O Line Skills

Football’s greatest rivalries: Ohio State v Michigan, Auburn v Alabama, Army v Navy…

St Johnsbury Academy v Lyndon Institute???

Yes!

Two high schools in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont have one of the oldest football rivalries in the country.  “The Game”, as it has been named, dates back to 1894, with St Johnsbury having the edge 63-44-6.

In 2013, USA Today conducted an online poll to determine the greatest rivalry in the nation.  “The Game” easily won the Vermont, New England, and Eastern Regions, before finishing fourth in the nation.

Tradition matters… We all want to belong to something. Family, Team, Church, Fraternity or Sorority, or other associations or societies.  My friends who are Marines love being part of The Few and The Proud. Other Service members have their strong affiliations, and all are underpinned by traditions, accomplishments, and myths handed down with almost legendary reverence.

When we talk about “team building,” and putting the good of the team above self-interest, examples of those who went before us serve as a reminder of both what is possible, and what is expected. There is added responsibility to uphold the traditions of those who went before, and occasionally the responsibility to right some wrong or restore the best aspects of a tradition.

The Hilltoppers will look to get series win 64 on Saturday, October 20.  The Hilltoppers have won the last four meetings outscoring the Vikings 240 – 20.  Before you accuse us of running up the score against our rivals, please note that we have not scored a 4^th quarter touchdown during that 4-year stretch.

Regardless of records or standings, this rivalry brings out the best of both towns, schools, and teams.  Homecoming events welcome alumni back to both campuses from all over the world.  Parades go down Main Street in each town, ending back on campus for bonfires, and the memories of games past, families, and friendships.

As the Fall Foliage Season comes to an end in Vermont, the focus in the Northeast Kingdom turns to the 114th annual clash between St Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute. The Hilltoppers stand ready!

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 your time!

 

“If ifs and buts were gifts and nuts, everyone would have a Merry Christmas…”

Your record today is what it is.  You cannot go back and get a “do over.” Focus on the game ahead.  There is a reason why your car’s windshield is much larger than its rearview mirror.  When you are driving the car, you need to spend your time looking forward.  It is OK to look back every once in a while; but if you spend too much time looking in the mirror at what is behind you, you will eventually crash into what is ahead of you.

Focus your coaches and players on this opponent, this week. Control what you can control. I’ve noted before, I love the game of football for its parallels to life. Life is unpredictable, and when a ball has points on its end, the ball doesn’t always bounce the way one expects. Football forces us to confront those unanticipated bounces and decide what to do next. Further, football often hands us the unexpected when confronted with daunting combinations of fatigue and stress.

What are you going to do now Coach? (The whole community is watching…)

What’s next Quarterback? (Your teammates are looking for your example…)

How about you Senior Letterman? (Every underclassmen’s eyes are on you…)

This game, like life, demands mental toughness, the ability to endure and to focus on the goals and objectives you’ve led your team to pursue. Jack Clark, the University of California Rugby Coach who holds more NCAA Division I National Championships than any coach, in any sport, defines mental toughness as the unrelenting ability to identify and execute the next most important thing… no matter what.

Put down the ifs and buts…

The next most important thing is this week’s game and this week’s opponent.

Get after ‘em!

How a simple mantra reinforces culture…

Throughout the nearly two years I’ve been sharing thoughts on this blog, and for more than 30 as both a player and a coach, I’ve learned and emphasized the importance of “culture” as a core component of success. Culture will develop one way or another. As a head coach, part of the leadership responsibility is to ensure the development of the culture you want your team to emulate.

Common vision, values, purpose, and goals unite teams and build cohesion. Those attributes are underpinned by character and personal example. Personal example is often reinforced by words; words that sometimes take on “mantra’ like status. I was told by a friend who is both a leadership expert and a US Marine Corps General, “When you’re just about tired of saying it, they’re just starting to hear it.”

We have established a culture at St Johnsbury Academy of how we do things as Hilltopper Football Players.  You’ve heard me say (or read here previously) “Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.” There is a very specific way we do everything whether it is football related (blocking, tackling, running, catching) or personal conduct on and off the field.  When any players’ action fails to uphold our performance standards, I often say the phrase, “that ain’t it.”  Apparently, it has been picked up by our students as noted in the email below from our defensive coordinator, John Lovett, who is also a history teacher and dorm proctor at the Academy.

FYI, the phrase “that ain’t it” has permeated the culture of the school. Three times today alone, and many other times before I have heard students say this about behaviors or ideas that are not what we are looking for. Your words are famous! Most of these students have no relation to the football program and still understand the idea of meeting a standard of thought and behavior.

