JOHN, JACK, and JIM HARBAUGH
John: No Reason high school coaches shouldn’t be able to coach at the highest levels.
Moderator: What qualities make good coaches?
Jim:
• People that love to coach, have a good track record, do good at their job.
• Hires HS coaches for off-field positions and lets it be a “cage match” for on field positions
• Hires HS coaches with a track record
o How their program is run?
o Talent they get in program
o Coaches Recs. to Michigan because they love Michigan (recruiting)
Jack
• Love and Passion. Everyday you wake up, Beat the challenge before you
• Be smarter then the guy you coach against
• MARRY WISELY
o Moved 17 times during his coaching career.
Mom
• I wanted the kids to know what their dad did, when he left before they were awake and came home late
John:
• Main thing is taking care of teams families
• In Baltimore, coaches kids and players kids are wanted around the complex
• Do things the right way and take care of each other.
Jim:
• HOPE IS NOT A PLAN
o Have a plan for any situation you are faced with.
1) Build a team where players think “Whats better in the world then being on a “ball team””
2) Know the rules
i. Game Rules
ii. Conference Rules
iii. Recruiting Rules
1. When you know what you can do, you can gain an edge and outsmart others
3) Hire a staff that will touch players
i. Anyone that touches players needs:
1. High Character
2. Will die leaning on staff
• Guys that aren’t good for a staff
o Act frustrated and angry
▪ Used example of George Costanza working for the Yankees
▪ Don’t make people think you are working hard, just work hard
o “If we cant fix it, then it wasn’t broken”
o Standoffish
▪ Need to be outgoing and have energy
▫ Some guys are not outgoing because they are afraid of being exposed.
▫ Don’t be afraid to not know something, instead ask, and find out what you don’t know.
• YOUR PROFESSION MATTERS…DON’T GET SICK, DON’T TAKE A SICK DAY
• If you want to be enthusiastic, THEN ACT ENTHUSIASTIC
Jack states, “Don’t take any wooden nickels”
• Jim’s interpretation; “Don’t let anyone sneak up behind you and hit you with a bag of shit”
Jack:
• Asked his advice to his sons when they became coaches:
o Pursue this as long as you get satisfaction and enjoyment
John:
• As a coach, be an ambassador of the game
• HS Football Coaches set the tone for the whole building
o Players are a direct reflection of you
o If your players are doing good things, that’s how we as coaches make a difference in the world.
Jim:
• Never heard anyone finish 4 years of football and say they wish they hadn’t played.
John:
• If you are not recruiting, you are not coaching (All levels)
• 9 to 1 rule. Power of Encouragement
o 10 things in a conversation, make 9 positive
o Every conversation has a multiplying effect
• If your not exhausted at when your head hits the pillow as a HC, you ARE GETTING BEAT!
Jim:
• Players play the hardest for:
o Coach they respect
o Coach they like
o Coach that relies on them
• Recruit by having Integrity
John:
• Ed Reed
o Did not see Harbaughs initial vision in Baltimore.
▪ On the bus ride after the Super Bowl..”Now I see it coach”
Jim:
• Kids need to know you Love Them
• Quoted Bob Ladoucer
o “Players job to love each other, coaches job to love players”
Jack:
• Teaching and Coaching are Synonymous
o Teaching, Coaching, and Parenting are Synonymous
o Have trust and belief in what you are doing.
Juan Castillo- OL- Ravens
Starts every day with a ten yard disposition walk (step/drag)
Muscle Memory- Do it Over and Over and Over and Over
Stay Square to the LOS on Pass Pro
Posture
• Back Straight
• Knees bent
• Square
• Feet low to ground as they move
Marc Trestman- OC- Ravens
Best way to give is with no expectations of getting anything back
Adversity is a given. Embrace it.
Have humility in Success
Everyday figure out a new way to show your guys that you love them.
John Harbaugh is a servant leader.
QB Play
• Playing QB is unquestionably the most dynamic, specialized, and complex position in all of sports
• Skill Set
o It’s a journey like no other (mental, physical, emotional_
o Unimaginable time, passion, perseverance, resistance, toughness, tenacity, and humility.
o No perfect formula
o He has to be ok being defenseless
o Arguably the most complex position
o Most important “room” in the building
Most coaches need 3 things:
• A patient wife
• A loyal dog
• A great QB
o *Not necessarily in that order
Fundamentals must be developed and practiced constantly
Qb be must have a “relentless, demanding, detailed, and creative coach”, able to help manage his QBs learning curve daily
• Also an obsessive appetite for game and position
Ultimate Job of QB- PROTECT THE FOOTBALL
• QBs who protect the football play for championships
As a team, AIM TO BE +1 every game
• How QB Protects the Football
1)C/QB exchange
2)On way to the ball carrier
3)Confines of the Pocket
4)Location of the Throw
o 5)Exiting and Outside the Pocket
• Create an environment that compartmentalizes teaching.
