Author: Coach Alercio

This is graduation week on the campus of St Johnsbury Academy.  It is both a happy time and a sad time.  It is also a beginning and an end.  Perhaps I am a glass-half-full kind of guy, but I choose to look at graduation as a happy time and a new beginning.  Some of our graduates will begin service to our country, some will start their vocation, and others will begin a path towards their next graduation. Emotions soar as graduation caps are thrown skyward, and seemingly just as fast, they fall to Earth reminding us there is a road ahead beckoning us to come and see what’s next…

The root of the word graduation is from the Latin word “grad” which means “step.”  Graduation is just another step in their lives. The term commencement refers to the actual graduation ceremony, but the word commencement comes from the stem “commence” which means to “begin.”  It is the beginning of the next step in their lives, or new chapters, opportunities, and journeys. While there is certainly recognition for successes of the recent past, the focus is on the untapped potential available in the not-too-distant future.

As their teachers, coaches, and mentors, we know we only have four short years to make an impact on their lives before they move on to their next chapter(s).  We trust the lessons they learn on the fields, in the classrooms, and on-campus, coupled with the friendships they forged will make them better members of their communities. We hope those little “inoculations” against fear and loss will serve them well in the face of life’s more daunting challenges. As noted in last week’s blog we occasionally have the opportunity to celebrate those who have embarked on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, “wrestled dragons,” and returned proving their transformation. Many more ripple outward serving as “Good Samaritans” in ways we may never know, but still appreciate.

Unlike parents who become “empty nesters” as children graduate and move on, coaches look to the depth chart and find new student-athletes replenishing the nest. The 8^th graders of 2022 graduate providing us with another group of young men and women craving pride in belonging and role models as examples.  I am happy for the seniors who move on, proud of who they are today, of their evolution in our program, and for having the privilege to contribute to the process.  Concurrently, I look forward to the new season, the new faces, the continuing evolution of our players, team, and culture, and the opportunity yet again to commence team building and take steps toward who they and we will become together… to build upon the legacy of what it means to be a Hilltopper, and to remember, “Tradition Never Graduates!”

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 games are not won on weekends in the Fall.”  That is the philosophy of our program here at St Johnsbury Academy.  And it has led to a lot of wins on weekends in the Fall.

This week, we released our Summer Calendar detailing the schedule that will take our players from graduation through the start of the next academic year.  OTAs (Organized Team Activities) start on Monday, June 13, and continue every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 6 weeks.  The first two weeks of OTAs will be Strength and Speed training followed by 7v7 practices to prepare for the Vermont All-Star Camps 7v7 tournament at Burr & Burton Academy on Saturday, June 25.

The next four weeks of OTAs will continue with coach-led Strength and Speed training but the sessions will conclude with player-led practices.  This allows our players an opportunity to not only work on their steps, routes, coverages, and passes, but also on their leadership skills.  During the Fall of 2021, we implemented the Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits.  This provides an opportunity for our rising seniors to act on those learned traits and demonstrate by their personal example, their readiness to lead.  

After the six weeks of OTA, we host our week-long Mini Camp.  With 7v7 practices solely focused on pass offense and defense, the first three days of Mini Camp will have a heavy run emphasis.  The last two days will go back to pass as we prepare for our annual 7v7 tournament.  We host the Northeast Kingdom 7v7 Tournament, Strongman competition, and OLine challenge every year on the last Saturday in July.  

After the event, we observe the Vermont Principal Association’s mandatory “Dead Period” to rest and recover before starting Training Camp.  This is the time we encourage families to take their well-earned vacations.  When players report to Training Camp on Monday, August 15, we trust that they are ready to hit the ground running with their minds and bodies well prepared for the 2022 season, and oriented on our goals for success.

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! 

A bird in the hand or two in the bush? 

Production or potential? 

Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan or Travon Walker of Georgia???  It may take a while to know if the Jacksonville Jaguars got it right by choosing the latter in each scenario…

In previous years, we have shared blogs detailing a practice our staff does annually inspired by the NFL draft.  We draft our own team.  I share an alphabetical list of all returning players and request each coach return the list to me in their draft order.  Some NFL teams will draft based on need, others draft best available regardless of position, and some over or under-value certain positions.  We will see those same philosophies within our staff.  Personally, I make what we call Evidence Based Decisions when preparing my draft order.  I do not let the “measurables” cloud my decision of who makes plays on the field.  The undersized lineman who gives great energy, effort, and enthusiasm on every play and has demonstrated dependability, diligence, and passion in the weight room all winter will be drafted higher than the bigger player who lacks heart. 

Whether quoting Admiral William H McCraven’s famous University of Texas commencement speech stating, “measure a person by the size of their heart” or Samuel 16:7 “for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” and the heart is my number one measurable when evaluating players.