Observable behaviors or actions that do not meet expectations are now being corrected with a simple phrase, “that ain’t it.” It’s become our way of reinforcing “do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason,” and the adoption of the phrase and its use by students other than our players is a great sign of the positive effects of our team on campus-wide culture. How do you reinforce culture in your team, family, partnership, or organization? What are the signs your efforts to develop culture are beginning to stick?

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 your time!

 

Three weeks into the 2018 season and every Division 1 team in the state of Vermont has at least one loss.   I just read an email from one of our TV sports anchors addressed to every coach asking if anyone can recall the last time that has happened.  Certainly not in my five years as a Vermont high school football coach.

 

In 2014, my second year at the Academy, we made our first state championship game appearance with a 10-0 record.  Our opponent that year had the same record.  I believe it was the first time two Division 1 teams in Vermont ever came into the championship game undefeated.

Last year, during our undefeated 2017 season, we had a couple of close games; but still wound up winning them all and outscoring our opponents 435 – 179.  We went into every game feeling quite confident we were the better team.  This year, our coaches and players recognize every opponent brings talented athletes and teams much more closely matched in capability and experience.  With no “easy weeks” on the schedule, our players bring great motivation into the weight room, spirited attitude and performance to practices, and focused attention and questions to video sessions.

The upperclassmen we hoped would pick up the mantle of leadership are doing so and we’re also seeing some younger players personal examples standing out as peer leaders. While we as coaches would like to take credit for setting the culture and conditions for the team’s emotional growth, it’s more important to recognize the elevated attention to detail and focus we’re seeing in the phases of practice and preparation reflect the student-athletes who have taken it upon themselves to lead by example. The players’ pursuit of excellence also serves as a motivator for us as coaches. Just as “steel sharpens steel,” there’s a complementary symbiosis to the relationship.

Our critical responsibility as coaches continues to be effective communication. We must develop, communicate, clarify and confirm game plans, situational context, and special circumstances teammates can implement and execute together.

It’s not uncommon to hear people in the media talking about “circling an opponent on their schedule,” as particularly challenging or key to a season’s success. This season, we have a circle around all of them and it has made coaching as exciting and important as it has ever been in my 30 years in the profession. Thanks for joining us on the journey!

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 your time!

Earlier this summer I talked about the importance of moving through the teambuilding steps and the recognition that together, we are so much more powerful than any of us could be alone. As the team runs through early phases of drills and practice, we try to create opportunities for players to recognize their inability to succeed by themselves. Whether players feel personally in need or recognize someone else who is struggling, the staff creates scenarios where the only path to success is through teamwork.

Both on the field and off, we ask players to put the interests of the team and their teammates ahead of their own… to be generous with their time and effort, and to make a conscious decision to help others.

For the past three years, the St Johnsbury Academy football team has gathered with other members of our community on a Sunday in September to participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  We believe it is a great opportunity to give back to the community and support a worthy cause.

Our community has been so supportive of Hilltopper Football (and other sports!) over the years, turning out to support the community is the least we could do. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s gives us the opportunity to extend the team’s interdependence out into the local community, and the return on investment is extraordinary.

Below is an email from the director of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s:

Good Morning Coach,

      I wanted to thank you again for having your family and team join us for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  It’s simply incredible how your team’s presence brings so much joy and hope to the families struggling with this disease.  Please extend a personal thank you to your team from myself and the entire Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee.  They should be very proud of themselves for taking part in such an important cause. 

 Not only does the community appreciate our participation, we reinforce the pattern of putting others’ interests ahead of our own. We practice the ethics we preach and in doing so, carry forward the Hilltopper example beyond the confines of the campus. Our team’s example (choices, words, and deeds) can either add to the culture or detract. It is unfortunately all too obvious in today’s day and age how one “Aw Shucks…” can take away a thousand “Attaboys!”

As I’ve noted elsewhere in the blog over the last 18 months, the staff and I know all too well the season ends and classes graduate in the blink of an eye. The lessons we teach are intended first to serve players on the field, but also to endure for a lifetime. Investing in our team and culture both on and off the field pays dividends for years to come.

Our time is our most valuable non-renewable resource. During the season, demands on coaches and players make time even more precious…. But there’s always time to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. Giving back to a community that gives so much to us is worthy of our time, talent, and treasure.

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 your time!

Coaches Make Decisions…

I remember watching a Patriots v Colts game several years ago where the Patriots had a 4th down and short in their own side of the field late in the game.  They had one of the best QBs in football, a dynamic isolation receiver, and only needed 2 or 3 yards to get a first down, secure the win, and burn the clock.

Conventional thinking would be to punt the ball away and play defense, but they would be giving the ball to the other “best QB in the league,” with plenty of time to score.  The Pats decided to go for it, the pass fell incomplete, and they wound up losing the game on a short field touchdown.  I recall thinking how bold and brilliant that call was, but the next day I heard all of sports talk radio criticizing the call made by one of the greatest coaches the game has ever known.  Why the criticism?  It was the right thing to do, with the right people, at the right time.  It just did not work.

