By: Kevin Moritis – Contributor – GridironStuds
TwitterID: @DefnseUnivrsity
For coaches the use of film is a valuable resource for both correcting your players and preparing for the upcoming opponent. If you are a HUDL team you have one of the best tools to help your team get better. HUDL allows you to see and correct errors by both players and coaches. It allows you to leave notes for your players on what they need to work on and how to avoid the same mistakes. Then you can take multiple films of your upcoming opponent, make your plan, print out it to use at practice. Another tool is the ability to film your practice and critique your players from that day and week. That’s how coaches benefit from the use of film.
So how do players use the film? I can safely say that players use it mostly for their own personal highlights to post up on social media to attract college coaches to be recruited. For players, it’s a tool to get to next level. The serious player will look at film when the team is watching it or when his position coach has left game notes for him. It’s a much better tool than just that. So, my fellow coaches, here is how you can turn the highlight tool into a learning tool.
The main reason you should make it important to players is it helps them LEARN the game, not just their position. You are building up their football IQ. Being able to have highly intelligent players is only going to make your team BETTER. Smarter players = WINS. It also makes it easier for you to teach and for them to learn. If coaches make it important then so will the players. Film study for players is just as important for players too. This is how you should set it up for your players. Each position coach will have guidelines, but these are the basics.
Each position group will watch the film of the opposing position for at least 2 hours a week. The DLine will watch film of the OLine. They will look at the splits, the type of blocking, style of offense, and which opposite player is hardest working.
The LBs will also check out the OLine for the guards and type of blocking, is the QB right or left handed, and the backs and are they power or finesse, and can they catch out of back field.
The DBs will look at the Wide Outs, the type of routes they run, the splits they take, how they align, can they catch under pressure. Can they block in the running game?
Now to take it a step higher. Have your players write one to two paragraphs on what they saw and have clips as examples. Then you have different players from the position groups get up in front of group to read their reports, show the clips and answer questions from the coach. Each player should turn in the report but you can choose a different player each week to get up to read.
This helps with building confidence in your team, gives them public speaking opportunities, provides them an opportunity to learn how an offense works and how that team will attack them that week. Players with high intelligence will player faster because of the knowledge they have from that film study. Players can learn and absorb more at practice by adding in this one detail. As the season moves forward, the players get to see the same style of formations. Their ability to understand the concepts and react to them become faster and your defense benefits. You will see the results on game day as your players come to the sideline to tell you exactly what’s happening on the field. Your head coach needs to be on board and Mondays should be allotted for longer film session to allow players to read reports. I encourage you to implement this practice into your routine and watch how it changes your team.
Chad Wilson is a college football recruiting expert and creator of the GridironStudsApp which allows high school football players to gain exposure to college football coaches and fans. Wilson is a former college football player for the University of Miami (92-94) and Long Beach St. (’90-’91) and played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks (’95). He is also a former youth and high school football coach for over 15 years most recently for 5-A State of Florida Champs American Heritage. He runs All Eyes DB Camp a defensive back training company located in South Florida IG: @alleyesdbcamp. Wilson’s oldest son Quincy plays in the NFL for the New York Giants and his younger son plays cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.
