4 ways to become a better football coach this offseason

Jeff Hemhauser | American Football | 12/01/2015

The season is over and the equipment is put away, but it’s never too early to think about next year.

With that in mind, here are four ways to make yourself a better coach for 2015.

Watch game film

Watching this past year’s game films can be beneficial. You will have the opportunity to evaluate players, offense and defensive plays, schemes and play calling.

About a month after the season concludes, I will go back and watch each one of my games. You will be surprised how many things you missed from the first time you watched the film. You can see the things your team did well and the things your team did not so well.

The best thing to do is to step back for a few weeks after the season, recharge and then evaluate the film. You will tend to notice more on the game film with a fresh and clear mind.

Attend coaching clinics

The holiday season has arrived, and the year is coming to a close. This means that coaching clinics will be starting soon, many as early as February.
I suggest going to clinics that teach fundamentals. Attend as many tackling and blocking clinics as possible. Regardless of your scheme, you must be a sound tackling and blocking team in order to be successful.

Along with at least one fundamental clinic, I will attend clinics that address offense, defense and special teams schemes and tactics. Clinics also are excellent environments for networking.

Evaluate coaching staff

If you are a head coach, the evaluation must start with yourself. Did you have scripted and productive practices? Did you put your players in the best position for success? Was the game taught properly and safely? Was the overall communication between parents, players and assistant coaches fluent?

Again, attending clinics will give you fresh ideas and new tactics you can implement. There is always some portion of your coaching style and philosophy that could improve.

Network

Networking with other coaches is an excellent way to improve. You can swap game film, exchange ideas and talk about what worked well and what didn’t.

I will pick the mind of any football coach I come across. There is always the potential that you learn something new from another coach, especially the successful ones.