Even IF you think doing reps against the post is as productive as going against an actual human (and it's not)... There's probably 10+ guys in that position group, and ONE post. If every rep is a learning opportunity, wouldn't the goal be to maximize the number of quality learning opportunities per minute of practice? Pair them up and now you have all 10 guys working at once, rather than 9 guys watching while their buddy tries to block Post Johnson IV. Which approach maximizes learning opportunities? 👀 @learntotackle

This is a block destruction in the same way that hitting a heavy bag is a guard destruction in boxing i.e. a non-sensical statement.. Contests are defined by the agency of the other guy to fight back.

Keir Wenham-Flatt (@RUGBY_STR_COACH) says about half the tackles he has analyzed needed a second effort. A drilled pattern won't make that tackle. We talked football tackling, CLA and the real OODA loop. - youtu.be/_44PS_GxTqg

This is a walking argument for spending at least a portion of each year tackling without pads and helmets. Both are a part of the game but they let you get away with stuff that you wouldn't otherwise. Analogous to this is wraps and gloves in striking sports. Nominally there to protect the puncher, but look at how the strategies change in BKFC where they're only allowed one piece of tape around their wrists. Way more body shots, way less strikes to the head, and a lot more broken hands for those who choose not to go that route. This came up in conversation with @NoWayOutcast cc: @learntotackle

Drill implies development. Development implies stress, overload and operating close to the margin of ability. Comment below with what qualities- physical, tactical, technical or psychological- you see being overloaded here. And before you tell me I'm a dumb rugby guy and they're just warming up, I'll sell my child into slavery if they didn't do the traditional football warm up lines for 15 mins immediately before switching to this station. There's also no law that says they can't perceive their environment, play games and make decisions in their warm up @learntotackle

@learntotackle report: Against a stronger opponent and on the road to boot, @TroyTrojansFB came up with the goods vs @JMUFootball last week. Despite a slow start to the game, they didn't miss a single tackle beyond the 3rd quarter and were able to get the win in OT. Respect. Have any questions about this analysis? Let me know.

How do we actually make decisions in sport? How do we decide what kind of tackle to make? In today's @learntotackle for American Football, we'll discuss the role anticipation plays in inferring opponent intent, and how task, environmental and athlete constraints interact to inform decision making. Ecological constraints are why two athletes facing the same situation can respond in very different ways, why one “correct” technique can’t be the standard for everyone, and why even the same athlete at different times in their career is not the same person. What does this mean for us as coaches and how we teach skills like the tackle? Let's discuss! Key learning points: - How direct perception and anticipation help tacklers pick up specifying information sooner - The role of conscious thought in direct perception - How offenses use misdirection and information overload to divert attention and slow orientation - Affordances aren't picked, they emerge - How task, environmental, and athlete constraints shape tackle behaviour - Goals affect perception, perception affects goals - Beware the law of the instrument - What ecological dynamics means for ootball coaches Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: How do we make decisions in sport? 0:28 Recap: direct perception and tuning into the signal 1:27 The tackler’s goal and anticipation 2:16 Where conscious thought fits in 3:07 How opponents disrupt your read 3:51 From perception to action: affordances 4:41 Environmental constraints 5:01 Task constraints 5:53 Athlete constraints 6:59 How goals change what we perceive 7:23 Why ecological dynamics matters 7:51 Coaching implications: the law of the instrument 9:09 Using constraints to shape technique 9:25 Breadth and depth of training 10:20 What’s wrong with skill development in football 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to this channel and head over to the main YT for the full playlist. If this helped, like the video, switch on notifications for the next instalment, and send it to a coach who’d also benefit. #LearnToTackle #FootballCoaching #TacklingTechnique #EcologicalDynamics #SkillDevelopment #FootballTackling #CoachingFootball #SportsScience #WrestlingForFootball

Every advantage contains a disadvantage IMO. When you're airborne, there's no ability to fight back, so any connection to either or both legs, or even just enough contact to off-balance on the landing is probably the best bet. BUT- when you're straddled in mid air like that, easier said than done for the tackler.

Literally said in @learntotackle video uploaded last night... He's probably going to go left, right or try to go through you. But can't rule out completely that he's gonna try to go over you 🤣

How do we makes reads, figure out the intent of the ball carrier and decide how to respond? In this @learntotackle video we move to the second stage of the OODA loop, orientation, and break down what it means to make sense of an opponent’s intent, and why scouting, cueing, and film study only get you so far. 🔑 Key Learning Points - Orientation: what’s the intent of the opponent, and what do I do about it? - What is there to really infer? We know their options, we know our goals - Six reasons why tackle fail - Conscious thought belongs before and after skills, not during them. - Directing attention can make certain options “scream” rather than “whisper,” but it can’t replace experience. - The learning environments and problems we design for athletes likely matter more than what we say in the moment. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Recap: complexity, the OODA loop, and direct perception 02:47 Stage two of the OODA loop: orientation 03:48 What is there really to infer? 04:43 Six reasons we fail to execute under pressure 07:11 What orientation actually needs from us 08:04 What’s the point of conscious thought? 09:20 How scouting and cues make options “scream” 10:47 What conscious thought can’t make up for: experience 11:38 Coaching takeaway and what’s next 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. ▶️ Follow to get notified when new videos in this series are published, and watch to watch the full course playlist. Know a coach who’d benefit? Send this their way. #TackleFootball #TacklingTechnique #FootballCoaching #LearnToTackle #OODALoop #FootballDefense #SkillAcquisition #CoachingFootball #TackleTraining

Sitting here working on @learntotackle trying to get my head around: The Active Inference Approach to Ecological Perception: General Information Dynamics for Natural and Artificial Embodied Cognition Then it dawned on me, rather than do all this work, I can just take tren, then run at guys with a pad and let them drill me on to a crash mat. BANG!

