O Line Skills

It is with great pride as a coach and father that I announce my son, and Hilltopper student-athlete, Trey Alercio, has been elected into the Vermont Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions both in the classroom and on the playing field during his career at St Johnsbury Academy.

Each year, the National Football Foundation selects six Vermont high school scholar-athletes to be honored along with the “Most Courageous Athlete,” and the “Community Service Award” winner.  In the past four years, six Hilltoppers have been honored.  Trey joins Collin Urie (2016), Jasper Rankin (2017), and Renwick Smith (2018) as scholar-athletes inducted.  He also joins his brother Shane, “Most Courageous Athlete Award” recipient (2017) and Jake Cady, “Community Service Award” recipient (2018).

I’ve mentioned before a coaches’ impact reaches far beyond a few years and sports seasons in high school. Our goal is to take “me oriented” individuals and help build “we oriented” teammates. If things go well, we win a few games together along the way, and if we are lucky, perhaps a championship. The most significant reward a coach can hope for is to return a quality citizen to his family, and ultimately broader society. Our players continue to be winners on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

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!

My at-home OLine training program was recently featured on USA Football’s Coach and Coordinator Podcast with Keith Grabowski.  Listen to the episode to learn how your offensive linemen can work on the skills at home.  Players do not have to be in their workout facility to get better at their techniques for the trenches. Listen here: Coach Alercio’s Podcast

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 annual NFL draft offers teams an opportunity to pick players they feel best fit their team.  But what are their criteria?  Do they take the best player available?  Do they fill a positional need?  Do they allow character flaws to impact their decisions?  How would you choose your team?

Over the past two years, I shared blogs detailing a practice we do at St Johnsbury Academy.  We draft our own team.  I share a list of all of our returning players with our assistant coaches and ask them to provide a draft order.  I do not provide criteria.  Their draft order indicates a great deal about their perspective and what is important to them as coaches.  Then I compare theirs to mine to see if the characteristics and traits I have set for our program are mirrored by our coaches.  Once completed, it provides an opportunity to discuss values, attributes, and culture.

Internally, this exercise helps me assess the effectiveness of my communication as a head coach, as well as affording me the opportunity to assess my staff’s willingness to think independently and express well-thought opinions. More directly in relation to the actual depth chart of returning veterans, this annual exercise also identifies any positional changes we may need to make in the off-season to ensure we field the best 11 on game day.

This weekend, I took a list of all of the players who have played for us at the Academy since we put our staff together in 2013 and drafted an “All 20-Teens Team” (2013-2019).  I listed only one name per position and included utility players for Offense, Defense, and Special Teams.  As I looked back on the list of 25 players, I realized how blessed we have been with the talent we have had over the past 7 years.  But, more importantly, all the names on the list embodied the values and culture we have worked so hard to instill.  They were not only the most talented;  they were the most selfless, the hardest working, and the best leaders.  They embraced the camaraderie in the locker room, brotherhood on the field, and accepted the responsibility of representing our team in the school and community.  They welcomed younger players into our program and shared our culture and values. I was also reminded how time flies, and in the fleeting moments we as coaches have to impact the lives of our student-athletes, our real pride shines through witnessing the men we give back to the community: who they become and all they accomplish after the last whistle blows.

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 our past two blogs, we have detailed at-home offensive line drills for Run and Pass Blocking.  This week, we focus on Pull Steps in the run game.  While we teach 5 different Pulls (Flat, Lead, Skip, Quick and Wide), for at-home training, we will only focus on the first three.

We will address the Steps as well as the body positioning in relationship to the line of scrimmage (or the view of your phone’s camera).  With the Flat Pull (Guard on the Trap play), we will take a 90-degree step with our play-side foot and turn our body 90 degrees so that we can run Flat down the line of scrimmage or parallel to the line of scrimmage to Kick out a first level defender (Defensive Lineman) on the other side of the Center.

Next, we will do a Lead Pull (Tackle on the Wrap play).  We will take a 45-degree angle Bucket step with our play-side foot and turn our body at a 45-degree angle to the line of scrimmage then crossover step in front to run to the other side of the Center to Isolate a second-level defender (Inside Linebacker).

