- More Solutions to Problem #12

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32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You'll Face this Season

Problem 12: Communication issues between the press box coaches and the sideline coaches...how do you improve this issue?

As an offensive staff, which includes our head coach as an offensive position coach, we spend a lot of time in the off-season talking and meeting to fine tune our offensive scheme. During the season we have written game plans that allow us all to get on the same page and work on a platooned daily practice schedule. During game night we have our headphones and we all carry our cell phones just in case the headphones go down.

Keith Wheeler, Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach
Holbrook Roadrunners (AZ)

This solution to the problem is an easy one. When your staff planning meeting takes place, thrrough the game plan for offense and defense, all coaches have specific assignments. We would ensure all details of the game plan while both coordinators would direct any issues regarding it. If any issues occur during the week, each coach would work out the problem with the Head Coach in attendance. We would have a staff walk through to make sure we were all on the same page which would allow any adjustments in the game plan both offensively and defensively with the final approval of the Head Coach. Communication is essential from the press box coaches as the “eye in the sky" has an advantage seeing certain situations which will be relayed to the coaches on the sideline.

Ron Price, Assistant Coach
Santa Rosa High School (CA)

Our coaches go into the box with the game plan and diagrams of what we expect to see vs. our formations. Their first job is to spot any changes our opponent has made. We are going to script the formations we are going to use in the first couple of series to make sure we catch all possible adjustments we may see. The guys in the box need to know what info you want before they go up there.

Randy Pinkowski, Head Football Coach
C.B. Aycock H.S. (NC)

In no uncertain terms coaches need to be specific on the head phones about game play calls or situations. Don't ramble on about what just happened. The play is over. Play the next play. This needs to be understood ahead of time in your coaching preparation. Coach your coaches.

Sam Harp, Head Football Coach
Danville High School (KY)

I believe that great communication between sideline coaches and press box coaches BEFORE the game is very important. Set up a game plan for game day communication such as what to look for on offense, defense, and special teams. Coaches that are prepared and on the same page will be able to communicate properly on game night if each other knows wht to expect out of one another.

Jared Van Acker, Head Varsity Football Coach
Galax High School (VA)

No one talks on the head set but the head coach and the coordinators. Everyone else listens unless askded to talk.

Bob DeLong, Offensive coordinator
Xenia High School (OH)

One headset goes from the press box play caller to the field coach relaying the play. There should be the line coach, the head coach, the substituter, and a second press box coach on one channel. The primary play calling goes from the press box to the relay coach. The second press box coach is hooked up on another channel with the line coach plus the head coach being able to listen and talk to them. There must be fail-safe procedures to assure mistakes are not made. Back-up personnel can be used to insure plays are called correctly, personnel changes are made as called, and the play clock is watched. Players going into and coming out of the game must check with one another. The substituter should always count. If you are going to spend so much time organizing, planning, practicing and playing the game of football, pay attention to details.

Larry Payne, Assistant Coach (retired)
North Bend H.S. (OR)

Is it a technical problem? Then I just move the coaches down on the field. If it is something else, then there is a chain of command. I feel every coach has a right to speak his mind but it ultimatly comes down to the coach in charge.

Zak Bessac, Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Warner Park, Madison (WI)

First, and foremost be certain that the sideline communication system you are using is in good working order by pre-testing during the week AND Immediately prior to the game. Second, have the personnel in the box and on the field matched with their position groups/assignments. Defensive staff is talking to Defensive staff, etc. Third, the sideline and press box MUST have contributed to the game plan during the week.

They participated in comprising the plan, and now are actively engaged in implementing it. In addition, they have visited prior about necessary adjustments, corrections, etc. Thier pre-game and half-time direct communication is absolutely essential to implementation. As a head coach you must match up your staff properly and expect and demand their proper preparation.

Ron Stolski, Head Football Coach
Brainerd High School (MN)

We have gone to an upstairs chart for offense and defense to allow the coaches there to anticipate what we need to know. We have two men upstairs and they have specific notes to watch. For example, backside corner when we run play action, point of attack blocking on zone, etc. However, I as the head coach must be constantly monitoring how much advance information we give the upstairs coaches during the game. They can't watch what they need to see and then communicate it clearly if they don't know in advance what to watch for. Finally, we use a Wednesday period again early in the season putting upstairs coaches in the box on the game field and duplicating situations where we must see what happens. Then we get that information relayed. This means even taking players off and to a white board to draw while the game continues. Because of our size school and limited players, we can't do this last part much or with an entire offensive line for example (one or two may start both ways). But we can hopefully teach the others to talk to the sideline coach and he communicates upstairs and then to me. We have to practice this and the paperwork again has made it easier.

