Coaching Football Special Teams

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I called a friend of mine who is the Head Coach at a Big East Football team and we talked about how his football team coaches special teams., these are some of the comments made during that interview.

One of the first things they try to do is to let the kids know there are areas where we can achieve certain goals on special teams. Clearly the skilled players want to be on the special teams. They want to touch the football. But the question is how do you draw the interest of the other players on the special team who do not get to touch the football? How do you keep the left tackle on the extra point team interested? We came up with an award for the special team player of the year based on a point system. We went out and got the largest trophy we could find. It is about three-feet high. We wanted to get the biggest and gaudiest trophy we could find. We wanted our players to see the trophy every day. The trophy cost us about $100. The bang for our bucks came from the fact that we saw our kids change their attitude on how they could win the special teams player of the year. If you are going to emphasize something you must give the players a carrot, and we did that with the trophy.

In our team room we have three distinctive goals and the goals are displayed on banners. The banners are 12-feet wide by eight-feet tall. They are prominent in our team room. When you walk into our team room it is unmistakable that we have special team goals, offensive team goals, and defensive team goals.

Let me go over our special team goals

Win

Better than average field position after kickoff than opponent

Better net punt average than opponent

Score or set up a score

Give the offense the ball at least one time on the plus -50-yard line

Never give the opponent the ball on our side of the 50-yard line

Perfect execution on holds, snaps, and ball security

Have at least one game breaker - score, block a punt, block a kick, recover an onside kick, cause a turnover, recover a turnover, down a punt inside the 10-yard line, 60 yards of field position change

No penalties

Win the hidden-yardage game - kickoff - kickoff return - punt - punt return

First is to win. That is our first goal. The reason we try to stay away from numbers on the net punt average is the fact there are so many obstacles that may not allow us to achieve these goals.

If we get someone who kicks the ball in the end zone or there is a penalty after the kick, it can eschew the numbers relative to better kickoffs for the opponents. What we want is the average. The same thing is true with having a better punt return average than our opponents.

If you break down the film, you will find the special teams set up a lot of your scores. And a lot of the times the coaches do not even talk about that point. You do not build the creditability into your special teams. You tend to lose it in its perspective.

We want to give the ball to our offense at least one time on the plus 50-yard line.

There are several ways to make this happen. It could be by a punt, pressure, or on any of our kickoffs. We want our kids to understand what we want in this respect.

When we had all of the numbers as goals, such as getting the ball on the 25-yard line, or return the ball 25 yards, they do not remember those things.

On the other hand, we do not want to give our opponent the ball on our side of the ball.

We want to have perfect execution on all special team plays.

We want to have at least one game breaker.

The one point here that we think is big is to down a punt inside he 10-yard line. To us, that is a game breaker. If you do the job on defense you will probably set up a score or get into a potential scoring situation.

All of these are great goals. But the one goal that we work on more than any other is the last goal: win the hidden yardage game.

Let me categorize hidden yardage. Here we are talking about the kickoff, kickoff returns, punts, and punt returns.

We use the 25-yard line on kickoff returns and 35-yards net on punts and calculate the yards. Let me give you an example. If we have a team that kicks the ball out of the end zone on us, it means we would start the ball in play from the 20-yard line. This means we are at a minus 5 yards in hidden yards against our opponents. Conversely, if we had a kickoff that we returned to the 50-yard line, we would have a plus 25 yards on the hidden yardage.

We do the same thing on punts. We use 35 as the magic number.

If we had a punt that netted 50 yards, we would be plus 15 yards in the hidden yardage.

If you keep track of these hidden yards, you will find they make a difference in winning and losing.

Those numbers are going to come back to you better than some of the other numbers you may throw at your players when you put up your goals. You want to make sure when the players leave the meeting that they know what hidden yardage is. If you can get your players to understand hidden yardage, you are going to win a lot of battles.

We want to put some competitive goals into the special teams, so we came up with a point production chart.

On the chart we have team points and individual points. We feel it is important if you are on a particular team to have a chance to get points on the special teams.

Our long snapper came within four points of winning the award this year. Our left guard was in the top three for the special team award. So we have team points that we give out for punt and extra point as well as individual points. If you do not do this the skilled players will run away with the award.

TEAM POINTS - (10)

Score

Block a punt

Block a kick

Recover an onside kick

Successful fake

TEAM POINTS (3)

Stop a fake

Down a punt inside 10-yard line

TEAM POINTS (2)

Kickoff return of plus 30 yards

Punt return of plus 10 yards

INDIVIDUAL POINTS (10)

Cause a turnover

Recover a turnover

60-yard field position change

INDIVIDUAL POINTS (5)

Game winning field goal

Involved in 15 or more plays

INDIVIDUAL POINTS (3)

De-cleater

Tackle

Key block on return

Exceptional effort

4.0 hang time on kickoff or touchback

4.5 hand time on punt or 40-yards net with fair catch

INDIVIDUAL POINTS (2)

Assisted tackle

INDIVIDUAL POINT (1)

Doing your job on every play on a special team Victory award.

The coach who is responsible for that particular team grades the film. There is some flexibility in the system and we do have minus points. If you get a penalty you get minus 5 points. On any missed assignment you receive minus 5 points. The kids are going to see the chart on Sunday. That is the first thing we talk about in our team meeting.

We have the chart in our team room. You can see how we chart the players each week. On the left-hand side of the chart we have all of the players listed. We grade the film and give the players the points they earn in each area. On the left side of the chart are the team points and on the right side of the chart are the individual points. Also on the right outside of the chart we have the players' total points for the last game.

I think it is important to have this information displayed in the locker room so the kids can see how they are being graded on the special teams. We are trying to build some ownership in this team. This chart will help you build your case for special teams.

