout the summer. The level of competition was outstanding, and it was rewarding to see their offseason work on display.

A special thank you goes to our football parents, who operated a very professional and courteous concession stand while serving hundreds of attendees throughout the day. Their dedication and countless hours of volunteer service played a significant role in making the event possible while reflecting great credit on themselves and our program.

The combination of all these elements created a tremendous showcase for St. Johnsbury Academy, and all the students, faculty, staff, and community contribute to the North East Kingdom.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

Every summer, football programs across the country host 7-on-7 tournaments. Quarterbacks showcase their arms, receivers make highlight-reel catches, and defensive backs compete for interceptions. It’s exciting football and an outstanding way to develop the passing game.

But championships are built on all eleven players.

That is why our 7-on-7 Tournament also includes a Strongman Competition and Offensive Line Challenge. While the skill players compete through the air, offensive linemen have an opportunity to compete in events designed specifically for the athletes who make every offense possible.

The Strongman Competition and Offensive Line Challenge allow linemen to demonstrate the traits that define outstanding offensive line play: strength, power, explosiveness, agility, mental toughness, and competitive spirit.

Instead of watching from the sideline, linemen become active participants in a competition built for them. The events are challenging, fun, and intentionally designed to foster camaraderie among players from different schools.

One of the unexpected benefits of the day is the interaction between programs. Athletes compete fiercely during each event, then encourage one another when it’s over. Coaches have opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and strengthen relationships throughout the football community.

Competition and sportsmanship can—and should—coexist.

Winning is exciting, and presenting trophies at the end of the day is rewarding. But the greatest accomplishment isn’t determining who finishes first. It’s that offensive linemen leave feeling appreciated. It’s that younger players see there is value—and pride—in playing offensive line. It’s that coaches reinforce the message that every position matters. And perhaps most importantly, every athlete goes home understanding that football is bigger than individual recognition.

The best teams are built when every player feels valued. As coaches, creating an environment where every athlete has the opportunity to compete, contribute, and be recognized may be the most important competition we ever organize.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

One of our assistant coaches recently reviewed our training camp practice schedule and suggested shortening two of our 10-minute receiving periods that focus on body positioning before and after the catch. His thought was simple: reduce each period to five minutes and use the extra time for another drill.

First, I’ve worked hard to create an environment where every coach has ownership and feels comfortable offering ideas. I’ve seen staffs where intimidating leadership stifles initiative, and as a result, great perspectives never get shared. Second, his question was a good one. There is, however, a deliberate reason those periods remain exactly as they are.

Repetition can feel mundane, even redundant. But if we expect players to execute a technique instinctively on Friday nights, they must perform it enough times in practice that it becomes second nature. Muscle memory is not built through constant variety; it is built through purposeful repetition. Once fundamental movement patterns become automatic, we can layer on additional techniques, decision-making, and game-like variables.

As Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.” That progression applies directly to football. Players cannot be expected to make difficult, split-second plays under pressure if they have not first mastered the underlying fundamentals through disciplined repetition.

OTAs and training camp are our teaching seasons. This is when we install techniques, establish habits, and build the muscle memory that allows players to perform confidently at game speed. Once the season begins, practice time shifts toward preparing for a specific opponent, leaving far less opportunity for fundamental instruction.

Our objective during camp is not simply to expose players to as many drills as possible. It is to ensure they master the techniques that will consistently show up on Friday nights. That requires intentional repetition—even when it feels repetitive.

My Marine Corps friends tell me they think of training as a way to create a natural reaction to a given set of circumstances, and education serves as a process for thinking and making decisions when new conditions or circumstances present. The best teams don’t execute fundamentals because they’re thinking about them. They execute fundamentals because they’ve practiced them so many times that they no longer have to.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

We wrap up Week 5 of our OTAs with just two weeks remaining before our 7-on-7 Tournament, Strongman Competition, and Offensive Line Challenge.

Over the past five weeks, I missed two OTA sessions—one for a family wedding and another while recovering from knee replacement surgery. At first glance, a head coach being absent from training might seem like a leadership void. Instead, those absences created opportunities for other leaders to step forward.

We often talk to our players about having a “next man up” mentality when a teammate is sidelined by injury. The same principle applies to coaches. When one person is unavailable, someone else has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to lead.

