Win Your Team, Win Your Game
Copyright © 2020 Neale Stuart
ISBN: 978-1708717285
eISBN: 978-1-7727733-6-1
Neal Stuart has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying, without permission of the publisher or author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission from the publisher or author.
Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty
The author and publisher shall not be liable for your misuse of the enclosed material. This book is strictly for informational and educational purposes.
Warning – Disclaimer
The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. The author and/or publisher do not guarantee that anyone following these techniques, suggestions, tips, ideas, or strategies will become successful. The author and/or publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
Publisher
10-10-10 Publishing
Markham, ON
Canada
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Testimonials
Foreword
Chapter 1: Back to the Basics
The Right Coach Starts a Fire…
And the Wrong Coach Quenches the Flame
Qualities of Coaching
Chapter 2: A Good Coach
The Power of Words: Troy’s Story
The Role of the Head Coach
The Role of the Offensive Coordinator
The Role of the Defensive Coordinator
The Right Man for the Role
Consider Your Team
Chapter 3: Positions and Players
Your Team’s Offense Players
Your Team’s Defense Players
Special Teams
Putting the Pieces Together
Chapter 4: How to Find the Best Players
Being Humble: Dawson’s Story
Qualities All Football Players Need
Offensive Player Qualities to Look For
Defensive Player Qualities to Look For
Qualities Special Team Players Need
Drills to Help Coaches Place Players
Chapter 5: Planning Your Offense
Determining Your Offensive Plan
Teachable Traits and Natural Talent
Key Plays
Number of Players
Affecting Your Success
Chapter 6: Planning Your Defense
Determining Your Best Defensive Plan
Natural Talent and Teachable Traits
Key Plays
Running a 4–3 Defense
Running a 3–4 Defense
Running a 4–4 Defense
Running a 5–2 Defense
Running a Nickel or Dime Defense
Affecting Success
Chapter 7: Being a Great Coach
Develop a Relationship
Finding the Line
Affecting the Future
Connecting with Your Team
Repairing a Relationship
Chapter 8: Preparing for the Game
Teamwork
Mentality
Plays
Get Them Ready
Ways to Prepare
Chapter 9: Pushing Through the Nerves
Be Quick
Be Positive
Change the Nerves
Building Trust
Coach Role Models
Chapter 10: Using Effort to Your Advantage
How the Pros Use Effort
Team Effort
Getting the Most Out of Your Players
Using Effort in Practice
Using Effort in Games
Being a Great Coach
Dedication
To my Dad and Stacey, for always supporting me and helping me get to my full potential, and for raising me in a football family. You made football a game I love to play, and you are the inspiration for this book.
To my best friend, Dawson, for always having my back and challenging me to do better, and for helping me with my knowledge of the game of football. Without you, this book would not have happened.
To my brothers and sisters, for always being there for me and showing the competitive side of me. For supporting me and for letting me know that I am never alone. Thank you for motivating me, while writing this book.
Acknowledgements
Thank you, Dad, for teaching me all about football, helping me find my dreams, and supporting me so I can get to my dreams.
Thank you, Stacey, for shaping me into the person I am today, and helping me become the best person I can be.
Thank you, Raymond Aaron. You are an incredible teacher and mentor, especially to kids and teens who want to move forward in the world. I am honored that you are a part of this book and that you believed in me enough to be my publisher.
Thank you to my friends for playing football with me, and helping me get better at understanding football.
Testimonials
A new and interesting book that shows a teenager’s perspective on coaching football and how communication and strong relationships will help the game in many ways.
-Kaden Cobb, Varsity Quarterback for Fenwick Highschool.
A must read for today's coaches!
-Romone Belk Jr, Varsity running back and middle linebacker at Swansboro Highschool.
This book will have a great impact on the way football is coached.
-Plae Wyatt, All American/ All State DB and a commit to Rice University, Varsity DB at Mckinney Boyd Highschool.
A fascinating, intriguing and stimulating book about coaching.
-Cedrick Pellum, committed to Washington State University, and varsity wide receiver at James Madison Highschool
Foreword
Are you passionate about football? Do you want to be the best coach you can possibly be?
