Breakdown Sports: Press Technique and Spring Game Breakdowns

Submitted by Space Coyote on

It's been a while since I've updated people on what I've been doing lately. Today is seeming to be a slow day what with the holiday weekend approaching, and yesterday was extremely slow as well, so figured it was a good time to put up some football content.

I've done a few posts regarding technique. The first is about press technique at a high level. Michigan and MSU do things a little bit different than Ash does at OSU, but at a high level they are very similar (both Durkin and Dantonio come from Saban lineage, and their approach is slightly different at times and given certain situations, but the basics are the same). I try to break it down based off a coaching clinic video from Chris Ash in his time at ISU

LINK

I also look at the difference between form tackling and rugby tackling. Rugby tackling is the new rage with the Seahawks using it and now OSU. I think both can work, and it's the extra attention paid to be fundamentally sound that truly helps defenses. But I break down how to do both and make them safe.

LINK

I posted a link to Minnesota's basic offense, which features the RB between the tackles, slots and WRs on jet sweeps to get outside, and play action off of these looks to threaten deep. It's a simple but sound approach and is difficult to defend because of it.

LINK

I also looked at Michigan and OSU and how they utilize a tunnel screen package. Harbaugh prefers bubble screens but will on occasion run a tunnel screen; however, he prefers traditional RB screens as far as slow developing screens are concerned.

LINK

I've also started my look into the Cover 4, starting with the basic cover variations that defenses will use. For instance, while MSU primarily runs MEG coverage, they will on occasion switch it up and run MOD or another type. Worth a look if you're interested on how you can give the same look but confuse the QB. In the coming week or so, I plan on looking at how defenses can use box defenders in different alignments and with different leverages to help the coverage because getting into how the back 4 can change their width and depth to help mitigate some of the issues they face. This will culminate in a look at how MSU may adjust their defense against spread oriented teams to help their safeties cover the slot.

LINK

Lastly, I looked at most of the B1G Spring Games, and did some coaching points to focus on some of the strengths and weaknesses I saw. The spring games are nice because they give you a rare glipse of some of the depth of other teams, though they are time consuming to look at both sides of the ball simultaneously and break it down.

Wisconsin (and PODCAST), Rutgers, Illinois, Penn St, Minnesota, Michigan St, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan

saveferris

June 30th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^

Outrageous!  How dare you post about football strategy and technique during the offseason.  We need more posts about apparel manufacturers damnit!

In all honesty though, shouldn't you put this in a diary so it won't vanish off the front page too soon?  This is good stuff.

Space Coyote

June 30th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^

And therefore, the shoes that fit me best were Stride Rite. So I'm thinking Champion jerseys, Russel pants, and Stride Rite cleats; I think that would help bring in the recruits.

Nothing more comfortable than Stride Rite.

Space Coyote

June 30th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^

Though it's with a new technology for them ("Free Outsole"). Nike and Adidas shoes were always really tight on my wide feet as a kid. When I started growing up they weren't so much a problem anymore, but still snug. I wear Asics these days for running, and those are pretty comfortable.

They aren't great for squats and other standing leg exercises, because they are designed for pronated feet. So when you try to put your weight flat on your feet and more toward the outside, they naturally correct for that; so you have to turn your feet further outside to correct for that which harder on your hips. Just FYI, difference between running shoes and workout shoes.

Ziff72

June 30th, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^

It appears the Rugby tackling is easier on the body.   My only concern would be that it if you don't have really good tacklers/athletes you might give up more broken tackles with it since the body is not in front to act as at least as a impediment if you miss.

Maybe teach the little guys to teach Rugby and the big guys to teach traditional?  

Blue eNVy

June 30th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^

As someone who went from playing football growing up (learning form tackling) to playing rugby at uni; you nailed the differences pretty spot on.  The differences became apparent to me rather quickly as it took time to adjust to the rugby style, and I took quite a few forearm shivers to the face before getting my head behind the ball carrier became second nature.

Always appreciate your posts and input, and seeing this reminded me to visit your site more often.

Cheers!

WestSider

June 30th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

all the effort you put into this interesting post, but since we are just internet people, have a virtual beer on me. You are an excellent contributor SC, many thanks

Crisler 71

June 30th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^

Form tackling is what we were taught over 50 years ago.  The way we learned was to use the tackling dummy, basically a boxer's heavy bag suspended from a crossbar.  You hit it with your shoulder and if you didn't wrap up you slid off when the bag moved backwards.    Then they would pull the bag back and let it go as you approached. The next step was hitting a bag that was swinging left to right or right to left.   It allowed the coach to stand right there an critique your form from next to you, and do the same with the next guy in line. .After we got good at that we moved on to tackling real people.  I always wondered why the tackling dummy disappeared and tackling became "crash into hin and hope he falls over".

Space Coyote

June 30th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^

If the mods want to make it a diary, they can, but IMO, each of these links would make a diary post, not a post full of links itself. The people that write the diaries (I used to do quite a few) take the time to post that stuff here rather than their own sites, so I think they deserve to stick on that for a while. If mods feel this belongs up there, I have no issue with it though.

ThadMattasagoblin

June 30th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^

The OL doesn't have me worried. We had to go 10 deep for this game and they looked pretty good in our last actual game. Guys like Samuelson are not going to see the field anyway this year so why should we care what they did in the spring game? I'm more interested in Cole, Kalis, Glasgow, Magnuson, and Braden. Butt can hopefully take some pressure off our WRs.

steve sharik

June 30th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^

Same techniques and drills I taught. Curious if you know who developed the techniques, as I learned them from Bob Stoops and Greg Brown.  I believe Stoops learned them from Saban.  I don't know if Saban developed them, if he learned them from Belichick, or if those two collaborated. Or maybe this technique was developed earlier, though I don't recall this technique going back before the late 1980s.

Space Coyote

June 30th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^

So Joe Collier would have been the DC (a former DB coach), Charlie West was the DB coach. Belichick was a Denver assistant in '78 right around when it was being developed, but not really sure that's where he developed it from or not (FWIW, in the late 70s, despite being a good overall defense, the Broncos were still pretty bad at pass defense; don't think they started using much press technique until the early 80s though).

I know Saban used it while he was the DC in Cleveland under Belichick (that's where initially developed Rip/Liz), but that's about as much history as I have on it.

In fact, here's some video: