leadership – Page 3 – O Line Skills

Inspiration Comes In Many Forms

March 4, 2021March 3, 2021 Coach Alercio1 Comment

Our players enthusiastically returned to the gym this week after Winter break and like usual I joined them for their training session in our Racquet & Fitness Center that is also open to the public. While working out alongside one of our Senior WR/DBs who is training for Lacrosse season, I was also realizing the workout was kicking my butt and I almost turned to him and said “it sucks getting old.” But I held my tongue…

***As The New Day Begins, What Inspires Us To Be Our Best?***

A moment later, Jim entered the room.

Jim is an 80 year old member of our fitness center and a “regular.” Jim suffers from Multiple Myeloma Cancer. From what I understand, his cancer affects the white blood cells in the bone marrow leaving him with debilitating pain in the bones of his spine. It is managed with Chemotherapy which not only leaves him in pain but physically exhausted. As I recognized he was really struggling walking into the room, I went up to ask how he was doing and why he wasn’t resting. He replied, “gotta get my workout in!” I told Jim what I was just about to say to that player and thanked Jim for inspiring me.

Jim is a military veteran and a former athlete. I trust the officers and coaches who mentored him, also inspired him to have such an indomitable spirit. While we prepare our athletes in the off-season for the games they will play next fall, we also prepare them for the lives they will lead and the impact they will have on others. I pray I am able to inspire our players the way Jim’s mentors inspired him, and the way he inspires me.

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!

Offseason Assessments; What Gets Measured, Gets Done!

February 18, 2021February 17, 2021 Coach Alercio3 Comments

As we discussed in last week’s blog post, (Hilltopper’s Train Heroic”) we assess every player through a combine test at the beginning of training camp; but we also test them in a variety of lifts throughout our training season. Just as in the classroom, we teach before testing. Our strength coach and I are certified Olympic weightlifting coaches through USA Weightlifting, and I would encourage anyone interested in teaching the Olympic lifts to earn a certification. Learning and teaching lifts correctly maximizes both athletic performance and athletes’ safety.

The techniques for all of these lifts have been taught to the players through a teaching progression at the start of the season and reinforced during in-season training. We believe the Hang Clean and the dumbbell 1 arm Snatch and Jerk enable our athletes to train the benefits of functional power through the extension of the ankles, knees and hips known in O-Lifts as “Triple Extension” while doing so safely.

We test the week before Winter break, the week before Spring break and the last week before graduation week. This week is our first testing week. The tests give us a baseline for younger players allowing us to measure growth through future tests. Tests also allow us to compare results by position group, year in school, veterans and rookies, starters and non-starters. The results will also identify weaknesses and allow us to alter program design as we phase through the off-season’s natural breaks

Testing in athletic performance training is as important as testing in the classroom. Academic testing measures learning progress, evaluates the effectiveness of curriculum, and provides both student and teacher with feedback to see that they are on course to achieve their goals. Strength testing provides the same information. Testing only once or twice a year is akin to a teacher only giving a final exam.

We do a 1 Rep Max for the Olympic lifts since the athletes are not lifting very heavy weights (relatively speaking). We do a 3 Rep Max for the Power lifts to use a lighter weight and minimize risk of injury. Over the years we’ve seen players who commit to the program realize solid progress and subsequently reinforce personal motivation as well as encouraging teammates to do the same.

Hilltoppers Train Heroic!

February 11, 2021February 10, 2021 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

In an earlier blog post (“Far From Bright Lights,” 16 Jan), we shared the expectations of our players and the point system we use to track their participation through the Winter and Spring seasons. We ask those who play another sport to attend that team’s practices as well as strength train for football at least once a week. Those who do not play another sport are expected to train three times a week. We post player workouts and track them in the “Train Heroic” app.

Also mentioned in the earlier blog, those who comply earn a point for themselves and concurrently, a point for the team. Each week of the training season represents a game week for the coming Fall season (Intra-squad scrimmage all the way to the State Championship game). The total number of team points earned during the week determines whether we win that week’s game.

The number of points we need to score, as a team, is 24. Not because it is a certain percentage of our total roster. Not because it is the number of points we need to score in a regular-season game to win. But rather as we have shared in other blogs, we hold ourselves to a standard of making evidence-based decisions.

To that end, on Day 1 of training camp, we will put every player through our combine test measuring them in Speed, Agility, Quickness, Power, Strength, Fitness and Muscular endurance. Maximum score is 160 points. During previously successful seasons, we have had an average of 24 players score 100 or more points. We need an average of 24 players demonstrating their commitment to our training program and the results of maximizing their genetic potential through athletic performance training. In addition to the score, time spent together reinforcing one another’s commitment to personal growth also reinforces commitment to the team and our culture.