Fast forward to our game this past Saturday.  We opened our season with the team we defeated in the state championship game last year, who is also the team who defeated us in the 2016 state championship.  The game was back and forth.  They had a dominant running game and we dominated in the air.  During the first 3 successful Points after touchdown, I noticed that they were only rushing 2 guys off our right side and were not rotating anyone over to cover for them.

I had made the decision in the first half that if this is still a back and forth game in the fourth quarter we would fake and go for two.  Playing them in overtime did not favor us.  Their success on the ground gave them a decided advantage on the short field, and short fields are no friend of the passing game.  So when we got the ball in the fourth trailing by 7, (28-21), I told our QB that when we score, we will fake and go for two.  It was the right thing to do with the right people at the right time, but the ball fell to the ground incomplete.  We wound up losing 35-33.

Good call or bad call?

I posed that same question to a longtime friend and student of the game. He responded:

“Good Call… Remember, the ball has points, and therefore like life, bounces in unpredictable ways.  You make the best call you can given the information available at the time, and let the chips fall.”

What do you think? Good call or bad call?

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 your time!

Last week’s blog had to take a back seat to training camp and all the time and energy dedicated to those two weeks.  This year’s training camp was made even more challenging with the sudden passing of the father of one of our players in week 1 and the services that followed in week 2.  Although it was a difficult time, I was moved by how much the team supported their “brother” and how he sought comfort by being back with his football family. The return on an individual’s commitment to the team and our culture can be measured in many ways, but I am always proud of the way teammates pull together to care for and support one another in the face of adversity and loss.

As a staff, our greatest concern going into training camp was not replacing the 8 senior starters from our undefeated team, but rather the void in leadership left by their graduation.  Those young men created an environment of social cohesion; a team in true meaning; void of stratification and absent of cliques and egos.  No player was treated any differently regardless of their year in school or spot on the depth chart.  This year’s team only has 6 seniors, but they have been exemplary in their actions and attitudes. Leading by personal example, they know the way, go the way, and show the way.

Two of those seniors were voted on by their teammates to be captains.  A third player also received a large number of votes; a junior offensive lineman, who is our only returning starter for last year’s line.  As I reflect back over my 30 years in coaching, it is hard to remember a year or a team that did not have an offensive lineman as one of its captains.  One of my proudest moments was being named a captain of my team at Ursinus College in only my 3rd year with the program and 2nd year starting at Center on the offensive line.  Although the average football fan pays little to no attention to the offensive line, the five men who comprise that unit and their selfless efforts are clearly recognized by their teammates.

Teammates care… Captains care… and the 2018 Hilltoppers begin their season caring for each other, sharing common values,  commitments, and the confidence to step forward and join the battle together as a 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 your time!

As I think about the training camps I’ve participated in as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, memories ebb and flow, but the near torture that was the end of practice conditioning (wind sprints, gassers, timed runs, etc) was the least favorite part of my football experience. Since then, I have never been a fan of ending practice with conditioning. While players will undoubtedly encounter fatigue during the season, (and our staff reminds players of Lombardi’s sentiment, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all,”) old-school conditioning drills do not translate well to the game of football. Worse, they often drain player morale and disincentivize coming back the next day.  A better approach is incorporating conditioning into the football position specific drill work we do throughout practice. Our coaches incorporate bursts of intense work during practice with a 1 to 4 work to rest ratio throughout.

Our offense leverages tempo as a weapon. We minimize the time between snaps to just enough time for our Quarterback and O-linemen to read the defense, make their calls, and execute. By doing so, we limit defensive adjustments, substitutions, and the opportunity for rest. Increasing tempo during practice helps our players get used to the pace we expect them to keep during a game, uses positions, steps, and techniques translating directly to team success, and concurrently conditions our athletes.

We choose to end practice with a game, (to play) but not football.  We play a different game every day of training camp.  After practice #1, we played Ultimate Frisbee.  We divided the players into 8 teams and our practice field into 4 fields. Not only do players work at maximum capacity, their movement patterns translate well to football (e.g. lateral movement, changing direction, tracking an object in flight, reacting to an opponent’s movement, etc.)

As coaches observing this period of play, we supervise the activity, but intentionally do not make up the rules.  We give them the field, the frisbee, the game, and the team; but they make up their own rules and those rules may differ from field to field.  As coaches, we observe; assessing performance and reinforcing safety.  We see who can run, who can cover, who can play an object in flight; but more importantly, we observe how players interact.  Who takes a leadership role?  Who creates or solves disputes?  How do teammates communicate? Who can follow, taking direction from an upperclassman or peer, yet finds ways to contribute?