Steve Hopkins, Head Football Coach
Basehor-Linwood H.S. (KS)

Spell out what you need and expect from the box and the sideline. I think that nothing helps this more than working together and knowing each other. Staff cohesion will help this issue out greatly. Getting a feel for each other is the most important fact but this must be supported by setting and maintaining clear expectations on what should be communicated.

Joe Pearson, Head Coach
Solanco High School (PA)

Clear cut understanding of who talks to who and what needs to be concentrated on.

Gerald Aubrey, Asst. Coach

We have a checklist for coaches in the press box they must go through during the first half. We limit the number of coaches with headsets so communication is clear between coordinators and head coach.

Harry G Bellucci, Head Football Coach
Hartford Public High School (CN)

The Head Coach needs to be the final decision-maker. He has to be the one to cut through all of the issues and decide what needs to be done. If he has a problem with the communication, then he must be the one to sit everyone down to discuss and come up with a solution. The key is that everyone understand and appreciate the perspective and the duties of each of their counterpart coaches.

R. Scott Thompson, Head Football Coach
Montgomery Lonsdale JHS (AL)

In the off-season and during the week, it should be decided which coaches have specific responsibilities as to what needs to be watched, decided and communicated and in what manner. Make sure that your communication organization is such that the people who need to comunicate are in the loop. In addition, those who don’t need to communicate with one another shouldn’t. Too many suggestions leads to paralysis by analysis.

Allan Amrein, Head Coach
Kennedy Middle School, Hays (KS)

We are not convinced that communication between press box and sidelines is all that valuable. If you have one of your position coaches in the press box on the phones and all week he has been successfully coaching his position players those kids come out of the game to communicate with their position coach who is in the press box. This does not work. If I may, the player has lost his crutch. In most high school situations the staff does not have the luxury of more than one coach per position.

Jerry Parrish, Retired Head Coach
North Kitsap High School (WA)

I try talking to them together and individually. Some times it is necessary to change who talks or who talks to whom. Egos run big and ugly sometimes. You can't let it take away from the job. You can't let the kids suffer for the pig-headed coaches. If the box is not giving you enough information or worse, the wrong information, you have a big problem. Try to train them. Watch film with them. Show them what you want. If that doesn't work look for guys who can help you.

Thomas Taylor, Teacher/Football Coach
Weir High School (WV)

We haven't had this problem--practice and organization should do the trick though.

Barton W. Miller, Offensive Coordinator
Trinity High School, Camp Hill (PA)

We don't seem to ever get rid of this one. The best we can do is try to have a second headset on someone who is listening to the whole conversation and get together at half time and talk about it.

Louis Farrar, Head Coach
Charter Oak High School (CA)

If this situation occurs then you should be able to call the game from the field regardless of the communication in the press box. You should be so comfortable with the offense that you know exactly what to look for in determining what play to run next. If you look at your play recipe and identify what the defense has to do for you to call each play, you will be more likely to experience success in this situation.

Andrew Cotter, Head Football Coach
Moreau Catholic High School (CA)

WE are a small school so our phone system has never been elaborate. We usually put two coaches in the box with one set of headsets for offense and the other for defense. If we have a special teams question or suggestion we get help from up top. On game day we break up into an offensive and defensive staff and have precise responsibilities. We always want to know down and distance, hash, and then offensive or defensive suggestions. We try to stay a play ahead if possible. The coordinators call the plays or signals and I can overrule if I feel it necessary.

Ed Sadloch, Head Football Coach
Cedar Grove High School (NJ)

Identify the problem, discuss it, develop a solution. Define roles specifically. Use charts, game plan forms, etc.

Thomas A. McDaniels, Head Football Coach
Massillon Jackson H.S. (OH)

You must practice it during the preseason and everybody on the phones must know their roles and what they are looking for as the game unfolds. During our early self scrimmages we break out the phones and do all of our coaching from the sidelines and our corrections from there including calling time-outs and how we want them handled. Also,who talks to what group, how many coaches are included in this? Do we separate into smaller groups during times? This all has the be worked on before a game. The other thing if you have coaches new to the staff make sure everybody is speaking with the same terms. Coaches seem to forget that we need to go over the basics every year as well.

Danny Gouin, Head Football Coach
King

In our league we are not allowed to use spotters or headsets, so we do not deal with these sorts of issues. When I have coached teams where we have used this sort of communication, once again, it was something that we practiced (in practice, scrimmages, etc). We would come up with a list of things for the press box coach to look for from our opponent's O/D/ST and when we had more than one press box coach we would also come up with a list of things to look for from our team as well.

John R. Mackay, Director of Athletics/HFC
St. George's School (RI)

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