GDM= Game Defining Moment
In reference to above situations:
• 1) C/QB Exchange
o Cadence
o Stance
o Depth in Gun
o Hand Placement
o Blocking Scheme
• Practice needs to be business
o Take it seriously
o Helmets buckled
o Have a ball carrier
o Defender over center
o Vary Cadence
▪ ^^All for pre-practice exchange drill
• 2) On way to the ball carrier
o Qb must take proper first step
o Qb must understand course of back
o Qb must properly seat the ball
o QB must understand blocking scheme
o Qb must run thru the ball carrier
• 3) Confines of the Pocket
o Find a quiet spot to complete the throwing motion to have QB accurately deliver the ball.
o The Pocket is Chaos
▪ Chaos caused by:
▫ Missed block
▫ Internal rush
▫ Free Rusher
▫ Route Failure
▫ Ball Security Fundamentals
▪ Proper in Pocket Ball Placement
▫ 2 hands
▫ Tight to sternum
▫ Tip of the ball @ V of the neck
▪ Working the pocket
▫ Change the Drop
▫ Work in pocket at the top of the drop
• Climb
• Slide
• Escape
▫ Protection and Route Depth Matter
▪ Tip of the Ball never below the waist
▫ Know when to throw away
▫ Know when to take a sack or protect self
“Isolating the skills and fundamentals of playing the position and then creating the necessary drills to effectively teach those skills”
• Do drills at game speed
4) Location of the throw
i. Protect the ball from the nearest defender
ii. Allow for a completion
iii. Maximize the result (YAC)
iiii. Was it man or zone coverage?
Mortal men can take a snap, get the ball to the BC, take care of the ball in the pocket, but..
v. Neurological makeup (Wiring) with Inherent Qualities
vi. Internal Radar to Define Coordinates of Reception Area
1. Depth Perception
2. Eyesight
3. Trajectory
4. Ball Speed
5. Moving Targets
• Fundamental Intelligence is a Must
o The ability to use skill set to perform function
o Can he slow it down?
• Location
o Throw the ball above the waist in the confines of the body
▪ Allows RAC
• Accuracy
o Location with Max Returns
POOR LOCATION LEADS TO TURNOVERS
o Off Field Causes:
▪ Communication between coaches
▪ Communication between QB and QB coach
▪ Inadequate play presentation
▪ Route Structure
▫ Splits/Depths/Personnel
▪ Play Design
▪ Players running the routes
▫ Size/speed/Skill Set
o On Field Causes
▪ Drill Organziation
▫ Does it rep fundys?
▪ Did the QB have the opportunity to complete a throwing motion?
▪ Were the split and depths correct? (Play structure)
▪ Was the coverage read properly?
5) Exiting the Pocket
i. Qb leaves the pocket because:
1. Play design
2. Finished progression
3. Early pressure
4. Route Disruption
o Duress never relieves the QB of Responsibility
▪ Clear headed decision making is required
▪ No “HOPE” throws
▪ Don’t throw across the body
▪ No such thing as “Absolute Scramble Rule”
• USE TAPE TO MAKE DRILLS
o Find all scramble situations and make them into a drill
QB when exiting:
o Emotional duress
o Blindside Pursuit
o Lack of sound decision making
o Failure to recognize man/zone
o Poor Game Management
• BIG Reminder
o 1) Priority to get back to the LOS
o 2) Big Play is available take it, but not at cost of turnover
o 3) Have eyes behind your back
o 4) Poise
o 5) Acceptable to throw it away
*Two hands on the ball
*Tip of ball above waist
*Slide at Practice (talk, walk, rep, run)
*Blind side Awareness
Book:
• Brian Green- Fabric of the Cosmos
o “One thing is for sure, everything ever is interconnected
What we do for ourselves dies with us, and what we do for others lives on forever
LESLIE FRAZIER- DBs- BALTIMORE RAVENS
100% Home win percentage in the NFL when the Home team is +3 in turnovers (2010-2013)
^^Drills for Frontside QB Strip and DB Cutoff.