Where should the tackler look? When? Why?! Are your tackle drills actually teaching them this key aspect of skill? In this video from the free @learntotackle American Football course, we round out our discussion on direct perception, building on the concept of Tau, potential limitations for perception and decision making in sport, and what this means for football coaches. Key learning points - Tau = time to contact = action gaps = something to coordinate our movement to - The picture of optic flow is always moving. - Not all aspects of the optical array are created equally. We need to FOCUS. - Key information isn’t always available, so athletes need a place to rest their gaze. - Scanning matters too- don't focus so hard you miss the gorilla. - Athletes need to focus, scan, rest and switch between those states. - You can’t verbalise gaze and focus into an athlete. - Good drills anchor movement to external information, give clear goals, and show success or failure without needing the coach to say so. - Depth builds the link between information, action gaps and action. - Breadth teaches which cues stay constant across situations. - Stop running the same unopposed drills day in and day out. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and recap of direct perception 00:51 Time to contact, tau and action gaps 01:56 Caveat 1: our vision is always moving 02:16 Caveat 2: not all of the optic array is equal 02:44 Information isn’t always available 03:17 Where a D-lineman rests their gaze 03:49 The gorilla basketball video 04:06 Focus, scan, rest and switch 04:20 What this means for coaching 05:04 Clear goals and feedback in drills 05:33 Depth and breadth in training 06:12 Why repeating the same tackle circuit fails 06:45 Wrap up 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to the YT channel and watch the entire course playlist. If this helped, like the video and share it with another coach. Let me know your feedback, good or bad, in the comments. #LearnToTackle #FootballCoaching #TacklingTechnique #AmericanFootball #FootballDrills #SportsScience #SkillAcquisition #CoachingTips #DefensiveLine

From watching this video, could you tell which guy is WR1 or who has the highest yards after catch on the team? I personally could not. If the answer is no, then by definition the drill isn't distinguishing between the best performers and the worst performers. Which in turn should lead you to conclude that the drill doesn't stress the qualities that actually make a difference in terms of performance. And it doesn't stress the stuff that makes the difference, what purpose does the drill serve? Let me know.... @learntotackle

Unopposed indy drills aren't helping you and endless reps on bags, sleds and donuts won't transfer to problem solving or decision making on game day. Why? We need direct perception of the outside world to orient ourselves and coordinate our actions in response to, specifically Tau or the rate at which time gaps or open or close. Using this invariant, unchanging variable we can accurately anticipate time to contact without need for inference or conscious processing. 🔑 Key Learning Points - Why muscle memory and "drilling the fundamentals" don't make sense in a highly variable, information rich environment. -The limits of the OODA loop and conscious processing in sport. -Direct perception: how invariant information means orientation is contained within perception itself. - What is tau, and how does it relate to action gaps -Why perception and action MUST be trained together -Why representative, game-like sensory information and both septh and breadth in training builds robust tacklers -How action gaps and affordances differ for every athlete, and why “if A, then B” coaching doesn’t reflect reality -Why direct perception isn't unique to sight and why “feel” (balance, pressure and muscular tension) takes over after the initial collision ⏱️ Chapters Intro: Perception and Decision-Making in Tackling Why Muscle Memory and Drilling Fundamentals Fall Short The Problem with the OODA Loop Information Overload and Tackle Variability Direct Perception (J.J. Gibson) What the Optic Array Tells Us Why Time Matters: Introducing Tau Coaching Implications of Tau #1: Train Perception and Action Together #2: Specifying Information and Representative Training #3: Depth and Breadth of Training #4: Action Gaps and Affordances #5: Beyond Sight: Learning to Feel Resources and Wrap-Up 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. ▶️ Subscribe to @learntotackle so you don’t miss the next video in the series. 📚 Recommended: @ShakeyWaits YouTube and his books. If this helped, like the video and share it with another football coach who’d benefit. #LearnToTackle #FootballCoaching #TacklingTechnique #AmericanFootball #DirectPerception #SkillAcquisition #MotorLearning #FootballTraining #TackleTraining #CoachingEducation #WrestlingForFootball

