Forrest from Shelton sent the following question:
Hey Coach:
I am going into my first year of high school and I have never played organized football. I have done a lot of practice with my three cousins. We have a full sized field near my house and I practice there for about five to eight hours a day. I am football crazed but need some tips on how to get better.
Hi Forrest,
The practice you are doing right now with your cousins is good, especially if it involves lots of running, quick starts and burst.
Your improvement will come when you are with the entire football team in a practice situation. How fast you improve will depend on how well you listen to your coaches, study away from the field and how hard you practice in each and every drill.
It is important to remember that football is a team sport and while each player must learn the techniques needed to play his position, any real success comes from working as one unit and not as individuals.
Once practice begins, it will be very important for you to eat properly, get plenty of rest and focus on learning exactly what your coach is teaching you. This is especially true during the first few weeks of practice before school actually starts when you will have the added pressure of studying for your classes.
Working hard and having success in the classroom is just as important as having success on the football field.
Listening is just as important as participating in an actual drill, so try to go to each practice well rested and with a clear mind so the you can learn and retain everything the coach says to you or any other player at your position.
With your attitude I am certain that with hard work you will find yourself becoming a better player and improving each day.
- Coach Tom Bass.
Blaine from Fardella asks:
My son is in eight grade and has been moved up to the freshman team. I am concerned about his eligibility. I cannot find the rules anywhere concerning Pennsylvania high school football. I don't feel the high school coach or athletic director know either. Can you tell me if he can still play all four years when he gets to high school?
Hi Blaine,
Congratulations on your interest and concern about your son's football experience. Each state has their own rules concerning a player's eligibility and sometimes they are complex.
The head coach and athletic director of the school should know the rules, but just to be sure and ease your mind my suggestion would be that you contact the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association at:
550 Gettysburg Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 or you can call at 1-800-382-1392.
I am certain that they can provide you with the accurate information that you need for your son's particular situation. Good luck to your son, it sounds to me like you have a promising football player on your hands and I am certain that he will benefit greatly from your interest and support.
Coach Tom Bass.
Nick from Jones sent the following email:
Hey Coach, I'm a freshman this year and I don't know what to go for in the Football team. I'm only 5 foot tall and 100 pounds can you help me decide what to go for?
Hi Nick,
As a general rule in football, the bigger you are the closer you line up to the center and the football. With this thought, my initial suggestion would be to look at wide receiver on offense or defensive back on defense.
You have to understand that ultimately it will be your coach who will decide where you should play, so I would not worry about it right now and let your coach evaluate your talent and select a position for you. It might even end up that you become a kick returner.
Try to have an open mind and once you have a position work as hard as you can to learn and play that position to the best of your ability.
- Coach Tom Bass
Steven from Tampa asks:
Hey Coach, I have a quick question for you regarding being a receiver. I plan on walking on for a college team. I have great hands but I do drop passes that just slip away from me. I try focusing on the ball as hard as I can but it still happens. I really need some pointers on what to do here. Thanks in advance.
Hi Steven,
I admire your determination to play at the college level. Every year in college there are walk-on players who, after working hard, impress their coaches with their desire and dedication and end up playing for the team.
From what you have said, it sounds to me like you need to focus on immediately bringing your hands and the ball back to your body the instant you see and feel the ball touching your fingers.
Many catchable balls are dropped because the receiver first thinks about running, instead of first securing the ball after a reception. Not having the opportunity to see you play, I feel that this may be the challenge you are facing.
On every reception reach out so that you see your both your hands and the ball at the moment of the catch, make sure your hands are positioned correctly, and then immediately secure the ball on the side of your body away from the nearest defensive player.
Never make a catch, even in warm-up drills, without securing the ball the moment you make the reception. Stay positive and I hope you have success and enjoy the unique experience of waking-on for your team.
- Coach Tom Bass.
Bobby from Los Angeles, CA sent the following question:
I am struggling with my speed at middle linebacker. My time is limited for conditioning. Is there any thing I could do that will be sufficient in a short hour period?
Hi Bobby,
Flat out speed is not as important as learning how to play smart at the middle linebacker position. You can have a short workout everyday where you work on shuffling your feet, moving to left and right, and staying square to the line of scrimmage. You never want to cross your feet until you are absolutely sure where the ball carrier is going to run.
You can place small cones or pieces of cloth on the ground in the position of each of the offensive lineman and the tight end. Try to picture in your mind the ball carrier moving laterally and then cutting up in the area between the blockers. Practice shuffling laterally, staying slightly behind the ball carrier, slowly gaining ground and then attack the line of scrimmage where you picture the ball is going to run.
If you have a buddy, who can serve as the running back, he can shuffle right or left and then attack any gap he desires to give you a feel for game conditions. Obviously you will not actually tackle him but just front him up. This is not a contact drill.
In an hour you can get a number of repetitions in and end up with a great work out, especially if every four plays you think pass, and drop into your pass coverage area.
I would also suggest you learn to jump rope to help your balance and foot movement. It is also a good way to warm-up before your workout and to cool down after the workout is over.
Your coach will determine the exact keys he wants you to read [backfield movement or blocking schemes of the linemen] and he will teach you where to move, how to meet and defeat blockers and what your exact responsibility is on each of the various plays that you will face.
Because so many times inside backers over run the ball carrier, I always taught my backers to know what was happening before they started to go. Then to move under control, shuffling their feet, staying behind the ball carrier until he made his cut, and then to attack, ready to meet him at the line of scrimmage with an equal or greater force than that of the running back.
Try to always eliminate any false movements, stay where you are until you are sure where to go and then move with control, good balance, and in a good hitting position.
- Coach Tom Bass.