Installing Today’s Hybrid Pistol Offense Run & Pass from Top to Bottom
This manual provides you with the full offensive line, receiver, and quarterback mechanics for installing each offensive play presented. Coach Campbell has left no stone unturned for implementing today’s Pistol Offense into your program.
I've just received a job as a receiver's coach at an area high school. Since that time I have purchased video tapes on coaching receivers and have gotten good information from message boards like this one. Now I'm trying to decide what approach to take with all the information I have. I don't want to overload the kids and not spend enough time on the essentials. From what I have seen these kids have not had any specific instruction, so they are all raw. My question is what things should I emphasize more the first few weeks of practice? After those basics have been drilled and drilled, what would you concentrate on next? We've been a primarily ground oriented team the past 3 years, but have a strong desire to improve our passing game due to a very athletic group of receivers. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Michael Slaughter Nansemond River High School Suffolk, Va.:clock;
Work on understanding the passing tree, how each passing play works, and any good receivers coach overemphacizes stalk blocking! For your first year getting hired this late, that should be enough. Good luck.
Lou Cella
Head Varsity Football Coach
Greater Nanticoke Area High School (PA)
1.- HOW TO ALIGN PROPERLY 2.- STANCE (OUTSIDE LEG BACK) 3.- GETTING OFF THE JAM 4.- LEARNING THE PASS ROUTES 5.- RUNNING THE ROUTES WITH " DISCIPLINE" 6.- HOW TO CATCH THE FOOTBALL CORRECTLY (WHEN ARE THUMBS TOGETHER, LITTLE FINGERS,ETC.) 7.- TEACH THE "BACK HANDED CATCH" VERSES THE "CRADLE CATCH"(DB can't play through backhanded catch without getting called for interference in most instances, whereas he can verses the cradle technique) 8.- WORK THE TIP DRILL EVERYDAY, SIDELINE CATCH TECHNIQUE EVERYDAY. 9.- HAVE A DB RUN WITH THEM (NOT INTERCEPT) BUT JUST GET IN POSITION AND RUN WITH YOUR RECEIVERS AS MANY REPS A DAY AS IS POSSIBLE. THIS GETS THEM USED TO CATCHING THE DEFENDED PASS. 10.- REP AFTER REP AFTER REP WITH THE QB ON EVERY ROUTE YOU ARE GOING TO RUN
Good luck with the receiving corps, coach.
Coach Easton
J.C. EASTON<BR>HEAD COACH<BR>GA TIGERS FOOTBALL<BR>PROFESSIONAL MINOR LEAGUE
Great point with # 10. We got away from "wasting" reps on routes that we don't throw on a regular basis. We throw all of our routes, but the QB's get more reps with routes that we call more consistently.
Coach, I once heard Joe Montana say that he was not comfortable with throwing a route until he had repped it 2,500 times! That is a tremendous amount of reps and as a QB/Receivers coach I immediatley transferred that to mean that if he was throwing it that many reps, then the receivers were running that route, and catching the ball that many reps as well! That meant that they were working on route discipline, technique, as well. THE WILL TO PREPARE TO WIN IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN, SIMPLY, THE WILL TO WIN IT'SELF. PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.
Coach Easton
J.C. EASTON<BR>HEAD COACH<BR>GA TIGERS FOOTBALL<BR>PROFESSIONAL MINOR LEAGUE
Coach - I was head football coach at Deep Creek HS - in your league. Most important thing for receivers is working WITH the QB's on timing of routes!!!!!
Coach Cella was the only one to talk about blocking. WRs are still football players, and the first thing you must instill is an aggressive and PHYSICAL mentality. Give me a Hines Ward or a Keyshawn Johnson over a Randy Moss anyday. Design drills that will teach them to expect to be the giver instead of the receiver of contact, both in the running AND passing game. I do not want a DB to feel comfortable in the presence of one of my wideouts or TEs. The other guys have gone over a lot of things that are good for receiver technique, but make sure they also know how to stalk and crack block. My WRs understand the crack block is their chance to inflict some punishment on the guys who whack them when they go over the middle.