Continuing the @learntotackle series: Coaches throw around buzzwords like timing and coordination in tackle training, but what do they mean? Timing and coordination in relation to what? We can't define these terms until we've linked them to our perception of the outside world. Perception and action are inextricably linked and we can't optimally train for skill by training one without the other. This is one reason why I think bags and sleds are wholly incomplete solutions for tackle training. Today, we continue our critique of the OODA look, examine the relationship between perception and action using real-game examples of missed tackles, and discuss three practical changes you can make to better preserve the relationship between perception and action when you coach the tackle. Key learning points -Timing and coordination only matter relative to an external result, so you need something real to time against - Perception changes the landscape of affordances: narrow focus means fewer movement options - Action changes perception: head position and movement shape the information you take in - Feel matters just as much as sight: pressure and tension give valuable information about our opponent -Why stationary bags and sleds conflict with perception-action coupling - Why tackling often regresses in the off-season - Three vital coaching changes: game-like sensory information, coupled perception-action drills, and training with breadth Chapters 0:00 Welcome and series intro 0:19 Recap: critiquing the OODA loop 1:18 Perception and action are inextricably linked 1:53 How perception changes affordances 2:10 A real-game example: Blake Grupe's ACL injury 3:00 Common missed tackles: feet, QB, blockers 3:19 How action changes perception 3:41 Feeling the ball carrier: pressure and weight distribution 4:49 What good timing and coordination actually look like 6:17 Why sleds and bags conflict with perception-action coupling 7:10 Off-season regression and the FUD problem 7:36 Three changes to how we coach the tackle 8:43 Wrap-up 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to the channel and switch on notifications so you don’t miss a video. #LearnToTackle #TacklingFootball #FootballCoaching #TackleTechnique #FootballTraining #SkillAcquisition #TimingAndCoordination #SportsScience #CoachingFootball #SafeTackling

The OODA loop is a fantastic decision making framework, but it has some inaccuracies, specifically: the brain is not a computer, skills are not like pre-planned programs, and sporting skill is not the conscious, top down phenomenon we think it is. In this @learntotackle video, I'll explain why skill is actually an emergent, self-organized relationship between athlete, task, and environment, and what this means for you and how you coach skills like the tackle. 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. KEY LEARNING POINTS - The brain isn’t a computer. We can’t process all perceptual information, run simulations, and control every degree of freedom in a tackle. - Skills aren’t programs we select and “push play” on. Strategies overlap, scenarios are endless, and we have to cope with novel situations. - Elite decision-making is largely autonomous, not a top-down, conscious process. - Ecological dynamics frames skills as self-organized, emergent patterns that arise from interacting with the environment. -Athletes are pushed toward one affordance over others by the interaction of individual, task, and environmental constraints. -Context and individuality matter. One technique or system can’t fit every athlete, position, and situation. - Practical approach: build breadth of movement options, nudge athletes toward better options with carefully designed scenarios, then use repetition and depth to refine timing, coordination, and adaptability. Let the environment provide the feedback. CHAPTERS 0:00 Recap: the OODA loop and tackling 1:23 Why the OODA loop has problems 1:34 Problem 1: The brain is not a computer 2:07 Problem 2: Skills aren’t computer programs 2:43 Problem 3: Skill isn’t a top-down conscious process 3:12 Ecological dynamics: a better lens 3:45 What “self-organized” means 4:41 Affordances and constraints 5:04 Example: how a cornerback decides how to tackle 6:49 Why context and individuality matter 7:47 What this means for coaching tackling 8:25 Wrap-up and what’s next ▶️ Subscribe and switch on notifications so you don’t miss the next video in the series. Head over to the @learntotackle YT for the full course playlist. #LearnToTackle #TacklingTechnique #FootballCoaching #CoachingFootball #AmericanFootball #SkillAcquisition #EcologicalDynamics #OODALoop #TackleTraining #FootballTraining #DefensiveCoaching #SportsCoaching

Latest instalment of @learntotackle for American football. Great tackling in football isn’t just about size, speed and strength. The best tacklers are those who best exploit these attributes while making fast, high quality decisions under pressure. Great athletes are great problem solvers. In this video, I break down the OODA loop, the decision-making model developed by Colonel John Boyd of the US Air Force, and show how it applies to tackling in American football. You’ll see how observation, orientation, decision, and action play out in every tackle, and more importantly, what this means for how we coach sporting skill. Key learning points: - Tackling is a complex problem with no single “right” technique, only better or worse solutions in context - The OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) and why whoever closes their loop first wins - Observation- take in the environment, pay attention to what matters - Orientation- analyse the intent of the opponent, synthesise your response - Decide- select the best action to achieve your goal - Act! - Implications of the OODA loop for training and coaching Chapters: Intro Recap: tackling as a movement-based solution Why tackling is a complex problem The best tacklers are the best decision-makers Introducing the OODA loop Colonel John Boyd and the origin of the model The four phases: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act Orientation: inferring the ball carrier’s intent Decision: choosing and modifying the response Action: carrying out the tackle Five coaching implications of the OODA loop Experience: the one word linking it all Final thoughts 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next video in the series. #TackleTraining #FootballCoaching #LearnToTackle #OODALoop #TacklingTechnique #FootballCoach #DecisionMaking #AmericanFootball #WrestlingForFootball #SportsCoaching