Washington University in St. Louis head coach Larry Kindbom is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Kindbom is entering his 29th season as the school’s head coach, and he remains an influential voice in the coaching community. He sits down with Keith to discuss the new NCAA practice regulations and why coaches should be a part of the conversation.

Show notes

:53 Coach Kindbom's letter regarding new NCAA practice regulations

4:22 Coaches have evolved and responded

6:16 Confronting reality of less practice time

8:24 The professionalism of coaches needs to be respected

11:22 Coaches have been reducing contact in practice (and teaching players how to *be* tackled)

13:20 Planning and preparing is an enormous part of practice

15:15 Most coaches already take an Ivy League approach

16:40 Defining question: How many opportunities does a young man need to prepare himself for a ball game?

20:40 Collaboration between coaches, trainers, doctors, equipment professionals and others

Mike Rowe is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. A college football assistant-turned high school head coach, Rowe currently serves as the head coach at ROCORI High School in Minnesota, where he’s earned a berth to the state playoffs each of the last three seasons. Rowe opens up about integrating zone and gap schemes, his midline concept and how he’s shifted away from mirrored sides in the passing game.

Show notes

1:03 Start as football coach and lessons learned early on

3:17 Helping coaches learn (and how culture has shifted in the coaching community)

4:25 Character education

5:38 Character as part of team culture

13:20 Making practice fun for players through competition

14:49 Rowe's Pro-Style spread offense

15:39 Integrating zone and gap schemes (and Rowe’s midline concept)

17:38 The passing game and shifting away from mirrored sides

21:05 Player development pathway

25:40 Mistake made as a young coach

26:33 Best coaching advice received and advice to a young coach

27:50 Book recommendation

28:54 Creating balance

30:05 Two-minute drill

31:57 The winning edge

Joining Keith today on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Michigan high school football coach Mike Carr. Carr, a state title-winning coach at Chippewa Valley, discusses the transition of going from a Pro Style offense to the spread, why “Run on Bags” can be even more valuable than team drills and how he runs his Stick RPO scheme.

1:02 Start as a football coach

4:16 Lessons learned as a young coach

5:25 Transition from Pro Style to RPO

6:22 QB coaching in spread option offense vs. QB coaching in Power I

7:35 Key to being an offensive coordinator is showing restraint with the playbook

8:45 Overall coaching philosophy

10:03 Culture building with players and coaching staff

11:50 Why "Run on Bags" can be more valuable than full team drills

14:13 Shifting practice strategy with player wellness in mind

15:22 Favorite RPO play

18:23 Common defenses of RPO

21:13 Repping RPO

23:21 It's not what you know, it's what the kids know

27:15 Choosing family over football, but what Carr tells other coaches who are feeling burned out

29:22 Starting players too soon on tackle football and choosing a developmental approach to young players learning the game

31:55 Young kids becoming "has-beens" before they hit puberty

32:30 Two-minute drill

34:32 The Winning Edge

Eric Vaughn sits down with host Keith Grabowski in today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Vaughn is the CEO of APTUS, a company that combines advancements in behavioral science, leadership development and tablet technology to offer valuable insight into personal development. It’s a tool that coaches use to help improve their mental game.

Show Notes

:36 APTUS: What it is and how coaches can use it

6:47 Bridging the gap between being capable of being a good player and actually being a good player

12:15 The quality of the coach will play a huge role in the future of youth sports

15:39 APTUS helping coaches develop

20:13 APTUS in the classroom

Brent Dearmon is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Dearmon is the offense coordinator at Arkansas Tech, by way of Auburn, where he coached under Gus Malzahn. Prior to coaching at Auburn, Dearmon was a high school football coach in Alabama. He discusses the transition to college football and all things RPO.

Show notes

:33 Start as a football coach and the jump to the college ranks

2:02 Job at Auburn

3:01 Prepared yourself for opportunity to coach college

4:31 Transition to Arkansas Tech

6:21 Getting players to buy in

8:54 Building one message on top of the other

9:59 Inspiration from Urban Meyer

11:29 Approach to practice

13:20 Teaching at a fast pace

16:51 Nuts and bolts of Dearmon’s offense

18:45 Go-to RPO play

21:21 What to do to win third-and-long

23:27 Preparing players for RPO

25:37 Mistake as young coach

29:19 Work-life balance

30:46 Two-minute drill

32:50 Winning edge

Today’s guest is retired Iowa high school football coach John Rose. Rose, whose expertise lies in offensive line play, breaks down his approach to coaching the offensive line, including building from your established scheme, creating drills that benefit your team’s specific approach on game day and why true player confidence comes from preparation, not pregame speeches.