Our players know the number we need and encourage each other to help the team reach the score and achieve the win, but we do not fret over those who choose not to. We give everyone equal opportunity and encouragement and recognize such a commitment may be too much for many of them. As the saying goes, “I’d rather 10 Lions than 100 Sheep”. We are looking for 24 Lions.

Perspectives on Mentorship

February 4, 2021February 3, 2021 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

I recently read a social media group post from a coach who stated he played offensive line in high school then began coaching right after high school and that he knows a lot about offensive line. My first thought was “oh no…” But then I read on as he also relayed, he is now looking for a mentor to learn more about offensive line play. To that I say, “Alleluia!”

**Those who went before us have the potential to offer hard won wisdom if we will commit to the mentor relationship**.

Certainly playing this great game and being influenced by coaches can naturally lead to a desire to stay close to it and look for the opportunity to pass on to others the benefits enjoyed as a player. However, where you sit determines what you see… If you only played high school football and then began coaching right away, you most likely still have a great deal to learn. Your “view” is based on your experience and as a player, it’s often a narrow one. Finding a mentor, (the right mentor!), can have an enormous impact on your career. Perspective, experience, opportunities, and often an understanding of the second and third order effects of decisions or circumstances you may be considering are all potential benefits of a mentor relationship.

I have been blessed to have been coached by and to have coached with some great men who have taught me much about life and football. If you were not so fortunate, find someone who is an expert and seek their assistance as a mentor. Be candid about your interests, but be equally so about your commitment to the relationship with a mentor and your willingness to pay forward the investment your mentor offers you. Then, as you learn to view the game and its nuances from their perspective, start copying what they do. Fashion Designer Yohji Yamamoto is credited with saying, “Start copying what you love. Copy, copy, copy, copy. At the end of the copy you will find yourself.”

When New Jersey football coaching legend Warren Wolf once put his arm around me and said, “Rich, you are a young George DeLeone” it was most likely the result of how much time I spent observing and copying Coach DeLeone. When American Football Monthly named me a Guru of offensive line play in the Northeast, it was the result of my studying under my mentor Jim Pry who was similarly mentored by the guru of all offensive line coaches, Jim McNally.

The time spent listening to, learning from, and observing men like Coach DeLeone, Coach Pry, Coach McNally and Coach Flood, (who is now the OLine Coach at Texas), formulated how I teach. Now, I appreciate and take great care of any opportunity I have to reinforce the investments of these great men by stepping in where I can and helping other coaches.

Building and Sharing Wisdom

January 28, 2021January 27, 2021 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

As professional development opportunities for football coaches go virtual, I’m concerned some coaches will believe watching a video clip of a play or listening to a pre-recorded presentation will enable them implement and successfully coach the play they just “learned.” To quote French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne “We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.” The key component of wisdom is experience. Experiences can be shared in live presentations and often spill out into hotel lobbies, on fields interacting with players and coaches, or in offices on whiteboards.

Our eyes can deceive us… The play a coach views once in a recording was run successfully against the most ideal defense. When researching a play, we need to see the Good, the Bad and the Ugly… To see it against 3 down and 4 down, versus Zone and Man, with 1 High and 2 High, versus 5 and 6 man pressures. Video clips in live presentations will likely skew to the optimal as well, but multiple coaches asking multiple questions: (e.g. how to block the play against 4i Defensive Tackles, when Linebackers walk up in the A gaps, versus a defense that drops eight…) offers the greatest opportunity to clarify and confirm understanding and expectations.

If there is something you see online and would like to install, email the coach with your questions. Try to set up a Zoom meeting as a follow up. Learn what he has learned. Knowledge is knowing. Wisdom is so much more… It is not enough to diagram and know the rules of a play. You need to understand the intricacies of the play and how they may be impacted by defensive adjustments. Wisdom involves an integration of knowledge, experience, and deep understanding, as well as a tolerance for the uncertainties one is likely to encounter.

If you have any questions about any of the things I have online, I would look forward to the discussion. Feel free to reach out, and please offer to share something of your own as well.

New Starts and Extraordinary Examples

January 22, 2021January 21, 2021 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

The third Monday of January is the day we honor the life of a man who fought for racial justice and equality and dreamed of a color-blind world free from segregation. While we have come a long was as a nation since Dr. King shared his dream; the recent social unrest reminds us of how far we still must go.

