THE PRE-SNAP READY PROCESS

1. KNOW THE SITUATION - DOWN AND DISTANCE.
2. GET THE CALL IN THE HUDDLE.
3. RECOGNIZE THE OFFENSIVE FORMATION.
4. TAKE THE CORRECT ALIGNMENT.
5. TAKE A GREAT STANCE. BE READY.
6. READ AND KNOW YOUR KEYS.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY THINKING DEFENSIVELY, THAT THE
FURTHER YOU ARE ALIGNED FROM THE FOOTBALL THE MORE
MENTAL THE GAME BECOMES FOR A PARTICULAR PLAYER.
WHILE COACHING THE DEFENSIVE SECONDARY FOR SEVEN
YEARS AT GILES HIGH SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA, AND NOW INTO MY
FOURTH YEAR AS SECONDARY AND LINEBACKERS COACH AT
NARROWS HIGH SCHOOL, I AM ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR WAYS
TO REDUCE THE MENTAL THINKING OF OUR PLAYERS TO
IMPROVE THEIR OVERALL PHYSICAL PLAY. AS A SECONDARY
COACH, I DO NOT WANT PLAYERS TO BE THINKING AND
PLAYING WITH THE BREAKS ON. I WANT THEM TO TURN
LOOSE, TAKE THE BREAKS OFF, AND FLY AROUND THE FOOTBALL.
WE WANT TO ELIMINATE AS MANY STEPS TO THE BALL AS
POSSIBLE, SO PLAYERS MAY GET TO IT QUICKLY. IF PLAYERS
ARE THINKING DURING THE PLAY, THE REACTING PROCESS OF
GETTING TO THE FOOTBALL WILL BE DELAYED.

TO ELIMINATE THE MENTAL THINKING DURING EVERY PLAY, I
WILL TEACH OUR SECONDARY TO FOLLOW AND PERFORM A
PRE-SNAP PROCEDURE WHICH WILL ALLOW THEM TO BE READY,
ALERT, AND TO PLAY INSTEAD OF THINK ONCE THE BALL IS
SNAPPED. I WILL TEACH OUR PLAYERS TO LEARN AND FOLLOW
THIS PROCESS JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK. THE PROCESS IS A
STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE IN WHICH PLAYERS WILL FOLLOW
BEFORE THE BALL IS SNAPPED.

THE FIRST STEP OF THE PROCESS IS KNOWING THE SITUATION.
THIS STEP BEGINS IN THE HUDDLE. AS A SECONDARY PLAYER,
YOU MUST KNOW THE SITUATION. WHAT IS THE DOWN AND
DISTANCE? KNOWING THE SITUATION WILL WORK TOWARD THE
DEFENSIVE'S ADVANTAGE. FOR EXAMPLE, AS A SECONDARY
DEFENDER, IT IS AN ADVANTAGE TO KNOW TO GIVE UP THE FIVE
YARD OUT ON A THIRD AND TWELVE SITUATION, AND TO BE A
SURE AGGRESSIVE TACKLER AND ONLY ALLOWING A FIVE YARD
GAIN, INSTEAD OF GOING FOR THE INTERCEPTION AND ALLOWING
THE OFFENSE TO HAVE A BIG PLAY.

THE SECOND STEP OF THE PROCESS IS TO GET THE DEFENSIVE
CALL IN THE HUDDLE. PLAYERS WILL GET THE WRONG CALL AND
SOMETIMES EVEN FORGET THE CALL ONCE THE BALL IS SNAPPED.
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE SEEN PART OF THE SECONDARY
PLAYING ZONE WHILE OTHERS WERE PLAYING MAN TO MAN. WE ALL
MUST BE ON THE SAME PAGE IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE
SECONDARY. TEACH YOUR PLAYERS TO REPEAT THE DEFENSIVE CALL
TO THEMSELVES SEVERAL TIMES AS THE COME OUT OF THE HUDDLE.
THIS WILL HELP THEM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES ARE. THE SECONDARY MUST ALWAYS FUNCTION AS
AN ERRORLESS-FREE UNIT.

