Xs and Os »
Features

Synchronized movements to apply defensive pressure
A question asked frequently within defensive circles is, When is the best time to apply defensive pressure? We believe the answer to this question is from the opening kickoff to the final play. The most difficult football games for me to view are...

Box-set, side out-of-bounds series
The following are four sideline inbounds plays run out of a box set that have been extremely successful for our team. 'Carolina' DIAGRAM 1: Carolina. 4 and 3 are lined up at each block, while 5 and 2 positioned at the elbows. As 1 slaps the ball to...

Same-set isolation series capitalizes on mismatches
Exploiting match-ups is an extremely important component of any successful offense. One way our team takes advantage of matchups is through an isolation series of plays designed to get the ball in the hands of the player with the most favorable match...

Football: Drills to develop man coverage skills for defensive backs
Man-to-man coverage begins with the proper alignment of the defensive backs to the receivers at the line of scrimmage (LOS). This normally places the corner backs 5 to 7 yards off of the LOS, with an inside shade on the receivers. At the snap of the ...

Football: Training your linemen in the 43 defense
Click here to read part one of this article. There are four basic combination blocks that we cover in our daily practices. Depending on the type of offense we face each week, we determine which ones to put more emphasis on — double team, scoop-o...

Football: D-line techniques and drills from the 43 defense
Coaching is a world of give and take. I know that in my last years as a coach, I have certainly bent the ears of many great coaches in developing my philosophies and techniques of defensive line play. I have been fortunate in finding coaches who a...

Ball disruptions in football: Winning with defense
At Apache Junction High School in Arizona, we believe our defense has as much responsibility as our offense in winning football. We try to achieve this by creating turnovers and scoring points. We have had considerable success at this and once led th...

Basketball: Principles for attacking zone defenses
The zone defense remains the scourge of our basketball coaches. Many of them simply rely on superior talent to break all the zone defenses they face. Other coaches use (1) complicated offenses with "rocket-science" theories, (2) the zone def...

‘5-on-4 Scramble:’ Taking the shell drill to another level
Several years ago, our varsity basketball team was struggling through the first half of its season, and it was beginning to affect the way it was practicing. By compromising our work ethic in practice, we had reached the point where one negative was ...

Basketball: The benefits of a ‘2280 control defense’
While the 3-point concept has changed the way we think offensively in basketball, it's another story defensively. At every level of play, the offensive goal seems to be get the ball out of bounds as quickly as possible, dribble penetrate to the of...