RADAR DEFENSE

td

I have heard of this as well, but have never seen it myself. I do remember a high school team running this defense back in the late 70's or early 80's. From what I remember being told they stood 11 defenders in 2 point stances and aligned them all off of the LOS. How far I do not know. That is all I remember.

I would also be interested in learning the history of this defense. Very unique. Doubt anyone would have much luck running it today.

I believe that one of the single most important factors that contribute to a winning season is team morale. I cannot see kids these days being excited about thr radar defense when they never see anyone else running it. i might be wrong - I don't know.

I don't know enough about the defense to understand how it would do against the more aggressive offenses that are being played in today's game. Perhaps it was successful again the Wing T and such (??) but what about the Spread, etc.

Just a couple thoughts.

Coach Johnson at Springdale (State runners up of the Arkansas AAAAA) ran something very similar to it this year. I believe he had his two DT's standing up and had the DE's in sprinters 3 points stances. It was a thing of beauty watching it. He even had it in developed into a no huddle I think.

I have played against and coached against the radar defense. In high school, I attened Sioux City North during the early 80's, and we played Sioux Falls O'Gorman every year. Its a tough defense to run against. I also have a book and articles about this defense. The book is called: The Radar Defense for Winning Football. by Jules Yakapovich. Older Athletic Journals and Scholastic Coach magazines have articles about this defense as well. The book was published in the late 60's. All 11 men are in a two point stance. The front is basically a 6-2 look. It is a reading defense, but you can shoot gaps. The front six has four stand up line men, two tight LBer's, and two stand up ends. The front four and ends line 24 inches off the ball. The backers are next to each other (like in the 4-4 d) and are three feet off los. The front four line up at an 45 degree angle, with dg's lined up in the b gap facing out to the ot's, and the dt's lined up in c gaps facing out to the te's. The lber's line head up in the a gap. Th de's line up in the d gap, in a squared stance. The dg's read the tackle's head, movement, and blocking pattern. The dt's read the te's head, movement, and blocking pattern. The lber's read the center and guards' heads, movement, and blocking patterns. The de's read thru the te to the nearest back. The rip, swim, and shuck moves are used to get rid of blockers. Pursuit and getting behind the blocker is the keys to this defense. The secondary can play several coverages: (three deep w/ 4 under, rotating coverage, and man to man). This defense's biggest weakness is if you spread it out and throw alot. But that can be corrected with a few coverage assignments. When the offense approaches the red zone (10 yards or less), SF O'Gorman went to a gap 8. The front 8 went into a 4 point stance and penetrated their respective gaps. The secondary was man to man. I don't know if O'Gorman runs this defense anymore. I don't know of any teams who run this defense in Iowa any more. It might be run in states with smaller school sizes: (South& North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana). If you do find anybody who does run it, please let me know. I'm interested in learning more about this defense as well. My email address is EREAJS@aol.com. Thank you.

EdBetsworth,

Thanks for that very informative post!

Coach Easton

Hey Coach,

I hope that you are wrong...I plan to teach the system at a Virginia High School freshman team next season. I coached the system about 35 years ago, very successfully. I hope to be as successfull this time around. I was one of the original players on the defense...thus, I became a true believer.

Hey Coach,

When I ran the system, I saw everthing immaginable against it!!! Nothing worked...but, I admit that was about 35 years ago. Your right about making the kids believe it today. If you don't believe in something...you can't make them believe it. I am preaching the gosphal (I'm not a very good speller) !!!! I believe it and I make the belief catchy!!! I can inspire the kids to play it. I played it!!! It worked for me...I was 145 pounds and didn't see anyone in front of me under 200 pounds...but no one....NO ONE...could keep me out!!! The system is really fun to play. It is really fun to teach!!! It is really fun to watch, from the side lines as the coach of the defense. It is not that much fun to watch from any other view point....it's very boring...the offense can't do anything against it....at least when I'm teaching it....or I guess I should say....at least when I taught it. I plan to be just as successful this time...but, we will see....

Hey Coach,

It's been a long time since I have been able to talk to anyone about this system....so thank you for being there and thank you for listening...this is so much fun for me. I am skipping my daily work out...I practice Hap Ki Do...I practice two hours a day five to six days a week. It really is fun and I don't give up the time for much....I'm giving up the time today, right now, to talk to you.

