WYC 134 – Youth Football – Anthony Stone talks Every Kid Learning 2 things

Anthony Stone is a Physical Education teacher at Gregory Elementary School and Quarterbacks Coach at Boylan High School in Rockford, Ill. He is also the Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach for the 2017 Women’s Australian National Outback Team & writes blogs for “Hudl” & “Firstdown Playbook.”

In July 2016, he was named to the Hudl 100 list. He has presented at IAPHERD, the top physical education convention in Illinois, on how to get students moving with his Games Galore presentations. He has also presented at the Chicago Glazier Clinics on quarterbacks & special teams. He was the Defensive Coordinator for the 2010 U.S. Women’s National Tackle Football Team, winners of the IFAF Women’s World Championship in which Team USA did not allow a point in three games with an overall score of 201-0.

The rest of his coaching experience involves coaching in the CIFL and the IWFL Leagues as well as Beloit College (Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator) and Rockford University (Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers).  As well as coaching football at the youth, middle school and high school level.

He will be putting on fundamental youth football camps around the world in 2017, with his “Back to the Basics Football Camp” coming to a city near you.

Website/books: coachstonefootball.com

Twitter: @coach_stone_mt

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Quote

'If you're still teaching your quarterback the day before the game, you're in trouble'

Coaching your own kids

Why not? You can learn what you don't know, go do it if it interests you

Cringe moments

'I was a yeller'. Anthony has learned the value in being positive

Teaching Skills - Great games

100 acre words & Cone Island

Free games: coachstonefootball.com/enasco-physical-education-free-activities-lesson-plans/

One good strategy is to come up with games where kids don't get 'out'- have a danger zone and a safety zone - if they get tagged, they have to leave the danger zone and go to the safety zone and do some exercise before they return

Practice Planning 

Use notecards/notebook - keep it with you in practices and games and note things you need to work on

When teaching skills - visual analogies comparing the motions to real-world activities work great.

Mental toughness

Practice reading situations - so your players know what to look for and don't panic when they see something new

'If you're still teaching your quarterback the day before the game, you're in trouble'

Mondays through Wednesdays are work/teaching days

Monday - introduction

Tuesday/Wednesday - work day

Thursday - the players should be teaching it back to the coach

Friday (gameday)- just be there to chit-chat with the players, not teach them anything new. Ask them if they have any questions - if they do, have them try to answer their own question.

Coaching up the parents

Moms of football - go from a fan, to a team mom, to a coach on the field

Have a teaching day - start with your coaching philosophy. Then make a one-page cheat sheet that explains the basic rules. Then take them on the field and have them try it out a bit.

US Lacrosse soft stick program

Free sticks/balls for P.E. programs - uslacrosse.