We have another chart where we keep a running total of all the games. Each week the kids can see where they rate on the chart. They can come into our meeting knowing they earned a certain number of points from the last game or knowing they lost a certain number of points. We think the chart is good because the kids can see where they stand game by game.

This system really works for us. It keeps our kids motivated each week about the ranking for winning the special teams trophy!

For more information about coaching football special teams go to the website listed below.

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The Best Play In Youth Football

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The answer may surprise you. Many youth football teams attempt to emulate what the coach has seen on TV the past week or what the head coach ran as a high school player 20 years ago. Unfortunately what works at the College or Pro level on TV often doesn't work very well at the youth level. The coach's high school system may have worked well for his team 20-30 years ago with 6 days a week practices and fleet running backs, but fails miserably at the youth level.

At the youth level our job as coaches is to teach the kids how to block and tackle safely and effectively. We teach them how to get into good athletic stances as well as the base rules and strategies. Our most important job should be to make football fun for the player and coach our teams up to their full potential.

However, you can have fun and win at the same time. In fact most players that play on perennial losing teams lose their love of the game and quit. That is one reason I developed these coaching materials for my own 400 kid organization, so that our coaches would be competent enough to coach the kids to their God given potential. To allow our teams to play competitively so the kids would stay engaged in our program. In fact my materials are filled with how to make practices both well organized and fun.

Most of the plays or schemes the typical youth coach has in his playbook are not designed to the talent level of most youth teams. I see teams with no speed often trying to run sweeps, I see teams with kids that can't throw or catch throwing (trying to throw) 20 yard passes. I see teams running bootlegs with very slow quarterbacks. I see teams running a dive play with no lead blocker into the heart of youth defenses. I see teams trying reverses against well disciplined teams for huge losses. I see pass patterns with 3-4 and even 5 receivers. I see teams trying to get a 9 year old to read two different defenders on option plays etc etc etc.

I rarely see: good lead off-tackle plays, one or two receiver pass patterns, optional run and pass plays, trap plays, pulling, double teams, wedge blocking, designed plays to draw the defense off-sides, unbalanced formations, motion, and great sportsmanship.
In youth football each year is different; you will not always have a big team or have a very fast "feature back" that can outrun everyone on a sweep play. Unlike the colleges or pros, you don't have 100s of kids from all across the country to choose from or 20-40 hours a week practice time. In my mind the team that wins because they just happen to have the fastest kid in the league and he outruns everyone on sweeps and kick returns is a joke, a luck of the draw thing. Football is a team game and a well coached team won't give up sweeps for touchdowns or ever kick deep ti that speedster. My first team defense has not given up a sweep for a score in over 5 years.

I've coached youth football for about 15 years and one play that we have always been able to run effectively regardless of the size or talent of the team I've had is the lead
off-tackle power. It can be run by out of nearly any formation, I love it out of the Single Wing with 4 lead blockers and a double team block at the point of attack. While it isn't a terribly sexy play, it gets you 4-5 yards every down in most cases and sets up "home run" complementary plays like the trap, play action pass or wing reverse. Most youth teams are set up to stop the sweep, the "holy grail" play for most youth teams. Other defenses try to shut down the "dive" in the gaps next to the center. Very few youth football defenses are set up to stop even an average off-tackle play.

If the other team gives you the off-tackle, take it until they over-commit, then run the home run play. In our Championship game in 2003 the other team was so concerned about taking away our inside "wedge" play, they left open the off-tackle. We started the game with 7 straight tailback off-tackle plays to our strong side and scored. The very next series they moved out to our off-tackle hole and we ran wedge for a 65 yard score on first down. Then they tried to stop the wedge play and moved everyone up and we ran the wedge play action pass for a 60 yard score. We were up 46-0 in the third quarter when they finally just gave up and tried to run the clock. Both the wedge and off tackle plays can be run well by very average skilled kids.

In another game the defensive team was set up to stop the sweep and wedge plays but again were giving us the off-tackle play. We run no-huddle so we get many more snaps in than most youth teams. In that game we had 71 snaps, of which 51 were off-tackle strong plays. We were getting our 4-5 yards every time, nothing real big, but we did get some very big gains and touchdowns from blocking back traps, wing reverses (2 TDs) and TB run pass option (pass for TD). So we scored 5 touchdowns and out of the 5 TD's, 4 were in excess of 20 yards. We were only stopped on downs once and we fumbled once too. We were 2-2 passing for 56 yards and a TD. Now how much fun was that for our 3 tailbacks that shared duty at the tailback position that day and for our pulling guards? They all had a blast, so did our place kickers, and the 4 other kids that had TDs playing non-tailback positions. Oh yeah, our defense had fun too, they could play with abandon since we were moving the ball at will on offense.

The net is, the off-tackle play at the youth level is the hardest play to stop, yet few teams try and perfect it. It takes little talent to run the play, no studs required. In my Single Wing Offense, we practice that play more than any other. We block it a variety of ways so we know it will work and we will run it, regardless of what kind of defense we face. Our kids can run the off-tackle in their sleep, we often start our practices with the "Power Hour" as Steve Calande calls it. We run our off-tackle strong power for 30-40 minutes on air, fit and freeze and then with players holding hand shields going 100%. Ye,s just one play often makes up half of our offensive practice time.

If your team is doing poorly, you don't need a trick play or new offense (what most coaches panic and do) you need to get perfect at running the off-tackle lead power play.
We know we are playing a good team when they come out and try and establish the
off-tackle play. Of all the videos I've seen from youth teams from all over the country, regardless of the offensive set or personnel, the best teams always have a good off-tackle play. It isn't sexy but it does the trick and it sets up everything else in your offense.

Don't worry about putting in a bunch of fancy "trick" plays before you get your off-tackle play down perfectly.

150 free youth football coaching tips for you here: Youth Football

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The Number of English Players in Premiership Football

In recent years, a trend has developed where overseas players have become a more cost effective option for English football clubs compared to signing home grown talent. This has led to an influx of foreign players into English football that has affected all four professional divisions.