To answer some questions....I, as did every ball player who played for YOC, loved the guy. I was his only true believer...about RADAR...as far as I know...from the guys who played RADAR for him. But when I played, all the other guys on the line went over 200 pounds. The guy I replaced weighted 238 pounds. I was 145 pounds. I couldn't have played defenisve tackle anywhere else in the country, accept for YOC and his RADAR DEFENSE. Now you may wonder how good the league was that I was in. Stop and think about this. In 1969, YOC had the NUMBER ONE FOOTBALL TEAM IN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY. If we weren't in a tough league...he could have never attained such a title. I played against good and tough ball players. I was a skinny defensive tackle....and they couldn't keep me out. THUS...I AM A BELIEVER.

Now I am getting a chance to full fill a promise. I promised YOC that one day I would make his system famous and his genius for football and this system would be known to everyone. Well, by a storke of luck, after 22 years on the Police Department...I am back in High School and I will be teaching the Defense there for the Freshman team next year. I am confident that I will be teaching the Varsity the following year. The Varsity Coach will want the Varsity to be using RADAR afte he sees what I can do with it.

You have the same problem with the Defense that everyone has. You are a good football coach and thus just can't fathom putting your Defensive guys in a stand up position for slaughter. I noticed a miss concept with this Defense in one of the above paragraphs. Someone said that RADAR is a "SHOOT THE GAP DEFENSE". This is a miss concept. RADAR is NOT a SHOOT THE GAP DEFENSE. We don't shoot the gap. Well, that's not entirely correct. We do shoot the gap....SOMETIMES!!! RADAR is a multiple defensive system. We do tricking, like everyone else. But as a standard operating feature...shooting the gap....WE DON'T!!!

RADAR is such an unorthodox Defense, it's hard for a good football coach to accept the idea. RADAR is a LATERAL MOVEMENT DEFENSE!!! Our first step is not forward!!! We go with the flow and thus become very elusive. The system is designed to make it so the offensive lineman cannot get a piece of the RADAR player. So, if I am standing up and he cannot hit me...HE CAN'T HURT ME!!! And, my ball players learn the system!!! Thus, no one is blocking my guys. I coached this system between 5 and 7 years before I quit to become a POliceman. I can't really remember what year I started coaching , but I know I was coaching it in 1969, because I remember taking my entire team to watch YOC play their High School ....which he beat 52 to 15. My last year coaching was the fall of 1974. So, that's at least 6 years. In those six years, I never had a RADAR ball player injured. But, sadly to say, we injured a lot of running backs. I say that seriously. Most games, a running back left the ball field in a ambulance. I am not proud of that, but I didn't know how to prevent that.

RADAR is a gang tackling Defense. At least 3 of my ball players were hitting the ball carrier every time. And we were hitting them in the backfield. We were beating them up. Not only physically, but at the 9th grade mind set, we were beating them up mentally also. When we got off the bus, other teams were not even allowed to watch us warm up....my teams always looked like a trained marching band during warm ups. As I told you, in those 6 or 7 years, we only lost one game. It was a big championship game. We lost 6 to nothing. That was one of the 3 touch downs I gave up in those 6 or 7 years. That season, we were undefeated and unscored against, yet we were 52 point underdogs in the Championship game. We couldn't understand why until we saw the team get off the bus. They were monsters. They stood at least a head taller than our tallest player. The first time we set our Defense up on the field against their offense, the parents were screeming at me, "Don't be standing my son up against that team." "Your crazy...they are going to kill our kids if you stand them up against them."

We stood our players up against them, the whole game. We lost 6 to nothing. We could generate no offense against them. But guess what?? They could generate not offense against our RADAR DEFENSE. They got one touch down on one nice play. At no time in that game did they march down the field against us. They went for the two point conversion....and did not get it.

If the system is taught properly...your ball players are not going to get hurt standing up....but the opposing running backs will.

Look Coach, I'm a nut about the system. I am going to prove it for YOC!!! And I know I don't have a chance not doing it, cause, I know that YOC will be looking down at me from Heaven helping me make it work. Coach, he was a football genius. I'm only using his invention...it's not mine, but I believed in him and in his system.

I'll keep you informed...good or bad...but...I really am a poor looser...I don't intend to loose....I will make it work!!!

Coach,

If you put your D down on paper, I'd love to get a copy of it. Let me know if that is possible and what I can do to get it. I'd be willing to trade information. I'm always curious about how people do things and different systems.

Thank you.

What are some of the base alignments of the radar defense?