• Prefers the T step when cutting off
• 2-3 steps toward WR and get head around
• See player, QB, back to player
Point of Emphasis in Practice is to block most dangerous man after a turnover to maximize return
Before traditional club/strip drills, has players shuffle over bags
Press Man Coverage
• Slight Bend, Relax Hands, Opp Hand on First Movement
• Don’t let WR get DBs hips locked
• Don’t let WR get even with hips, if he does, open immediately
• Focal point at LOS is Bottom to Top of Jersey Numbers
DEAN PEES- DC- RAVENS
Believes in coaching the fundamentals first.
Endzone film should show everyone’s numbers, if it does not, then they are not playing square.
Starts practice with Team Ops period (Prepractice)- Fundamental drills with a theme
I) Scheme
• Do I know it inside and out?
• Can I teach it?
• Do I know how to fix it when it breaks?
II) Fundamentals
• Do the drills fit the scheme and the game?
III) Evaluation
• Does my drill show up in the game?
Watch Film, See what needs to be worked on and create drills for it.
Mike Martz- Greatest Show on Turf
Jim Harbuagh- Everything he does he is trying to make better>>Constantly chasing perfection
QB Play
• Staggered Bicycle Stance
• Fore Finger at centers crack, other hand Fat Part to Fat Part
• Hand at slight angle to match angle of the ball
•
QB/Center Exchange
• 10 mins before every practice
•
You play offense with your eyes
• As QB pulls away from center, see the coverage and confirm your pre-snap
Cadence is important as a leadership tool, weapon, and for rhythm.
Ball handling
• Buckle the ball, punch through the target on handoff
• Settle feet on deeper mesh
On toss
• Take a rocker step first to clear center, then reverse out pitch
On draw
• Do not raise ball up, keep it at normal height. Raising ball does not fake throw, it gives away draw.
Jedd Fisch- Passing Game Coordinatore- UM
Thing he learned most from Mike Martz;
• Fraternity of Football is unbelievable
Do everything faster then you already are
Off Coverage= WR should treat the get off as a 40 yard dash
Make our players lives simpler
Don’t overthink based on play. Ex. 3x1 set. Backside 8 yds off. Just throw the backside, don’t worry about play for trips side.
As offensive minds, we can live in the gimme world more then we think we can.
Be the best at everything you can control
5th quarter drill= team takeoff. Go as fast as you can. Every play is a gain of 5 and moves the hash. REPS
Kids can do anything we ask them to do if coaches buy in
• Ex. 4 hour practice
o Kids will get it done, as long as all coaches are on board.
WR Feet
• In sprinter stance, most times players step back
o Better method is to have feet together and take a small step back with outside foot. Keep 75% of weight on front foot.
Blocking
• Outside Play- Push Crack
• Inside Run- Most dangerous defender now.
• Defender 5 yards + off- Now Route
• Run away- “Practice a route”
Make sure QB drops on a straight line. Practice this.
WR release. No swim. Rip or break forearms
In man coverage, make them think that everything is a go route.
• Take defender where he wants to take you, then adjust
In press, use the swing and miss step as a changeup.
Chris Partridge- LBs/Special Teams- UM
When he coached in HS his defensive gameplan philosophy was to take away the top 3 plays of each formation for the opponent.
Open Field Tackling
• Does not teach come to balance. Teaches “Long stride to short stride”
• Does not say come to balance, believes it slows kids down.
• Drill- Sprint 7 yds, short stride 5 yds, shimmy to tackle for 3.
• Drill- 2 guys 10 yds apart. O guy gets one cut. D tags backside hip.
LB EDD
• Block Destruction
• Run sideways then get down hill.
• Tear Drill w/agile bags (punch and throw)
Blitz Philosophy
• Players need to blitz like it is the last time they will ever blitz
Defensive Players need to be able to bend
• When you can bend you can change direction
• Grades bend at every position
• Drill- Hula Hoops- Dip in and Out
Vs. RPOs
• Play the routes with the secondary; Do not have backers play both
o w/ 1 high, FS takes a pop pass
• Backers keep going like a blitz if QB pass options.
Teryl Austin- DC- Detroit Lions- Developing a Defense
Short team goals
• Set your standards for:
o Meetings- on time, learn as much as you can in a short period
o Dress- look like a team
o Practice- Practice with a purpose- Speed and Precision. Must be competitive but not combatitive
• Off Field Communication
o Must be clear in all aspects. Coach2Player, Coach2Coach, Coach2AuxPersonnel
o Less foul ups and less hard feelings when decisions are made
Player Traits
• Toughness
• Football “getit”
• Great motor
• Production
• Size/Speed for position
Nothing worse then a “body beautiful” guy
B.E.T.A- No talent skills
• Body Language- encourage good body language. Bad body language does not foster togetherness and camaraderie. It fosters resentfulness and divisiveness.
