My lifelong friend and high school teammate, Todd Zimmerman, who coaches the offensive line at perennial powerhouse Atlantic High School in South Florida, flew up and down the East Coast on Saturday and Sunday just to coach at our West Orange NJ Alercio OLine Clinic on Memorial Day weekend. Now that’s an OLine Coach.
Not only did he do an outstanding job coaching. He videotaped portions of the clinic and before he boarded the plane in LaGuardia to return home, had produced the hype video you can view here. His song choice for the video was Toto’s Hold the Line. Perfect for an OLine hype video.
The phrase has its roots in military communication, where it was used to convey orders to maintain a position while under attack. It is used by both offensive and defensive line coaches to emphasize to their players the importance of winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. It is a phrase that emphasizes toughness, resilience, and controlling the trenches where many football games are won or lost. It is a rallying cry to remain steadfast, dig down deep for mental and physical toughness, and not give up even one inch. In fact, in T.H. Ferenbach’s “Some Kind of War,” the author recounts the Turkish practice (Turks were allies in the Korean Conflict) of unrolling their turbans in a line behind them and vowing to fight to the death rather than give up the ground to the attacking enemy.
While our linemen will hopefully never face the carnage of actual combat, this type of mental and physical toughness, coupled with the skills and techniques taught at our clinics, allows players of any size to have success winning the battle in the trenches. Concurrently, the shared sense of purpose and belief in our common success while enduring adversity further fuels friendships like the one I share with Coach Zimmerman. Join us for our Vermont Clinic at St Johnsbury Academy on Sunday, 8 June from 9am-1pm and build your team and your future.
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 