Now is the time to seriously start thinking about and preparing for next football season. If you have any questions that you feel I can help you with, please e-mail me at www.USAFAskCoachBass.com. I will try to answer as many as possible each week.
John sent the following question:
I'm a freshman in high school and am about 6 feet tall and weigh about 190. I work hard in the off-season, and it's my dream to be a linebacker. I have the size and the strength, but I can't seem to hit hard. I study everything I can, seeing what college and NFL players do on "big hits". How specifically do I hit harder?
Hi John,
Big hits, as you describe them, do not occur that often during the course of a game. hey only happen when everything is lined up correctly, the ball carrier is in a position where he cannot escape and the tackler is moving into the ball carrier and has time to set and explode.
It is much more important to be an accurate tackler, a player who never misses a tackle, than one who moves out of control to make a big hit on one play and misses on the next. As you near the ball carrier, widen your base and shorten your stride so that you can react to the movement of the ball carrier.
To make a big hit and to make an accurate tackle, you must use the big muscle groups in your legs and hips. It is important to bend at your knees and use these muscles to initiate your explosion up and through the ball carrier.
During the entire tackle, you should have a straight back and your head should be up, step into the tackle with the foot on the side of the shoulder you are going to make contact with and pound your arms into and around the ball carrier, grabbing the cloth of his jersey in both hands.
Making a big hit is good, but to play defense you must be a team player, play under control, understand your defense, make sure you take care of your assignment and then be prepared to make the tackle any way you can.
Coach Tom Bass
Forrest from Alabama sent the following question:
I'm 13 years old and am about 5-foot-5. I really want to play wide receiver, so I've been working out getting stronger and faster. Spring training is coming up, and I'm worried that I won't get the position. I'm playing junior high football and my friends rate me an eight or nine out of 10 in catching. Can you please give me some advice?
Hi Forrest,
Everyone thinks about playing a specific position when they first begin their football career. They soon learn that it does no good to worry about this and that it is much better to be positive and focus on things they can control.
Playing football involves performing and just as important is learning. You must avoid thinking about just your performance and not listen and learn what the coach is saying to not only you but to the other players at your position.
Keep working hard and try to be in the best shape possible for the start of spring training. Make sure you are rested and prepared to run a great deal, as this is one of the prerequisites for the wide receiver position.
As a wide receiver, catching the ball is your number one job, but remember it starts with getting off the line on the snap, running the route at the proper distance, looking at the ball as it comes into your hands and securing it immediately as you continue your movement up the field.
Coach Tom Bass
Benjamin sent the following question:
I am unsure of what position I should play. I am in sixth grade and am 5-foot-4 and weigh around112 pounds. I am somewhat strong butfast, and I have one of highest endurance levels in my grade.I'm very accurate throwing andI playedQBand tight end.I know mycoaches will make the decision on where they best feelI will have success and help the team the most,but I can onlytry outfor three positions. Which one would you recommend?
Hi Benjamin,
Working on three positions at the same time may present a few problems in that you will not get enough time in practice to really get a feel or learn the skill needed for any one of them. I have always tried to advise young players to look at one position on offense and one position on defense.
You might want to consider looking at running back on offense and corner or safety on defense. Your strength and speed will help in both positions, and the blocking skills you learned at tight end will help with your blocking as a running back.
These are what you might call complementary positions in that knowing the skills needed to play on one side of the ball will be beneficial when you move to the opposite side of the ball.
I really like your attitude and that you recognize it will be the coaches who will make the decision on where you play. Far too many players have their heart set on one position, and when they do not get it and are assigned another position, they develop a negative attitude and never get the opportunity to enjoy the full football experience. Stay positive and have fun.
Coach Tom Bass
Trevor sent the following question:
I am pulled between two positions, DB and LB. I am 13 years old, weigh 105 pounds and am 5-foot-5. I am extremely fast, I can break blocks, hit hard and have good hands. Which position should I play?
Hi Trevor,
You are young and have a great deal of football ahead of you. Right now with your speed and athletic ability, it would seem to me that defensive back would be the first choice for you.
You never know what is going to happen to you from a growth standpoint. I grew 7 inches between eighth and ninth grade and then just kept getting bigger and bigger on a gradual basis every year after that.
As you do get bigger, you can easily make the move up closer to the line of scrimmage and learn to play a linebacker spot without much trouble.
Coach Tom Bass
Brendan from Montreal, Canada, sent the following question:
We play with 12 men on the field, and in a 4-3 defense, this usually means we have one safety. For my team, if I am to be the safety and it is a Cover 3 (corners and the lone safety deep), should I backpedal to get deep or backpedal at first and then turn to run deep (assuming it's a pass)? I find when I do turn around and a pass ends up in my area behind the linebackers, it's difficult to come up and make the hit or the interception on the play.
Hi Brendan,
I always liked my deep zone players to backpedal into their deep zones so that they had a good view of which routes were being run in front of them and could react up on any pass thrown in front of them.
If a player was having trouble getting started moving deep into his zone, we would have him turn and sprint for four or five steps and then swing around and get into his backpedal. This technique got his momentum moving instantly away from the line of scrimmage, got him moving into his zone responsibility and then allowed him to turn back and get a good view of what was happening while still dropping deep.
The only time we wanted one of our deep zone players to turn and run at the end of the play, as opposed to at the beginning, was when a receiver got within 3 yards and threatened to beat them deep in their zone. Then you have no choice but to turn and move into a forward run.
I had the privilege of working in the CFL for three years and really enjoyed the Canadian football game.
Coach Tom Bass
Coach Tom Bass, the technical writer and advisor for USA Football, is a 30-year NFL coach who has also authored several books, including "Play Football the NFL Way" - the first "how to" book ever authorized and published by the NFL. Coach Bass is happy to personally autograph his books to you. Book ordering information can be found on http://www.coachbass.com/.