Once all the coaches have returned their draft list, we assign a score to each player based on their draft order from all coaches to create a staff draft order.  We also check each coach’s draft against the others to see what deviations we have in evaluating players.  Double-digit differences are a red flag.  For example, one coach has a player in the 8-spot while another has him at 18.  The situations need to be discussed at our first meeting to prepare for summer training to see what one coach is seeing and what the other is not.

At the end of summer Organized Team Activities and Mini Camp, we will create an initial depth chart going into Training Camp.  The last exercise is to see how our staff draft aligns with our depth chart to see if we have the best 11 on the field.

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 spent 14 weeks together last year discussing our “Leader In Every Locker” program, and the character traits essential to leadership success. I’ve often commented on leadership as a privilege, and how fortunate we, as coaches, are to help develop leaders whose impact will reach far beyond the confines of the gridiron.

I’m so very pleased to share, Sam Begin becomes the 5th Hilltopper to be inducted into the Vermont Chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame as a scholar-athlete. When your best athlete is also your best student and the most exemplary person on the team, you have a special leader. In leadership, personal examples matter… Players consistently see Sam doing the right thing… Right on the field, in meetings, in the weight room, in the classroom, and in our community. He has the passion and the work ethic to excel in everything he does including sports, academics, and student leadership. I was proud to see Sam recently recognized, and thrilled to see him join the legacy of Hilltoppers who set such a positive example on campus and in the community.

Sam joins Collin Urie-2017, Jasper Rankin-2018, Renwick Smith-2019 (also named to the National Team of Distinction), and Trey Alercio-2020.  In 2017, Shane Alercio was named the Most Courageous Athlete for battling a rare vestibular disease called Dandy’s Syndrome that negatively impacts balance and ocular tracking.  In 2019, Jake Cady received the Community Service Award for his efforts in creating a non-profit called Team Sullycat that had raised over $40,000 to help support families battling cancer.

We are immensely proud of the successes of our student-athletes on the field, in the community, and in the classroom.  Their legacy lives on, and as we like to say, “Tradition Never Graduates.” We trust the examples of excellence in those who have been honored will inspire future Hilltoppers to strive for excellence, overcome adversity and put others’ interests above themselves.

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! 

 

 

 

 

 

After over 20 years and more than 5,000 participants from all over the northeast, the Alercio OLine Clinic experienced a first.  Fami Olorunnisola, a sophomore from Bordentown high school in NJ, became the first girl to attend a clinic.  She was joined and supported by a dozen of her teammates working through all the drills under the watchful eyes of their coaching staff.

Similar to the experience referenced in an earlier blog post about the two girls who joined our Spring practices at St Johnsbury Academy, Fami was welcomed into the group, given the same opportunities to learn the basics, build a solid foundation, and refine techniques of OLine play. As we discussed last week, players focused on proper execution rather than speed, developed a fundamental understanding and smooth approach to offensive line play, and ultimately the complementary effects essential to teamwork. Though the first female, Fami was a teammate, learning, demonstrating, and playing just like any other offensive lineman.  

Aside from those in her immediate training group, most players had no idea she was even there until the end when we circled up.  After thanking the coaches and players for their efforts, I invited Fami into the circle and recognized her for being the first female to join us at a Clinic. I then shared what I so often say, “girls are the future of football because they become mothers who will allow their children, regardless of gender, to play the game.”   Lastly, I commented on just how brave she must be and how much courage it must have taken to participate in such a large clinic knowing that she would most likely be the only female participant.  As the boys clapped and cheered loudly for her, we finished the day with all the boys huddling around Fami as she broke them down with “OLine on Three…one, two, three OLINE!!!“

I look forward to seeing Fami at the 2023 New Jersey OLine Clinic and hope more female student-athletes join her as they too learn brilliance in the basics and a love of this great game.

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! 

Photos from the 2022 New Jersey Alercio OLine Clinic

You have to learn to walk before you can run.  That idiom encapsulates the philosophy of this Sunday’s Alercio OLine Clinic at the Hun School of Princeton.  We call the event a clinic rather than a camp because it is learning-based.  We teach the coordination and execution of learned physical tasks and then build upon them.    

Racecar drivers, gymnasts, dancers, and any athlete or performer who has to string together a series of movements, efforts, or tasks to be successful know, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast…”

That’s why we do not go full speed.  We use a pace I call theory speed.  It emphasizes a focus on proper execution rather than speed, develops an understanding and ultimately a smooth approach. Using the above idiom, we start out walking, build context and confidence, and then advance to a jog.    

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, whether I am coaching my own players or attendees at my clinics, the focus is always on becoming adept at the basic skills and technique before moving on to that which requires greater skill. Fundamentals… Building blocks… a solid foundation from which to begin… 

Just as Nietzsche said, “one cannot fly into flying.” I would argue one cannot excel as an offensive lineman without brilliance in the basics.

Join us at the Hun School in Princeton this Sunday and let’s work together on the best possible foundation for the upcoming season.