The number of English players in premiership football has continued to fall significantly every year. The outstanding overseas players who play for premiership clubs surely improve the overall standard of football that is played in England. There is an argument that many foreign players of an average standard do not raise performance or skill levels. In some cases this can have an adverse effect.

Many years ago clubs invested heavily in creating football academies that were designed to nurture young talent. The concern within football circles is that too many foreign players of moderate ability will prevent our own youngsters from developing into professional footballers. This can lead to the appearances of home grown players to be restricted.

Some experts believe that accommodating too many players from overseas may also have a harmful effect on the national side. This particular argument always rears its head whenever England suffers poor results or disappointing tournaments.

There has been much debate on the possible introduction of a quota system that would limit the number of foreign players able to play in each game. This rule would ensure that a certain number of English players would play. There is also the option of a rule that would insist on the inclusion of a certain number of players from the United Kingdom which would include players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Whether these rules would be legal is not clear at this stage.

Premiership football could point to the fact that large sums of money have been invested in signing overseas talent. Some clubs claim that English players of comparable quality are often priced out of their reach because they are in such short supply which feeds the trend of using the overseas transfer market in search of value for money.

For more football related articles please visit Football Blog for the latest news and comment on the premiership and English soccer scene.

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University of Miami Football Program

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The University of Miami, located in Coral Cables, Florida, was founded in 1925 and for the majority of its existence had a predominately dormant football program. The modern success of the University of Miami football team that has come about in the last thirty years is largely credited with beginning during the Howard Schnellenberger era. Mr. Schnellenberger left the Miami Dolphins (NFL franchise) coaching staff to become the University of Miami head football coach from 1979-1983. It was during this time that Coach Schnellenberger turned around the football program at what had previously been considered a relatively small private college (9,800 undergraduate students) without much of a chance to win against the established football powerhouses.

With the school nickname the Hurricanes the football program eventually came to fruition over the last thirty years having captured national titles in 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001. In addition to five national titles to its credit (fourth on the all-time list behind Oklahoma, Alabama, and Notre Dame) the Hurricanes have twice had players win the prestigious Heisman Trophy award that is awarded on an annual basis to the nation's top college football player. The two winners to come from the University of Miami are Vinny Testaverde, a quarterback from the class of 1986, and Gino Torretta, the quarterback of the 1992 squad.

While national championships and Heisman Trophy winners are certainly key components of the resume of any football powerhouse dominating opponents on a weekly basis can also speak volumes about the overall success of a program. The University of Miami is proud to hold the NCAA record for the most consecutive home victories which stands at a staggering 58 straight games. This streak lasted nearly a decade as it encapsulated seasons from 1985 to 1994.

A fourth way to measure collegiate football success other than national championships, Heismen Trophy winners, and consecutive win streaks is to analyze the future success of the players that come out of a program. In terms of influence on the National Football League (NFL) the University of Miami has established high water marks both in terms of holding records for having the most players selected in the first round of a single draft (six players selected in the first round of the 2006 draft) as well as the record setting mark for having a player from the same school selected in the first round of the most consecutive drafts (fourteen: 1995-2008). While the streak of first round draft picks was snapped in 2009 the string of consecutive years of having a player drafted continues with a streak of thirty years which dates back to the 1974 draft.

Clearly, almost any way an individual chooses to analyze it the University of Miami Hurricane football program reveals a level of success which nearly every similar institution is envious.

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Defensive Backs Football Training - Stripping the Football

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Today we are seeing more defensive backs stripping the football from receivers. It has become a football skill unto itself, requiring corners, line backers and safeties training and practicing drills to hone their ball stripping football skills.

More coaches are teaching the art of stripping the football, running practice drills with the defensive players, teaching them how stripping the football is done. A stripped football, is a down used, with no gain. When the defenders are successful at stripping the football from the receiver, the ball comes out. Giving the defensive unit an opportunity for a possible take-away.

More often than not D-backs are not in position to bat the ball down, leaving them two options; make the tackle or stripping the football.

Training the D-Back for stripping the football requires two basic sets of football skills. Mental and physical training are the essential football skills needed to be successful at stripping the football.

Football Skills for Stripping the Football:

Football skills for stripping the football begin with the proper mind set and attitude. The defender must approach the receiver with his mind set that he is going to strip the football from the receiver's hands. In order to be successful at stripping the football from the receiver, the back must first understand the fundamentals of catching the pass.

Learning the pass catching mechanics are essential and can be achieved by studying DVDs and videos dedicated to teaching pass catching football skills.

The defensive player will learn the basic positions a receiver may hold his hands prior to making the catch. If the ball is in front of the receiver are his hands above or below the shoulder pads, if behind the receiver are his hands above or below the shoulder pad, is the receivers back to the defender. These are important football skills defensive backs need to develop.

Next, the D-Backs training should show them which arm to attack. If the ball is thrown over the receivers left shoulder, the left arm is the point of attack, just as if the ball arrives over the receivers right shoulder, attack the right arm. In each case if the ball is caught going over the left shoulder, the defensive back uses his left arm to attack and if the ball is over the right shoulder he attacks using his right arm.

Practice Drills for Stripping the Football:

The first ball stripping practice drill should start with the receiver and the defender being stationary. In some parlances this defensive back practice drill is called a reach-and-pull.

The " reach-and-pull' technique is where the receiver stands back to the defensive back holding the ball on either side, the defensive back reaches out (left arm to left arm, right arm to right arm) and pulls the arm holding the ball downward stripping the football from the receiver.

Next is a walk through practice drill followed by running the stripping the football drill.

Ball stripping practice drills should be run about 3/4s speed and should not be exercised as a full contact practice. The focus of the drill, is to give the defensive back training on how to successfully strip the football from the receiver. Which arm the defensive back should attack and the football skills needed to strip the football from the receiver's hands.