As I continue my recovery, simply moving from the field for speed and agility work, to the weight room for strength training, and back to the field for football drills has been more exhausting than I expected. As a result, I’ve spent more time observing than directing. That perspective has allowed me to watch our coaches teach, encourage, and connect with our players in ways I might have otherwise missed. It has been rewarding to see each of them grow in confidence, embrace greater responsibility, and take ownership of our program.

Leadership is not about one person filling every role. Strong programs are built when many people are prepared to lead. Sometimes what first appears to be a void is actually an opportunity—for others to step forward, for a team to grow, and for everyone to become stronger together.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

Consistency is one of the cornerstones of our program. Every workout, every practice, and every opportunity to improve matters. Progress is built through repeated effort over time. But just as consistency matters, so does perspective.

This year, we’ve decided not to hold a training session on Friday, July 3, allowing our athletes and their families to enjoy an extended holiday weekend celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

One workout, while valuable, will not determine an athlete’s physical development or the overall progress of our team. Strength, conditioning, skill, and chemistry are built over weeks and months of disciplined, consistent work—not in a single session. Our success comes from the habits we establish together over time, not from any one isolated practice.

In fact, taking a day off at this point in our offseason may be exactly what our athletes need. We’re roughly halfway through our summer training schedule, making this an ideal opportunity to recharge both physically and mentally. Recovery is an essential part of improvement. Muscles adapt during rest. Minds reset when given the chance to step away. Athletes often return with renewed energy, sharper focus, and a greater appreciation for the work still ahead.

Just as importantly, this decision recognizes something bigger than football. Our athletes have families who make tremendous sacrifices throughout the year—adjusting schedules, providing transportation, attending practices and games, and offering constant encouragement. Holidays give us an opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and create memories that will last far longer than any single workout ever could.

The values we strive to develop in our program—commitment, discipline, teamwork, and character—extend well beyond the football field. Taking time to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday with family and friends reflects those values as much as any workout does. Football is important, but it should never come at the expense of appreciating the people and principles that make the game worthwhile.

When we return after the holiday weekend, we’ll get right back to work with the same focus, energy, and intensity that have defined our offseason. One day away won’t set us back. If anything, it will remind us why we’re so eager to come back together on Monday.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

Football is not for everyone, and that is okay.

Football is hard. It requires a level of commitment that most other sports do not, and tests each of us in surprising ways. One example is summer workouts; while they may come with the expectation of physical challenges, they also pose mental/emotional ones. One expectation comes from the realization that your teammates depend on you. ESPN and Hollywood movies provide countless examples of team dynamics and teammates’ expectations, yet in many ways, our own ideal of what we could be at our very best is the most daunting example of all. Integrity, discipline, accountability, and a willingness to do the right, often hard thing, when the easy is in reach, and no one is watching.

For those who choose football, however, it’s the very challenge that is often so rewarding. The lessons learned through adversity, teamwork, perseverance, and commitment extend far beyond the playing field.

A football program should never apologize for being demanding. The standards should be high. Over four decades of playing and coaching, I’ve found teams rise to meet high standards time and again. At the same time, coaches are often challenged to balance between building a competitive program and keeping the door open for multi-sport athletes and families who wish to take vacations during the summer months.

The reality is that successful football teams are usually built through consistent offseason development. Strength, speed, and football-specific skills improve dramatically when athletes train year-round. At the same time, if participation requires too much commitment too early, some potential players may decide not to play at all.

The opportunities are available for those who want to maximize their development, but we welcome all athletes. We would rather have a student play football and attend some workouts than not play football because they feel they cannot attend every workout. Such a philosophy is part of our culture, and I’d like to think it’s played a role in our long term success.

For high school programs, especially in smaller communities, participation numbers matter. Coaches must create an environment where the most dedicated athletes can pursue excellence while ensuring that new players do not feel excluded because they cannot commit to every offseason activity.

The goal should be to make football accessible while making improvement available. Those are not always the same thing, but the best programs find a way to accomplish both.

As is anything of value… Football is hard. That is precisely why it has the power to change lives.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

In a world of material abundance, thoughtful gifts create emotional richness.

During graduation weekend, one of our international students and football players stopped by my office with his mother, whom I had met once before on Senior Day during the football season. As we visited, she presented me with a beautifully wrapped gift. Inside was one of the most thoughtful presents I have ever received.

It was a traditional Chinese dough figurine crafted in my likeness.