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 “VARK” model of learning employs Visual, Auditory, Reading/writing, and Kinesthetic components to reinforce both the teaching and learning processes. Let’s think of each component as a communications channel. We multiply the flow of information to the learner, and improve opportunities for understanding by reinforcing concepts and expanding learning opportunities for those who learn differently. Another solid model is “PESOS,” Prepare, Explain, Show, Observe, and Supervise. With more than three decades of coaching experience, I have discovered whether working with my own players on the field, lecturing to fellow coaches at a conference, or working with other players at my Offensive Line Clinics, that people learn best through a learning strategy referred to as “Modeling.” 

Modeling is a strategy where the teacher/coach explicitly shows the students/players how to complete an activity before they attempt to do it on their own. All factors considered, it has been my experience that players tend to respond more favorably to an actual visual representation of a particular teaching point rather than an abstract illustration drawn on a board or only shared verbally.   

Modeling provides both a framework for the coach and/or teacher and clarifies a picture in a player and/or student’s mind as to how to execute the drill.  There is nothing more frustrating in teaching/coaching than giving directions to students/players either written or spoken then asking them to do it only to see that they do not know-how.  Think of how frequently email or text exchanges lead to misunderstandings… Modeling across multiple channels conveys context and minimizes these frustrations for the teacher/coach and the student/player.

With every stance, step, visual target, strike point, block, and scheme taught at the Alercio Oline Clinics, players in attendance see me demonstrate the drill prior to them executing it.  This process repeats with every new learned task.  We come together for players and coaches to witness me modeling the drill then they break up into smaller groups for execution. Clinic Assistant Coaches further reinforce the modeling, clarifying and confirming concepts, expectations, and understanding.

Don’t just tell players what you want them to do.  Show them the way.  Give them a rich, clear, and full “model” in their mind to rely on and reference.  

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! 

April is National Football Sign-up Month. 

Until I received an email from the National Federation of High Schools, I had no idea April is, “National Football Sign-up month” but I also did not know there was a “National Peacock Day” until the St Peter’s Peacocks upset the Purdue Boilermakers on that day in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  

In high school football, everyone is welcome to play no matter who they are.  It is where players of every background come together as one team, where students have the most opportunities to participate in a game, and where there is a spot on the roster for everyone.  Between offense, defense, and special teams, there are 88 opportunities to participate in a game.  Further, we extend other opportunities to contribute and assist as equipment managers, trainers, video specialists, student publications, and others. While the players, coaches, and staff are the most obvious team members, we try to build both a team and a community of mutual support. We value everyone who wants to contribute and open the door to participation. That is inclusion. This is where everyone can play and contribute.  This is high school football.  

 #ThisIsHSFootball 

After signing up for your high school, middle school, or youth team, you can sign up for an Alercio OLine Clinic.  We have clinics on 24 April at the Hun School in New Jersey and 12 June at St Johnsbury Academy in Vermont.  Everyone is welcome.  No matter who they are.  

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! 

“If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.” That quote is from one of my favorite books, “Make Your Bed,” by Admiral William H. McRaven.  It is also a philosophy I embrace in coaching.  

According to Admiral McRaven, every great day starts with making your bed.  If you cannot accomplish that simple task, how can you expect to have success tackling the larger challenges you face throughout the day?  In football, if you want to have success in blocking, you must start with a good stance.  As coaches, we need to see that we do not teach anything else until our players understand and can demonstrate a good stance.

Every Alercio OLine Clinic starts with the teaching of the 2 and 3-point stances.  We start with the feet and work our way up. The feet should be shoulder-width apart with the outside foot staggered back.  Guards are toe-to-instep, Tackles; toe-to-heel.  Feet, should be toed out like a duck, not a pigeon allowing more surface contact with the inside of the foot.  Knees should be over big toes not all toes to see that there is a Valgus knee angle, not Vargus so that you can push off and step in any direction.  Chest is over knees.  These body positions create acute angles at the ankle, knee, and hip allowing for triple extension upon contact on run blocks.  The uphand(s) should cup the top of the knee with thumbs on the inside and fingers on the outside and elbows bent.  Never support the upper body with locked out arms or forearms rested on thighs.  The down hand of the 3-point stance should have all 5 fingertips in contact with the ground and the thumbnail of the down hand-aligned directly beneath the eye to see that the hand is not too far out or back.  

Football, (and in many ways, Life) is a game of momentum. Small successes accrue, each adding force in a positive direction, and help accelerate us towards our goals as individuals and as a team. Attention to detail, starting well, and doing the little things with purpose and meaning, sets us up for successful execution of the big things. How will you start your day? What small steps can you take with a purpose to build your own momentum or the momentum of your team? Whether making your bed, correctly taking your stance, or ensuring the team is on time and prepared to begin, find a way to overcome inertia and start the ball rolling toward a goal.

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!