The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel

Why do you coach? Is it because you like football? Well of course. Maybe you're really competitive. Wins and losses. On Thursday night, before our last game, I was reminded of why I coach football . We have a tradition called the Senior Speeches. And it's an annual reminder to me, and the rest of our staff, of why this is all worth it. In Episode 143 of The Football Coaching Podcast, I'll tell you...

The weather is getting colder. The sun goes down a lot earlier. Football season is winding down. And that's when the really important stuff happens! Rivalry games. Playoffs. BIG things. But kids don't always see all of that as a reason to work. A reason to continue to grind . As a coach, you have the ability to change how your football players approach their craft. Even this late in the season. On...

It's happened to every coach. Some of your kids are checked out. Football is a long season. A grind. Not everyone has the focus and tenacity to push all the way through. At least not with a little help. And that's where you come in. When the wheels seem to be coming off, and you need to re-focus your players to finish strong, there are things you can do. But it all comes down to you as a football...

They come up at the worst time. Those special situations you forgot. The game is in hand, then something happens. You know you should have worked on it... but you just didn't. I've worked to put together a complete list of special situations for your football team. I know it isn't complete because - well, it never is. But this is a start. I've also included the spreadsheet I made in our JDFB Insid...

We all dream of that day. Giving the halftime speech that wins the big game. Seriously, as I dreamed of becoming a Head Football Coach, this was what I thought about. It's like the iconic moment of coaching football. It just doesn't happen that way, though. Not very often. So when the moment comes... are you going to miss it? Are you going to deliver the halftime speech that wins the game for your...

Our job as football coaches goes way beyond X's and O's. And it goes far beyond drills, too. One of the biggest obstacles to success is player motivation. Getting kids to buy in. To play hard. To just want to . But motivation is not some mystical concept that we either have or do not. It's something that coaches can cultivate. In this episode of The Football Coaching Podcast, we're talking about h...

The season is under way. And everything may not be going exactly as planned. You're a problem solver. A fixer. When something isn't working... you do something about it. But here in the world of football coaching, we tend to do too much. To over react. The best thing you can do, often times, is to stay the course. Constant change means your kids will never get good at anything. They can lose confi...

What's the hottest new concept in Offensive Football Coaching this season? That's easy. Run-Pass Option plays. RPO's. OK they're not exactly new. But you might be seeing more RPO's now, than ever before. What is a Run-Pass Option? Why have they exploded in popularity in recent years? And how can you incorporate RPO's into your Offensive Playbook? In Episode 136 of The Football Coaching Podcast, I'...

You've got those really cool blitzes in your package. And you love to bring the heat. But when is the right time? Or is there a right time? Rather than just calling your blitzes at random, how about using some reason and logic behind them? In Episode 135 of The Football Coaching Podcast, I'll tell you my 7 top reasons to use a blitz when calling a game.  

Game Planning gets this mystic wonder attached to it. Fans often confuse a team being better at executing, with a coach having a great game plan. The truth is that game plans rarely will win you the football game. And the pursuit of the perfect game plan can help you coach yourself right out of a victory. So what should you be looking for? What do you need to do to prepare the perfect game plan? T...

Coach Simple. Play Fast. Win. That's the message with Joe Daniel Football. But how does it apply to the field? This year I've been working harder than ever to simplify. To give our kids the bare essentials of instruction that produce the results. Kind of 80/20 approach. 80% of the results are produced by 20% of the coaching that we give our kids. So why not cut out the other 80% of verbiage, drill...

The first day of practice is almost here. And in Virginia, that means 3 days with just helmets. 2 days in helments and shoulder pads. How can we get the most out of the opening of camp? I used to think those first 3 days were a waste. They're not. Football practice without pads can be a huge benefit for your team. You can get your playbook installed, but there's even more. Focus on footwork. Teach...

