Training Football Game Sense
The amount of video that football coaches analyze and players study would amaze most fans. I learned that as I worked as the Athletic Video Coordinator for Purdue University from 1990 to 2003. But, we can do more to accelerate players' learning. We can use video and data (formation, coverage) to quiz and learn rather than just watch video -- putting the coach in their players' ears during video study. Interactive video training can improve game sense.
There's a lot that can be done to improve player learning in football. One thing that can be done is to use the instructional tools that the players are already using in many university classes: Student Response System (clickers) and Lecture Capture. Clickers help a coach to make sure that everybody is on the same page during an install. Lecture Capture (all the video and PowerPoint going through the projector with the coach's voice) allows players to review until the material is mastered.
The biggest area to gain competitive advantage, though, is in players' video self-study. Non-contact sessions need to be highly structured: Tutorials to learn concepts and techniques, Drills to automate reads. Two videos show a Linebacker Reads video drill that I developed for Purdue University football in 2006-7. In the first video the defensive coordinator explains how the LB Drill was used in season. The second video depicts a player doing the video drill. The player watches decision edit video clips to practice his pre-snap reads and immediate post-snap Run/Pass read.
- Defensive Coordinator [2:08]
- Linebacker Reads Drill [:40]