O Line Skills

Our Week 12 Leadership Trait is Knowledge.  Knowledge is the information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education.  Think about “what we know” and “how we know it.”

Knowledge is also the understanding of self and responsibility.  Knowledge, as it pertains to the student-athlete, is the range of one’s perception, perspective, and context in light of responsibilities, information, and assignments including academic, athletic, and sport-specific knowledge and the understanding of oneself, one’s team, and one’s teammates.

Football is a game of interdependence.  On any given play, 11 players depend on each other to understand and deliver on the responsibilities of their respective roles for the good of the team.  One must understand his/her responsibilities, how they relate to teammates’ actions, and then act in a complementary fashion to achieve success.  This requires knowledge of responsibilities, contingencies, and the willingness to make decisions and deliver.  

While studying his responsibilities, an offensive lineman also learns how the other linemen’s blocks complement his efforts to achieve the team’s goals.  Working with his coaches in preparation for a particular opponent, the offensive lineman considers his Man, Zone, and Gap scheme blocks and potential decisions versus the variety of defensive fronts the opponent may present.  The lineman accumulates and applies his knowledge and understanding to make good decisions, execute his blocks and support his teammates.  This knowledge of individual and team responsibilities allows our linemen to be interchangeable so they can play any position on the line.  Further, this flexibility allows us to sub in our next best lineman if any of the 5 starters should have to come out of the game for any reason.

In our personal lives, we have knowledge of roles and relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances… Knowledge of subjects, concepts, and ideas… The “Leader In Every Locker,” program is intended to support knowledge of the concepts of character and the traits displayed by successful leaders. We hope the study and discussion of these traits will help our student-athletes and others develop the knowledge of themselves, their character, and the characteristics of 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! 

The week 10 leadership trait in our 14-week series A Leader in Every Locker is Unselfishness. 

Unselfishness is being willing to give your time and effort for others; of not putting your own interests first.   Looking out for the needs of teammates and the good of the team before one’s self is the essence of leadership.  

Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage… and we amongst it are only players with many parts…” On a team of eleven interdependent student athletes, each of us has a part to play, and some are more visible than others.

Unselfishness should be the number one trait listed in the job description for offensive linemen, the position group nearest and dearest to my heart.  They relentlessly run block for their backs and pass block for their quarterback despite the often absence of recognition for their efforts.  Their reward comes with the success of others and the team. As a coach I have to ask players to find and fill roles best suited to the team’s benefit.

It’s natural for any athlete to want to contribute to the team. For many high school football players who have grown up with parents, friends, and others cheering for those who make a big run, or catch a clutch pass, it’s a dream to finally land a starting job and think about being the target of all those cheers, all that excitement, and to feel the satisfaction of a tangible contribution to victory.

After my youngest son, Trey, earned the starting position at Split End in his Junior season, we had a very frank conversation.  In our offensive scheme, and with a very talented quarterback and our two leading receivers returning, I informed Trey that he was not going to be targeted. (He would not likely be thrown to often). The team needed him to be a decoy who could take the top off the defense and clear zones for the other two receivers.  I told him that he would run Fades and Posts all game (essentially asking him to run a 30-40 yard sprint on nearly every play with little hope of catching a ball) and if, and only if, the defense dropped coverage would he get the ball thrown his way.  He simply replied, “I can do that.”  

His act of unselfishness helped our QB to be awarded Gatorade Player of the Year, our two receivers to compile over 1,000 yards each, and our team to advance to the state semifinals.  His personal reward came halfway through the season in game 5 on the road when a Free Safety from Brattleboro came down to jump a Dig route leaving Trey one-on-one with the Corner.  The result was a 40 yard touchdown reception in the back of the endzone.  

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! 

Continuing our 14-week series “A Leader in Every Locker,” this week’s trait is “Bearing.” 

Bearing is creating a favorable impression in appearance, behavior, and personal conduct at all times.  Leaders need to project a calm confidence and belief in the team even in the face of daunting odds.  They need to look, talk, and act like a leader even when one may be contending with self doubt, concern, or uncertainty.  

