In 35 years of coaching, John Mackovic held four college head coaching positions and one top NFL spot, served as offensive coordinator at three different Division I-A schools and worked as an assistant under legendary coach Tom Landry in
With an overall collegiate record of 95-82-3 in 16 seasons, Mackovic led nine teams to winning records, culminating in eight bowl invitations. He was named the National Coach of the Year at his alma mater,
Coach Mackovic recently led the US National Team to a gold medal in the 2007 IFAF World held in
He will share his coaching wisdom often with USA Football. This week he discusses how to give direction to the youth player.
COACHING FOR RESULTS: YOUTH FOOTBALL
GIVING INSTRUCTION AND DIRECTIONS:
- Keep all players in front of you
- Put the sun at their back…not in their eyes
- Talk more slowly than usual
- Use visual aids whenever possible
- Say: “do it this way”
- Don’t say: “don’t do this”
- Anticipate questions and cover those points
- Establish a sequence for teaching
- Cover your points more than once
Young athletes are not much different from adults in that their attention to a speaker is limited and with many distractions. The human mind skips around at a fast pace, and people duck into and out of your message. Keep it fresh, upbeat and remember that not everyone is getting the message the first time.