Win Your Team, Win Your Game is an honest look at the game of football from the perspective of a young man who wishes to help you not only coach and teach football, but mentor strong, healthy young men.
Author Neale Stuart shares from his many years of experience, both good and bad, playing football while growing up. He had coaches who built him up and others who tore him down, and in this book, he shows how positive or damaging a coach's actions and words can be.
He also shares practical advice on how to pick your players, what positions to put them in, and how to encourage them to become the best players possible.
I am proud of this young man and what he is doing to help you to become the best that you can be, so that you can bring out the best in others as you coach and mentor them.
If you have an interest in coaching football, then this book is a must read. See the game from a young person’s perspective, and gain knowledge from that. It will not only make you a better coach, but a better human being as well.
Raymond Aaron
New York Times Bestselling Author
Chapter 1
Back to the Basics
1
“Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.”
– Pete Caroll
I grew up in a football family. We live for the game. It’s no mystery where I got my love for the game—my dad is a professional football fanatic. My dad has been a football fan since he was a little kid. Dad played football at school, and at home with his brothers while growing up. He watches every game he can on TV, and gets tickets every time his favorite team comes to Seattle. Football is in our blood. Not only do we watch it all the time, we keep up on all the sports news and the progress and injuries of all the players, and we study the matchups of the upcoming week. We both play fantasy football, so we monitor every player for every team; especially our favorite team, the Oakland Raiders. Go, Silver and Black!
Football is special at our house. How important is it? Let’s just say that Super Bowl Sunday is as big as Christmas and Easter at the Stuart home. It’s a really, really, really big deal!
My first memory of going to a Raiders game (at only five years old!) was when I got to go on the field and meet the players and coaches. That was the moment that my love of football was cemented in my heart. Seeing the drive and power of the players, focused on a single goal, lit a fire in me, and I had to play too. So, at 6 years old, I started throwing and passing the ball.
As I grew older, I continued to play, and in middle school, my friends were football players and teammates. Playing football is an education all by itself. We learned what it meant to work together and trust each other, on the field and off. Hours of practice taught me discipline. It taught me to respect people for their skills and their integrity. The game does not necessarily define you—but if you let it, it refines you into a man of character.
The Right Coach Starts a Fire…
I have so much passion for football that I now teach it to a dozen or so kids in my neighborhood, once a week. But there was a time when my love of the game was nearly snuffed out because of some bad coaching I experienced early on in my career.
That’s why I am writing this book, because I want every coach out there to understand how to make the game into a passion for the kids who are playing. My theory is that if you can see just a spark of interest for football, in a child, the right coach can turn that spark into a blazing fire. It is a combination of encouraging, mentoring, and pushing them to stretch their limits, while sharing your own passion for the game.
Football is a remarkable sport. It requires unity, teamwork, and discipline. Under the right circumstances, it will bring an entire community together. I love seeing people work together for a victory. The thrill of your team winning, and the intensity of knowing that the eleven players on the field are on your side, is powerful.
The strategic complexity of the different plays is so compelling. It is fascinating to analyze and read the unfolding drama in a series of defensive and offensive plays as the game goes on. The importance of communication between the players is crucial as they try to out-think the other team. The very best analysts can see what the players are going to do before they even do it.
I get an adrenaline rush from seeing players execute nice catches or tackles. I get that feeling even when I’m watching the opposing team doing it, because I can appreciate the skill and hours of practice that it takes to master those techniques. Football is a challenging sport that demands excellence from everyone involved.
And the Wrong Coach Quenches the Flame
My own experiences with poor coaches could have killed my love for the game, but it meant too much to me to let that happen. Unfortunately, my experience is not unique. There are many children, even some of them with the potential to become professional players, who will never reach their football potential, all because they encountered a coach who crushed their spirit.
When I first began playing, I knew that I had some challenges ahead. One of the biggest? I am a pretty skinny kid. I have a body better suited for the swim team than for football. But the swim team is not where my passion lies. I was born to toss the pigskin and race down the field.
Sadly, when I played tackle football for my middle school, the coaches at school weren’t truly passionate about football. It was just part of the job. They looked at their lists, saw where there was a hole that needed to be filled, and filled the slot. They didn’t even see me.
