COACHING FOOTBALL

Question
Good Morning Coach Louis,

I am a young man with aspirations to become a high school and college head coach. I played football majority of my life including one year in college. I decided that instead of trying to learn everything about every position and scheme, that it would be more valuable to become an expert in something specific. As I have been researching, studying film, and watching successful teams operate, I have decided to become an expert in the pistol offense. I feel that could be the offense of the future in high school, college, and even variations of it in the NFL.  I actually emailed him this morning to see if I can pick his brain a little bit. I have been working in the corporate world for the past 5 years, and I know it is time for me to pursue my passion, which is coaching. I am working on finding another job that can coordinate with the schedule of a coach.

My questions to you are:
- What are your thoughts and philosophy on the pistol? Do you think it would be a good idea to master that scheme or is that something you feel will be nonexistent in 5 or 10 years?
- What are some tips, advice, and suggestions for starting my career as a coach?
- What type of prerequisite activites should I be doing now to prepare myself before I even reach out to a coach for an opportunity?
- Do you have any resources that you would recommend for the Pistol Offense?

Any wisdom that you are willing to share would be valuable and I would be forever grateful.

Best Regards Coach!

Answer
Dear Chris,

Let me be the first one to welcome you to the club. Playing football is great. And the only thing that is almost as good as playing football is coaching football. Nevertheless, it does have its down side. I am not trying to discourage you I am just trying to give you the facts. Coaching football is not as easy as it looks. There is a lot more to coaching than meets the eyes.

You say you want to be an expert on the Pistol Offense? Do you know how to teach your linemen to run and pass block? Do you know how to teach your quarterback how to throw the deep pass, short pass, out, come-back, crossing routes? How to read a defensive coverage? and on and on..... The list is a long one. You need to learn how to walk before you can run.

My advice to you is to purchase the book 揚LAY FOOTBALL THE NFL WAY?by Tom Bass. Let me start by saying that I am not associated with anyone connected to the book nor do I make any money if you buy the book. The point that I am trying to make is that I am not trying to sell you a book. I am just trying to give you the tools you need to coach. This book covers every technique needed for every position both on offense and on defense. If you ever want to become a head football coach you will need to know the technique needed for most if not all the positions. The book cost about $20. It is full of pictures and diagrams so that you can see what they are talking about. If you want to be a football coach you should start by becoming a positional coach first. A positional coach is a coach that is an expert on one position. The Pistol Offense is not one position it is a group of position that come together to form an offense.

The next step is to contact the nearest 揚op Warner?football team and let then know that you want to volunteer as a coach. They are always looking for coaches and can use the help. Try it out for a few years and see how you like it. If you are still interested in coaching, do the same thing at the high school level. High school coaches love the extra help when it comes for free. Pay close attention during the coaches meeting and do not be afraid to ask questions. Do not ask the same coach all the time or you will drive him crazy. You will find that most coaches are more than willing to help if you tell them what you are doing and why.

Make as many contacts as you can. The contacts that you make today can help you find a coaching job tomorrow. And can write you a letter of recommendation when you need one. You will need 2-3 letters of recommendations wherever you apply.

I hope I was of help to you. If there is anything else I can help you with please feel free to ask. If you live on the west coast let me know and maybe I can be of further assistance.

Yours Friend, Louis

PS let me know if you have anymore questions.