Football Toolbox

How the 2018 Football State Champs Used Hudl to Dominate Their Season

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Learn how video and analytics fit into the 2018 football state champs’ winning workflow.

More than 400 state champion football teams used Hudl for video analysis in 2018. They all deserve a huge congratulations on their amazing seasons!

Every one of these teams took advantage of film review, and some took their game to the next level with all of Hudl’s tools for football. Ninety-eight percent of the state champ teams we talked to also used Assist, 70 percent used Play Tools and 41 percent used Sideline.

But using the same toolkit doesn’t mean these coaches have the same workflow. Every coach’s process is unique — which is why we asked a few coaches to share how Hudl helped them go on to take state.

SCOUT THE COMPETITION
Reviewing your team’s plays is critical, but the best coaches know their opponents as well as they do themselves.

Aaron Kiser, Pioneer Jr./Sr. High School (Ind.) uses Hudl to plan his team’s practices and anticipate their rivals’ plays.

“On Saturday mornings we review our Friday night film as a team, then coaches stay after to break down the complete self-scout and opponent scout by entering our own data and run reports. Sunday, we meet in the afternoon to go over the reports as a staff and develop the game plan for the next opponent, which we then build into the practice scripts for the week.”

Kris Alge, McComb High School (Ohio) also relies on playlists to help his players quickly size up the competition.

“We make cutups of other team’s favorite plays and show them to the team every day for 10 minutes before practice starts.”

EMPOWER COACHING STAFF
The winningest coaches utilize every player on the team — and that includes their staff. Video gives assistants, position coaches and managers more ways to support the team.
Dave Jenson, Lourdes High School (Minn.) relies on video to guide in-game decisions, uncover tendencies and celebrate his team’s success.

“As an assistant coach on both sides of the ball for the varsity and the head coach of the JV, I used Hudl in many different ways during and after the season. In season, I grade out position groups using traditional film usage (sideline and end zone camera angles). During games, I use Hudl Sideline to evaluate QB decision-making and use the information for corrective in-game adjustments. For practice, we utilize practice scripts for defensive reps and the playbook in conjunction with Go Rout to have uptempo, efficient offensive sessions. For out-of-season usage, we look for tendencies in ourselves and opponents, and make highlights for our season as a team and for individual players.”

Acel Copeland, Bishop Miege High (Kan.) makes immediate adjustments during games or practice with instant replay.

“I am a manager for my team and we use Hudl almost every single day during football season. Hudl Sideline is super convenient and easy to use for practice, and being able to use instant replay at our games is amazing — the coaches love it.”

LEVEL UP PLAYERS
The state champ coaches aren’t just focused on getting wins. They also prioritize improving their players.

Mike Norris, Cathedral Catholic High School (Calif.) has his team review their playbook to develop their game intelligence.

“I use the messaging to communicate with my position group. We also share the playbooks with the guys and break down film. It’s very helpful to see how much time each player is on Hudl and how many play cards they have viewed.”
Aaron Kiser, Pioneer Jr./Sr. High School (Ind.) helped one of his best players get noticed with video.

“The past two seasons we did have a player being highly recruited by DI schools and thus used our recruiting tools more extensively. He is now an early enrollee at the University of Notre Dame.”

Ready to start thinking about next season? Check out all of Hudl’s solutions for football.



Offseason Competition

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As coaches, we all strive for the ideal situation where upperclassmen, not coaches, are basically guiding our football program. The leadership isn’t coming from the coaches but rather the returning players, while we sit back and let the machine run. While I’m personally still trying to get to that dynamic (despite coming off a successful 10-2 season), I’ve found that an identity of competition among players has contributed to some of the more successful cultures in high school football. So, at X&O Labs, we researched how various programs are finding ways to motivate players during a long offseason and keep them interested in football. In doing so, we have found some common denominators in the form of developing competition. These are outlined in several areas below.

Implementation of a Leadership Council

Some of the best ideas that we’ve come across have taken shape through the process of developing a leadership council among current players. While there is no set requirement for the number, we’ve found the majority of programs will break up into five to eight teams.

For example, Berne Union High School (OH) will break seniors up into three to four teams (depending on numbers) and hold a team draft at the school or at the head coach’s house. “We always have food, and hang out together for a while, then we let the players get into their groups and talk strategy for their draft,” coach Tony Hurps told us. “We don’t give them any guidelines when drafting their team from our expected roster for the coming year. Once all of our expected team members are drafted, we allow them to choose any “free agents” or players that they think might play and would be helpful to our team.” According to Coach Hurps, this puts the responsibility on their seniors and creates healthy competition.

