Coaching the Single Wing

[Deputy Nutz]

Well I am back in the coaching ranks of high school coaching. The ten year suspension was a little much but finally the "Nutter Butter" is Back!

I am coaching the offensive line and our school runs the Single Wing offense. I sort of understand the blocking schemes, but our coach wants to start incorporating some zone principals. I coached and played in a zone scheme, but there are so many ways of coaching it sometimes my head can't take it all.

So is anyone here an expert in the Single Wing, or running zone schemes in general? Youtube has been a life saver as there are many videos from coaches and cut ups of teams running the formations.

[pbmax]

I got nothing. Never saw the single wing, and we did not run zone in high school. It was the 70s/80s. Everyone was trapping because of the Steelers.

But I hope you have a great year. You should enter the locker room for the first meeting with the kids with The A-Team title sequence and song playing.

[Cheesehead Craig]

I'm more of a 6-12 wing guy. Single wing seems pretty pointless for an appetizer.

[RashanGary]

Congrats bruh!

Why suspended? Something sexual I bet lol

[Rastak]

Congrats bruh!

Why suspended? Something sexual I bet lol

Nah, that carries a lifetime ban....10 years is probably littering.

[pbmax]

He sexed Mutombo.

[Carolina_Packer]

Well I am back in the coaching ranks of high school coaching. The ten year suspension was a little much but finally the "Nutter Butter" is Back!

I am coaching the offensive line and our school runs the Single Wing offense. I sort of understand the blocking schemes, but our coach wants to start incorporating some zone principals. I coached and played in a zone scheme, but there are so many ways of coaching it sometimes my head can't take it all.

So is anyone here an expert in the Single Wing, or running zone schemes in general? Youtube has been a life saver as there are many videos from coaches and cut ups of teams running the formations.

Good luck, DN. I didn't realize that Pop Warner developed the offense and had Jim Thorpe as his tailback. Nice! Here is an interesting, hopefully helpful, web site that I found with addtional links to resources for running the single-wing. http://www.footballbabble.com/football/offense/plays/single-wing/

[Fritz]

After your RB gets tackled for a loss and some clown in the stands yells "fire the goddamn o-line coach," you'll know he's from Packerrats.

[mraynrand]

wing nutz

[mraynrand]

After your RB gets tackled for a loss and some clown in the stands yells "fire the goddamn o-line coach," you'll know he's from Packerrats.

I see you already have plans for at least one Friday night in the fall.

[Deputy Nutz]

Self imposed suspension.

Fritz, I will come into the stands, I shit you not.

[KYPack]

Sounds real fun, Nutz.

My big experience with the single wing was playing against it many, many moons ago. My HS team traveled to far off Marinette to play Marinette Menominee. it was like a field trip, the parents packed us sandwiches in a box lunch for the trip that took hours to travel. When we hit the field, we were shocked at how small the opposing team was. But those lil bastards gave us a run for our money. On the first series, they ran the single wing. Nobody, least of all our coaches, knew what the hell was going on. They gave us all kinds of bad plays until we began to muscle 'em. Once we started getting stops, they switched to the Notre Dame box offense and further boggled our minds.

The Marinette coach was an old guy named Marty Crowe who had allegedly written a book or pamphlet on Single Wing offense that was a bible on the subject. See if you can google something from him. The guy was a real mad scientist on the sideline, I'll tell ya.

Good luck to you and your guys.

[Fritz]

I see you already have plans for at least one Friday night in the fall.


I got my lesson in piss-poor parenting when I was coaching freshman basketball way back in the day in Maryland.

I was just a kid, fresh out of college, teaching and coaching a bunch of ninth grade boys, and one of the dads was a real ass-wipe. Always telling me after the game what I'd done wrong, what I should be doing, who should be playing, and then, during the games, bitching at the refs. Loud. His kid, naturally, was mortally embarrassed.

One game, big arch-rival, his kid gets called for an offensive charge (it was). The dad flipped his lid, screaming at the ref, went onto the damn court, screaming in the ref's face, screaming at me for not screaming, and eventually getting himself tossed and the team a technical. And yes, the other team's kid converted the free throws, they scored on the following possession, and we lost by three.

The varsity coach later had a sit-down with dad, who magically shut up. Then the varsity coach had a sit down with me, and ripped me up one side and down the other. Told me that I needed to control not just the kids but the parents' behavior at games, or I'd end up getting run out of town, if not by them, then by him.

I learned a big lesson there, and was a much better coach for it afterward.

Maybe I ought to have gone up into the stands that day.

[mraynrand]

^^^^ I've had that experience, more than once. I had to tell some pipsqueak Dad yelling about a blown call at second base to shut the hell up. Also had to shut up a guy in the stands. These were both little league games with 5/6 graders and one rec league, high school ump covering the entire field, calling balls and strikes from behind the pitcher. I told one guy that I kinda hoped he would take a poke at me 'cuz I was really itching to lay him out. He shut up.

[Deputy Nutz]

The worst part of youth sports, are the parents.

I am a pretty intimidating person. I haven't had much issues with parents, because of this. I have an open door policy for players, and parents can contact me anytime after 24 hours of the last game. I simply will not stand for parents coaching behind the plate, or from the bleachers. I have asked nicely and then threatened to have them removed. My discussion with them begins with, "Are your actions the best thing for your child right now?"

If it comes down to two players of equal ability when tryouts happen, if you are an asshole parent you just sealed your kid's fate.

[Deputy Nutz]

I have seen some nice footage of the single wing. I like the blocking scheme. Down block on playside and kick out with blocking back, wing back, half back, and a pulling linemen.

[pbmax]

I should just go find a video, but doesn't single wing allow direct snaps to others beside the QB?