Lastly, we will Skip Pull (Guard on the Power play).  Take a crossover drop step with your backside foot going behind your play-side foot then follow with the play-side foot to keep your hips and shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage.

Now, take the camera on your phone and place it directly in front of you.  Stand all the way to the left of your camera’s view so that you can record your movement in the direction you will pull.  Align as a Left Guard and Left Tackle.  Take a Flat Pull to your right stepping with your right foot first, return.  Take a Lead Pull to your right stepping with your right foot first, return.  Take a Skip Pull to the right stepping with your left foot first.  When you view your recording, confirm that on the Flat Pull your body is turned at a 90-degree angle to the camera.  On your Lead Pull your body is at a 45-degree angle to the camera.  And on your Skip Pull, you are facing the camera throughout the pull.  Then repeat as a Right Guard and Right Tackle.

Continue to practice and hone your OLine Skills every week with your Run, Pass and Pull Steps.

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 last week’s blog, we focused on Run blocking Steps, Visual Targets and Strike Points for offensive linemen in their home using a chair.  This week, we will focus on Pass blocking and you will need a broom handle and the video camera in your phone.

Set up your phone’s video camera in front of you so that your entire body will be in view.  Face the camera and put the broom handle on your back as if you were to execute a barbell squat.  Stagger your feet as you would if you were a Right Guard or Right Tackle.  Left foot up and right foot back.

Next, execute a 3 step pass set to your right (kick-slide-brace) out and back at a 45-degree angle.  Return to your original spot then execute a pass set to your left (power-slide-brace) only moving inward.  Do not drop back.  The Kick Step pass set is to be used versus an outside rusher on dropback passes while the Power Step pass set is used versus a head-up or inside rusher.

Repeat the same drill with a Left Guard/Left Tackle Stance.  Right foot up and left foot back.  Kick-slide-brace left then power-slide-brace right.  Then review your video to confirm that your broom handle stayed parallel to the floor and parallel to the camera.

This drill keeps you square to the line of scrimmage on your pass sets.  Far too often, offensive linemen open their hips to the pass rusher, particularly versus the outside rusher.  This shortens the corner for the rusher and also opens up the path for an inside counter rush move.  Another coaching point is to see that your feet are always outside of your knees and your knees are outside of your hips.  Your legs should always look like a triangle.

Once you have confirmed your body positioning is correct, you can advance to linking the pass steps and sets together.  Do a kick-slide-brace into a power-slide-brace as if you were pass blocking an outside rusher who makes an inside counter rush move.  Then do a power-slide-brace to a kick-slide-brace.

The coaching point of this drill is to teach you to always step with the directional foot.  When you move to the right, you must step right foot first.  If the rusher transitions to the left, you must step with your left foot.  That keeps your legs in the shape of a triangle.  Add these pass sets to your run steps from last week to continue to work on and hone your OLine Skills.

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 close friend bought a book for my son’s high school graduation that I have begun to read during our time shelter-in-place:  “The Obstacle Is The Way,” by Ryan Holiday. We all face life-altering obstacles but must find ways to overcome them and become better as a result.

Over the next few weeks, I will share drills offensive linemen can do to work on their OLine Skills at home.  This same information will be released through USA Football’s Coach and Coordinator podcast.

This week we will focus on Run Steps, Visual Targets, and Strike Points.

You will need a chair and your phone’s video camera.  The chair back should be at a minimum height of 36 inches.  It would be helpful, (with Mom and Dad’s permission of course!) to put pieces of tape in the middle representing a defender’s sternum as well as right third and left third representing defender’s numbers.  Place tape on the top back of the chair as it is in the photo.  The chair posts represent the defender’s shoulders.

Turn the chair so that you are facing the back of it.  Put the camera to the side so that your entire body is in view (Feet too) and hit “record.”  Align yourself with the chair on your right shoulder to start.  Then execute the following steps with visual targets and strike points:

1. Base Left Step (vertical), Visual Target on the near third of chair (Red tape), Strike Points of near Post and Middle (Silver tape).
2. Reach Right Step (vertical with lateral displacement), Visual Target on the middle of the chair (Silver), Strike Points of thirds (Red)
3. Angle Right Step (forward step at 45-degree angle), Visual Target on the far third of chair (Red), Strike Points of Middle (Silver) and far Post.
4. Bucket Right Step (drop step at 45-degree angle), Visual Target on the near third of chair (Red), Strike Points of near Post and Middle (Silver).