Granite Hills High School (CA) engineered a complete turnaround the last several years by employing an off-season leadership council that promotes competition. “We have our seniors draft teams, usually about six, and they compete in everything we do,” said head coach Kellan Cobbs. “We will reward the winners for anything you can think of — team attendance at a basketball game during the offseason, overall team GPA for each grading period, etc. The team with the most strength gains after a six-week cycle will be given rewards ranging from Gatorade, food, shirts, hats, to team points.”

Creating Competition in the Weight Room

In order to produce an element of competition in the weight room, it’s important to have coaches in the facility to challenge players. Because many student-athletes are playing other sports, we’ve found that many coaches are resorting to early morning workouts to get as many players together at once. At Opelika High School (AL) head coach, Brian Blackmon will infuse competition among players by keeping tabs on their numbers. “We challenge them in the weight room to not only compete with the guys they lift with but with the weight they are lifting,” said Coach Blackmon. “We chart PR’s (personal records) and challenge athletes to break them.”

We’ve implemented other tiered rewards systems in the weight room program. At Ricori High School (MN) former head coach — and now superintendent, Mike Rowe — rewarded athletes for attendance and meeting their required goals for lifting. “We give the lifter of the month a $10 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings,” said Coach Rowe. “The lifter of the month is decided by attendance points and percentage of gains in the three core lifts — bench, squat, and clean.”

Even after the lifting session is complete, River Rouge High School (MN) head coach Corey Parker holds a discipline and mental toughness competition before players exit the weight room. ““For example, we will have all of our student-athletes hug a 45-pound plate and then have them go through several sets of squats, lunges and upright rows,” he told us. “We also have our stereo blasting loud music in the weight room to attempt to disrupt their focus and counting. If any of the young men lose the count or forget what number we are on, we go back to zero with the count of repetitions we have done. The objective is to help them focus when they are tired and stay together through a tough experience.”

Academic Standards

This can be one of the more challenging facets of competition. Coaches, particularly those that don’t work in the building, can chase their tails tracking player’s academic standings. While many coaches keep a constant stream of communication between guidance staff and parents, some coaches are placing the impetus on struggling students’ peers to pull them through.

Coach Cobbs has found a way to create team accountability by giving team points in the offseason for good grades. “Kids put pressure on each other to get grades up to try and have the highest team GPA,” said Coach Cobbs. “I will also put emails up on our board that shows coaches looking for kids with a 3.0 or higher or only a certain test score. Having them see it in an email from actual college coaches has held a little more weight than just me nagging at them to get their grades up.”

At Union High School, the biggest competition that is emphasized is grade point average. Since players need extra motivation to do well in school, they utilize the drafted teams to make it a competition. Each team will get points based on grade point average and test scores. “We will also pair two players up with comparable cumulative GPAs for individual competition,” said Coach Hurps. “At the end of each grading period, we reward the individual competition winners with pizza and glow in the dark dodgeball, or chicken wings and a video game tournament”.

Conclusion

These are just some ideas of what coaches are doing this offseason to produce a better product in the fall. But remember, each program is different; what works for some of these coaches may not work for your program. The idea is to take some of these ideas and formulate your own system of offseason competition. The earlier these players understand the importance of competition, the harder they will compete during the season. You can find more information on all disciplines relative to football at https://www.xandolabs.com.



Using Peers and Self-Reflection for Postseason Evaluation

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As the football season draws to a close for most programs throughout the country, I find an essential part of your development lies in self- and peer-reflection. While this is easier said than done, thanks to the schedules of high school coaches who shuffle from sport to sport, it’s imperative to get to these tasks before the offseason preparation begins for the next season.

I usually take the weekend of Thanksgiving to work through the following assessments on how the year shaped out. At the end of each season, it’s important for coaches to take a good look in the mirror and provide an honest assessment of their craft while considering the feedback of their players and other coaches.

PERSONAL EVALUATION

The first rule I use when evaluating my success as a coach is simple — don’t place too much importance on the win/loss record.

As contradictory as that sounds, it’s important to be objective and take all factors into consideration before making a self-judgment. After all, there are many elements that attribute to success (or failure) during the season.

Circumstances such as injuries, turnovers and other outside obstacles can easily shift the balance between a winning and losing season. I remember former FBShead coach Rich Rodriguez telling me that some of the best coaching he ever conducted resulted in two- or three-win seasons.