• Effort- must be expected in all phases
• Time- be on time
• Attitude- how we approach everything has a determining effect on how good we will be, our players know things will be tough and hard so we approach each task as if it is of utmost importance (where else would you rather be).
Devalue a Star System
• Only as good as the whole
• Everyone around has a role that contributes to our winning
• Scout team to best player, each person plays an integral part of success
Proper technique
• Allows players to rely on things other then the play called
• Thousands of reps of technique vs Tens of reps of plays
• Proper tech promotes efficient practice. Less reps and no repeats. You don’t get repeats in the games.
• 20-30 minutes of indy/small group all season long.
Flinch Drill
• Player stands with dummy. Flinches it. Attack with hat and hands
LBs
• Stick, Lift, Getoff
o Drill- Single man sled, raise and drop
Identify Leadership of the Team
• Foster and Develop- Starts with Coach and the atmosphere created
• Sometimes star players just need to play and not lead (Suggs)
• Leadership can come from anyone.
Expectations for Tape
• Physically tough
• Win against the guy across from you first
• Mentally Smart- Know assignments, no penalties, no cheap plays
• Fundamentally sound- Technique, scheme, situation
• Great Effort
Winning Factors
• Must convey what you feel are the important areas to help you win
• Remember that your past matter very little to the current situation. Every year is different.
• 2 top identifiers of winning
o Turnover Ratio
o Explosive Gains Battle
Game Philosophy
• Play to our strength (not to take away theirs)
o Allows our guys to play fast
o Max effort, Min mistakes.
Use half line drills to work on visual keys
KEVIN TOLBERT- S&C- UM
Designing a warmup
• What are you trying to accomplish?
• How much time do you have?
PrePractice Stretch
• Roll the neck
• Shoulder rolls
• Arm Circles (pinch the shoulder blades)
• Palms up arm circles
• Hip Circles
• Good Mornings (Big Chest)
• Body Weight Squat (Don’t let knees duck in)
•
Scared Cat
• Kneeling Prayer
•
Dirty Dogs
•
Straight leg kickback
•
Fire Hydrant
• Donkey Kick
• Straight out hip and rock
• Internal external rotation
•
Roll and Reach
• Roll and Hurdler
• Straight leg raise
• Quad Pump
• Straight Leg Hip Flexor
10 yds
• High knee hug (opp leg on toe)
• Butt kick (knee up- head up)
• Cradle walk
• A double skip
• Toe grabs
• Straight leg ankling
• Lateral shuffle
• Stride Build ups
Plane Metaphor for running
• If you are on a plane and it went straight up youd be pissed, be gradual
Foam Roller Program
• IT Band> on side
• Quad> on stomack
• Groin> dirty dog position
• Glute> Knees crossed
• Back> Arms across chest chin down
• Ham> 1x1 with other leg over
• Calf> 1x1 with other leg over
25 SECONDS EACH
FERGUS CONNOLLY- SPORTS SCIENCE- UM
1) 22 hours
a. Its all about 22 hours. Not the 2 hours spent at practice
2) Salesman and Teacher (Buy IN)
• “I aint talking fast, your just listening slow”
• How do we communicate on our players level
• Stimulating and culturally drive environments
• Subliminally educate 24/7
3) 5 Blind Men> 1 elephant
• If they are all touching the elephant at different parts they are getting a different experience
• Athletes need technical, tactical, psychological, and physical skills
o WHAT ARE THEIR LIMITING FACTORS?
4) Team approaches
• Shotgun
o Attempting to implement ideas with no specificity
• Poor Practice
o Accurate but not precise (lack of knowledge is weakness)
• Wrong Direction
o Solving a problem, but not the right one
• Clueless
• Ideal- Have identified the correct problem and solve it properly
5) Always work backwards
6) Recovery is bad
• Can overuse recovery strategies when used to often.
7) Ability of players is dependent on a healthy system
• Brain chemicals are made in the stomach
Systems
• CNS
• Autonomic Nervous System
• Neuro Muscular
• Metabolic Energy Process
Reading:
• Why zebras don’t get ulcers
• Julia Ross
