defensive plays

April 23, 2010

Try this aggressive half-court defense

There aren’t a lot of secrets in basketball anymore. There’s too much exposure. The key is how hard are you willing to work to get your players to implement your game plan day-in and day-out in both practice and in games. If you have a team...


April 6, 2010

Brian Kelly’s big run & touchdown pass play

Editor’s Note: Coach & Athletic Director interviewed Brian Kelly weeks prior to him taking the Notre Dame head-coaching job. At the time, Kelly was leading the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats and discussed the importance of having a running atta...


April 6, 2010

Brian Kelly botched field goal turns into touchdown

Editor’s Note: Coach & Athletic Director interviewed Brian Kelly weeks prior to him taking the Notre Dame head-coaching job. At the time, Kelly was leading the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats and discussed how important it is to prepare your tea...


October 2, 2009

Game Planning Your Defensive Coverages

Probably the most vital decision you will have to make in your game planning is what kind of key coverages to use. Most of them will fit into one of the four basic types: zone, man to man, combination, or blitz.We realize that most defenses will use ...


October 2, 2009

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 ...


October 2, 2009

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...


October 2, 2009

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...


October 2, 2009

Intense Situation Coaching In Basketball

Part 2, DefenseQuestion: How many different defensive schemes, methods, and philosophies can a basketball team absorb during a season? Since there isn’t a really right or wrong approach to the philosophy of a sport, the approach must be careful...