O Line Skills

The bonds forged in the crucible of football—bonds we’ve explored throughout the OlineSkills.com journey… continue to fascinate me for their remarkable durability and depth. Last week’s metaphor of the multi-stranded rope illustrated perfectly why teammates bound by shared sacrifice become collectively stronger than any individual could be alone.

In response to recent blogs about teammates and relationships, a close friend forwarded me the following which is attributed to Tom Brady, and was excerpted from The Farnam Street (https://fs.blog/), Newsletter called, “Brain Food”:

Tom Brady (lightly edited) on how the right people in your life double the pleasure and divide the pain:
“Things happen in life that you don’t want to happen—whether you lose a game, things don’t go well at work, or something happens with your child. Many moments in our personal and professional lives don’t go the way we want. How do you deal with them? Do you handle them with class and integrity, with courage and resilience? Are you able to share your emotions with others?

Do you have people in your life who can help you through those challenges? I’m blessed to have had people walk through those moments with me. They always say, “Double the pleasure and divide the pain,” and that’s what relationships are all about. When you care for and love those around you, they give back—and that’s where the reward comes.”

I think “double the pleasure and divide the pain,” captures perfectly what I’ve experienced throughout my football journey but never articulated so well. Those shared victories (on and off the field) with teammates have indeed soared higher in celebration, while defeats and personal struggles diminished in weight when carried by many hands. This is one of the true gifts of this game; such bonds, extend far beyond the field and locker room. My wish is this lesson resonates with our players, staff, and readers alike, as they cultivate the bonds I genuinely hope will sustain them through life’s inevitable triumphs and tribulations.

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!

As I mentioned in a recent blog, I spent Super Bowl weekend in Fort Lauderdale with several of my high school teammates and lifelong friends. On the morning of the Super Bowl, sitting poolside, we watched a church service on the TV at the tiki bar of our Airbnb. Pastor Tom Mullins, a former high school and college football coach, performed the service. Who better to give a Super Bowl Sunday sermon?

Like any good coach, he referenced the importance of teamwork. He quoted Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” This verse emphasizes the strength found in unity, and interdependence, whether in friendships, marriages, teams, or communities. The “three strands” metaphor suggests that when people come together and mutually support one another, they become much stronger than when they stand alone.

My friends and I have been an unbreakable cord for more than four decades. We’ve been fortunate to celebrate triumphs together, as well as support one another through life’s inevitable tribulations. When I am coaching, whether it be daily interactions with my own players, or those I only work with once a year at my OLine Clinics, I often wonder if (and certainly hope) the relationships they are forging will help them be successful on the field this season and in their lives 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!

As we so often reference, football can be a complex game. The decisions and actions offensive linemen consider and execute in games need to be repeated (practiced) every day to become automatized so they lose complexity and gain simplicity. Automating tasks every day in practice can reduce complexity and streamline repetitive processes, allowing players to focus on the tactical rather than the technical at the line of scrimmage on gameday. We both “train:” plan, practice, and execute a set of actions when confronted with certain conditions; as well as “educate:” observe, orient, decide, and act in non-standard situations.

For example, the Playside Guard on Power needs to identify whether he is covered or not. If he is covered, he needs to communicate the double team to the Playside Tackle, then identify which Linebacker they will double team to. Next, he determines the step, visual target, and strike points to block the defensive lineman with inside leverage in order to establish the inside half of the double team as well as account for the A Gap Linebacker run through. The steps used will differ depending on the alignment of the defender in a 2i or 3 technique. If the Guard is uncovered, he must turn his focus inward to the defender aligned on the Center to identify the step, visual target, and strike points to execute a down block. All this must occur in less than 10 seconds.

For 25 years, we have trained thousands of players and hundreds of coaches the steps, visual targets, strike points, and leverage used on run and pass blocks in Gap, Zone, and Man schemes at the Alercio OLine Clinics. We teach, train, and educate athletes and coaches to help reduce complexity and simplify decisions and actions in chaotic environments on gameday.

Come learn with us this Spring and simplify your or your team’s path to 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!

Stories that endure, do so for a reason. When we encounter a myth, legend, or ancient maxim that has survived centuries of retelling, we’re not just hearing an old tale – we’re connecting with a truth that generations before us found worthy of preserving.

I can’t say this story has been around for centuries, but I have used it before because I do find enduring value. I am reminded of this story as the football clinic season begins and we reflect on one of the greatest things in our profession: The willingness to share.

“Two people meet each having a penny. They exchange pennies and walk away still only having one penny. Two people meet each having an idea. They exchange ideas and walk away now having two ideas.”