In 2004, I was captivated by the idea of throwing on every down. Chris Hatcher had me hooked. The Air Raid is absolutely brilliant. With just a handful of passing concepts, a simplistic running game, and a few screens and draws, you can make sure the defense is never right. Like every other scheme in football, it doesn't always turn out that way on the field. But it sure is a cool idea. While the...

You need to be prepared for anything, and that goes far beyond X's and O's. These are 8 important parts of your program that need to be addressed before practice starts.

How you install your defense shouldn't be scary. There's no right way to do it - but there's a lot of wrong ways. Coaches are often concerned way too much with how much to install, how fast . That's not the big issue. If you install too much, too fast, it's because you have too much in your playbook. It's a whole different issue - but one that I'll address in this podcast too. No, your bigger cone...

I love the Wing-T Offense. So here's what I think about it. I'll tell you a basic overview of how I view the Wing-T Offense. It's incredibly versatile, but there are some basic rules. Then I'm going to give what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of running this type of scheme.  If you're a Wing-T Guru, maybe you'll hear some things you agree with and some things you don't.  For coaches who...

There's a lot of myths about tackling. But the truth of coaching better tackling is much simpler. I always hear coaches talking about violence. There's some misguided idea that if you don't lay the lumber you can't play defense. In reality, the whole goal of tackling is to get the man with the football on to the ground.  He doesn't need to be hurt. We don't need cracked ribs, or snot bubbles (yes,...

It's a huge Mail Bag episode today! Plus a short interview with Coach Ricky Coon from Southeast Missouri State.  Here's what's on the menu... What are some key tips for a first year Head Coach? How should I adjust  my practice plan for Junior High football? What adjustments do we make to the practice plan schedule for Training Camp? How do you align your corners for Cover 3? What are the 5 Defense...

Are you getting all you can out of your practice time? Practices need to be geared toward winning football games. Not looking at your practices that way? You're leaving something on the field.  Listen to Episode 125 to find out... How to plan a practice with a purpose What drills you should be using and what drills you don't need How to progress your players through a practice to learn a skill set...

Coach Rob Patterson sat in with me for The Football Coaching Podcast in this episode. He's currently the JV Coach for Southern Lee High School in Sanford, NC.  Coach Patterson has been on a path a lot of coaches want to know how to follow. He started coaching youth football when his son was playing. And he fell in love with it. After many years of coaching, he's moved to the Middle School and now...

Episode 123 of The Football Coaching Podcast is the start of something new. This is our first Success Stories interview with members of Joe Daniel Football.  Coach Donnie McDonough returned to his alma mater after college, and took over as the head coach at Western Wayne High School in 2013.  After a rocky start, the team finished 6-4 in 2014. Their first winning season, and first playoff appearan...

Earlier in the week I wrote an article about the true nature of the 4-3 Defense. The way I see it, anyway.  The 4-3 Defense has certain rules. A few years ago I wrote about the 8 Laws of The 4-3 Defense. Block down, step down. Spill the football.  7 Man Front. Mike Linebacker has to be a 2-gap player.  I know a lot of people don't see the 4-3 Defense this way. That's OK for them. For me, the Miami...

There's more to getting ready for a football season than printing out a pretty playbook. Your football team has to execute fundamentals if they're going to win. That means you need to have your drills ready. And this week, we're looking at how to build your defensive drill package for the upcoming season.  Follow this 5 step process to decide how you're going to put your drills together. And know...

I get a lot of emails asking about the Install Schedule. There's more to it than that.  While most of my eCourses give an in-depth look at the install schedule for the scheme, there's a key. Those courses include  why you install each piece. That is why I'm not real excited to email you a spreadsheet of our install schedule. It changes every year.  So check out episode 120 of The Football Coaching...

Our coaching staff is considering a two platoon system for the 2015 season. That's not unusual, since it comes up every year. We just may be closer to it this season. It's time to look over the pro's and con's of the two platoon system in Episode 119 of The Football Coaching Podcast.. On the surface most coaches view the concept as being either "The Solution" or a complete impossibility. We have t...