The Team Reminds Us of Who and What We Can Become.
(Photo by Paul Hayes)

The third Monday of January also marks the start of the football clinic season and my annual trip to Bergen County NJ for the honor of speaking at Fred Stengel’s annual offensive line coach’s clinic. Regrettably, for the first time in over 20 years, Coach Stengel’s clinic will not happen. Nor will so many others. I am hopeful that invitations I had to speak at the 2021 New England Nike Clinic, Glazier Clinics, and the Big New England Clinic will be extended to me again in 2022. As I have said in other blogs, one of the greatest things about our profession is the willingness of coaches to share their knowledge with others. While I love to speak and share those things that have brought our program success, I find equal joy in learning from other coaches.

The game of football and the young people we coach are ever changing and we, as coaches, must adapt to those changes and stay current to have continued success and to better relate to this generation of players. We must have open minds that are accepting of new ideas and better ways of doing things. To have an open mind, we must possess the virtue of humility. Arrogance leads to a closed mind and the belief that we are already in possession of everything worth knowing. If I’ve learned anything in more than 30 years of coaching, it’s actually how much I still have left to learn!

While Glazier, Nike and Big New England have all gone virtual, I remain optimistic the vaccine coupled with herd immunity will allow the Vermont Football Coaches Clinic and the Alercio OLine Clinics, usually scheduled in March, to be hosted live in May. I am ever hopeful the coming months will allow us to gather as coaches to share ideas with open minds for the betterment of our players, teams, and the game of football. Opportunities to learn and share excite me and re-kindle the optimism and promise of the new season and all we can achieve together. In his “I have a dream” speech, when Dr. King said, “We as a people, will get to the promised land…” I think he was speaking of the hope and potential for all to achieve the best of themselves, and the best of society. While my aspirations for the team pales in comparison to Dr. King’s monumental task and achievements, I feel fortunate to have his example to emulate and guide from as we begin again to strive to be our best as players, coaches, and teammates.

Adapt and Overcome

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 Coach Alercio2 Comments

Six months ago, Fall Sports were in doubt due to the Coronavirus…

Then I heard Vermont was going to allow soccer to be played in the Fall of 2020, but not football. It took all of two seconds to realize that if we can play soccer, we can play 7v7 football… Thankfully, those in position to make that decision were of like thinking. All our Fall student-athletes were able to practice, play, and engage with their teammates, and coaches. They had a place to go after school and something to look forward to. They were motivated daily to attend classes in-person or virtually and succeed academically. We worked our way through the team-building process, reinforced culture and character, and during a very difficult time, players had the daily support of the teammates and coaches. I was surprised other states did not follow suit. Many states choose to not play rather than give up “traditional” 11v11 tackle football. Their plan was to push the football season to the Spring. The semester has begun, and though the vaccine offers a light at the end of the tunnel (likely for Fall ’21) states are still battling many of the same COVID concerns this Spring.

It now appears at least one state is considering what we did in Vermont. Over the weekend, I was contacted by a writer from SBLive Sports, a network of high school sports websites across the nation, who was working on a story for their Oregon site regarding the options the OSAA might take if state health authorities do not approve the spring high school football season as planned. The reporter’s interest was less about what we did and focused on how Vermont’s 7v7 program was received by players, parents, and the community.

Simply answered, if the coach is enthusiastic and optimistic, it is well received. As coaches and leaders, part of team building is creating a unifying vision of a hopeful future. If we know who we are, what we face, and that together we can accomplish our objectives, student-athletes are resilient and adapt well to change. They will embrace the challenge, pull together as a team, and pursue their goals. They just need a little guidance, and someone to reinforce the best of who they can become. Those who would say “7v7 is not real football” are letting their own biases interfere with the interests of their players. On this blog I’ve often mentioned the effects of football range far beyond the confines of the field or the season, and I speak from first hand experience when I say the 7v7 program we ran in Vermont this year helped us build teams, win games, and develop young men (and for the first time women!) who will be better off for the experience.

Reflections Not Resolutions

December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 Coach Alercio1 Comment

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution that most likely won’t last past Groundhog’s Day, consider welcoming 2021, with reflections on 2020. Despite the challenges of the passing year, think about three things that brought you joy and plan to do more of them (Actually right them down!) Then write down three things that brought on disappointment or frustration and simply choose to do less of those.

A year filled with quarantines and stay-at-home orders allowed for more and even unexpected family time. As we go our separate ways in 2021, I want to be intentional in planning, get-togethers more frequently, as well as planned vacation time as a family. My wife, sons, and I are taking the time to put markers on the calendar, block out time, and commit to spending it together. The travel restrictions of 2020 facilitated new and easier ways to get together with long lost friends and distant relatives through Zoom and FaceTime. I want to make sure those rekindled relationships stay strong and ongoing. Minutes on Zoom and Facetime are fine. Don’t feel compelled to spend hours… make it easy on everyone, and everyone will be more likely to participate. 2020 allowed me more time to read. I do not typically read for entertainment but rather improvement. I am already working on my 2021 reading list focused on helping me be a better husband, father, son, brother, coach, teacher and mentor.

The most frustrating thing of 2020 has been wearing a mask. Not because they are uncomfortable and steam up my sunglasses, but because they hide the smiles of those we encounter daily. I look forward to being able to greet people and letting them know how happy I am to see them without saying a word. (Please note, as long as Masks are in the public interest, we will comply, but I do look forward to fewer days with a mask as we beat back the pandemic.) I missed conducting the 19th annual Alercio OLine Clinics and speaking at the Nike and Glazier Clinics. I remain hopeful we will be able to share what we do with others so that they can achieve the same levels of success we have been so blessed to experience over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the loss of human contact was a source of frustration. Not being able to greet someone with a firm handshake, or put your arm around someone in need of support, or give someone a hug to let them know how much you care about them.

There is much to learn from 2020 and even more to look forward to in 2021. I encourage you to seek the good, and enjoy more of it, while minimizing the impacts of frustrations. As the ball drops tonight, and the clock turns midnight, I wish you and those you hold dearest a safe, healthy and happy New Year, and all the best in 2021!

Socrates & The Solstice

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

Long before Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Las Posadas were celebrated and gifts were given, Socrates is credited with saying, “Be less concerned with what you have than with what you are.”

A Coach’s Interpretation of Stonehenge on the Solstice

It is easy to get caught up in material things this time of year. To focus on who can get the bigger, better, and more expensive presents for their kids and spouses. Socrates reminds us it is much more important to be a better spouse, parent, friend, teammate, mentor, or leader than gift giver.

It is easy for us coaches to also get caught up in material things and to be more concerned with what we have (winning records, trophies, championships) than with who we are (team builders, developers of student athletes, and shapers of team culture). While I understand the former often determines whether we keep our jobs or not, I know from experience when the latter becomes our primary concern, it’s a mindset and a manner ultimately leading to our success.

It’s not the latest video game, meme, or fad found under the tree. It’s not me first and bend the rules to win at all cost attitudes, it’s the selfless gifts to others… investing in a person or a team’s potential… truly putting team above self… That’s where the true gifts are found.

Whatever Holiday you celebrate this season, I wish you the very best with those you hold dearest. I’m taking a break next week to enjoy the season with my family and will be back on New Year’s Eve with some thoughts looking forward to 2021.

Like No Other…

December 10, 2020 Coach AlercioLeave a comment

After a football season like no other, St Johnsbury Academy will host a football banquet like no other…

On Thursday, December 10 at 6pm, we will host our banquet virtually.

The annual banquet is more than just an opportunity to hand out awards and varsity letters. It is a time for our football family to gather before the Holidays, to celebrate a season, to recognize our seniors, and to encourage our student-athletes to have a strong finish to the Fall semester. With the start of winter sports on hold, so many of our athletes who enjoyed football and were looking to the start of winter athletics are experiencing a void in their lives. As coaches, we hope the positive words shared through Zoom serve as an inspiration to our team to finish strong in the classroom just like we do on the field or in the weight room.

Other than not being present with each other, the banquet will be conducted as usual. We will screen share our highlight video (and there are a lot of highlights from an 11 game 7v7 season). We will announce those players who earned a varsity letter, We will recognize our seniors (personally my favorite part of the banquet, because I get to sit back and listen to our assistant coaches talk about their position players and the bonds they forged over their four years together.) Lastly, we give our individual awards. Those recipients will have their names listed in our gymnasium amongst those who have received them from past generations. Those awards are as follows:

Most Improved Player. The person who made himself into a good player through hard work and commitment to the program.

Outstanding Lineman: Games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage by young men who seldom if ever receive any recognition.

Outstanding Back: While this award obviously dates back to a time when teams just ran the ball with two and three back sets, we have expanded it to all offensive ball handlers as well as Linebackers and Defensive Backs.

Most Valuable Player: Seems self-explanatory but we bring it beyond a players contribution to our offense, defense and special team and include what he means to the team and his teammates.

Hilltopper Award: The person who most exemplifies who we are and how we want to be represented on the field, in the classroom and out in the community.

Coaches Award: The player who is most coachable. The one you wish you had 11 of so that you could play him at every position.

We trust the announcing of these awards will serve as an inspiration to our returning players. Each, who when he or she walks through the gym this spring and next fall, sees the names of those who went before and set examples of character, sportsmanship, teamwork, and performance. While seasons end, tradition never graduates, and the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of all it means to be a Hilltopper is renewed once again.