Tag: leadership

National Coach’s Day

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Today, Monday October 6th, is “National Coaches Day.” It’s not a scheme to get you to buy a greeting card, nor some food promotion promising free tacos or burgers… It was first proclaimed by President Nixon in 1972, to acknowledge the influence coaches have on young people through sports.  The day is dedicated to honoring and appreciating coaches of all sports and levels, from volunteers to professionals, for the positive impact they have on athletes and communities.  

My first job after college was as a teacher and coach at Admiral Farragut Academy, a military (Naval) based preparatory school with all the traditional trappings of a military hierarchy.  I was given the option of receiving a pseudo-military rank/title or being called “Coach.”  I chose Coach, and that is all I have ever wanted to be called. My coaches were my mentors…the examples I wanted to follow…At the time, I questioned whether I was actually worthy of the title, but I resolved to earn the trust and respect of my players, the same way my coaches had earned ours: one day at a time.

As coaches, we play a profound and lasting role in shaping kids’ lives, acting as mentors, role models, and even parental figures while we coach them, and those relationships last for years to come.  Our influence goes beyond teaching skills, schemes, and plays.  We help shape character, values, and outlooks on life. For nearly four decades now, I’ve considered coaching as a privilege. A privilege I cherish, and one that serves as an homage to all the great coaches who have supported and invested in me over the years.

Today, I encourage you to reach out to a current or former coach of yours, or perhaps your child’s, and simply say, “Thank you.”  We do not need anything more than that.  Our reward comes in the celebration of successes as players on the fields and courts near and far, in the lives they build with their families, and the positive impacts they make on their communities for years 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!

The Power of Simplicity

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As we prepare for our first 7v7 tournament of the summer at the Pembroke Army National Guard Readiness Center in New Hampshire, I’m reminded of the two core principles that guided Harvey Firestone, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company: “Do we need it?” and “Can we simplify it?”

These questions aren’t just business mantras—they’re a philosophy that transforms how we approach any challenge. Firestone understood that every unnecessary component, every extra step, every bit of complexity that doesn’t add value becomes a liability. His principles encourage critical evaluation of whether something is truly necessary, ensuring that time and energy are invested only in what provides genuine value.

The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi embodied this same philosophy when he said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” He achieved this by relentlessly simplifying. The Green Bay Packers’ “power sweep” became unstoppable not because it was complex, but because it was executed to perfection through simplicity and repetition.

So as we approach the game plan for our 7v7 tournament, the question isn’t how many plays we can install—it’s which plays we truly need and can execute flawlessly?

A simplified, well-executed plan consistently outperforms a complicated, poorly understood one. We will only include plays that our team can execute with precision and that serve a clear purpose. Our goal is to confuse our opponents with formations, motions, alignments, and route combinations—not our own players. By using only the plays we need and thoroughly understand, our players can play fast and with confidence.

This approach creates a more focused and efficient team that has fun playing and competing together. When players aren’t overwhelmed by complexity, they can focus on execution, react instinctively, and play with the joy that makes football special.

Whether you’re building a tire company, a backyard deck, or preparing for a 7v7 tournament, the most powerful question you can ask remains the same: “What would make this simpler?”

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 Coach’s Voice; The Echo That Lasts A Lifetime

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While skiing the back bowls at Copper Mountain in Colorado a couple of years ago, I called out to one of my sons but heard another voice from the opposite direction respond, “Coach Alercio?” It was a former player from ten years prior who said he recognized my voice instantly.

That moment served as a powerful reminder that a coach’s voice truly leaves an imprint. A thoughtful coach uses his or her voice to lead, guide, and direct a student-athlete’s development. We must be careful to remember that a coach’s voice is a tool, not a weapon. As coaches, our voices can inspire or tear down. What you say in ten seconds can build a legacy or break a spirit. The power lies not just in what you say, but in how you say it.

I tell all my players, “If I hold you to a high standard, it’s because I believe in your potential.” I sincerely want to convey my confidence in their ability on the field and the character in their heart. I would encourage other coaches—or those in coaching, teaching, or mentoring roles—to let your voice become the inner voice they hear when facing fear, doubt, or adversity. I hope mine echoes in their minds now, and if I do it right, for the rest of their lives.

If I could truly wish for a legacy, I would hope that in some small way, the echoes of my voice and my words of encouragement find a way to become part of their inner compass going forward. I hear the voices of those who inspired me daily. Even on those occasions when a coach voiced his displeasure with my performance quite emphatically, I knew the sentiments expressed really meant, “I believe in you, and I know you can be better.”

This time of year, when our student-athletes are on the track, in the weight room, and on the field for OTAs instead of at the beach, the lake, or the river, your voice needs to be welcoming and encouraging while still maintaining high standards. If you want them to come and keep coming throughout the dog days of summer, those two hours need to be the best two hours of their day. Your voice sets that tone.

Let it echo beyond the field.

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!

Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty

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“Dig your well before you’re thirsty,” is a metaphor for preparing in advance for times of need or difficulty. Productivity and sales author Harvey McKay wrote a book of the same title in 1999, and the adage is apropos today as it was over a quarter century ago. It reminds us to prepare for future needs in advance rather than waiting until it is too late. The ancient version of the proverb is attributed to Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi, and it is a common saying across various cultures, including a Japanese proverb that says, “When you feel thirsty, it is too late to start thinking about digging a well.” Even the earliest recorded stories from Genesis teach the idea of preparation and work today, as a worthy sacrifice for the benefits of tomorrow. Regardless of source, the core message is proactively addressing potential problems before they become critical.

I was recently contacted by two different high school coaches. One was inquiring about bringing the offensive linemen from his youth program to one of my OLine Clinics to develop for their future. The other was asking if I knew of any OLine Coaches looking for a job since he has no one on his staff with OLine experience. These are coaches who are digging their well before they are thirsty and are great examples of proactively addressing a potential problem before it is a crisis.

Whether in networking, relationship building, or skill development, we can help coaches and players “dig their wells before they are thirsty,” at upcoming Alercio OLine Clinics. Join us this Spring as we work hard, sacrifice now, and prepare to reap the benefits this Fall, and for years 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!

Automaticity

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Vermont High School football is allowed six Spring practices between the Winter and Spring sports seasons. We begin ours this week with a focus on reinforcing automaticity. Automaticity in sports refers to the ability of an athlete to perform skills or movements at a nearly instinctive level. It occurs when an action becomes ingrained through extensive practice and repetition, allowing athletes to execute complex tasks quickly and efficiently under pressure.

Driving, walking, and typing on a keyboard are everyday examples of automaticity. We perform these tasks seemingly without conscious thought, even though awareness of our environment is essential. Our goal is to create muscle memory through repeated practice, strengthening neural pathways and making complex movements more natural while requiring little cognitive effort. This instinctive ability leads athletes to react faster by avoiding pauses common to conscious decision-making and maintain consistency while adapting game conditions.

We’ve previously discussed Colonel John Boyd’s OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) and its relevance wherever time-critical decisions determine success. Automaticity enhances each phase of this loop: players with well-developed automaticity observe more efficiently by focusing on relevant cues, orient faster through pattern recognition, make decisions more confidently based on ingrained knowledge, and execute actions with greater precision. By developing automaticity in fundamental skills, our athletes free up mental bandwidth to handle the unpredictable aspects of football. The targeted skills we practice daily aren’t just about repetition—quality repetitions matter more than time spent practicing.

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!

Giving Thanks: Celebrating Family, Friends, & Football

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The first Thanksgiving after moving our family to Vermont from New Jersey, we hosted dozens of families for the inaugural Turkey Bowl. Parents tailgated in our driveway while our kids and all of their friends played on two fields lined and marked in the yard with pylons. Our first holiday in our new home was made special thanks to Friends, Family, and Football. I was then, and have been very thankful for all of the ways we feel and express gratefulness and thanks for the many blessings we enjoy.


Thanksgiving and football have a long-standing and deeply intertwined tradition. The NFL has hosted Thanksgiving Day games for over 100 years with the Cowboys and Lions being perennial competitors, each hosting the other year after year. Thanksgiving weekend also features college and high school football rivalry games. Cities and towns, large and small celebrate these events with trophies like Keg of Nails (Cincinnati vs Louisville), The Old Brass Spittoon (Indiana vs Michigan State), or the Jeweled Shillelagh (USC vs Notre Dame).


Whether you are hosting your own Turkey Bowl, raising trophies (old or just invented), watching the NFL or college games on TV, or attending your local high school game, I hope this Thanksgiving holiday allows you to celebrate togetherness with Family, Friends, and Football.


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!

Forging The Future

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After the season is over and all the equipment is collected, players schedule a one-on-one year-end meeting with me.  These meetings serve as an opportunity to reflect on the past season, assess their progress, set off-season goals, and discuss where they see themselves next year.

I try to orchestrate the process of self-reflection to be motivating and affirming.  I want players to recognize the progress they’ve made, the skills they developed, and the goals they reached.  Further, I try to very tangibly acknowledge the contributions they made to the team, fostering a sense of appreciation and making the player feel valued in the program.  It also provides an opportunity to discuss what didn’t go well and why.  I’m genuinely interested in players’ perceptions and encourage them to raise concerns, discuss obstacles they faced, and share challenges they have off of the field that impact their performance on the field.

These meetings also give me an opportunity to provide feedback on what they did well and opportunities for improvement.  I make every effort to ensure the feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on improvement for the individual player and the team.

The year-end meetings are a chance to strengthen the coach–player relationship by creating a two-way dialogue that hopefully fosters trust, leads to more engaged players, and conveys how much I care about them.  This opens the door to conversations about any misunderstandings that may have occurred during the season, while opening the door to future dialogues whenever players feel the need.