In this drill the receiver and defensive back typically face the sideline, the defensive back about 10 yards away from the receiver. At the coaches signal the receiver starts running about 3/4s speed directly towards the side line. The defensive back takes off angling towards the point where he will intersect with the receiver as the ball arrives.

Once the receiver has run a few yards the coach throws him the football. The defensive back if he has timed his run and has taken the proper angle should be at the receiver the same time the ball arrives.

Using his attack arm the defensive back should be reach out and pulling the ball carrying arm down, dislodging the football. With his other arm, he should be hitting the receiver in the back with his fore arm and grabbing a hand full of jersey. Then if the defensive back is not able to dislodge the ball he is in position to make the tackle.

Who ever is throwing the ball to the receiver must throw the ball behind, high, low, left and to the right of the receiver giving the defensive back training on all the angles passes are caught.

In conclusion stripping the football requires both physical and mental football skills. Knowing which arm to attack, which arm to attack with and being able gage where the ball and receiver will meet and intersect with them all the while running at full speed.

A defensive back good at stripping the football doesn't happen by luck, it takes diligence and a strong practice work ethic.

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College Football Betting Tips - How to Consistently Pick the Winning Team

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College football is considered to be one of the games least touched by dishonesty, because every player is there to play for the pride of the school and nothing else. As there is no money involved for the players they are playing only for their future careers perhaps in the NFL.

The Teams

As there are no salaries involved schools can sign the top players in the country, in fact, a recent report showing the top high school possible recruits revealed that a strong majority had U.S.C. and Texas on their list of college choices - good players want to play at a good school. The problem is that the better teams just keep getting better with the pick of the top players whilst the less fortunate teams struggle to attract the players they need this limits the number of real challengers in this sports arena.

Betting On College Football

As we stated earlier school football is less restricted than the professional game, As a result coaches will try different plays and combinations - this often results in high scoring games. That is why the person betting on college football should not make the mistake of thinking of the odds in terms of the NFL, no matter how weak an NFL player seems they will still be one of the top players in the football world. This is not the case in the amateurs where only a handful of players can hope to be good enough for the NFL. That is why the scores can vary so widely, much more than in the professional game.

The Underdog Effect

Rivalry is hot between schools, meaning that when 2 teams with history meet all bets should be off as no matter what talent is available or how it looks on paper the contest could be close just from the rivalry, we can see throughout the history of college football that the favorite to win can fall to a less talented team who just wanted it that bit more.

Coaches

When betting on football it is important to analyze the coaches as well, will the coach adapt his game plan depending on how the game plays out? Does the coach like to fire away even when the game is won? Knowing these things will give you the edge when it comes to selecting your betting

In Summary

To be a consistent winner when playing the betting game you must understand the differences between the NFL and college football, it sounds simple but many people forget this simple lesson to their detriment. Apply these rules and observations when betting on the school games and you can join the ranks of the successful sports gamblers enjoying the fruits of the college game - Enjoy your gambling and always gamble responsibly.

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Triple Option Football Explained

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Triple option football has all three elements of the different styles of running attacks - quickness, finesse and power.

Homer Rice is given credit for inventing triple option football. He retired as Georgia Tech's athletic director in 1997. Before that, he was head coach at Kentucky, Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Rice. Mr. Rice also worked as athletic director at Rice and North Carolina as well as a brief stint as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

But it was when he was coaching high school in the 1950's that he came up with triple option football. The two usual triple option styles are the wishbone and veer.

The main idea behind this offensive set is to leave the defensive tackle and end unblocked in order to double-team the linebackers with extra offensive lineman. This brings an element of power to this basically finesse type of running attack.

The "Wishbone" style of triple option football gets its name from the alignment of the backs. You have a quarterback, a fullback directly behind him and then two halfbacks split behind the fullback. At the snap, the quarterback turns and puts the football in the fullback's gut as he reads the defensive tackle.

If the QB sees the tackle taking outside responsibility, he hands off to the fullback. If the tackle takes inside position, the QB keeps the ball and the fullback blocks the tackle. Now the quarterback's attention turns to the defensive end. If the end comes in to tackle him, he pitches out to the halfback who is trailing behind the play.

The quarterback has much responsibility in triple option football. He must first make sure there is no confusion with his first option (whether to handoff to the fullback or not) in order to prevent a fumble. He must also make a good pitchout to his halfback. Further complications can arise if the QB makes the wrong read on the defensive tackle or end.

Here's one way to teach the quarterback to read the end - If he can see the end's number, he should pitch the football as the end is probably coming in to tackle him. If he sees the end coming across the line of scrimmage focusing on the halfback, the QB should keep the ball. The quarterback should also keep an out for further pitch opportunities to his halfback even as he's making his way downfield.

The "Veer" style of triple option football adds a passing element. Bill Yeoman invented the veer in 1965 as coach of the Houston Cougars. That's why you'll hear it also called the "Houston Veer". Yeoman replaced the fullback with a wide receiver and split out an end.

Now the QB's first option is to a diving halfback (no fullback). The pitchout option then goes to the other halfback in the set. The tight end helps get the defensive end wide by taking a wide split. At the snap, the tight end arcs around the end (remember, the end is left unblocked) to block anyone trying to tackle the quarterback (usually a safety). The wide-out takes on the cornerback.

Looking for finesse, power and quickness? Try using triple option football.

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Common Skills For Football

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Some of the most basic skills needed when it comes to playing football are running, passing, catching, tackling and blocking. Aside from kicking, these are the most common skills used while playing the game. It takes years of practice and intense determination to really perfect these skills. Playing college football could be one reward, or if you are lucky you could even become good enough to play professionally.

