On this episode of the Coach and Coordinator podcast, host Keith Grabowski continues our “Deep Dive on Defense” series with President of The Difference USA Anthony Schlegel. A former Ohio State University linebacker and assistant strength and conditioning coach under coaches Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, respectively, as well as a third-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Anthony Schlegel has learned from the some of the brightest minds in the industry. Hear about Schlegel’s invention, The Difference, and how it’s teaching athletes across all levels of football the value of having solid fundamentals and technique.

0:21 Intro

1:12 Anthony Schlegel’s background

5:41 Linebacker mentality

8:52 Learning from Coach Jim Tressel

12:20 Influence of Coach Urban Meyer

19:00 Culture of Ohio State strength coach Mickey Marotti

23:37 Learning how to diagnose plays as a linebacker

26:39 Becoming a student of the game

30:21 Learning from watching film

36:15 Fundamentals, loaded stances and hand striking

42:57 The Difference drill

45:57 Details of the hand strike

47:28 Teaching fundamentals to kids

54:12 The impact of The Difference drill

1:01:14 Dimensions of The Difference

1:03:24 Cross-sport versatility of The Difference

1:05:15 Using your hands

1:08:25 The winning edge

1:09:58 Closing

For more information you can visit www.thedifferenceusa.com.

You can also email Anthony Schlegel here for any further inquiries: [email protected].

Check out our systems for skill development in blocking, defeating blocks, and tackling at footballdevelopment.com. Follow us daily on Twitter for content and interaction @FBDevCoach. Checkout X's and O's analysis at USA Football Blogs blogs.usafootball.com