Coach Tom Bass brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to USA Football. Along with answering youth coaching questions, he also receives emails from young players. You can email the coach at NFLAskTheCoach@aol.com.
Terence sent the following question:
I'm a 10th grader, play fullback and am 200 pounds. One of my problems is when I get the ball, I run straight up. I can't seem to help myself, but my blocking is good. Can you give me pointers on running low so I can at lease get more than 2 yards?
Hi Terence,
Every time you touch the ball, you have to mentally think to bend forward at the waist and get your shoulders in front of your hips. You can train yourself for this even now that the season is starting soon.
You can train to run with a good forward lean by running up hills or even stadium steps. When you run moving up at an angle, you are forced to lean forward and this body position can be one that begins to feel comfortable and natural to you and will carry over to running on the field.
All good sprinters have a good forward lean with their chest and shoulders and this is something that you need to develop. When you're running sprints or laps to warm up, concentrate on leaning your body forward. It is early in your career and you can develop a good running style if you work on it every practice.
Coach Tom Bass
Kyle sent the following question:
I am going out to be a JV QB. I want to have better accuracy when I throw. I only have about one or two people that work with me on it, but are there any drills I can work on with them to improve my throwing?
Hi Kyle,
Getting experience will help with your accuracy, but there are some things that may help you speed up the process. First of all, make sure that you know exactly how the pass route is going to be run. Know the distance where the receiver will make his break (the breaking point). Then mentally anticipate where you will need to deliver the ball in order for him to keep running on his route (the reception point). You might even go out and run some patterns yourself to get a real feel for how the various pass patterns develop.
Next, make sure that your drop, set up, step and throw are consistent, that you do each one the same way for each throw. You can practice setting up on your own and then repeat it when you are throwing to a receiver.
When you are working with a receiver, always start by loosening your arm by lobbing the ball to the receiver as he jogs down the field. See how far you can lead him to deliver the ball accurately into his hands.
After a few throws, you should start with the short pass routes (slant, hitch, quick out) that require a three-step drop and throw. The receiver should run three full steps straight up the field (about 4 yards) before making his break. This is called the "breaking point." Try to lead the receiver about 8 yards on the quick out route to the outside and 6 yards on the slant route to the center of the field. This is called the "reception point."
Remember the ball will always be in the air a little longer on outside throws than on routes coming back to the center of the field. Make certain you turn your whole body, step directly where you are passing the ball and follow through on each route. Work on these routes, throwing to both your right and left, until you are completing more than 60 percent of your passes.
From there, you can repeat the same type of drill for the basic pass routes (in, hook, out) in the medium area - 10 yards down field - using a five-step drop. Try to be set up and deliver the ball just as the receiver comes out of his break. Make sure your body mechanics are sound and that you deliver the ball the same to your right and left.
Finally, you can throw a few deep routes (post, up, corner - all more than 10 yards) still using a five-step drop. For your deep throws, you will want to lead the receiver by 10 yards for the post and 12 yards for the up and corner. Limit the number of deep throws and never throw deep until you have been accurate in the short and medium areas.
As you play, you will find that you may have to adjust the path of your ball based on the speed of each individual receiver. This is especially true on your deep passes. Practice your passing in a deliberate fashion. Have the receivers run the pass routes at the proper breaking point, try to keep your throwing motion the same and learn to throw to a proper reception point for each pattern. Go from short to medium to deep in your practice rotation.
Coach Tom Bass
Quentin sent the following question:
What advice do you have for a route-running receiver that can't get a defensive back off of him because the main idea of a receiver is to get open, right?
Hi Quentin,
Getting separation requires three major techniques. The first is to try to get the defensive back to move away from where you want to go. If he is outside of you or lined up to your inside and you are running a pass route to the inside, you need to run straight up the field for 5 yards and then angle to the outside forcing him even wider. Then you can resume running up the field and run your route back to the inside. The opposite would be true if you were running a route to the outside and the defensive man is lined up in an inside or outside position.
The second technique is to always come off the line like you are going deep so that the defensive player feels threatened and starts backing away on the snap.
The third technique is to always keep your speed regardless of the route you are running. To achieve this goal you need to always lean your upper body in the direction of your pass route and to bring your opposite foot across your body in a natural motion, rolling over the foot on the side you are moving. That is, instead of planting a foot and then making a break. When you plant a foot you stop your momentum, your hips are no longer over your feet and you make it easy for the defensive back to stay with you.
Work on these three techniques and hopefully you will find you are getting the separation you need to get open.
Coach Tom Bass
Erik sent the following question:
I am going to be a sophomore this season, and I will be playing varsity for my football team. I currently am 5-foot-7 and 216 pounds. I play left guard on offense, nose guard on defense and deep snapper on special teams.
My coaches have had me playing as a lineman since eighth grade, but everybody who has seen me run the ball says I am a better runner than I am a blocker, but my coaches insist on me playing lineman.
I believe I am too small to play lineman. I am better at the fullback position. I hate playing lineman, but my coaches say I am the best at the position on the team. I don't think I could play lineman in college, so I was wondering if I should continue to try to get my coaches to move me or just let me get some carries during the game. What do you think I should do?
Hi Erik,
I understand how you feel; only I started as a running back and each year got moved. I made my journey on offense from HB to FB, from FB to TE, from TE to OT and finally from OT to OG. On defense my journey was from corner to safety, to nose tackle, to DE, to OLB and finally to MLB. It made me a much better player and I really believe a better coach.
I understood that coaches are faced with trying to put the best 11 players out on the field and that they must make decisions based on what is good for the entire team - and not just one individual.
First of all you want to keep working on your long snapping. That ability alone will attract college coaches, so keep working on this skill. There is not a team in America that can have success without a good long snapper.
As for a position, you might want to approach the coaches about playing some fullback. Point out to them that the blocking skills that they have taught you will be put to good use when you are a fullback, especially in short yardage and goal line situations.
I would not emphasize that you only want to run the ball.
You need to realize that playing fullback requires a great deal more than just running the ball. You have to be the best blocker in the backfield and you will need to perfect your receiving skills.
Talk to your coaches and tell them you really want to play in college and that you honestly feel that your best chance, with their help, will be as a fullback. I am sure that you can work something out even if it is only as a short yardage and goal line fullback in the beginning. Keep working on your long snap.
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/.