Running and Catching can be the role of several different players, these players include the tight end, wide receiver, fullback, and running back. The tight end is a universal player with skills ranging from running and catching to blocking. A wide receivers main job is to run routes and catch. Fullbacks are only on the field during an "I" formation, they mainly block but can also catch, and a running backs main job is to advance the ball forward, occasionally catching passes.

Passing is another important basic skill, and is the main job of the Quarterback. Some skills they also need to possess are great arm strength, a good stance, body control and ball handling. When it comes to passing, good accuracy is sometimes better than arm strength. They need to be able to manage the field as well as the game. Focus is vital when it come to them passing because they have the opposing teams defensive line coming at them while they are trying to make the pass. They only have one attempt per down to complete the pass, so each play takes many skills to be able to do this.

When the ball is in the air the main person who will be doing the catching is the wide receiver. A defensive player can catch the ball if his skills are good enough. Whoever is doing the catching needs to be very fast in order to get to the position to catch the ball, and great hand-eye coordination is also needed. This is why the players in the positions dedicated to catching the ball are usually the fastest players on the field.

When it comes to blocking, this takes place on the offensive line and special teams. One thing that blockers need is a low center of gravity, this helps their stance and balance when they are engaging a block, so they do not fall over. Even if this is not your main position, when the ball is in play if you are not running a route you will probably be blocking. Tackling takes tremendous strength and force. This is probably the most physical part of the game. Speed, agility, and strength are essential when it come to tackling. They need to stop the ball from advancing, so they play a major role when they are on the field.

There is no skill that is more important than the next. Each player works very hard at perfecting the skills needed in the position they play, and even when they make it to the top, they never stop having to work on them. So the next time you sit down to watch a game, you'll be able to pick out which skills are being used to help your team score that touchdown.

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Football - The Evolution of a National Sport

On November 6, 1869 the first soccer football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton. Rugby as the game was known developed over a seven year period and became the favorite sport among the major eastern schools over all other sports including soccer. It was during these 7 years that modern day football began to develop into the sport it is today.

Walter Camp known as the father of American football got involved with the sport at the Massasoit convention, now known as the NCAA, in 1876. The first rules of American football were written at this time.

In 1892 football was a popular sport among athletic clubs across America. In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania two rival athletic clubs were fiercely competitive. This competition lead to one of the clubs actually paying a player $500, the first professional paid player of the sport. William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, a Yale graduate, was not only the first paid player of the sport but also won the game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The Allegheny club won 4-0.

Four years after Heffelfinger became the first professional football player the Allegheny Athletic Association started its first all professional team. In 1896 the football season consisted of 2 games.

From 1900 to 1905 the number of professional teams grew. The State of Ohio had seven professional football teams. It wasn't until 1902 that the first major tournament was held at the Madison Square Gardens in New York. There were 5 teams involved in which 4 teams were from New York and 1 team was from New Jersey. It was at this time that the 1st night game was played before 3000 people. Syracuse won the tournament with the help of the legendary Glen (Pop) Warner. They played against New York, the score 6-0.

In 1967 the first NFL-AFL Championship game was played between Green Bay (35) and Kansas City (10). Interesting to note that Green Bay was also victorious over Oakland (33-14) in the 1968 Championship Game. In 1969 the name "Super Bowl" was officially adopted for this magnificent sports event with the New York Jets defeating Baltimore (16-7).

From the humble beginnings of football in the major eastern colleges to the local athletic clubs across America, the rich history of this sport and men who loved it created a national past time. Sports fans not only in America but all over the world are avid followers of this highly competitive game.

Today you can celebrate your favorite team whether its a professional team, college or university team with officially sanctioned logo NFL watches at Mall4Men.com. These watches are of high quality and durability and they are reasonably priced!

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Fantasy Football.

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Sometimes it seems as if the most fascinating elements of professional football is the behind the scenes dealings as well as the mechanical creation of the perfect team. This is the idea behind fantasy football, a fantasy sports game in which players take on the role of team owners and are arranged into a fictional league. Players deal with data to determine the outcomes of their fantasy league championship, that is, the names of real-life NFL players. Each team starts the season by drafting or acquiring NFL players by auction and then scores points based on players' statistical performance on the field. (Note that some fantasy leagues use the NCAA division as well) How are victories determined between players? It depends on the creators of the league, as winners could be determined by the most points garnered by the end of the season or in head-to-head tournament NFL style.

When did the phenomenon of fantasy football start? This sport within a sport began in 1962 as an idea passed on by Bill Winkenbach, a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders, as well as Bill Tunnell, the Raiders' public relations man. Also involved in the creative process were Scotty Stirling of the Oakland Tribune and George Ross, the Tribune's sports editor. The idea came from a three-week road trip that saw the Raiders visit the East Coast. The men fleshed out the idea on the road and then penned the basics of the first fantasy football league, the GOPPPL, otherwise known as the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League.

Over the years, fantasy football leagues continued either in groups or even through BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) communication. With the rise of cheaper PCs and the Internet in the late 90s fantasy football experienced a slight resurgence in popularity. The sport continues to be popular among football purists and experts who know football facts like no one else's business. Fantasy football players still are passionate today about their favorite hobby and are always looking for ways to win. This is why many magazines, websites and books offer tips and tools on how to get ahead in the fantasy sport.

Magazines, websites, books, and software are available that provide fantasy players with the information they need to make better decisions. Additionally, the popularity of this sport has increased thanks to the availability of live football games via satellite TV, satellite radio, cable, and Internet websites. Interestingly, whereas the Internet has taken away the business of many retail industries, as far as football is concerned, fantasy football only increases football program ratings, attendance and website traffic. By nature, fantasy sports players must watch more live game telecasts, buy more tickets and spend more money at stadiums than just an average football fan that only Clock and his team have Super Bowl fantasy football in general has a very good knowledge of the rules of football fans and sports skills if you are interested then consider the three major championships virtual: CBS, ESPN and Yahoo.