So I try to have some perspective and answer the following questions after each season:

  1. Did I devote enough time to develop the skill sets of my players?
  2. Did I get my players to play hard each and every week?
  3. Was I a good football teacher for my players and my staff?
  4. Were my players playing in the right position to maximize their success on the field?
  5. Was I involved enough with parents, support staff and administration?
  6. Was I a good public ambassador for the football program?

While there are other factors specific to each individual program, these questions are a solid framework to gauge my coaching ability that season.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS

The week before the season ends, I schedule a 20-minute block of time to sit down one-on-one with each player post-practice.

It’s hard to meet with all players on the team, so I’ll select the ones that I’ve had the most interaction with. (For example, a position coach could meet with his varsity position players or a coordinator with the 14–15 consistent performers on that side of the ball).

I find that if I don’t get this done before the season officially ends, it’s hard to connect with players when they’re playing other sports. It’s a process I started with a dual purpose — to provide returning players with a plan to improve for the next season, but also to get their feedback on how I coached them.

While it does take some vulnerability to engage in the latter discussion, the outcomes of these conversations are immeasurable in improving as a coach.

I begin with asking my players the following questions:

  1. What did you like most about this season?
  2. What did you like least about this season?
  3. Was I completely honest when working with you?
  4. How, specifically, can I help your development on the field?
  5. How, specifically, can I help your off-field development as a person?
  6. What are your personal goals for next season?

My goal is to elicit honesty among my players. The easy part is getting these responses — kids are incredibly honest when they are away from their peers. The challenge is turning their feedback into a development plan heading into the offseason.

Each player will get a development plan (which could be as brief as one or two pages). Then I’ll follow up after the next season with them to see if we accomplished the goals.

COACH EVALUATIONS

This is the most difficult task of the three because it demands honesty among your peer group, which is why a one-on-one, private setting works best. These types of meetings are primarily for head coaches and coordinators and may not be necessary for position coaches.

While I recommend meeting directly after the season when things are still fresh, it can be difficult coordinating schedules with coaches who have other jobs and families to occupy their time.

When we do sit down, I make sure I ask the following questions:

  1. Did I sufficiently prepare you each week to coach your position?
  2. Did I answer every question you had about running this system?
  3. Did I hold you accountable in coaching your position?
  4. Did I give you the  autonomy to coach in a style you were comfortable with
  5. Did I hold you in a high regard in front of the players?
  6. Was I a good example of living the program’s mission statement?
  7. Did I ever put you in a compromising position where you couldn’t carry out your duties to the best of your ability?
  8. Did I help you enjoy the game of football and working with our players?

Whatever comes from this particular conversation, both parties must be willing to take criticism and move on. No holding grudges or harboring ill will, regardless of whether or not that coach stays on staff. Decisions could be made based on these conversations, but they shouldn’t directly impact any of these decisions.

As the years add up, we can forget every year of coaching is different. I’ve often assumed I know the pulse of my team and coaching staff. This simple postseason progression not only challenges that assumption, it solidifies the mission of any coach — to evaluate himself before he can evaluate his staff and players.

For more coaching content from X&O Labs, check out the Film Room. This searchable database has more than 1,600 concepts and drills, all viewable in Hudl



Mattering and Marginality

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A Pre-Season Note to the Student-Athlete

Dr. Cory Dobbs, The Academy for Sport Leadership  www.sportleadership.com

People want to matter.  Every member of your team has a yearning to matter.  Unfortunately it’s almost guaranteed that a teammate or two, on your team right now, feels like they don’t matter.

Mattering is a motive.  When we feel that others depend on us, we know we matter and respond accordingly.  When others are interested in us, we feel like we matter and enjoy the benefits of their attention.  And when others are concerned with our future, we feel like we matter and appreciate their guidance.

Mattering matters.  Mattering is a powerful influence on our actions.

Do you promote mattering or do you keep people on the periphery?  Draw a series of three concentric circles, expanding from small to large (you know, like waves moving outward), on a piece of paper.  Place your name in the middle circle.  In the next circle outward place the names of those on your team that you spend more time with.  Then on the outermost circle place the names of those you spend little time with.  This outer circle is the margin.  These are teammates that might matter less to you.  Do the same for playing time: Starters in the inner circle, bench players in the outer circle—on the margins.  Often the patterns (of status?) reveal an in-group and an out-group, with those in the out-group excluded from close interpersonal relationships with those in the in-group.

