OT: best books on learning football?

Submitted by MgoHillbilly on
First topic by me. Please be gentle. I'm going to be spending a lot of time away from the internet this spring and summer (hopefully). I love football but admit to not knowing a lot about the details on schemes, formations, etc. Anyone have recommendations for books on the subject? I expect having a solid primer would make watching more enjoyable. Thanks.

Magnus

April 13th, 2017 at 10:11 PM ^

Both of those Chris Brown books are very good.

Also, "Offensive Football Strategies" and "Defensive Football Strategies" by the American Football Coaches Assocation are both pretty good with explanations, diagrams, etc. on some basic plays, formations, etc. that you'll see and hear a lot.

xtramelanin

April 13th, 2017 at 10:04 PM ^

good or ready answer.   i learned it by playing through all sorts of offenses (and some d, but not nearly as much) over the years.  i kept many of my old play books, but those aren't going to be helpful to someone who wants to start from ground zero.

Michiganfootball13

April 13th, 2017 at 10:07 PM ^

I love hockey but never played so I always talk to my BIL who was an elite player who explains the finer details of the sport that you don't get from watching the Wings. Things that used to frustrate me about the Red Wings, I know understand why it's done and respect the game that much more. The roles are reversed in terms of me explaining football to him.

OwenGoBlue

April 13th, 2017 at 10:43 PM ^

AFCA and Chris Brown books above are really good. If you want to drill into specific points of a scheme (say, spread run inverted veer or something) there are a ton of coaching clinic videos on YouTube.

Not necessary for the casual fan, but interesting if you want to go beyond strategy (why do they run this scheme/what does this play do) to execution (what makes this play/scheme successful).

It's a golden age for football information sharing so the rabbit hole goes as deep as you want it to.

Easy Day

April 13th, 2017 at 10:48 PM ^

Great series if you're looking to get a decided schematic advantage, though to be honest these first three are the best. Books 4-8 were a huge disappointment.

ATC

April 13th, 2017 at 11:41 PM ^

Coach Madden would instruct you to attend high school games AMAAP (as many as absolutly possible). HS is much slower and as a result, easier to learn how to "watch" a football game incorporating peripheral vision. To be frank, TV viewing sucks ass..... even with extra cameras, field cam etc., they follow the dam ball which causes you to miss critical elements. Set a goal of watching 50 HS games this fall.

PS buy the book : The Inner Game of Tennis.... might be out of print so pick up at a used book store.

Frank Chuck

April 14th, 2017 at 12:24 AM ^

– Coaching Team Defense by Fritz Shurmur

– Coaching Defensive Line by Fritz Shurmur

– Arnsparger's Coaching Defensive Football by Bill Arnsparger

– The Delaware Wing T: An Order of Football by Harold R. Raymond (a Michigan Man)

– The Art of Smart Football / The Essential Smart Football by Chris Brown

 

 

I started with the first 3.

EGD

April 14th, 2017 at 6:57 AM ^

I've read a number of these and I would recommend starting out with Blood, Sweat, and Chalk by Tim Layden. It's less technical, but goes through the history of how different strategies and formations developed and why. Once you know the major ideas and concepts behind these things, it's much easier to understand the technical components. My #2 recommendation would be the coaches bible, mentioned above. The Chris Brown books are great but you should know a lot of the basics first to get the most out of them.