Today’s guest on the Coach and Coordinator podcast is Dr. Douglas Casa. For the past 17 years, Dr. Casa has studied and educated people on exertional heat stroke, heat-related illnesses, preventing sudden death in sport, and hydration. He also developed Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) at the University of Connecticut. The KSI serves the public to work toward preventing sudden death in sport by mean of education, advocacy, public policy, research, media outreach, and publications.

Show Notes

1:16 Explaining the background and objective for the Korey Stringer Institute

2:29 Prevention strategy for heat exertion and heat stroke

4:35 Having an emergency plan in the event of a heat stroke

6:04 5 keys to preventing heat stroke

12:09 Benefits of a cold immersion tub

15:10 Why the first few days of practice our crucial

Lew Acquarulo is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He’s been at the Division III powerhouse Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.) for 13 years, where he currently serves as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Under Acquarulo’s guidance, Trinity led the nation in three different defensive categories in 2011, having allowed just 63.5 rushing yards per game, 195.5 total yards per game, and 8.13 points per game. In the podcast, he discusses game planning, halftime routines, communication and team culture.

Show Notes

1:05 Key things to watch for when breaking down an opponent

4:33 The importance of halftime adjustments

6:50 Using analytics in the pregame planning

10:59 How the staff communicates during a game

13:49 Combatting scripted plays

16:33 Why Acquarulo spends more time with his team watching film then on the field

18:06 Taking advantage of new technology

21:20 Alumni play a role in team culture

24:42 The winning edge

Ron Muhitch has coached many different sports throughout his career, but he’s best known for his tenure as head football coach at the Wheaton-Warrenville South (Ill.). Over the course of three decades, Muhitch has transformed Wheaton-Warrenville South into one of the state’s most successful programs. He joins the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast to discuss his start in coaching, building a winning culture and how he’s using his recently created Twitter account.

Show notes

:46 Why Muhitch became a football coach

2:48 Learning to work with “young people”

4:10 How to create a legacy

5:48 Traditions correlate with success

8:02 The Red Grange philosophy

12:18 Recommendation for schools who don’t have a winning tradition

19:03 Recently joining Twitter

21:34 Two-minute drill

29:33 The winning edge

Paul Golla sits down with Keith Grabowski on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast. Golla is the head coach at Bakersfield High School (Calif.) where he led the Drillers 11-3 this season. Bakersfield is perennially one of the state's top teams and even went undefeated in the 2011 season. In the podcast, Golla discusses how he instills character in his players, his Triple Option offense and how he utilizes technology.

Show notes

:34   Why Golla became a football coach

2:20   Maslow's hierarchy of needs to instill character

6:25   Why Golla and his staff read books together

8:01   His 12 monthly phases of football philosophy

10:13   Breaking down the triple-option offense

12:44 Alternating between Midline, Veer and  Load schemes.

18:32 Why Option is the only selfless offense

20:56 Keys to developing QBs for Triple Option

22:55 Improvements in technology

23:58 Experimenting with virtual reality

26:31 Two-minute drill

28:31 The winning edge

In today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, Brent Dearmon returns to the show to go into detail about his Run/Pass Option (RPO) game. He discusses pre-snap reads, integrating Power and RPO, and the three questions he asks about every new scheme or concept.

Show notes

1:26 Evolving the RPO

3:08 Keeping a downhill rushing mentality while opening up to the pass more

5:11 Doing RPOs in a sound way, while protecting the QB

7:17 The Hot Gap

8:52 Pre-snap reads

10:45 The benefits of Power built into RPO

11:47 The Counter game

13:30 Turning Buck Sweep into RPO

18:20 The 3 questions Dearmon asks for every concept

20:39 RPO and practice

23:41 Coaches need to ask, "Who do you say you are?"

Jake Gilbert is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Gilbert, the head coach of Westfield (Ind.), breaks down his approach to summer camp and team building. He discusses why he keeps his freshmen players up with the varsity program as much as possible and how he uses mental toughness training to gain an edge on opponents.

Show notes

:53 Day one of camp

2:02 Teaching culture in an engaging way

3:25 Blind-folded canoe races

4:43 Ropes courses

6:55 Senior and leadership are different

8:18 Process for picking captains

9:25 Approach to summer sessions

13:17 Gilbert's mental training circuit

16:15 The champion's manual and mentor program

19:06 Caring for freshmen within a varsity program

20:47 Running a successful intrasquad scrimmage

24:17 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast shares a unique story. Rocky Seto, opens about his transition as the Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach to pastoral ministry. He was also a walk-on player at USC and worked his way up to defensive coordinator before transitioning to the NFL. He also discusses USA Football’s Shoulder Tackling and how he utilized it at USC and with the Seahawks.

Show notes

:50 Transition from a coach to pastor

4:02 Similarities between coaching and ministry

5:27 Evolving from a college walk-on to an NFL coach

9:27 Building a “genuine” culture

11:16 The use of shoulder tackling at USC and with the Seattle Seahawks

17:56 The Seahawks’ use of shoulder tackling drills

21:46 Finding what “defines you” shapes work-life balance

31:38 Lessons learned from John Wooden

34:18 The winning edge

Former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Plummer, an Idaho native, starred at Arizona State before enjoying a decade-long career in the NFL. He discusses accountability through preparation and how smart playbooks can be hugely beneficial to both players and coaches. He also offers his three tips for coaches to become better teachers

Show notes

:34 Post-playing career

3:04 Playbooks and learning during Plummer's career

6:30 Accountability and giving players the opportunity to go the extra mile

9:17 What causes a player to hesitate? Not knowing what they're supposed to do

11:24 The benefit of smart playbooks for coaches

13:47 Accountability through preparation, and how it builds culture

15:31 Different learning styles

17:48 Different types of quizzes

20:15 3 tips for being a better teacher

23:15 The winning edge

Scott Girolmo joins today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Girolmo is the head coach at Lee High School (Staunton, Va.). Girolmo discusses why high school football coaches need to think like marketers by establishing a brand and attracting players. He also hits on the importance of empowering assistant coaches and how it can be a challenge to keep up with the latest coaching technology.

1:06 Lessons learned early on

6:22 Building a brand at a new program

10:50 The marketing aspects of being a football coach

13:54 Empowering assistants

24:29 Leveraging the power of technology

31:49 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the Coach and Coordinator podcast is Elmer Britton. Britton is a retired coach that has been inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame for his achievements. Over the course of four decades of coaching experience, he amassed an overall record of 244-162-2. Britton also coached ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden. In the podcast, he discusses his path to coaching, the semi-option offense and how he develops players.

Show notes

:26 His path to becoming a football coach

:50 Developing a coaching philosophy

5:06 Learning to change plays due to bad weather

8:49 Breaking down his semi-option offense

10:37 How to determine splits

12:16 The advantages of zone blocking

13:34 Britton’s go-to play

19:04 Seeing his players as more than just football players

20:57 How to create a positive team culture

23:50 Recovering from coaching mistakes

31:58 Advice to a young coach

34:18 Not letting the job become “all-consuming”

36:30 Two-minute drill

38:30 The winning edge