You make a great point, we don't throw our receivers the ball until they can block! Coach Cella is right on, stupid of me to forget to list it. But, if it were not for his crummy and totally unacceptable attitude,imo, Randy Moss ranks right up there with the best thats ever played the position. I've lived in Georgia, watched Hines throughout his college days and enjoy him in the NFL. Keyshawn is great also, but if I had the chance of having my 'druthers, I'd druther have moss any day. That really doesn't pertain to the new receiver coach's question, just thought that I would throw that in.
Coach Easton
J.C. EASTON<BR>HEAD COACH<BR>GA TIGERS FOOTBALL<BR>PROFESSIONAL MINOR LEAGUE
Coach, these are all excellent post. I have one suggestion we stole from John Elway and the Broncos: Tell the reciever to put their "chin" on the ball and not their eyes. Reason: Your head can be down while you look up with your eyes. This would cut down on your speed and ability to have total field vision. Kind of like when you yell at your kid and he looks up at you with his head still down. Chin on the ball ensures the reciever has his head up in correct position and can make better and quicker adjustments. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Coach Nick
In our offseason, we coach our Receivers like this:
1.) stance (closed body-angles / stay low) 2.) starts 3.) releases vs press 4.) proper running (arms, elbow-lock, low center of gravity) 5.) cuts (stay low, pump your arms) 5b.) Routes (sell routes, fakes, attack defender´s technique) 6.) stalk blocking (approach, thumbs up, getstay low, mirror defender) 7.) catching the ball (clock, catch with fingertips not with the palm of the hand, don´t jump if not necessary, look ball in your hands, extend your arms) 8.) understand the plays (route combinations and adjustments, etc).
We kinda do those things in every practice. At the beginning of the season, we take much time for the first points in that list. The longer the season goes, the more we take our time for the group and team drills.
Our first practices got 40-50 minutes of "indies", later in the season, we only have 15-20 minutes for indies.
My team usually practices 3 times a week, 2 hours a practice.
Marcel Seidel Offense Coordinator Remscheid Amboss / Niederrhein Psychos 2nd Division German Youth Football League (14-19yrs). County Champion NRW 2004
Thanks for all the good advice. We just finished our second day of practice and I'm working with about 12 receivers. We've been working on stance, start, lowering their center of gravity and the "around the clock" catching drill. I want to start emphasizing blocking and being physical. Exactly how do you all teach the stalk block? Also, when attacking the DB's technique do you teach running straight at the corner or attacking the shoulder opposite of the break of the route? I only get 25-30 minutes for individual work each day. I don't want to move too fast, but I also want to make sure we rep what is absolutely necessary. I have 5 returning receivers and 7 newbies, so I don't want to lose the younger guys. I appreciate your advice.
First we lineup groups of 2 WRs facing each other appr. 7yds apart. The first thing we do is let them run towards their opponent, and then stop 1.5yds infront of him.
Next thing we do is let them lineup infront of the "DB" get their hands "in" the shoulderpad, thumbs up, eyes below their thumbs, low center of gravity. After they found their proper position, we let the "DBs" shuffle sideways. The WRs have to mirror them in their stalk-block position.
When those things are done, we let them do it alltogether, stance, start, approach, contact, mirror. Watch for holding-penalties, especially on the younger guys.
Attacking the DB´s technique: We tell our receivers to run through their shoulders, or to try to step onto the far foot of the DB. Their major goal is to turn the DB around someway.
We mostly attack the opposite side of the break, but - as practices and games go on - most of the players fool their opponents by attacking the right side, or first attacking the right, than breaking to the opposite side and then break for their routes...
Marcel Seidel Offense Coordinator Remscheid Amboss / Niederrhein Psychos 2nd Division German Youth Football League (14-19yrs). County Champion NRW 2004