Air Raid Offense: Sizzling Stick Concepts

with Matt Joshi,
St. James Academy (KS), Offensive Coordinator;
2020 & 2021 Kansas 4A State High School Football Champions

When St. James Academy head coach, Tom Radke and offensive coordinator, Matt Joshi conducted an extensive study of football offenses that hit all their prerequisite checkmarks for an offensive system that would fit in with their program’s philosophy of playing ‘Physical, Fast, Fearless Football’ and help them reach their goal of winning a state championship, they landed on the Air Raid Offense as their system of choice.

As they installed and implemented the Air Raid Offense, Coach Joshi began to see the enormous dynamic-potential of the system especially when paired with the type of student athlete players they’d have over the next few years. The offensive coordinator quickly realized that Stick Concepts within the Air Raid would play a critical role in fulfilling the goals they set for their offense.

In this must-view instructional football coaching video, Joshi breaks down Stick Concepts as a key component within the Air Raid and how coaches can use them successfully within their offensive attack.

Why Stick Concepts?
Beginning with an overview summary of St. James Academy’s football program philosophy and how the Air Raid specifically helps them to achieve all their offensive goals, Coach Joshi dives deep into the details on WHY Stick Concepts serve as a key component for attaining an attacking, unpredictable offense.

Joshi highlights several eye-popping game and season stats earned from utilizing Stick as a weapon in the Air Raid Offense followed with detailed diagram breakdown that showcase why Stick Concepts play such a critical role in keeping defenses off-balance and guessing.

Stick Vs Man and Zone Coverage
Drilling down deeper into Stick Concepts, Coach Joshi utilizes game film footage with diagrams and coaching points to highlight how to best use Stick tactics versus Man Coverage.

Backed with more in-game footage, Joshi dives deep into an explanation of why Stick Concepts are equally as effective versus zone coverage and also provides valuable information on how this strategy serves as a tool for teaching your quarterbacks how to read a variety of zone coverages.

Coach Joshi provides critical details on utilizing Stick Concepts as an ideal means for getting your running backs involved in the passing game, and sheds light on why defenses often lose track of backs while in pass coverage showing how this can lead to big plays and explosive offensive gains.

Using more game-footage examples, diagrams and coaching points, Joshi provides examples of additional Stick variations you can use based on game situation, personnel and an explanation of why this tactic works against a wide variety of defensive strategies.

This is a must-watch offensive coaching video, not only for users of Air Raid Offense, but also provides excellent food-for-thought information on incorporating Stick Concepts into any type of offensive system.

57 minutes. 2025.