The term “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” refers to a person who is passably adept at many skills but is not outstanding in any of them. The full phrase originally used by Robert Greene to describe William Shakespeare was “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
As we ended last week’s staff meeting, I gave our coaching staff a homework assignment in preparation for this week’s meeting: What three skills do your defensive position players (Defensive linemen, Edge players, Linebackers, and Defensive backs) have to master for them and ultimately us to be successful on the field? We cannot be just masters of one skill and if we attempt to teach them everything in six Spring Practices, they will have mastered none.
Applying this idiom to our practice planning meeting allows us to narrow our focus to only those skills most necessary to the position and the drills that allow our players to master them through repetition. In a nutshell, you must realize as a coach that you cannot teach everybody everything.
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!
O Line Skills 