Difference between revisions of "Become a Football Coach"

#*Certifications vary from state-to-state. Classes include concussion in sports, first aid and safety, as well as general coaching education courses.<ref name="rf1">https://nfhslearn.com/home/coaches</ref>

#*The California Interscholastic Federation requires coaches in the district get a general coaching certification, a sports specific concussion certification, a cardiac arrest certification, first aid certification, and CPR training.<ref name="rf2">http://www.cifstate.org/coaches-admin/coaching_education/certification</ref>  

#*Each course will cost anywhere from $30 - $70 depending on which state you live in.<ref name="rf3">http://nfhslearn.com/courses/61026/fundamentals-of-coaching</ref>

#*In Pennsylvania, coaches are required to undergo concussion and cardiac arrest training.<ref name="rf4">http://www.piaa.org/news/details.aspx?ID=2924</ref>

#Obtain the required clearances to become a coach. It's required that you get criminal background clearances in order to be a teacher and coach in many states. These background checks will often include a state and federal criminal background checks and child abuse background checks.<ref name="rf5">http://www.topeducationdegrees.org/faq/what-kind-of-background-checks-do-i-need-to-work-in-a-school/</ref>

#*In some states, it's required you undergo a drug and alcohol screening and employment and credential verification.<ref name="rf6">http://www.peoplefacts.com/industries/teacher-background-checks</ref>

#*Concentrating on physical education and sports science while you study in college will help you get a position as a coach.<ref name="rf7">http://www.sportsmanagementdegreehub.com/how-to-become-a-high-school-football-coach</ref>  

#Look for local football coaching jobs in your area. Use job websites to find local coaching jobs in your area. You can also use the official American Football Coaches Associate job board to find jobs across the United States.<ref name="rf8">http://jobboard.afca.com/jobs</ref> Many of your local listings may be for young adults or children, but starting there will help you later in attaining coaching positions at higher levels. Be aware that teaching children may be very different than teaching adults.<ref name="rf9">http://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-football-coaching-blog/61648899-what-are-the-most-common-mistakes-youth-football-coaches-make</ref>

#*There are programs like Pop Warner that have listings for volunteer positions ranging from head coach to equipment manager on their website.<ref name="rf10">http://www.popwarner.com/About_Us/volunteer.htm</ref>

#Network with people in the NFL. Experience as a player or staff member in the NFL may give you an advantage to getting a job as a coach.<ref name="rf11">https://www.quora.com/Sports-Business-How-do-you-become-an-NFL-coach-GM</ref> While some coaches transition from college football to the NFL, it's not required. Excelling in an assistant coach or scouting position may give you the connections you need to land the job.

#*If you can't get a job in the NFL, try submitting an application to become an intern, then network with paid staff once you are accepted.<ref name="rf12">http://www.espn.com/espn/magazine/archives/news/story?page=magazine-20100517-article34</ref>

#*Coach prospects tend to be offensive or defensive coordinators on NFL teams.<ref name="rf13">http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/10/nfl-future-head-coaching-candidates-adam-gase-josh-mcdaniels-teryl-austin</ref>  

#*Be prepared to wake up early and work late. This may put a strain on social relationships.<ref name="rf14">http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/01/19/nfl-head-coach-interviews-the-mmqb-jenny-vrentas</ref>  

#Watch recordings of past football games. Being able to review and evaluate past wins and losses will allow you to make adjustments to your team. In addition to watching your own team’s games, make sure to review upcoming opponent's prior games thoroughly to get a better idea of their tendencies, strategies, strengths, and weaknesses.<ref name="rf15">http://www.growthofagame.com/2014/12/10-ways-become-better-football-coach/</ref>

#*You can also review coaches film from major NFL games to get a better idea of what professional teams are doing.<ref name="rf16">http://www.nfl.com/coachesfilm</ref> “All 22” is a type of camera location that allows you to see all 22 players on the field, thus giving you a better vantage point for plays and strategy.  

#*Speaking with the other coaches on your coaching staff may also help you get a better perspective of what areas need to improve on the team.<ref name="rf17">http://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/nfl/scheme.aspx</ref>  

#Learn how to coach all the positions on your team. Although you always want to concentrate on consistency and working together as a team, it’s important that you learn how to develop each player’s individual skills.<ref name="rf18">http://www.wgcoaching.com/ten-habits-highly-effective-coaches/</ref> Every player will have different strengths, weaknesses, and temperaments. A good coach will know how to use these attributes to their team’s advantage. The more you win, the more you'll receive offers from bigger teams to coach.

#*If you don’t know how to coach all positions including, receiving, blocking, defending, catching, running, and throwing, you are severely limiting your players' development.<ref name="rf15" />

#Communicate effectively to your team and staff. A good coach must have good communication. You should be concise with your goals to both your staff and your team. Set clear expectations and be consistent with your rules.<ref name="rf19">http://www.topendsports.com/coaching/strategies.htm</ref> Coaching on a professional level requires that you can choose talented staff and delegate responsibilities to create the most effective team.

#Attend football clinics, conferences, and camps. A coaching clinic or camp is a gathering of successful coaches with the aim of improving coaching technique and strategy. At these events you’ll learn about player development and expand your coaching knowledge.<ref name="rf20">http://www.und.com/footballcoachesclinic/nd-footballcoachesclinic.html</ref> Attending a conference is also another great opportunity to network with other coaches and find potential job openings.

#*Books that can provide practical coaching knowledge include, “Finding the Winning Edge,” “The Quick Passing Game,”  “The Bunch Attack,” “The Winners Manual,” and “Winning Everyday.”<ref name="rf21">http://smartfootball.com/resources#sthash.yQpGakGF.dpbs</ref>

#Study and learn the rules of football. If you don’t have any previous experience coaching or playing football, then it’s necessary that you learn all of the rules before you consider coaching a team. You need to know how to score points and how to defend. You should also be able to explain illegal plays to your players so that they don’t pick up on bad habits during practice.<ref name="rf15" />

#*In the NFL you can challenge a play which will reverse a referee's decision on a penalty if you are correct. Each coach gets two challenges per game and one more challenge if the first two are correct.<ref name="rf22">http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2015-nfl-rulebook/</ref>  

#Learn different plays and strategies on offense, defense, and special team. Even if you’ve watched a lot of football, you may not know the names and types of plays that exist. On offense alone, there are somewhere around 500 plays that a coach in the NFL should be aware of or have in their playbook.<ref name="rf23">https://www.quora.com/How-many-plays-does-the-average-NFL-offense-know</ref> You can search for online football playbooks, or you can buy them at bookstores.

#*Offensive, defensive, and special teams configurations are called line setups.<ref name="rf24">https://usafootball.com/sites/all/themes/usafootball/downloads/Splitbacks_and_I_Formation_-_Playbook__1_-_Final.pdf</ref>  

#*A scheme is a general philosophy that your players follow. The most common football schemes are man-to-man, zone, 3-4, and 4-3.<ref name="rf17" />