Made from a mixture of flour, glutinous rice flour, and natural pigments, dough figurine making is a folk art that master craftsmen once practiced throughout the Hutong neighborhoods of China. Today, this centuries-old tradition is rarely seen outside of temple fairs and cultural exhibitions, making the gift even more meaningful.

The process itself is remarkably intricate. The artist shapes the dough through a combination of rubbing, pinching, and pressing around a small stick. Using simple tools such as a knife, thread, and toothpick, every detail is carefully refined until the figure comes to life. Accompanying the figurine was the original photograph from which it was created, along with a card explaining the rich history and cultural significance of the art form.

What made the gift so special, however, was not simply the craftsmanship. It was what the figurine represented.

It was a beautiful blend of personal memory and cultural heritage. It captured a joyful moment shared with a young man who arrived at our school having never played football. Despite his lack of experience, he made a tremendous impact on our program through his selflessness, relentless work ethic, and consistently positive attitude.

As educators and coaches, we hope the lessons we teach leave a lasting impression on our students. Every now and then, however, a student leaves an equally lasting impression on us.

This gift serves as a daily reminder of the relationships that make our profession so rewarding and of the unique perspectives students from around the world bring to our community. It is a reminder that growth is never a one-way exchange. While coaches and teachers help shape the lives of their students, our students often shape us as well.

Receiving such a gift reinforces a simple truth: the best presents are not measured by their cost or rarity, but by the meaning they carry. They speak without words and continue telling their story long after the moment of giving has passed.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time! 

We had more than 100 people on the turf at St. Johnsbury Academy this past Sunday for the Vermont Alercio O-Line Clinic. Throughout the morning, we had a lively combination of players participating and high school and college coaches observing.

Two of those coaches, Collin Quinn from Minnesota and Drew Pearson from Arizona, contacted me earlier in the week to ask if they could fly in and observe the clinic. I am very glad they did.

After the four-hour clinic concluded, we made plans to meet later that day in my office. During our 2½-hour conversation, Collin mentioned how impressed he was with the communication displayed by our St. Johnsbury Academy offensive line before the snap. Specifically, he noted the way our players consistently communicate protections, fronts, and assignments at the line of scrimmage.

Collin compared what he observed to a concept James Clear discusses in his book Atomic Habits. In Chapter 4, Clear references the Japanese railway system’s “Pointing-and-Calling” safety technique to illustrate the power of making unconscious habits conscious.

Train operators and platform staff perform a deliberate routine in which they physically point to important objects and verbally state their observations aloud.

Approaching a signal: The operator points at it and says, “Signal is green.”

Pulling into a station: The operator points at the speedometer and calls out the exact speed.

Departure: The operator points at the timetable and calls out the time.

On the platform: Staff point along the edge of the platform and declare, “All clear!”

According to Clear, this simple ritual is remarkably effective for three reasons:

Conscious Awareness: It elevates routine actions from an automatic habit to a conscious decision.

Brain Engagement: It forces the brain to process information more deeply by engaging multiple senses simultaneously—vision, hearing, speech, and physical movement.

Fewer Mistakes: By anchoring behavior to a vocal cue, the railway system reduced operator errors by 85 percent and train mishaps by 30 percent.

Collin’s observation was that our offensive line operates in a very similar manner. By constantly identifying fronts, declaring calls, confirming assignments, and communicating adjustments before the snap, our players are doing more than simply talking. They are actively processing information, creating accountability, and ensuring that all five players see the same picture. In many ways, they are using football’s version of Pointing-and-Calling.

As coaches, we often focus on physical technique, but Sunday’s conversation was a reminder that elite execution begins with communication. The more our players verbalize what they see and what they are responsible for, the more likely they are to play fast, play confidently, and avoid costly mistakes.

What struck me most was that this observation came from coaches who had just spent four hours watching our players work. Of all the techniques, drills, and schemes they could have discussed, they kept coming back to communication. That speaks volumes about the growth, maturity, and attention to detail demonstrated by our offensive line.

As we wrapped up our time together, Collin and Drew had one final question:

“Can we pray for you and your family?”

We concluded our session in prayer. It was a fitting end to a day that had begun with football and coaching but evolved into something much more meaningful.

While I appreciated their observations about offensive line play and communication, I was even more grateful for the opportunity to spend time with two men who share a commitment to developing young people, building relationships, and living out their faith.

Sunday’s clinic reinforced a lesson that extends far beyond football. When people come together with a shared purpose, meaningful conversations often follow. And sometimes, those conversations become lasting friendships.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!