Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Andy Ryland, senior manager in education and training at USA Football. While working at USA Football, he has helped develop the Heads Up Football and Master Trainer programs. Ryland has also worked in improving tackling techniques in football. Before coming to USA Football, Ryland spent time playing for the U.S. men’s rugby team. He played linebacker in college at Penn State University.

In a series of articles on the USA Football website, Ryland has talked about the “vision-decision-action” cycle in football. This involves players analyzing situations happening in-game and reacting effectively. This builds on the training done in practice, where players can apply decision-making and situational analysis they have learned in real time. Ryland discusses this topic in three different articles found below:

Space, time and numbers in American football drills

Decision in the VDA cycle: How quick decision-making creates quicker athletes

The Vision-Decision-Action Cycle and American football drills

On today’s podcast, Ryland and host Keith Grabowski talk about using practice to prepare players for in-game situations, adapting to unique decisions and the Vision-Decision-Action cycle.

Show Notes

1:22 Training effective decision-making by players

5:23 Adapting drills to teach more dynamic skills

9:18 Teaching players how to handle chaos on the field

15:54 Moving the starting point in drills to give players different angles

21:11 Creating game-like environments in team period practice

26:08 How to use scout teams to replicate game situations

34:37 Making drills in practice more realistic to the game