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Soccer Footwear - Wearing the Right Football Boot

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There are a huge number of football boots on the market these days and deciding which ones to buy can be a daunting task. Many people make the mistake of assuming that all boots are alike when that is definitely not the case. The playing surface, weather conditions, level of comfort and the position you play should all be taken into consideration when deciding on your soccer footwear.

Wearing the right football boot is essential as this allows you to concentrate on your performance safe in the knowledge that your soccer footwear will not let you down when you need it most. An expensive pair of football boots with state of the art design will enable you to make the most of your skills although they will not make you a better player overnight.

The surface that you are going to be playing on should have a huge bearing on choosing the suitability of your footwear. For example if you are playing on a wet pitch or a surface that has medium length grass then you should avoid boots that have blades or cleats. Hard pitches where the grass has worn away can also be problematic. Short studs and cleats are the best option for this kind of surface. Blades should be avoided as they would quickly be worn down on the areas where no grass is present.

Artificial playing surfaces such as Astroturf require footwear with cleats or short blades. Boots that have long blades could cause serious injury when running, twisting or turning sharply. This is because the long blades have a tendency to stick in the surface resulting in varying degrees of damage to both the ankle and knee areas when you move.

Another factor that should be considered when choosing new football boots is the position that you play. Strikers and wingers usually prefer a lightweight shoe that will let them accelerate quickly and in some cases this means using blades. For a long time the famous Predator boot by Adidas was popular among midfielders especially those who shoot from distance. For defenders, a good grip is important and this is the main attribute they will look for when choosing their footwear.

An important consideration when buying football boots is the level of comfort they provide you with. Many boots come in a wider fitting to cater for those with bigger sized feet. It is important to remember that you will be wearing them for 90 minutes so the soccer footwear needs to be a good fit and be comfortable to wear for long periods. This advice should ensure that you are wearing the right football boot in relation to your needs.

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Cheap Football Shirts Needed Please

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Cheap football shirts should be everywhere, but they're not because clubs refuse to lower their prices. I'm of the opinion however that this should be something they consider, as when you think about the value you get out of them, it's actually not that great.

I buy my clubs home football shirt every couple of seasons and pay the standard forty quid, which by any stretch of the imagination isn't cheap. However, as a season ticket holder I probably get my wear out of it, as I'm more or less guaranteed to pull it on at least forty or fifty times before it's no longer current.

That doesn't sound too bad really but the thing that gets my goat is away shirts. Why should football teams be allowed to sell shirts that they might only wear once or twice over the course of a season for forty quid? It's just ridiculous.

Away shirts should be cheap football shirts, simple as that. I think a fair price would be thirty quid for adults and twenty for kids. That's currently a tenner cheaper than most retail for.

I mean, how many kids beg for these shirts every year and then refuse to wear them after what seems a couple of months because they're no longer current? Even die hard fans that go to every match, home and away can only expect to be showing the right colours on the odd occasion.

Maybe I'm just mad to think that in this day in age when everything in football is geared towards business, that some of the clubs might give us a break and sell football shirts for a fraction cheaper.

What's even more painful is if you've got a naff manufacturer. I mean, if you're shopping for sports clothes you wouldn't pay the same price for a Jako sports shirt (that's a real make) as you would a Nike one would you? So why just because they have a couple of badges on should this be the case?

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Football Systems

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There are many different football defence and offence formations and plays that are available today for a coach to choose. With a click of the mouse one can find an endless amount of information and ideas on team systems and philosophies on the internet.

But what is the best one suited for you or better yet, suited for your football team? We all have our favourite defence or offence that we would love to play and implement. However, the point we would like to make is that it's quite probable that your favourite defence you like and want to play is outside the reach of your player's abilities. It's important as a coach that you evaluate your teams abilities and static factors. Static factors would be the unchangeable such as size, strength, athletic ability,speed, desire, and determination. Basically, things that are presented to you that you have no control over. Once you determine these factors its up to you as the coach to select the right systems that your players will thrive in based on their abilities. The worst thing you can do is select a system that will be too much for your team to handle. In the end, it will come back to haunt you!

In most programs testing these factors is done in the early days of your training camp. The coaches will chart, record, and monitor the different strengths and weakness of each player. From that point, they will discuss the type of offence and defence that they will implement in order to get the very best from their players abilities. Perhaps you have a large group of solid offensive linemen and a few good athletes. Probably your evaluation based on these factors is that you will build your offence around your O-line and be a running football team. Or defensively you might evaluate that you don't have a lot of D-lineman or good size so you compensate by playing a scheme like a 3-4 in order to take advantage of your speed at the linebacker and safety positions. Either or, you've selected a scheme that is within your player's abilities.

By doing this you will get the best possible system that your players will thrive in as it will be designed around their strengths. they will gain confidence in it, and no doubt, be tough to play against.

A lot of coaches make the mistake of implementing systems just because they like them and ignore the static factors. For the most part, we are coaching programs when we are dealt our players. There's no recruiting process to get players in that will thrive under the system we like. Therefore we can only play the hand we are dealt and that means it's important to get a handle on the static factors so that we can implement the best possible defence, offence, or special teams.

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Best Store For Official Football Shirts

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Football as the name signifies is a game that is played with the players using their feet to kick the ball into position. More popularly called as soccer, the game over the years has become one of the most popular contact sport in the world today. It's a team game played between two teams of eleven players each and is played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field and has a goal on each ends. The main objective of the game is to score by tackling the ball into the opponent's goal and in the meanwhile protect from being scored upon; the one who has been able to maximum goals at the end of the game is said to be the winner. The game has two halves of 45 minute each, and if the score is tied at the end of the match, the game is decided at extra time and penalty shootout.

