Situational Defense: Preparing Your Defense for All Game Situations

with Drew Sanders,
Vandegrift (TX) High School Head Coach;
Texas 6A Div. II Regional Semi-Finalists, 12-1 final record (2018); Undefeated District 13-6A Champions;
#1 Ranked Defense in 13-6A; Most interceptions in school history (12)

Your team may have mastered the fundamentals of the game - but are they prepared for the situations that rarely happen in games that can make or break an entire season? Those situations are what Vandegrift High School's Drew Sanders covers in this informative video. You'll learn how to prepare your team to focus on the details so they are ready for any scenario they encounter on the football field.

August Install

Coach Sanders explains the importance of situational awareness in football, as well as why it's important to teach and practice these situations with your team. You will get Sanders' August install for situations that must be taught, but typically don't need to be practiced on a weekly basis. He presents several of these situations using game footage to illustrate coaching points. A few of the scenarios include:

• How to celebrate big plays and be enthusiastic
• How to avoid costly offside penalties in crucial situations
• Special teams situations that rarely happen
• How to avoid getting flagged for red zone substitutions

Situations to Cover Weekly

Sanders continues by covering several situations that must be practiced on a weekly basis, including QB sneak defense, victory defense, 'Hail Mary' defense, "Sticks" defense, and many more. Also, Sanders diagrams adjustments to motion from "nub" sets that must be practiced to avoid having two players cover the same person. These situations require more practice than the August install, but may only come up a few times per year. However, it's very important to practice these situations with your team so they can attack them with confidence during games.

This video from Coach Sanders covers a topic that doesn't get enough attention at coaching clinics, and in football practices in general. Having your team prepared for special situations will ensure that when something unusual happens, your players will know how to respond!

70 minutes. 2019.