Repeat with the chair aligned on your left shoulder taking Base Right, Reach Left, Angle Left and Bucket Left steps and same visual targets and strike points.

Coaching Points when you view the video of your drill work:

1. Every step you take should land in a Heal-to-Toe relationship.  When you step with your Right foot, your right heel should land in alignment with your left toes, then your Left footstep should land aligned with your Right toes and so on throughout the block.  That keeps Knees over Toes through the block.
2. On the first step, the elbows are cocked back bringing thumb knuckles to your chest.  If you were wearing shoulder pads, you would bring “Knuckles to Buckles”.  This keeps elbows at an acute angle and defends your chest from the defender’s strike.
3. Contact with the chair must occur on the grounding of the Second Step with an outward and upward movement.  The chair should slide away from you with all 4 legs in contact with the floor then rock upward on its front legs lifting back legs off the floor.

Viewing your video reinforces the correct steps, targets, strikes, and leverage of all of your run blocks and allows you to self-correct.  This obstacle is the way for you to master your OLine Skills.

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!

Back on the road again this weekend.  I head down to the NYC/North Jersey Glazier Clinic at the Hanover Marriott for three presentations on Saturday beginning at 1:30. I will again present on our 4th & Go Offense, Compartmentalizing the Passing Game, and Compartmentalizing the Screen Game.  Again, I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones as we share ideas well into the night.

From Glazier, I will head down to Media, PA, and Penncrest High School for the first of three Alercio OLine Clinics this year.  I look forward to returning to the Philadelphia area where we hosted a clinic several years ago.

We will open the doors at noon for registration and will begin the clinic at 12:45.  The clinic will start with an indoor session where we teach the stance, steps, visual targets and strike points they will need for the technical work they do on the turf when we head outside.

While outside, we will teach and train technical aspects of a variety of run blocks, pass blocks, and pulling technique.  We will also teach the tactical usage of each block within various Man, Zone and Gap run and pass blocking schemes.  The clinic will end at 5pm with hopes that all players in attendance will continue to train the techniques and schemes they learned at the Alercio OLine Clinic.

Players wishing to avoid the Walk-up registration rate can still register by scanning and sending me a completed registration form at richalercio@gmail.com followed by payment through Venmo @RichAlercio. Coaches, as always, may attend for free and parents are invited to stay as well.

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!

Click here for your 2020 “Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure.”

Football is a complex game often made more complicated by coaches trying to prove how brilliant they are.  But the key to prolonged success in football is keeping it simple so the players know it almost as well as the coaches.  One of the greatest compliments I received was from Mike Kuchar, Co-founder and Senior Editor of XandOlabs.com, when he said, “the clarity of your teaching simplifies the game tremendously.”

Two of my three clinic sessions at last weekend’s New England Nike Coach of the Year Clinic were about simplifying the game.  I shared how we do this in our passing and screen game by compartmentalizing receiver routes and quarterback reads.  In the last session, I shared our always popular “4th & Go Offense.”  I look forward to working with the dozens of coaches who have reached out by email to continue the discussion and trust they will be willing to share something with us.

A personal highlight happened on the first night of the clinic soon after I arrived.  I went into the Marriott Member Lounge to grab dinner before my first presentation.  I was eating alone until Kirk Ferentz, Head Football Coach at the University of Iowa, asked me to join his staff for dinner.  I never met the man before, but it became abundantly clear why he has been so successful.  I wound up sitting next to QB Coach and Offensive Coordinator, Ken O’Keene, (who I had previously met when we were both Division 3 football coaches.)  The night ended with them inviting me out to Iowa during Spring Ball.  While I do not think I will make the trip this year, I will most certainly maintain contact and look forward to a future opportunity.  In the meantime, our focus turns to keeping it simple for our players and coaches as we begin Spring practices in St Johnsbury this week.

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!

Click here for your 2020 “Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure.”