Marginality matters too.  It’s just that living life on the margin sucks.  When we marginalize others they’re likely to feel like they don’t matter.  In fact, they’ll probably tell you they know they don’t matter.  Those on the margins usually have ample evidence that informs them that they don’t matter.  They come to see the world from a perspective that they have little to contribute.  And this is very dangerous.

Like mattering, marginality too is a powerful influence on our actions.

When I speak to college teams I always ask the group of student-athletes if there was someone on their high school team (their senior season in high school) that did not play in games.  Or if they did play, it was the “marginal” minutes when the outcome of the game was already determined thereby the playing time didn’t really “matter.”  I’ve yet to find a group of collegiate student-athletes that isn’t curious as to why the last player on the bench was glad to be there.  It’s common to hear, “Ya, I’m not sure why they stuck around.”

Chances are, college or high school, you’ve got players on your team that are of lesser talent, perhaps “marginal” talent at best to qualify to be on the squad.  It’s easy for the star player to see that he or she matters. They know that others depend on them, are interested in helping them, and are concerned with their future.  Their contributions to the success of the team are quite visible.  They matter.  And of course they should.

We get that.

However, why is it others don’t matter?  Do you really want to marginalize people?

Sports participation involves many diverse interpersonal relationships.  Whether you are a top player or a role player, you come into contact with many people.  Developing quality interpersonal relationships with all of your teammates is a valuable team goal.  When you relate to others in a positive way, they’ll feel like they matter.  And mattering does matters.

So, here’s the big question you need to answer.  Ask yourself “what in my world am I willing to notice?

So often, those that are marginalized go unnoticed—that’s why they’re on the margins.
If you want to accomplish something worthwhile this year, make sure no one on your team goes unnoticed.  Set the standard.  Let others know they matter.

 

About Cory Dobbs, Ed.D.

Cory Dobbs is the founder of The Academy for Sport Leadership and a nationally recognized thought leader in the areas of leadership and team building.  Cory is an accomplished researcher of human experience. Cory engages in naturalistic inquiry seeking in-depth understanding of social phenomena within their natural setting (visit www.sportleadership.com).

Cory’s coaching background includes experience at the NCAA DII, NJCAA, and high school levels of competition.  After a decade of research and development Cory unleashed the groundbreaking Teamwork Intelligence program for student-athletics. Teamwork Intelligence illuminates the process of designing an elite team by using the 20 principles and concepts along with the 8 roles of a team player he’s uncovered while performing research.

Cory has worked with professional athletes, collegiate athletic programs, and high schools teaching leadership and team building as a part of the sports experience and education process.  As a consultant and trainer Dr. Dobbs has worked with Fortune 500 organizations such as American Express, Honeywell, and Avnet, as well as medium and small businesses. Dr. Dobbs taught leadership and organizational change at Northern Arizona University, Ohio University, and Grand Canyon University.

“Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will care.” -Your Student-Athlete The world of coaching is changing. In Coaching for Leadership you’ll discover the foundations for designing, building, and sustaining a leadership focused culture for building a high-performance team. To find out more about and order Sport Leadership Books authored by Dr. Dobbs including Coaching for Leadership, click this link: The Academy for Sport Leadership Books



Football Parent’s 10 Commandments

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Parents please feel free at anytime to contact the Head Football Coach on the main Sr. Campus at the field house if you have any questions or concerns about your son and his involvement in the football program.

Be positive with your son. Let him know how proud you of him by simply being part of team – don’t put him down!

Encourage him to work hard and do his best. Don’t offer excuses if he is not playing. There is usually a reason for it and he should discuss it with his coach.

Be loyal to the program and to the coaches. The coach represents the boss- authority – parent – teacher- etc. If parents constantly put down the coach, how can we expect your son to play for him? Teach your child to be a DOER, not a complainer!

Insist that your son follows TEAM RULES! No matter which team your son is on, players must follow the rules! Athletics is very demanding and coaches are concerned with a player’s activities. In order to get the maximum physical and mental performance, he needs to follow team rules!

Insist of good GRADES! Monitor your son’s homework. It is a parent’s duty to see that homework gets done. Bring him to tutorials, if necessary. Tutors are available in all subjects.

Be Positive toward ALL other players in the program. Please do not carry bad feelings towards other players because of incidents that may have occurred between others. Every player has an important role on the team and all roles contribute to the success of the entire team.
Insist that your son maintains his self-control! Self respect begins with self-control.