The game knows no boundaries and is played in all the continents be it Argentina and Brazil in South America to Holland and Spain in Europe. The game is followed religiously all around the world and for many nothing is more delightful than to watch the ball passing between the two poles!

The game has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years with the advent of professional clubs like Real Madrid and AC Milan competing to get the best in the game. Today the popularity of these clubs has made loyality of fans restricted to not just their respective countries like Germany or Spain, but with players of different nationalities playing in a single team, this just goes onto explain the greatness of the most beautiful game. It is so popular that today it even influences political decisions!

The popularity of clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and others have also been paved way for establishing many parallel industries. The merchandise sales associated with the game like Soccer Jerseys or Football Shirts, caps etc. have become an industry of their own. It's a high for anyone to be sporting the jersey worn by their favorite player.

The Mega Football Store offers football shirts of countries like Argentina, Spain, Holland and Germany among others. And not just that, the mega football store also features Official soccer shirts from professional clubs such as AC Milan, Real Madrid and others. So this is one stop shop for fans to proudly own and show off the soccer shirts of their favorite stars and their favorite football team.

So if you support Liverpool or Chelsea, Manchester United or AC Milan, it's always advisable that one buys from the stores that feature official merchandise. So if its Ronaldhino or Kaka, Christian Ronald or David Beckham, whoever is the star you support, stores such as The Mega Football Store is one store where your quest to sport the soccer shirts of your favorite team and of course support you favorite star. So what are you waiting for? Just go ahead and form your own teams complete with the official soccer jerseys and play ball!

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How To Improve Your Football Skills As A Defensive Lineman

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My name is Cecil "Martin" Chase and I played as a Defensive Tackle in the NFL for eight years. In this article I am going to provide you with techniques you can use to master your skills as a defensive lineman.

There are four core qualities that a defense linemen needs to posses. These qualities are strength, speed, intelligence, and a fiercely competitive nature. If you do not have these qualities, you need to practice them over and over until you master them. By mastering them, you will be attractive to college football scouts as well as NFL scouts.

Here are the reasons why you need to master the qualities of strength, speed, intelligence and a highly competitive nature:

1. You need strength to move past the opponents that are in front of you and who are trying to keep you from tackle the quarterback or running back.

2. You need speed to pursue and rush the quarterback and running back.

3. You need intelligence to react to different events that are happening all around you and you need to respond to them in a split second. If you hesitate, you'll get burned.

4. Most important of all, you absolutely must have a fiercely competitive mindset. You must believe you are the best and no other player can stop you. A defensive lineman has to be a fighter and he needs to love competing against the man in front of him. He must take pride in physically defeating his opponents. He must understand that winning these battles is vital to helping his team win games.

A good defensive lineman must also be completely unselfish and willing to sacrifice his own body to help his teammates make plays. The defensive lineman also needs to be highly self-motivated. Defensive lineman rarely receive recognition for the key job they perform. Therefore, they must be able to motivate themselves to compete as the highest level possible. A truly great defensive lineman understands the importance of his role on the field and he must always play with pride and dedication.

By making these qualities your own, you will be well on your way to becoming an elite defensive lineman.

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Fantasy Football Sleepers - Defense Rankings Fantasy Football 2009

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It is hard to say that there are sleepers at the Defensive Fantasy Football position. You will be picking no sooner than the last 2 rounds. But when you realize that some doofus will pick Pittsburgh's defense in round 12, and other owners will follow his lead, you need to know who to pick in the last 2 rounds that will give you round 12 production. Team Defenses and Special Teams are up next in our Fantasy Sleeper series.

As far as defense rankings fantasy football owners need not worry too much. Couple that with the knowledge that the difference in the best Fantasy defense and the 12th is negligible, and you will see why you should be picking this position in the last two rounds of your Draft. Since what you are really picking here is a group of individuals instead of a single player, like your other fantasy positions, you can see that making predictions is even harder. A single injury can decimate a Team D. Just ask anyone who drafted the Charger's D last year in a middle round.

Sleeper #1

The Seattle Seahawks have the 3rd easiest schedule for Team Defenses to produce against. Head Coach Jim Mora and Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley, formerly Tampa Bay's Linebacker's coach, both believe in a blitzing, attacking D. Just 2 seasons ago Seattle was the 7th ranked Fantasy D, and they have athletes at every position. Their Offense put a lot of pressure on this unit last year, and with the return of a healthy WR corps, and healthy QB in Matt Hasselbeck, I believe you can pick this D comfortably knowing they will be a great value with your last pick.

Sleeper #2

The Arizona Cardinals are facing the 9th best situation for a Team D in 2009. What is even better is their schedule in weeks 14 - 17, Fantasy Football Playoff time. They face the third easiest schedule for Defenses during that stretch. This is a team that immediately brings to mind high-powered offense, but has finished ranked in the top 10 fantasy wise the last three years, adding a whopping 14 TD returns the last two seasons. This is a very solid pick as a sleeper come Draft Day.

Sleepers mean value, and that is really what you want to be thinking every round. What is the best value here? Am I overpaying? Can I still make this pick in a couple of rounds? Do not get caught up in the Defense run in rounds 12 - 14. When they think of defense rankings fantasy football owners should think last round, and get one of the sleepers mentioned above. Be sure to check out the rest of my Fantasy Football Sleepers, and my Draft Day Secrets article series to ensure that you draft a monster.

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Layout of a football pitch.

Soccer field layout is not as hard to make as it may seem if you are only equipped with proper tools and tools that were required are not that expensive and hard to find. You can grab anything that seems necessary for you to use.

If tools were not handy, here are some suggestions:

Buy or find a couple of tape measure 300 feet in length. It is best if you have an extra 100 feet tape measure. You are also required to have at least 25 pieces of gutter spikes, 12 inches in length, a strong cord about 500 feet, have a kind of cord that doesn't stretch much, and cans of spray paint, the kind that has field-marking capability.

