O Line Skills

Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the LA Chargers, shared in a recent interview, “The Offensive Line doesn’t need any other position to be good.  Every other position needs the Offensive Line to be good.”  He went on to say “…that makes them the most important position group in football.”  

At the Hun School of Princeton on 14 April, the players and coaches attending the Alercio OLIne Clinic will learn how to maximize the transfer of force and the rate of force development through their steps and strikes.  They will also learn that their collective efforts, as stated by Coach Harbaugh, make them “force multipliers.”  

In the military, a force multiplier is anything that magnifies a unit’s combat power without adding additional bodies. Just like a lever grants someone superhuman strength or hydraulics amplify force over distance, an offensive line acts as a force multiplier in football. Skilled O-Linemen empower their teammates to achieve more with less. They function as a cohesive unit, pooling their strengths and seamlessly complementing each other to create a juggernaut far more potent than any individual player. Operating in the thankless trenches, they selflessly elevate the entire team’s performance with impacts resonating through every successful play.

Come join us at the Hun School in Princeton on the 14^th, and learn how you too can multiply your contributions to your teammates and team.

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! 

Although much of the Northeast Kingdom here in Vermont is covered with a couple feet of fresh snow, Spring is upon us, and with it, all sorts of signs of rebirth and renewal. Humans have for millennia celebrated the changing of the seasons. Fall has been synonymous with festivals of harvest and abundance like Thanksgiving, and more recently, traditions like Football and its associated celebrations and rituals.

This Sunday (the first Sunday, after the first full moon, following the vernal equinox) Christians will come together to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Other cultures celebrate the arrival of Spring in different ways, but for many, this weekend will be filled with church services, family gatherings, coloring of eggs, egg hunts, and baskets full of treats. 

And thanks to the merger of the USFL and XFL, this weekend will also be filled with UFL football games. In preparation for the new league games on both Saturday and Sunday, we should note some rules are different from the NFL, College, and High School.  For example:

• The UFL permits a team to attempt two forward passes on a single play, however, the football cannot cross the line of scrimmage before the second forward pass is thrown. 
• The ball will be placed on the 20-yard line for kickoffs,
• There’s no coin toss. (The home team can choose to take the ball or defer to the second half.)
• After touchdowns, there will be no option to kick an extra point.
  • Teams will have three options: (each attempt must be a run or pass play)
    • They can go for one point from the 2-yard line
    • Go for two from the 5-yard line, or
    • Go for three from the 10-yard line 
• There are some other variations like how the clock will be operated within 2 minutes, and how some penalties will be enforced.   

For well over 100 years, football has been an integral part of the Thanksgiving holiday.  The combination of football and Thanksgiving is intertwined with American culture.  Only time will tell if the same will be true for Easter…  

Regardless of how you may celebrate rebirth and renewal, I’d like to wish you the very best this Spring and wish all those who celebrate Easter, a Happy Easter.

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 wrapped up our Spring practices with a “combine test” and a “7v7” game.  In our combine, we test 40-yard dash, L Drill, Shuttle, Broad Jump, Medball Thruster Toss, Bench Press reps, Goblet Squat reps, and Pullups.  These tests of speed, agility, quickness, power, strength, muscular endurance, and fitness are put into an Excel sheet providing us with a scoring system and a good assessment of each athlete.  We also calculate Force production by multiplying Mass (their weight) times Acceleration (40 / their 40 yd dash time). 

To quote Scott Caulfield, Director of Strength & Conditioning at Norwich University, who recently spoke at the Vermont Football Coaches Association Clinic, “If you are going to test it make sure you include it in your training.”  All those tests were included in our Winter Workouts and we will continue assessments through Spring and Summer training.  

During our 7v7 (a football game-like competition without pass rush or blocking) we incorporated the linemen allowing them to play any position.  One even took some reps at QB proving there is a reason why he plays OLine!  I often tell our OLs that while they may not be able to play the other positions on offense that get to carry or catch the ball, there is no way any of the ball carriers or receivers could play OLine. 

On my way off the field, I ran into a parent who was watching the 7v7 while waiting to pick up her son.  She greeted me with a big smile stating “it looked like they were having so much fun!” 

We came together as a team, worked on our schemes and techniques, developed our brotherhood, and had fun doing it.  Mission accomplished.

Last year before one of my Alercio OLine Clinics, I received the following text from a head coach: 

“Coach I have 3 kids coming up today. Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior. The 6’6” 260lb senior’s name is (Blank). Raw talent and lacking confidence. Never really played football. Show him some love for me. I’m trying to turn him into an Offensive tackle and I told him you were the man to do that.”

