So as you can tell from my recent blogs, in the last year I have taken up a coaching position as Defensive Coordinator of Exeter University Demons American Football Team. Initially I was brought on as a LB positional coach and was voluntold for the position of Special Teams Coordinator. Cue a resignation from the previous DC and within a week I was the new DC, in my first season of coaching ever!
Now fortunately I had had an active role in supporting my coaches at Uni and this experience led me to do some X's and O's work at the Wyverns, whilst also showing others at my position, skills I had picked up over the years. I was super up for the challenge but also quite daunted by it. On reflection in the last few months, I wasn't as prepared as I could have (or should have) been. I learnt and developed over the year, stuck with what worked and scrapped what didn't. I borrowed things from experienced coaches I encountered but also showed them my skill for coaching & eye for detail.
So our season schedule went a bit like this:
- Returners Week - 3 midweek practices
- Rookie Day - 1 midweek Wednesday practice
- Non Game Weeks - Sunday & Wednesday practice weekly
- Training Camp - 2 day residential weekend camp near the end of October
- Game Weeks - Wednesday practice & classroom
Rookie day is a chance for us to run a variety of drills for everyone to try and then pick who we would like on Offense and Defense. I say pick, the OC gets the first shout and I fall in line. This works for me because nobody should ever have to be convinced to play defense. If they want it enough, they'll already be asking to play there.
In non game weeks we have two practices, 5-7pm on a Wednesday and 9-11am on a Sunday. These go from scheme walk through to fundamentals to live scrimmage and can be quite intense. It's a good time to find out who of the rookies can play whilst also seeing which vets have stepped up their game. With the cyclical nature of University Sport, it is crucial that people improve year on year and that you are able to backfill graduated talent. I became less prepared for these practices during a busy time in work, which meant I did a lot of drills "on the fly" and I wasn't always at my best as a coach.
Training Camp - A wonderful weekend of bonding for the team & coaches whilst getting some detailed football work done. Every person lived and breathed football from Friday at 5pm to Sunday at 6pm. We ate meals together, we socialised together and we had fun together. This was one of my favourite aspects of the year and I felt on top of my game that weekend. It was topped off by a solid scrimmage win against a senior team on the Sunday. The other bright point of that weekend was bring Coach Jack Mullins on board. He came to watch with our teammate and his housemate Matt Robert. Jack ended up coaching on the sideline and Matt did the chains! Jack made such a good impression that he was invited aboard by the HC and OC which meant a lot to me. It showed my judgement of character and football coaching ability was respected and added significant value to the team. From that moment on, I was more organised and thoughtful with my entire process, having Jack to bounce things off and question my decisions was integral to our success this past season.
Game weeks were a different animal. Monday and Tuesday spent frantically breaking down film to deliver a scouting report to the team for a Wednesday. Wednesday practice would consist of coaches and backups running a scout team offense. It was at this point I emphasised the importance of being a good teammate, whether that's holding bags or running offensive scout. Everything we work towards makes the defense and thus the team better. My vision for pregame was to have a calm and consistent approach that amped up the closer we got to kickoff. I wanted the pregame drills to be the same for each position group, each game. When these drills are started, it's time to switch on and go into game mode. I particularly enjoyed scouting opponents but it is labour intensive. I would watch the film four times or so, compiling a tally chart of formations, plays & tendencies. The idea to work out the top 5 or so plays for an offense, take them away and then make them beat us with something brand new. This step up was something I was complimented on by veteran players, the attention to detail and care put into the film study set a tone they'd not really had before. My top achievement for the year was designing a nickel package on the fly for a playoff game against Southampton. They had beaten us twice in the regular season and were confident. I aimed to take away their best WR who had scored 6 TD's across the two games against us. Their head coach was also the OC and had won a national title. He couldn't work out the package and the false looks I was presenting him. They had no answer and the defense turned the ball over 4 times to seal a great victory and become the most successful Demons team since it's existence.
So right now, during a point of reflection, what have I learned? Firstly I was able to take structure and theory from my work and combine it with my passion of football to be an organised and successful coach in year one. I was able to develop myself by learning from others but also develop players along the way. I have learned that my attitude to game prep works and although it can be tough for backups, the scout is vitally important. Next year I will take something I've learnt from Wyverns and do virtual video classrooms to install scout & playbook packages. I will be far more organised for the practice weeks leading up to camp, having a week by week drill breakdown for each position group. This will allow us to cover all fundamentals and skills throughout the season prior to camp and ensure that all sessions are planned and structured, even if positional coaches aren't there. I will also look to develop my assistant coaches more & bring on board a fresh face or two. I will practice this with Scott Savage at Wyverns this summer who is a relative football novice in his first few months of coaching. He's more football smart than he thinks and I look forward to working alongside my Co-DC Alex "Yogi" Martin to get the best out of him. Most of all I have learnt that I love football and that football is family. It'll get you through tough times and it will shape the human being you are and can be in all aspects of life.
Peace out
Coach
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