As professional development opportunities for football coaches go virtual, I’m concerned some coaches will believe watching a video clip of a play or listening to a pre-recorded presentation will enable them implement and successfully coach the play they just “learned.” To quote French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne “We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.” The key component of wisdom is experience. Experiences can be shared in live presentations and often spill out into hotel lobbies, on fields interacting with players and coaches, or in offices on whiteboards.
Our eyes can deceive us… The play a coach views once in a recording was run successfully against the most ideal defense. When researching a play, we need to see the Good, the Bad and the Ugly… To see it against 3 down and 4 down, versus Zone and Man, with 1 High and 2 High, versus 5 and 6 man pressures. Video clips in live presentations will likely skew to the optimal as well, but multiple coaches asking multiple questions: (e.g. how to block the play against 4i Defensive Tackles, when Linebackers walk up in the A gaps, versus a defense that drops eight…) offers the greatest opportunity to clarify and confirm understanding and expectations.
If there is something you see online and would like to install, email the coach with your questions. Try to set up a Zoom meeting as a follow up. Learn what he has learned. Knowledge is knowing. Wisdom is so much more… It is not enough to diagram and know the rules of a play. You need to understand the intricacies of the play and how they may be impacted by defensive adjustments. Wisdom involves an integration of knowledge, experience, and deep understanding, as well as a tolerance for the uncertainties one is likely to encounter.
If you have any questions about any of the things I have online, I would look forward to the discussion. Feel free to reach out, and please offer to share something of your own as well.
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!
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