What were the Packers running in the 30s with Arnie Herber?

[KYPack]

I should just go find a video, but doesn't single wing allow direct snaps to others beside the QB?

What were the Packers running in the 30s with Arnie Herber?

Sure.

Snaps to different backs is a big part of the offense. Some really crazy SW plays include multiple handoffs to a back who would then pass.

In the 30's until the late 40's, the Pack ran principally the Notre Dame Box. The also ran the Single Wing with various tailbacks doing the passing.

That's the "paradox of Lambeau". He was a early advocate of the passing game, yet he stuck with an offense more geared to the running game (for far too long in most observers eyes).

[Freak Out]

So you are running a wildcat offense then?

[wootah]

The worst part of youth sports, are the parents.

QFT. At the beginning of each season our club hands out a policy for the (grand-)parents on the sidelines: no coaching, only positive cheering and if the general behaviour is not acceptable, you get 1 warning before you're out. If you fail to respect that, your kid is out as well. It has never come to that last step, fortunately. The players themselves know why certain coaching decisions are made and they understand it. The problem lies with the parents, their unrealistic expectations and their inability to see the big picture.

I must say that the last couple of years I've encountered some opposing coaches whose behaviour was worse than that of even the most stupid fans. I hope this is not a trend here to stay. Insulting their own players, ridiculing them & calling them names. That pisses me off like mad and I can't understand why a parent would allow such a thing. The problem with soccer is that you're standing about 3 feet away from the opposing coach, so you cannot simply ignore it. Where I draw the line is when it comes to my own players; if an opposing coach says sth derogatory about them, I'll (verbally) make it very clear that it's not appreciated. I'm usually a very calm person, but when someone has gone too far, as eloquently as I possibly can I'll put them on the spot. In the end, a "I suggest you coach your team and I coach mine since it's clear both of us have our work cut out there" usually ends those kind of discussions.

Any of you guys ever involved in an argument with an opposing coach? How did you handle it?

[woodbuck27]

QFT. At the beginning of each season our club hands out a policy for the (grand-)parents on the sidelines: no coaching, only positive cheering and if the general behaviour is not acceptable, you get 1 warning before you're out. If you fail to respect that, your kid is out as well. It has never come to that last step, fortunately. The players themselves know why certain coaching decisions are made and they understand it. The problem lies with the parents, their unrealistic expectations and their inability to see the big picture.

I must say that the last couple of years I've encountered some opposing coaches whose behaviour was worse than that of even the most stupid fans. I hope this is not a trend here to stay. Insulting their own players, ridiculing them & calling them names. That pisses me off like mad and I can't understand why a parent would allow such a thing. The problem with soccer is that you're standing about 3 feet away from the opposing coach, so you cannot simply ignore it. Where I draw the line is when it comes to my own players; if an opposing coach says sth derogatory about them, I'll (verbally) make it very clear that it's not appreciated. I'm usually a very calm person, but when someone has gone too far, as eloquently as I possibly can I'll put them on the spot. In the end, a "I suggest you coach your team and I coach mine since it's clear both of us have our work cut out there" usually ends those kind of discussions.

Any of you guys ever involved in an argument with an opposing coach? How did you handle it?


" Any of you guys ever involved in an argument with an opposing coach? How did you handle it? " wootah

In my coaching experience ....laughter usually works. :-)

[Deputy Nutz]

I get into arguments all the time with other coaches, even in middle school girls' rec basketball. They act like dip shits, and I call them out on it.

[Deputy Nutz]

So you are running a wildcat offense then?

I wouldn't call it the wildcat. It is the single wing. We don't run much veer read stuff. We have direct snaps to both tailback and Quarterback. Both backs are expected to block.

[wootah]

I get into arguments all the time with other coaches, even in middle school girls' rec basketball. They act like dip shits, and I call them out on it.

I get that and it seems great fun, but it doesn't fit the 'no distractions, focus on what you can control' mantra that I try to convey to my players.

From my experience a coach that doesn't control his emotions creates players that do not control theirs.

[Fritz]

I wouldn't call it the wildcat. It is the single wing. We don't run much veer read stuff. We have direct snaps to both tailback and Quarterback. Both backs are expected to block.

I think the great Oklahoma teams ran the single wing back in the early 70's, no?

[CaptainD]

I wouldn't call it the wildcat. It is the single wing. We don't run much veer read stuff. We have direct snaps to both tailback and Quarterback. Both backs are expected to block. Here is a good coaching article on what you're talking about https://www.xandolabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2077:create-angles-with-an-unbalanced-line1&catid=94&Itemid=162

[Carolina_Packer]

I think the great Oklahoma teams ran the single wing back in the early 70's, no?

They ran the Wishbone, which is a popular T formation. The story goes that Chuck Fairbanks had been at Oklahoma for a few seasons when his assistant, Barry Switzer, urged him to install the Wishbone, and a short time, they perfected it and the rest is history. Like Nutz's team running single wing, I think many high schools still run wishbone which is heavy on the run.

[Carolina_Packer]

Well I am back in the coaching ranks of high school coaching. The ten year suspension was a little much but finally the "Nutter Butter" is Back!

I am coaching the offensive line and our school runs the Single Wing offense. I sort of understand the blocking schemes, but our coach wants to start incorporating some zone principals. I coached and played in a zone scheme, but there are so many ways of coaching it sometimes my head can't take it all.

So is anyone here an expert in the Single Wing, or running zone schemes in general? Youtube has been a life saver as there are many videos from coaches and cut ups of teams running the formations.

Did you find this site when you were looking around? http://www.2000footballplaybooks.com/offense/1/single-wing/14/ It looks useful, anyway.