When planning to layout a soccer field in limited spaces like empty backyards, layout within the limit of the space leaving only a small area in the sides for overruns, and when lay-outing in an open field, you can make it as large as you wish.

The first step is establishing a base line either for a side or goal line. Put a cord along the whole length of the base line. By means of a 60'-80'-100' triangle, set up the next side of the field. Again stake the entire length with the cord. Repeat this procedure on the opposite end of the base line until forming a rectangle. To determine the center point, stake a cord from one corner of the rectangle up to the opposite side corner of the other end. Do this on the other side too. The spot in the center of the field where this two cords overlap is the center point. From these markers, you can determine now the penalty area, the goal box and other necessary points in the field. The spikes are for the temporary marking of points before painting and proper staking.

Lastly, be sure to have someone accompany you in laying down such stakes for I'm sure you would not bother run from one side to another if the markers needed some adjustments. Anyways, you'll only need a handful of tools and a pal to complete your soccer field layout.

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Football Defense - Pass Rushing - Part 1

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The variations of the Spread Offenses puts the ball in the air more, making it more important for defenses to successfully rush the passer. This article, part 1, will focus on Swim Move, one of 4 proven pass rushing techniques that produce a more effective pass rush.

1. Swim Move:

The Swim Move is a favorite pass rushing technique of many defensive linemen and can be the most dangerous. The pass rusher has to rise up above the blocker, however if done properly it can be one of the easiest ways to successfully rush the passer. Timing is key to a successful Swim Move, the D-linemen must beat the blocker off the snap of the ball.

Next comes a jab step designed to get the blocker off balance. This is when the defender step one direction while intending to move another. This is followed by a short balanced step using the jab foot, bring it in front of the blocker in the opposite direction. Typically the blocker will follow the first step, the jab step, and find himself off balance.

At the same time the pass rusher brings his inside arm up and reaching out to the back of the blocker, pulling the O-lineman forward, exploiting his lack of balance and swim through the offensive line to effectively rush the passer.

Once the defender swims through the line, he wants to be running at the quarterback with his hands up, fully extending and waving his arms. This puts him in position to disrupt the play by temporarily blocking the quarterback's vision, tip the ball, knock the ball down, or make the pick. At the same time he is poised to make the quarterback rush his throw or sack the quarterback. If he can sack the QB with his arms raised the defender can bring his hands down with more force to attack the ball and possibly force the fumble.

There are pass rushing DVDS available that demonstrate more detailed rushing techniques and practice drills to successfully rush the passer. Please use the link in the resource box below to examine these videos.

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Football Tops - Fashion of Football

Soccer jerseys are a necessity for every soccer player; these are used regularly during trainings and competitions. These need to be tough and durable to overcome the torture of every hard game.

Nowadays, millions of soccer fans are fond of buying soccer jerseys of their favorite team. Having these make fans have a sense of belongingness to the team they like. Fans wear their jersey during tournaments and usually have them autographed by their favorite team or player. With its promising marketability, a large variety of these items have been out in the market.

Young soccer fans are becoming the most numbers in collecting these exclusive attire. The most popular of these athletic apparels are the replica and authentic apparels for kids. Authentic types are expensive costing about $200 or more. Even with the high price, a lot of fans still buy these items. These soccer things are becoming more popular because it is being advertised by professional soccer stars. You can see these advertisements on TV, posters, internet and billboards.

In line with the recently held World Cup Soccer tournament held in Germany, the demand for these hot items have tremendously increased and the most popular among them are the Italian team's jersey after they have won the tournament. These represent all the other countries that have been part of the tournament.

So whether you are a or playing football is what you want. Jersey is your choice. With many thousands around you will find the best according to your taste.

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Football Drills attack

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The quarterback plays one of the most important roles on any football team. Not only does he govern the plays run on the field, it is also his job to make sure the appropriate plays are run correctly in order to gain yards and score points, hence winning football games. There is an entire series of football quarterback drills you can run at your practices to get your quarterback in his best shape and playing his best game possible.

Developing your football quarterback drills into a ritual will help your quarterback chart his progress throughout the season. When properly executed, these drills last about 20 to 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time at your practices for a short warm-up and a game of scrimmage following the drills.

Start with this drill which helps your quarterback work on his ball handling and security. The quarterback is to take a football in his hands and move it in a circular motion around his head, under his arms, around his waist, and between his knees and legs. Start with a rotation of all the areas, and then have the coach running the drill call out the name of a specific area for the quarterback to focus on. Adding commands such as "reverse", which changes the direction of the rotation, to the drill will keep your players on their toes.

The next of the football quarterback drills begins with the quarterbacks standing in a line with each one holding a ball. For this drill the supervising coach will act as the running back by standing off to the side behind the quarterbacks approximately where the running back stands to receive a toss sweep. To begin the drill, the quarterback reverses out, throwing a toss sweep pass to the coach, simulating the toss sweep play. After completing his throw, the quarterback moves to the end of the line and the next player performs the same throw. The drill continues in this manner until each quarterback gets to throw at least 10 passes.

The next quarterback drill aims to build flexibility and quickness of release. Divide your quarterbacks into pairs who start by facing each other ten yards apart with their right knees on the ground. One player begins by taking the football that is beside his right leg, picks it up with his power hand and brings it to his ear with both hands on the ball. He throws it to his partner, who catches it, places it on the ground beside his right arm and repeats the throwing procedure. During this drill, proper throwing techniques should be emphasized--leading with the elbow, pointing with the wrist in the direction the ball should be heading, and bringing the ball all the way up to the ear before releasing. After throwing and catching between 20 and 30 passes have your players switch knees and repeat the drill. Once this drill has been implemented and practiced a few times, your players should be able to complete the task with both knees on the ground, The amount was sufficient flexibility in the trunk

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