Recognizing the responsibility of representing the team, players act with good manners, sportsmanship, and are good stewards of the team’s reputation both on and off the field.  Team captains walk out for the coin toss with heads held high and shoulders back.  They address the officials as “Sir”, give opposing captains a firm handshake, and look them in the eye when wishing them good luck.  These small but significant gestures provide the opposition and officials with a good first impression of who we are as a team.  It is then every player’s responsibility to uphold that impression throughout the game despite the circumstances.  

We all encounter frustrations and setbacks in a variety of ways. However, as author and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl reminds us, “There is a moment between stimulus and response where we have a choice of how to react, and in that moment, and in that choice, we find character.” Maintaining bearing in the face of some unforeseen adversity is a choice. It may not be easy, but it is a choice nonetheless.

Further, projecting calm, confidence, and optimism in stature, words, and interpersonal engagements is far more likely to yield positive outcomes than to do the opposite. Think about your own reactions to the bearing of others. I have a good friend who is fond of saying, “Calm is contagious,” and his leadership example and bearing have precipitated decades of success. What is your bearing like today? How will you step forward to meet all that lies ahead?

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! 

Enthusiasm is the Week 8 leadership trait in our “Leader in Every Locker” series and I wholeheartedly believe is the reason we have extended our home winning streak to 18 games. 

Enthusiasm is the display of sincere interest and exuberance in both the individual’s and team’s performance.  Displaying interest in a task, assignment, or responsibility and a healthy optimism believing it can be successfully completed greatly enhances the likelihood of success. 

Late in the 4^th quarter on Friday night tied at 28, versus a very good team from Essex High School, our running back caught a 1-yard pass on 2^nd & 17 and broke several tackles to put us in 3^rd & 1.  He then turned to our bench and flexed reinforcing his belief in all they could accomplish together.  That act of enthusiasm inspired us to covert a 4^th and 1 when it appeared we were stopped a yard deep in our backfield.  Then, just across midfield, he broke off a 24-yard run breaking five (5!) tackles before going down.  He got up pounding his chest reinforcing to all what we were capable of when working together.  His acts of enthusiasm inspired our offensive line and receivers to block even harder for him as he reeled off a 16-yard run on the next play putting us on the 7-yard line where our QB ran in on the very next play. 

Enthusiasm is contagious. As coaches, we need to recognize its spark and channel it in the right direction. Having seen what our offense accomplished, and feeling the ground swell of enthusiasm and confidence, Coaches challenged the defense to do their part. Essex started an impressive drive threatening our Red Zone, but as the clocked ticked down and tensions up, the defense rose to the challenge by thwarting the opponent with an interception in the waning seconds of the game. 

Now, with a “bye-week,” and two weeks until our next game, we’ll need to maintain enthusiasm in practice, meetings, and carry forward all we benefitted from in the win against a tough opponent.

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 are halfway through the 14 leadership traits in our “Leader in Every Locker” Series.  This week our focus is on Integrity. 

Integrity is the uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles.  The quality of truthfulness and honesty.  The willingness to do the right thing, at the right time for the right reason, and when necessary, to have the courage to own up to mistakes, shortfalls, and omissions. A teammate’s word is his/her bond.  If we are to live a life of integrity, nothing less than complete honesty in all dealings with teammates, coaches, faculty, and family is acceptable. It doesn’t mean we forget “tact,” (Week 6) nor do we abandon first principles of believing in the dignity of others, but we do or say the right thing, even when doing so may be difficult.

Integrity guides us through the choices and decisions we make when no one is watching.  It is the willingness and ability to choose what is right, rather than what appears to be easy.  In the classroom, it means the student will do their own work when preparing assignments and taking tests. In sports, integrity leads to fair play where one opponent does not attempt to seek an advantage over another by illegitimate means.  I have a good friend who is an extraordinary leader and Marine who has risen to the rank of Major General (2 stars!). He and I both share an affinity for golf, and during an interview he was asked about golf and what he liked most? He answered, “It’s a game of integrity. You know where the ball landed and from where it must be played. You keep your own score and are asked to attest to its accuracy. Just like in life, some days are better than others, and you have to own your own performance and be true to yourself if you want to get any better.”

