Sports at Lunch with Raiders-Chargers Rivalry
2006 Youth Football Coaching Clinic Series
- Champions Sports Academy
- 2006 Youth Football Coaching Clinic Series
- Presented by the San Diego Hall of Champions
- Sign up for the July 15th clinic online!
- 06-03-2006
- By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions
One reason often sited for San Diego’s history as a high school football hotbed for college recruiters is the year-round climate for playing sports outdoors.
But another reason was evident Saturday at Chargers Park when 350 youth football coaches from San Diego turned out for the third annual Youth Football Coaching Education Clinics. The June 3 clinic was the third in the series of four and is annually the most popular because it is hosted at the Chargers’ practice facility.
The clinics are directed by former NFL coach Tom Bass and organized by Hall of Champions Marketing Coordinator Angela LaChica through the Hall’s Champions Sports Academy.
The fourth and final clinic is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 15 at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park. The clinics are designed specifically for youth coaches and qualify the youth coaches for their required education hours.
Chargers offensive tackle Roman Oben, who’s entering his 11th NFL season and third with the Chargers and has a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the 2002 season, was a keynote speaker along with former Chargers running back Terrell Fletcher.
”My first coach I had in high school is still the coach I talk to after every game on Sundays,” Oben said. “Coaches have to have a lot of patience. You’re responsible for these kids. You have a great impact on these kids and you can’t put a price tag on that. I commend you for your work.”
Fletcher spoke about low high school graduation rates and the influence a coach can have on athletes at a young age.
"You've got a great chanc to stick a stamp on them in life," Fletcher said. "You can coach them both on and off the field. You can teach them skills that make the deepest impact to make them great people, not just great athletes."
Bass, a former NFL defensive coordinator with the Chargers, Bucs and Bengals and defensive coordinator under Don Coryell at San Diego State, spoke about coaching philosophy.
”One of the things you have to ask yourself is why you’re in coaching,” Bass told the youth coaches. “At this level some kids will understand things quicker than others and some will have more fear than others. You have to be patient with some kids. If you’re not willing to do that then you shouldn’t be coaching.”
New San Diego State coach Chuck Long spoke about making the game fun for kids in this age of video games.
“One thing missing in football is pickup games,” Long said. “It’s sad thing in our society you don’t see pickup games. I go through my neighborhood and I don’t see pickup games. They’re playing video games.”
Long said value of pickup games is they develop instincts.
“I believe the pickup game is the way to get better,” he said. “It’s the best way to get better. “We try to implement the pickup element in our camps and in our practices. We’re organized and teach discipline, but within those drills we try to make it fun with some razzle-dazzle. You learn who you’re athletes are that way.”
San Diego State secondary coach Thom Kaumeyer, a local product from San Dieguito High and Palomar College who played safety at Oregon and in the NFL, spoke about turnover drills and techniques. One is the scoop and score drill, teaching players to scoop up a loose ball instead of bending to pick up the ball. He also explained emphasizing to players falling on the ball if they don’t get a handle on the ball during the scoop.
Former Chargers offensive lineman Dennis McKnight, a former special teams coach at Hawaii, spoke about emphasizing special teams in practice.
”Special teams are like the redheaded stepchild,” McKnight said. “You’ve got to feed it and you’ve got to spend put a roof over its head, but coaches don’t like to spend a lot of time on it. You make a commitment at this level to special teams and it will result in wins.”
Jim Brogan, a motivational speaker who played for the San Diego Clippers and also is a basketball analyst for San Diego State and USD games, spoke to the youth coaches about how to communicate with athletes to aid instructing them.
The clinic finished with the youth coaches learning on-the-field football skills from Chargers’ coaches and San Diego high school coaches on the Chargers’ practice field.
The fourth and final Coaching Clinic is July 15 at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park. Please Sign up online or call Angela at (619) 699-2333 to sign up for the clinic. The cost is $25.
For questions about the content of the clinics please call Coach Bass’ office at 760-720-6220 or e-mail Coach@CoachBass.com.