I appreciate that coach’s confidence in my ability to coach offensive linemen but he referenced the secret sauce when he made the comment “Show him some love“.  For over 20 years we have begun every Alercio OLine Clinic explaining to attendees what makes them so truly special and how vital their role is to the success of the team and then reinforce it throughout the day.  

Chances are your other position players are being told how wonderful they are in the newspaper, on the radio and in social media. Offensive linemen play a thankless position that goes unnoticed unless they make a mistake.  Make sure you are showing them the love.  I know that coach did and that 6’6″ kid wound up being a starting offensive tackle and helped his team win a state championship!

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 Vermont, high school football is allowed six practices with no protective equipment between the end of Winter Sports and the beginning of Spring Sports.  Our practices are scheduled Monday-Friday 11-16 March.  Our focus will not be on Xs & Os but rather on the non-position-specific fundamentals of football performed in a fun and encouraging manner.  

We will also reintroduce an acronym we brought here when we took over the struggling program 10 years ago; S.W.A.T.  It stands for be Smart, Work hard, And be Tough.  There is an endless list of character traits you would want for your players but we felt those three were the ones we most needed to emphasize and the turnaround was astonishing.  

Smart.  We want our players to be able to learn, understand, and apply knowledge effectively on the field, in the classroom, and in our community.  This includes practical, emotional, and societal intelligence allowing them to navigate life’s challenges to make meaningful contributions to the team, school, and community.  

Work Hard.  Working hard requires sacrifices and stepping out of your comfort zone.  Players need to put in the necessary time, effort, and energy into achieving both individual and team success.  As the saying goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Tough.  Toughness can manifest in various forms including physical, mental, and emotional toughness.  Physical toughness allows players to push their bodies beyond comfortable limits through developed endurance, strength, and stamina.  Mental toughness allows players to manage stress effectively in high-pressure situations and maintain their determination to overcome setbacks and failures.  Emotional toughness allows players to remain resilient in the face of adversity as well as composed when facing intense negative feelings.  

I feel good reinforcing these points as they are all characteristics of strong teammates while training and playing together, as well as strong adults who will undoubtedly encounter circumstances requiring the same. Cultivating these character traits will allow us to develop players who can use their minds, bodies, and spirit to overcome obstacles and setbacks and refuse to be defeated by adversity while laying the foundations for decades to come.

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! 

Happy Leap Day!

Every four years we get an extra day added to the month of February.  Since it takes 365.25 days for the earth to orbit the sun, Leap Years keep our calendar in alignment with the astronomical year.  

Use today, this extra day, to do something special.  Perhaps there is something you’ve been putting off because “you just don’t have the time.”  If you do not have something in mind, I would like to share the following suggestions: 

• Take the day to prioritize self-care. 
• Do something special for yourself like taking a hike or getting a massage. 
• Volunteer in your community to do something special for someone else. 
• Use the day for introspection.
• Reflect on your past achievements then plan your future aspirations.
• Visit a place you have always wanted to see or plan a vacation to somewhere you have always dreamed of. 
• Begin learning something new like how to speak another language or play a musical instrument. 
• Begin an exercise regimen or healthy diet. 
• Or do what I did a half a dozen years ago.  Share your thoughts by starting a blog.  

Our Time is our most valuable non-renewable resource. Make the most of today’s Extra Time!

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!

There is a brotherhood amongst football coaches: a camaraderie and mutual respect within the football community regardless of level.  Football coaches share a unique bond spanning passion for the game, the pressures of competition, and their common challenges. We understand the unique demands and rewards of coaching football. Each of us soaks up the concepts, schemes, and traditions of a game played competitively for more than a century and a half. Most are equally passionate about sharing concepts applied, lessons learned, and the collective wisdom of a tribe willing to fight tooth and nail on Friday night or Saturday afternoon, only to teach, encourage, and motivate one another on nearly every other day of the year. This brotherhood plays a vital role in fostering professional development and collaboration. 

I will travel to Atlantic City, NJ this week to attend the Glazier Clinic.  No, I am not presenting at the clinic this year. I am traveling down to interact with long-time coaching friends, make new friendships, exchange ideas, discuss tactics, and build connections through networking within the football community. While presenting in forums like the Glazier Clinics is a privilege, I’m equally excited to participate amongst the audience, comparing notes across all three phases of the game and listening to some of the very best cultivators of student-athlete talent and potential.

Clinic season offers a rebirth and a new start where every team is undefeated and each has the potential to become a champion.

