Teaching football has changed dramatically in the last few years. The way players learn, process information, and retain knowledge isn’t what it used to be – especially since the pandemic. Their football IQ often isn’t where we need it to be, and you’d be surprised the kinds of things players don’t actually know about the game that you and I take for granted.
However, Andrew Coverdale spends a lot of time in the offseason educating players on everything they need to know to be consistently great. Today, we’re going to look at how they’re meeting players where they are and systematically elevating their understanding of the game.
This is taken directly from: Developing Football IQ in Your Players: The Complete Series.
Using “Vision Reels” To Teach Football
One of the most powerful tools in St. Xavier’s arsenal is their use of “Vision Reels”. Rather than just telling players what good football looks like, they show them through carefully curated film clips of elite execution.
These are NOT your standard cut ups to learn new plays – Players watch these clips with specific focus areas – like ball placement, pocket movement, or route running technique – and document what they observe.
This approach does two critical things:
First, it builds a mental library of what great football actually looks like. Many of today’s players haven’t watched full games the way previous generations did. They’ve seen highlights and clips, but lack that deep catalog of football knowledge we often take for granted.
Second, it creates natural conversations between coaches and players about what they’re seeing. When players write down their observations, coaches can understand how they’re processing the game and address any gaps in their understanding.
The results speak for themselves. Players who go through this process show dramatically improved understanding of concepts and execute at a much higher level because they have clear mental models to work from.
Get everything you need to transform how your players learn and execute with Developing Football IQ In Your Players: The Complete Series
Want More?
Football Playbooks | Throw Deep Publishing Best Books | Throw Deep Publishing Best Videos