By giving players an opportunity to voice their opinions, share their concerns, and provide feedback we create players who feel more engaged and invested in the program leading to greater retention and hopefully recruitment of their classmates.  

In closing, year-end meetings are a critical opportunity to reflect, learn, plan, and motivate ensuring both the player and the team are set up for success and looking forward to the year 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!  

Competition & Encouragement

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Coaches always say that games are won and lost in the trenches but most spend the offseason and summer sending their “skill” players to passing camps and 7v7 tournaments.  That is why I started my OLine Clinics over 20 years ago, and why we host a Strongman Competition and OLine Challenge at our annual Northeast Kingdom 7v7 tournament.

The Strongmen compete in the following events:

1. Log Press (Max Reps in 1 Minute)

2. Farmer Carry (Best time)

3. Hexbar Deadlift (Max Reps for 1 minute)

4. Seated Sled Pull (Best time)

Our OLine Challenge has 5-man teams competing in the following events:

1. Standing Slam ball Toss (Total distance)

2. 1-man Sled Drive Relay (Best time)

3. Tire Flip Relay (Best time)

4. Sandbag Carry Relay (Best time)

5. Team Tug-of-War (Seeded Single Elimination)

While I am proud to say that one of our guys was the overall winner in the Strongman competition and our team won the OLine Challenge, I am more proud of how spirited the event was throughout the day.  The 7v7 games were very competitive, but the competition at times was contentious.  The Strongman and OLine Challenge events were also very competitive but players from different schools were all very supportive of each other.  Players wearing a rainbow of colors representing schools from all over Vermont and one from New Hampshire circled around each other and cheered as individuals they may have never met pushed themselves to the limits and beyond in the spirit of competition.

There is truly something special about offensive linemen.  Simply stated, they are selfless. That’s not to say others can’t be selfless as well, but as we’ve noted previously, the nature of the roles on the offensive line often rewards selfless interdependence more frequently and more consistently than other positions. Some roles tend to be more “supporting,” while others tend to be more “supported.” It was great to see the OLinemen “supporting” each other throughout the competitions.

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!  

Ripples In Time…

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“We never know how what we say, do, or think today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”  A life-long friend and high school teammate recently shared that quote when I told him about a former player’s recent visit.  This player’s four years as a Hilltopper coincided with the most successful stretch in our long and proud football history.  We earned our way into three state championship games, winning one of them, and made it to the state semifinals the other year. 

However, the young man who visited wasn’t the star quarterback, a team-leading lineman, or dominating linebacker. In fact, he never started a game. He made the most of his opportunity to play late in games when the outcome was often already determined. Yet, he felt something significant about his place on the team, his pride in belonging, and the opportunity to contribute.

After a few minutes of small talk, he said, “Coach, there’s a reason for this visit. There’s something I want to give you.” He reached into his pocket to reveal a patch and two challenge coins.  Then proudly shared he had become a United States Marine, and the patch and coins were from his new team; the Helicopter Squadron that flies the President on “Marine One.” 

He went on to relay he initially did not want to play football as a freshman, but his mom made him. Despite his reluctance, he found teammates and a culture instilling pride in being part of something special. He felt “strength in numbers,” as the team overcame deficits or rallied to lift the motivation of a struggling teammate. He closed by saying “he owes who he is today to his high school football coaches and teammates who gave him both the courage to become a football player, and the confidence to become a Marine.”  I am so very thankful for his visit, for his mom’s understanding that the rewards of the game: the lessons about oneself and one’s team are worthy of the sacrifice whether one plays all 48 minutes or only four. 

As my long-time friend went on to say, “In hindsight, we see the incredible impact sports had on our lives and the lives of our teammates. We learn as young men the leadership and mentorship of a good coach is life-changing.” He went on to say, “But we have no idea how many of these stories exist… and in a world so frequently dominated by divisiveness and acrimony, isn’t that potential for good, just incredible?” 

It warms my heart to know that there is one story such as this, and I trust there are many more.    

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! 

Presents Vs. Presence

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Both words sound alike to me, but for many, they are drastically different.  This year, as you gather with your colleagues, community, friends, and family, try to be thoughtful about these words and their meanings.  Instead of focusing all your attention on what “presents” you may give or get, consider giving the gift of your “presence.”  Whether the soundtrack for “It’s a Wonderful Life” or the background for the “Ball Drop” on New Year’s Eve, “Auld Lang Syne” reminds us to recall special memories of relationships and occasions we cherish.

Those memories are born from attention and presence. Bring your full self to every conversation, handshake, or hug.  Forget about yesterday.  Stop thinking about tomorrow.  Put your phone away.  Know that every day is a gift and enjoy the moment for the moment’s sake. What your family and friends really want for Christmas is YOU. 

Your presence is the greatest gift you can give your loved ones.  Take in every sight, sound, and smell of Christmas whenever, wherever, and with whomever you gather. You may just find the gift of your presence to those you love, may also be the greatest gift you give to yourself.  Merry Christmas.

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!