Show notes

:32 Start as a coach

2:58 The fun (and unique challenges) of coaching the offensive line

4:59 Building confident players through preparation

7:11 Start with the blocking scheme, and build plays and drills from there

10:44 Building your own drills

14:42 Drilling gap scheme

17:18 Yelling too much as a young coach

18:28 Best coaching advice received

20:08 Advice to a young coach

22:03 Rose's book

25:31 The winning edge

Coach Grabowski's 3 key takeaways

1) The confident player—the importance of building confidence in your players

2) Having an agreed upon run game that you stick with throughout the season

3) Creating drills that replicate what's happening for your team on game day

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Chris Paulson, the head coach at Kentlake (Kent, Wash.). Paulson is a well-respected authority on the triple option offense. He discusses integrating RPOs into the triple option, overcoming below average linemen and a triple option staple—the rocket toss.

Show notes

1:02 Start as a football coach and lessons learned early on

2:20 Success at Curtis

3:08 Culture: Creating an environment where athletes feel safe, appreciated and loved

5:17 How to teach systems effectively

7:38 What makes an effective play on offense?

9:40 Playing with below average linemen

11:11 Integrating RPOs into triple option offense

12:32 Evolution of how teams defend the RPO

14:02 Offensive menu on gameday

15:23 Rocket toss as part of the triple option

16:34 Blocking on perimeter

20:26 Mistake made as a young coach

21:55 Figure out why you’re really coaching (What is your happiness tied to?)

23:47 Book recommendation

26:14 Creating balance

28:35 Two-minute drill

30:47 Winning edge

USA Football’s own, Joe Eisenmann, sits down with Keith on today’s episode of the Coach and Coordinator podcast.

Eisenmann, USA Football’s director of high performance and education, discusses performance as part of team culture, the need for high school coaches in different sports to communicate and the value of dynamic warmups.

Show notes

:58 Eisenmann background

3:15 Becoming a high performance coach

4:12 An integrated, holistic approach to sports performance

5:37 Evolution of "the strength coach"

8:33 The high performance coach as part of the team culture

10:08 Building mental toughness

11:03 Keeping things fun

13:00 The need for communication between high school coaches of different sports

15:35 The role of Athletic Directors in sage-guarding athlete wellness

17:10 Dynamic warmups

20:47 Agility

23:27 How coaches can develop an eye for high performance

Joining the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast today is Kirk Fridrich, head coach of Tulsa's Union High School (Okla.). Fridrich has guided Union to five state titles during his tenure as head coach, including a 57-43 win over Norman North in the 2016 state championship game. Fridrich, who still calls the team's defensive plays, dives into the value of involving the whole community in the football program, how he defends the RPO and why the situation is never more important than the relationship.

Show notes

1:01 Start as a football coach

2:07 Lessons learned as a young coach

3:22 Maintaining a winning culture at Union

7:28 Establishing culture in a large school/district

9:20 Determining a yearly theme

11:07 The "gamechanger" in Fridrich's program

14:28 Creating fundamentals lists by position

16:07 When the head coach should consider calling plays on offense or defense

18:51 Defending the RPO

20:49 Weekly defensive gameplanning

22:46 Communicating the game plan to players

24:22 Advantage of drone view

25:24 Mistakes made as young coach

27:11 Best advice received

28:22 Creating balance

30:14 The development pathway

32:25 Importance of training youth coaches

34:57 The winning edge

Coach Grabowski’s 3 takeaways

1) Creating culture throughout the community

2) Stop RPO by changing up looks vs the QB

3) As a young coach, working not to be the weak link

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Tony Legando. Legando retired following the 2015 season after spending nearly 50 years with the Huron (Mich.) football program. Over the last 28 years of his tenure, he guided Huron to 211 wins. He discusses the importance of simplicity in schemes, integrating alumni within the program and principles of the Run and Shoot.

Show notes

1:09 Why did Legando become a football coach

1:51 Key points in Legando's development and philosophy

3:47 Culture-building and old school values

7:30 The football team's role in the community and brining alumni back

10:37 Teaching players and creating excitement with the Run and Shoot

14:07 Principles of Run and Shoot and continuity in pass protection

17:26 Breaking down the pass protection scheme

20:05 Hot reads and training WRs

22:55 Why HS coaches need to be careful trying to emulate college schemes

25:25 Draw a great play on a napkin? Great. But can your offensive line block it?

27:52 Mistake made as a young coach

30:35 Give as much as you ask for from your athletes

32:45 Player pathway and the importance of coaching young players with respect

36:50 Developing leadership and team-building during the season

39:12 The winning edge

Coach Grabowski’s 3 key takeaways:

1) If you're proud of what you're doing, bring people in for it (alumni etc.)

2) Continuity: how it feeds each year

3) Be relentless