On a team that graduated 16 seniors from an undefeated season, we are looking for every opportunity to develop leadership, cultivate interdependence, and build a team. These games give our kids those opportunities and they love playing them.  They even like playing soccer.  Everyone leaves practice with a smile on their face, looking forward to coming back the next day.  That is not the way I remember training camp in the late 70s and 80s. Times change… Let’em play!

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 your time!

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression…”

We will host a “Meet the Coaches” parent meeting the night before we begin training camp.  It is an opportunity for the parents of our players to meet and greet the men who will be working with their sons for the next several months.  It is also a time for me to share some very important details of our program. If we are to create and sustain the Hilltopper culture, we need parents to buy in and support our tenants of character, leadership, and team before self. In much the same way we encourage our veteran players to welcome new teammates, I encourage veteran parents to welcome the parents of new players.

First order of business is to inform them that safety is our number one priority.  We share that all of our coaches have USA Football certifications in Shoulder Tackling and Equipment Fitting, Concussions in Sports, Heat Illness Prevention, and Sudden Cardiac Arrest and that we have all successfully completed CPR and AED training.  We explain our acclimatization policy that brings us from helmets, to uppers, to full gear over the first several days of Training Camp.  We inform them that we have a full-time, certified athletic trainer at all practices and games who is also available to them before and after every practice.

Next, we share the Academy’s core covenants for athletics:  Committed, Competitive, Classy.  Parents and players both must understand all practices, meetings, strength training and video sessions are mandatory. We share our training camp calendar and game week schedule, clarifying and confirming the expectations of committing to this team. Family emergencies and academics are the only things that trump scheduled football sessions.  Hilltopper teams are competitive and expected to practice and play with passion every day. While the spirit of competition and the thrill of victory fuel our efforts, we must demonstrate character and class on and off the field. We ask parents to reinforce competitiveness, but never at the cost of good sportsmanship.

Then we focus on the importance of communication and encourage parents to have their son come talk to me if he has any issues.  For some young men conveying a personal issue to an authority figure like a head coach can be a daunting task. However, it’s also a life lesson and I believe our work as coaches should serve our players long after the last whistle of their football careers. To that end, we ask parents to prepare their kids for the path and not the path for their kids.

If a parent insists on meeting with me, there are two hard and fast rules:

• We will not discuss specifics of an individual’s playing time.
• We will not mention the name of another player for the purposes of comparisons.

During the Parents meeting, I explain my thought process around playing time, starting, traveling, and dressing for games. Each is a privilege to be earned. None are guaranteed.

The coaching staff works assiduously to field the combination of student-athletes we think gives us the best chance for victory. I tell parents their son is evaluated on a daily basis by their position coach, coordinator and me. We evaluate not only his athletic performance but perhaps, more importantly, his attitude and effort.  Although all four grades (9th-12th) practice together, we do not dress everyone for home games and even fewer players will make the travel team for our away games.

This leads us to the conversation I call, “It’s Not Easy.”  It is not easy to compete at the level we do.  It is not easy to make the travel or dress list.  It is not easy to get through one of our practices or strength training sessions.  It is not easy to learn our offensive or defensive systems.  It is not easy to play football.  There will be failure and/or loss.  We ask parents to let their child fail and encourage them to work harder to succeed.  We believe athletics in general, and football in particular, serve to inoculate student-athletes against both the inevitable loss, failure, and fear they will experience and must overcome to be successful in life.  Again…prepare your kids for the path, not the path for your kids.

I go out of my way emphasizing to parents training camp is the one right of passage associated with becoming a Hilltopper football player. Our program is planned, executed and supervised in detail. It is intentionally challenging and designed to deliver both success and failure in doses calculated to foster allegiance, loyalty, and reinforce the best of what being on a team can bring. I emphatically state our prohibitions to hazing or bullying. I ask parents to echo this message to their children and should anyone encounter or hear of such an incident to immediately report it.

Additionally, we share the importance of Training Camp detailed in my previous blog with one other important detail…Uniformity.  We wear St Johnsbury Academy Football gear and accessories in Green, White, Black or Grey. We understand and appreciate the individual talents and perspectives each individual brings to our team, but as we shape this team, our culture, and mutual respect, we ask our players to set aside individual priorities and put the unity, focus, and interests of the team ahead of self. When team members are on our field, in our weight room or our meeting/video room their appearance, words, actions, and decisions must uniformly reflect our core values and culture.

We close our “Meet the Coaches” meeting with an open discussion of parents’ questions. Taking the time to clarify and confirm both understanding and expectations of a young man’s commitment to this team, and a parents’ support of their player’s endeavor sets the stage for future 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 your time!