It’s our integrity leading us back into the store when we get to the car and realize there’s something in the shopping cart we forgot to scan in the self-checkout line.  It is what causes us to remind the cashier that we gave them a ten not a twenty when we are given an incorrect amount of change in our favor.  Neither the $10, nor the cost of that item in the bottom of your shopping cart are worth your integrity.

As a player, my teammates and I were frequently reminded that anything less than our best effort “was only cheating yourself.” I get the point… they were trying to encourage us to “do the right thing” by doing our best. It’s by getting ourselves in order, aligning to integrity that we are able to contribute to the good of the team. When we all exercise integrity, and do our individual best, our collective best becomes more than we ever thought possible.  

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! 

Tact is this week’s Leadership Trait for our 14 week “Leader in Every Locker,” Program. Tact is the ability to deal with others in a manner that will maintain good relations, avoid offense, and yet convey the concept, idea, or point germane to the circumstance.  More simply stated, tact is the ability to say and do the right thing at the right time in consideration of the effects of one’s words and body language.  Tact allows commentary, guidance, and opinions to be expressed in a constructive and beneficial manner. This deference should be extended under all conditions regardless of personal feelings.

As we have noted in other Blog Posts, Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, author, and psychologist notes, “there is a space between stimulus and response where we find character, and choose how we will react.” Though sometimes far easier to describe than to do, dialing back emotions, and using tact is an essential communications skill.

A player may find him or herself frustrated by the unsportsmanlike play of an opponent. Rather than retaliation, the player should ask his team Captain to address the concern with the official and request additional oversight on the next play.  Similarly, despite the frustration with the outcome of a grade on a test, a student should ask his/her teacher for some time to speak privately after class.  During the subsequent meeting the student can express their genuine desire to understand the material, walk through the problem with the teacher, and ask for clarification on the steps to uncover the error.  

At a time in our history where many seem all too quick to jump to conclusions, attack with name calling and argue in headlines and soundbites, a little patience and tact has the potential to go a long way both on and off the field. As Isaac Newton said, “Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.”

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 Week 5 of our 14 week series A Leader in Every Locker, we focus on the leadership trait of decisiveness.  Decisiveness is the ability to make decisions promptly and to convey them in a clear, impactful manner.

This quality of character guides a person to accumulate all available facts in a circumstance, weigh those facts, (while accounting for time) and then choose and announce an alternative which seems best.  And timing is key… We can almost always expect less than ideal (sometimes conflicting) information, and limited time. However, it is often better to decide promptly rather than pursue a potentially “better” decision at the expense of more time.  Whether trying to avoid “delay of game,” or the play clock winding down late in the 4^th quarter, time is not a luxury afforded on a football field. (And often times not a luxury in life either!)

This past weekend was our home opener, under brand new lights on brand new turf. We had run our “Power Read” play with success and had double teamed the play-side 3 technique (Defensive lineman). As the drive continued, we earned our way to the one yard line where I thought we would take advantage of our earlier success and repeat the Power Read. However, the defense aligned in a “Bears” front.  With little time to react, the offense approached the line of scrimmage. As the play-side Guard and Tackle were calling for their double team on the 3 technique, our Center promptly and forcefully decided to cancel the double team, directed the Guard to block down on the Nose, and Tackle to block down on the 3 technique, enabling the center to block back for the pulling Guard. Our Center considered the circumstance, and with an understanding of the desired outcome, made and communicated his decision. The linemen executed the plan, we got everyone blocked, and the running back walked into the end zone.  

When players use good Judgement, are Dependable, take Initiative, and are Decisive, the outcome leads to success on the field.  We ask our players to be decisive both on and off the field and look for opportunities to highlight both good decisions, and ones we might have made better. In both cases, we learn from, and build a reservoir of experiences from which we will draw later to make future decisions.

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!