Bear's Gridiron in Australia Forums

Load66 (6/01/2010)

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As with many problems that afflict teams of all levels I have been part of (club, state, Oz) the core of the issues comes down to coaching. At each of these levels, there has not been an even level of knowledge/skills of players in many of the basic aspects of positional play. This post is not meant to throw anyone (players or coaches) under the bus, however highlight a point that is fairly easy to fix, and would yield excellent results at all levels.

With the rise of the internet, and video distribution models, there is absolutely no excuse for teams to be using techniques that are not sound. I mean this from an execution perspective- from a safety perspective, I think the coaching in this country is fine. Where is breaks down is when we get to the WHY of a technique. Too many times, players and coaches use a specific way of doing things because that is what they have been taught, and if it worked in the past, then it is the right thing to do. Offensive line is the position I know best, and some of the techniques guys are using is straight out of the 80s. Is this a bad thing? Not always. Is it a negative that coaches/players are not trying to better themselves, and see what information is available out there? Absolutely. We shouldn't only rely on what is taught from one Aussie to another, but by learning from US sources.

I really feel that GA should work towards improving the coaches at a club level, so that when it comes to state training, time does not need to be invested in the fundamentals (stance being a prime example), but can be invested into further advances in skills, or even just reps of a technique. There were many offensive linemen who came to the recent Outback tour who had woeful technique, especially when it came to pass protection. Is it the fault of the players? Not so much as I believe the coaches.

To try and put a more positive spin on the situation, there are plenty of guys out there who are working hard. JR from WA is a prime example- not only does he strive to get better as a teacher of a position, but he constantly works on getting the latest information on schemes, both that he runs, and others run.

I don't pretend to know all the coaches in the country (and tip my hat to anyone who is willing to give up their time to teach), but rather than having a handful of motivated coaches who are passionate about learning, imagine if we had a handful in each state? Or further than that, a handful in each club? I have been very lucky to learn under two extremely dedicated coaches who fit that mold perfectly (Steve Dunne and Andrew Ogborne), and this has filtered down to lower level coaches in our club. Imagine how much more effective each state, and the Oz team would be if we could do this?

In the spirit of sharing, here are some resources to highlight exactly how easy it is to get the information.

http://www.thecoolclinic.com/

This is a group of offensive linemen who meet every year for a clinic. They record these clinics, and you can get them on DVD. I have a few of these DVDs, and the knowledge you pick up is fresh from the best coaches in the US. Can we use it all? Hell no. We don't have the athleticism to use many of the techniques. Can we learn something? Absolutely.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_17?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coach+of+the+year+clinics+football+manual&x=0&y=0&sprefix=coach+of+the+year

These manuals are done every year, and are a transcript of lectures given by top US coaches. You name a topic, there is something to learn on there. At less that $20 a book, it's well within any club/state's budget, and the knowledge is invaluable. I've got the last 6 years worth, and I have picked up more from these than anything else.

I just want to sign off by reinforcing that this wasn't meant to be critical of any individual, but I wanted to highlight an area I think our country can build on for the future, and is an easy change to make. We will never be able to recruit the top athletes in this country, so we need to do something to use the resources we have, and setup foundations so that each state and Oz team is not a fresh start, but builds on a solid base.

More than happy to chat any time about any of these points

Dave Thode
The University of Sydney Lions
NSW Wolfpack
09 Outback

Boltz66 (6/01/2010)

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Great Post Load66!!!

G-unit (7/01/2010)

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Great post Boltz66!!!