Does anyone have film on the defense? It would be interesting to see it in action!

Thanks in advance!

Just a couple of things to add:
Edbotsworth did a very good job describing the Radar defense.

I too have played and coached against the radar. One team in our conference runs the radar. It is very tough in practice to get a decent look for our offense as our gap control players try to read a lineman. We have had success throwing the ball agianst it, especially with trips packages and anthing that creates an overload on one side without being unbalanced. Also power can hurt them (isos, leads, quick hitters)

They have had great success when they had good players. This past year, they were tough, but they definately lacked quality players, they were slow and small, but they new their job well and they executed very well.

Hey Coach,

Sorry...I have been away from my computer for days. Really busy time of year. My email address is

afwayiv@aol.com

I played the system in 64 & 65 for Coach Yocapovic. I was very quick and the defense was suited very well for me, thus no one could keep me out and I wanted to coach the defense...which I did for about 6 years with a great deal of success. No one in those 6 years ever figured out a way to beat the RADAR DEFENSE or me.

The last time I coached the system was 30 years ago. Football has changed. I have never coached above the 9th grade level. I left the Washington DC Police Dept in 97, I was a Detective. I had no Football experience in the 22 years I was on the Dept. Three years ago I became Head of Security in a large VA High School. I immediately went to the Head Coach and gave my RADAR speil and let the Coach read the book. He was interested in the system and I sold him enough on my coaching ability for him to give me a chance with the Freshman football team. He let me be an assistant Coach my first year there. He told me that I could Coach the RADAR Defense if the Head Freshman Coach would let me. So I was an assistant Coach that year. The Freshman Coach was dead set against the RADAR Defense and refused to let me Coach the system. I brought the system up a second time and he just got angry, so I discontinued trying to sell him the defense. I did not return to Coaching the next year.

The Head Varsity Coach was very successful, but left the School last year. A new Coach took over and made a new Freshman Head Coach. I get along pretty well with the new Freshman Head Coach and he asked me to Coach RADAR on his team. However, the new Varsity Head Coach wanted to discuss the Defense with me before he allowed his Freshman Coach to use the system. I met with him this week. He was very fair with me, but I could not convince him that RADAR would work in today's football. So, I have been set back. I never give up at anything, so, I don't count myself out of the picture yet. I intend to meet with him in a month or so again and give it another shot.

The system is very hard to sell. It is very unorthodox. I believe in the system and in myself. I saw what football looks like today the one season I coached. I still have a great repore with the kids, I still have coaching talent and as I watched at practice, I was completely convinced RADAR would work there. I have read below where one Coach has beaten the system with his passing attack. I'm not convinced he beat the system. He may have beaten the Coach. But I don't know, I wasn't there and I didn't see what happened.

It was a long time ago that I coached RADAR. I know that RADAR and I worked then. However, this is now. I haven't proven the system or myself in a long time. Maybe today's football has progressed beyond RADAR. I don't know. I do hope to find out though. The Head Varsity Coach is at least a reasonable man and he is open minded, open to change and very knowlegeable about what he is doing. After talking with him, I respect him very much as a Coach. In a month or so, I will try selling the Defense once more. If I am successful, then, so will RADAR be next fall and I can tell you all about how to use the system then. I can tell you how to teach the system. I am happy to talk to you about the system anytime though.

Andy

Quote

---

Originally posted by: afwayiv
Hey Coach,

Please read my above response to the other Coach and I am happy to talk to you on my own eami...afwayiv@aol.com. I would be willing to send you information on the system. I do have two copies of the book...I had an autographed Copy from Yoc...which got stolen. The two other copies I possess are like gold to me and I won't let either one out of my sight.

But, YOC did give me a copy of his book in pamphlet form. I'd be willing to send you a copy if you are truely interested. ONLY IF YOU ARE TRUELY INTERESTED. I still believe in the system. One Coach says the passing aspect of the system is vulnerable. It is a multiple system and very adaptable to any offense. If the passing aspect of the system was vulnerable...I'm sure it could be corrected. But, your talking to a diehard believer. I would really love to Coach the system again....hopefully, I will.

Andy

---

So, do you believe in the Radar defense?

Hi Coach:
I work in Italy. Bought coach Yakapovich's book and read it twice. It's interesting because, first thing, it teaches the defensive player to read the offense. I would be interested in any additional information you could give me on this defense. Seening that you played it and coached it for many years, I'm sure you could help me out.
Thank you
Ed Padula