Refrain from comparing your son with previous athletes who have played sports, or with other players on his team. Encourage your son to be himself and develop his own god given talents. Do not put undue pressure on your son by thinking only in terms of scholarships. Scholarships are the results of unselfish play and team skills, as well as individual talent. A college coach prefers team players, rather than one focused on his self!

Have your son see their position coach if they have a problem. Almost all concerns can be handled at this step. Coaches are here because they love coaching and love working with your children.

Lastly, ENJOY YOUR SON’S INVOLVEMENT ON THE TEAM!!!

Time flies quickly as your son goes through high school. Make the most of each game!

 

 

Pursuing Victory with Honor
Code of Conduct for Parents/Guardians

 

Athletic competition of interscholastic age children should be fun and should also be a significant part of a sound educational program. Everyone involved in sports programs has a duty to assure that their programs impart important life skills and promote the development of good character. Essential elements of character building are embodied in the concept of sportsmanship and

six core ethical values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship (the “Six Pillars of Character” SM). The highest potential of sports is achieved when all involved consciously Teach, Enforce, Advocate and Model (T.E.A.M.) these values and are committed to the ideal of pursuing victory with honor. Parents/guardians of student-athletes can
and should play an important role and their good-faith efforts to honor the words and spirit of this code can dramatically improve the quality of a child’s sports experience.

Our athletic program subscribes to the “Pursuing Victory With Honor” and the “Six Pillars of Character” these service marks are from CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, a project of the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

TRUSTWORTHINESS
Trustworthiness — Be worthy of trust in all you do.

Integrity — Live up to high ideals of ethics and sportsmanship and encourage players to pursue victory with honor. Do what’s right even when it’s unpopular or personally costly.

Honesty —Live honorably. Don’t lie, cheat, steal or engage in any other dishonest conduct.

Reliability— Fulfill commitments. Do what you say you will do.

Loyalty — Be loyal to the school and team; Put the interests of the team above your child’s personal glory.

RESPECT
Respect —Treat all people with respect at all times and require the same of your student-athletes.

Class — Teach your child to live and play with class and be a good sport. He/she should be gracious in victory and accept defeat with dignity, compliment extraordinary performance, and show sincere respect in pre- and post-game rituals.

Disrespectful Conduct — Don’t engage in disrespectful conduct of any sort including profanity, obscene gestures, offensive remarks of a sexual nature, trash talking, taunting, boastful celebrations, or other actions that demean individuals or the sport.

Respect for Officials — Treat game officials with respect. Don’t complain or argue about calls or decisions during or after an athletic event.

RESPONSIBILITY
Importance of Education — Support the concept of “being a student first.” Commit your child to earning a diploma and getting the best possible education. Be honest with your child about the likelihood of getting an athletic scholarship or playing on a professional level. Reinforce the notion that many universities will not recruit student-athletes who do not have a serious commitment to their education. Be the lead contact for college and university coaches in the recruiting process.

Role Modeling — Remember, participation in sports is a privilege, not a right. Parents/guardians too should represent the school, coach and teammates with honor, on and off the court/field. Consistently exhibit good character and conduct yourself as a positive role model.

Self-Control — Exercise self-control. Don’t fight or show excessive displays of anger or frustration.

Healthy Lifestyle — Promote to your child the avoidance of all illegal or unhealthy substances including alcohol, tobacco, drugs and some over-the counter nutritional supplements, as well as of unhealthy techniques to gain, lose or maintain weight.

Integrity of the Game — Protect the integrity of the game. Don’t gamble or associate with gamblers.

Sexual Conduct — Sexual or romantic contact of any sort between students and adults involved with interscholastic athletics is improper and strictly forbidden. Report misconduct to the proper authorities.

Fairness and Openness—Live up to high standards of fair play. Be open-minded, always willing to listen and learn.

CARING
Caring Environment — Consistently demonstrate concern for student-athletes as individuals and encourage them to look out for one another and think and act as a team.

CITIZENSHIP
Spirit of the Rules — Honor the spirit and the letter of rules. Teach your children to avoid temptations to gain competitive advantage through improper gamesmanship techniques that violate the highest traditions of sportsmanship.

I have read and understand the requirements of this Code of Conduct and acknowledge that I may be disciplined if I violate any of its provisions.

_______________________________________ _________
Parent/Guardian Signature Date

About the Author of this post:

Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.