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 honor of President’s Day, we recognize those past presidents who cultivated and honed their leadership skills as football players.  

Gerald Ford was an all-state player in high school and a team MVP at Michigan who had offers to play professionally but chose to attend law school at Yale where he actually coached football making him the only US President to both play and coach college football.

Dwight D Eisenhower was a two-way starter at West Point who had the distinction of once tackling the great Jim Thorpe.  

Ronald Reagan not only played the “Gipper” in the movie “Knute Rockne All American,” he was also a lineman at Eureka College.

Richard Nixon, at all of 5’11” and 175 lbs, was a reserve Tackle at Whittier College. You have to love the undersized lineman!

Donald Trump was a three-sport athlete at the New York Military Academy who played football for one year.   

Football provides a unique environment for developing leadership skills, as it requires individuals to work together towards a common goal, make decisions under pressure, and overcome obstacles as a team.  Players first learn to follow before they can lead. Many of the successful ones often pattern their own personas after the successful players and coaches whose examples they try to emulate. These leadership skills learned on the football field clearly translated to success in other aspects of life for the aforementioned men as it has done for so many who have played team sports in general, and football in particular.

Life is a team sport. (At least it is in my opinion.) The team surrounding any successful individual brings together the complementary characteristics of each individual and unites them for a common purpose. Undoubtedly some fair better than others, and all are subject to the unexpected in life, just as we find unexpected bounces from a ball with two points! Nonetheless, we find ourselves better for our experiences. Better for the teammates who shared in our collective adversity… Better for those who set examples of excellence, held us accountable for performing at or beyond our potential… and better after recognizing that when we play together, we really are capable of extraordinary achievement.

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!

When I attended Super Bowl XXIII in 1989, still one of the greatest Super Bowl games ever, the face value of my ticket was $100.  No one famous sang the national anthem or performed at halftime.  That may have been the last year Super Sunday was just a football game. 

It has become a cultural phenomenon having long ago transcended its status as just a football game, or even a sporting event. With tickets starting at around $5,000, and readily going on the secondary market at more than twice that, I can’t imagine being two years out of college and having such means…  Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and 49ers will draw more than 100 million viewers from all over the world regardless of whether they are football fans. 

Beyond the game itself, Country Music star, Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem, Contemporary R&B star, Usher will put on the halftime show, the most expensive commercials in the history of television will air, and you might even get a glimpse (or way too many) of Taylor Swift.  The halftime shows and commercials have often attracted as much attention as the game and contribute to the overall spectacle of the event.  

The Super Bowl is clearly much more than just a game on the second Sunday in February.  It is a cultural phenomenon, an economic powerhouse, and a symbol of national pride and unity.  In my experience, it serves as a communal experience bringing friends and families together to watch the game, enjoy food, and socialize.  It has become an annual tradition for many fostering unity and camaraderie.

In 1989, Joe Montana led the 49ers on a 97-yard drive, completing 8 of 9 passes in the closing minutes to punctuate one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history. I hope we see as competitive a game this Sunday as I enjoyed 34 years ago, but regardless of the score, I genuinely look forward to sharing the evening with friends and family. I hope you enjoy the same!

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!

On 2 February, Punxsutawney Phil will let us know whether we can expect six more weeks of winter (not a bad thing for us skiers) or if Spring will come early.  In the Bill Murray movie. “Groundhog Day,” he plays a weatherman stuck in a time loop on Groundhog Day, repeating the same day over and over.  Ultimately, he realizes he can use it to his advantage.  Unfortunately, only in Hollywood can you relive the same day over and over again righting the wrongs of the previous day.  In reality, we must make the most of every day.  That movie always reminds me of a quote I keep on the bulletin board outside my office called “Seize the Day.” It goes as follows:

This is the beginning of a new day.

God has given me this day to use as I will

I can waste it, or use it for good.

What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever leaving in its place something I have traded for it.

I want it to be a gain, not loss: good, not evil: success, not failure: in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it…a day of my life.  

Along a similar thought regarding the value of a day, and as put by the Coach himself in the Apple TV Show “Ted Lasso”:

“Every day is a gift… That’s why they call it ‘The Present!’”

In many ways, our student-athletes are now as we were then, and seemingly “bulletproof” in their own minds… “Young men and women of steel” (as the Superman comic would say…)

We who have lived life a little longer and fuller, recognize there is no guarantee of tomorrow for any of us, and many have seen abrupt and unanticipated changes to our, or friends’ plans for the future.

So make the most of today, enjoy the present, and Carpe’ Diem!

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!