While Coaches will share more plays and concepts that we can count, I am also reminded that there is no “Miracle Solution” guaranteed to score on every possession, stop teams from getting first downs, turn kick returns into touchdowns, or turn past failures into future successes. The game of football is a complex issue without a simple solution. Everyone would run the same things on offense and defense if it did.

Success requires multiple strategies to address challenges. Just because something worked for one coach or team does not necessarily mean it will work for you and yours. While it may look marvelous in video clips and explanations, we must ensure such ideas fit into your system, so that the schemes and reads can be implemented effectively with your players and their skill levels.

The acronym KISS is often used in coaching football prompting coaches to keep it simple. Another acronym I suggest is LEAP. Keep it Learnable, Engaging, Applicable, and Practical. Plays, schemes, and reads that fit into your system are more easily learned, making them more engaging, applicable, and practical.

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!

Mark your calendar with the 2025 Alercio OLine Clinic dates and locations. There is a saying in football that “games are won in the trenches.” Alercio OLine Clinics has specialized in teaching the technical and tactical skills of the trenches for 25 years. We strongly believe that the true “Skill Players” in football are the offensive linemen. We teach the coordination and execution of learned physical tasks, enabling linemen of any size to achieve both individual and team success.

Football is a complex game played at high speed, requiring quick decisions in a chaotic environment. Our goal is to simplify the process. Mike Kuchar, Co-Founder of X&O Labs.com, summed it up perfectly with his quote: ” The clarity of your teaching simplifies the game tremendously.” Join us at The Hun School of Princeton (NJ) Sunday 13 April, West Orange High School (NJ) Sunday 25 May, and St Johnsbury Academy (VT) Sunday 8 June.

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!

I turn 60 this week and am reminded of a quote from George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” It is a powerful reminder about the importance of staying active and engaged in life. It is a philosophy that applies to both physical and mental activity. Keeping play in your life helps maintain youthfulness at any age.

Consider doing any or all of the following: Challenge yourself by learning a new skill like playing a musical instrument or a new activity, game, or sport like pickleball. Rediscover hobbies, games, and activities you loved as a kid. Engage in play with kids or pets. Join group games or sports to add social connections to your life.

Age is just a number. Attitude, mindset, and lifestyle are far more important than the number of years you have lived. Like Tim McGraw sang, “My next 30 years will be the best years of my life.”

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!

At its core, “Merry Christmas” is an invitation to celebrate joy and happiness. It embodies the spirit of goodwill, encouraging people to come together, share love, friendship, and spread cheer. This joy transcends cultural and religious boundaries, making it a universal expression of positivity.

For many, this time of year marks an opportunity for reflection on the past year and aspirations for the future. We plan to spend time with family and friends, express gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy, and look forward to the opportunities and adventures ahead.

With that in mind, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Look for the next blog to be posted in the first week of January after we have had time to celebrate the Holiday season and enjoy all it brings.

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 hosted our football banquet last weekend and for all accounts by players, parents, coaches and administrators it was a great event so I thought I would share what we do to make it so well received.

To make the event accessible for all in a place that can accommodate our numbers and keep expenses down, we host the banquet in our school’s Dining Hall. Our food service provider does an excellent job providing white linen tablecloths and napkins to dress it up and we let them choose the meal (Pasta, meatballs, salad, and garlic bread). Something everybody likes.

We want our players to feel like it is a special event and to dress appropriately, but we do not set the parameters of what they should wear. We simply say “dress to impress” so they define the attire. Some will wear jackets and ties while others will don their best flannel shirt and trucker hat.

Although I have been a guest speaker at a number of high school banquets when I was a college coach, we do not have one. No one wants to hear a long-winded speech about something that does not pertain to the team.

Through the night, we hand out Varsity letters and pins, recognize seniors and give our superlative awards. All juniors and seniors and any underclassmen who were a varsity offensive, defensive or special teams 2 Deep receive a letter and pin. When we honor our seniors, we have our assistant coaches come up one-by-one to speak about the seniors they coached in their position groups. This allows all coaches to be involved in the event, gives the audience a chance to hear personal anecdotes, and gives me a break from the podium. When we present our superlative awards we want to send an intentional message to the audience that we award the behaviors we want exhibited:

• Our MVP exemplifies S.W.A.T. be Smart, Work hard And be Tough.
• Our Hilltopper Award is given to the player who shows the most Energy, Effort, and Enthusiasm.
• The Coaches Award goes to the player with the most Ability: Availability, Reliability, Accountability,
and Dependability.
• Our Scout Team Player of the Year goes to a player who exemplifies Selflessness on a daily basis.

Regardless of a particular season’s outcome, we find ways to reinforce the very best of what we want our players, coaches, teams, and culture to represent. While we send our Seniors off with best wishes in their new chapters, we also highlight the expectations for underclassmen to step up and take leadership roles in 2025.

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!