THE NEXT STEP OF THE PROCESS INVOLVES RECOGNIZING THE
OFFENSIVE FORMATION. I WILL TEACH OUR SECONDARY NEVER
TO TURN THEIR BACKS TOWARD THE OFFENSE AS THEY BREAK OUT
OF THE HUDDLE. WE TELL OUR SECONDARY PLAYERS TO BACK
PEDDLE OR WALK BACKWARDS OUT OF THE HUDDLE TOWARD THEIR
ALIGNMENT AREA, AND TO BE ALERT. THIS ALLOWS THEM TO ALIGN
QUICKLY AND START COMMUNICATING TO EACH OTHER WHICH IS VERY
IMPORTANT IN SECONDARY PLAY. WE WANT OUR PLAYERS TO
UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE THE OFFENSE'S FORMATION, AND TO
COMMUNICATE WHAT THEY SEE TO EACH OTHER. IS IT SPLIT RIGHT,
TWINS LEFT, QUADS RIGHT, ETC. WE WANT OUR PLAYERS TO
RECOGNIZE OFFENSIVE FORMATIONS BASED ON OUR OWN
TERMINOLOGY. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO ALIGN QUICKLY AND BE
EXTREMELY ALERT.

THE NEXT STEP OF THE PRE-SNAP READY PROCESS IS STANCE.
WE BEGIN TEACHING STANCE FROM DAY ONE, AND WE CONTINUE
TO WORK AND IMPROVE ON IT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. WE
EMPHASIZE THAT IN ORDER TO BE A GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAYER
YOU MUST PLAY WITH THE PADS OVER THE TOES. DEFENSIVE
FOOTBALL PLAYERS MUST BE KNEE BENDERS. THEY MUST PLAY
WITH THEIR HIPS DOWN AND THEIR KNEES BENT. WHEN REVIEWING
TAPE WE CAN TELL IF A PLAYER IS READY TO MOVE AND REACT
BASED ON HIS STANCE. IF THE HIPS ARE DOWN AND THE KNEES
ARE BENT, A PLAYER IS READY TO MOVE. HAVING A GREAT STANCE
WILL ALLOW THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO GET TO THE BALL QUICKLY,
AND GET TO THE BALL IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STEPS. LOSING
ONE STEP CAN COST YOU A GAME. YOU'VE SEEN IT ON TAPE, AND
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU COMMENTED , "IF WE WERE ONLY ONE
STEP QUICKER." FOOTBALL PLAYERS MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THE
GAME OF FOOTBALL IS A GAME OF INDCHES, AND IF WE DO THE LITTLE
THINGS THE BIG THINGS WILL USUALLY TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A GREAT STANCE AND BEING
READY TO GO AT THE SNAP OF THE BALL. THIS WILL ALLOW YOUR
PLAYERS TO BE FOCUSED, ALERT, AND READY TO REACT.

THE LAST AND FINAL STEP OF THE PRE-SNAP PROCESS IS THE MOST
CRUCIAL STEP. THIS STEP INVOLVES READING AND FOCUSING IN ON
A PLAYER'S DEFENSIVE KEYS. IF PLAYERS CAN LEARN TO USE AND
COMPREHEND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS STEP, IT REALLY CAN
BECOME AN ADVANTAGE IN ALLOWING THEM TO GET TO THE FOOTBALL.
READING ASSIGNED KEYS ALLOWS OUR PLAYERS TO QUICKLY
DIGNOSE EITHER PASS OR RUN. IT SIMPLY GETS PLAYERS TO THE
FOOTBALL. ON SUNDAYS I HAVE SEEN NFL DEFENSIVE BACKS LET
TIGHT ENDS SLIP RIGHT IN BEHIND THEM FOR SIX POINTS, SIMPLY
BECAUSE THE DEFENSIVE BACK WAS NOT FOCUSING IN ON HIS
ASSIGNED KEY. THIS STEP OF THE PROCESS MUST BE CONSTANTLY
OVER EMPHASIZED. EVERY PLAY, PLAYERS SHOULD BE REMINDED
TO READ AND FOCUS IN ON THEIR KEYS. FAILURE TO EXECUTE THIS
STEP OF THE PROCESS CAN COST YOU DEARLY AND RESULT IN BIG
PLAY POTENTION FOR THE OFFENSE.

TEACHING PLAYERS TO LEARN AND USE THIS PRE-SNAP PROCESS
CAN REALLY IMPROVE YOUR TEAM'S PHYSICAL PLAY. WE WANT OUR
PLAYERS TO DEVELOP THIS PROCESS LIKE CLOCKWORK. WE FEEL THAT
APPLYING THIS PROCESS GIVES US TWO ADVANTAGES. FIRST, IT CUTS
OUT OUR SECONDARIES MENTAL ERRORS, AND SECOND, IT SIMPLY
ALLOWS OUR PLAYERS TO TAKE THE BREAKS OFF, FLY AROUND THE
FOOTBALL, AND REALLY PLAY MORE PHYSICAL FOOTBALL WHEN THE
BALL IS SNAPPED.

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