Amos
Alonzo Stagg used a megaphone to convey instructions to players
during practices in the early days of the game. Countless coaches
have barked orders into bullhorns so they’d be heard by players 20,
30 or 40 yards away on the practice field.
Many
coaches, however, still rely on yelling, which can be an ineffective
way to teach or motivate individual players. Tony Dungy and Lovie
Smith have each demonstrated that a calmer, more educational approach
to coaching can motivate players and lead to success on the field.
Yelling can also be dangerous, according to Head Coach Harry Welch of
California State Champions Canyon HS. “I’ve had two procedures on
my vocal chords and would say that my voice is at risk,” said
Welch.
As
long as football has been played, coaches have struggled to find the
ideal way to communicate with players on the field during practices.
With players spread out over the field, getting and holding their
attention can be a real challenge. Even more frustrating can be the
inability to communicate one-on-one with individual players;
providing specific information and tips to a position player without
disrupting the rest of the team.
Mark
Reeve, Head Coach at Cuero (TX) High School, a 2007 inductee into the
Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor, has found a better way to
instruct his players on the practice field. He uses Telcommand; the
coach-to-player communication system that allows coaches to instruct
individual players on the field anywhere, anytime. “Coaching is
teaching, and Telcommand has allowed us to extend our teaching time
into areas that we had not been able to before,” said Reeve.
“Coaching is teaching, and Telcommand has allowed us to extend our teaching time into areas that we had not been able to before.”
- Mark Reeve, Head Coach, Cuero (TX) High School
Telcommand
makes practices more efficient and effective through better
communication. There are two basic components: the Coach’s Unit,
which is a headset transmitter and the Player’s Unit, which is a
receiver placed in a sleeve that’s worn on the players arm. With a
press of a button or with voice activation, a coach can communicate
directly to an individual player on the field; giving instructions in
a normal speaking voice rather than yelling from the sidelines. The
applications are almost endless – with up to 14 channels and a
range of 200 yards, every position coach can be communicating and
teaching their players, both starters and backups, before and after
every snap of the ball.
Coach
Reeve, who has a career record of 156-31-4, has seen the benefits of
Telcommand first-hand. “Telcommand has allowed our offensive line
coach to have voice communication with his linemen and not disrupt
the flow of practice,” said Reeve. “He can talk to them about
splits, calls and watching guys coming off the edge and remind them
what to look out for in certain checks in the offense.” The results
have been impressive for Cuero, which went 12-1 last season. “It
has helped us to develop some young offensive linemen this year that
might not have been able to play if we would not have had the system
or would have caused us to slow down practice to catch them up,”
recalled Reeve. “We had a 6’4” 290 lb. sophomore and getting
the extra coaching every play helped him to become a starter in the
first game of the year. We thought he wouldn’t play until the 6th
or 7th game. He ended up unanimous 1st Team All- District for us and
it was all because of the Telcommand system.
Telcommand
is being used in 24 states and three countries at institutions that
include Notre Dame, Ohio State and Rice in sports as diverse as
lacrosse, soccer, skiing and equestrian. But it’s football that has
always had the best application for the unique capabilities of the
Telcommand system, according to Rick Meyer, President of RPM Sports,
the company behind Telcommand. “The unique demands of football
coaching, with so many different position players spread out over a
large distance, with players requiring specific coaching instructions
from different coaches – this is the situation where Telcommand
provides the most
benefit,” said Meyer. “We’re finding out, from conversations
with football coaches that are using the system, that position
coaches are discovering their own unique applications for
communicating with their players and that Telcommand is delivering
results on many levels.”
Meyer
has designed Telcommand to offer flexibility to football programs.
“One coach can work with a position group no matter how large that
group is. With 14 channels it gives you the flexibility to break out
into each position. The assistant coaches could actually be outfitted
with receivers and on a separate channel on which the head coach
could communicate directions and instructions to them as he observes
the overall practice. Two coaches could work together with one group.
The advantages and quality improvements that could result from the
implementation and use of Telcommand in football practices are
endless.”
At
Cuero, Mark Reeve puts this flexibility into practice. “We have 3
sets of phones. When we are on offense, our OL coach has a set with
the OL, our QB coach has a set with the QB’s and our receivers
coach has a set with the receivers. When we are on defense, the LB
coach has a set, the secondary coach has a set, and those two sets
are 5 and 4 instead of 3 groups of 3. We have found that in the
offensive line we only need one on the left side and one on the
right, as the others can hear fine,” Reeve told AFM.
“With the QB, it gives me a chance to talk to him just before the
snap, after the play is over, and lets him be more of a leader in the
huddle because I don’t have to be standing on the field with him.”
Jim
Haskins, Defensive Coordinator and D-backs Coach at Olentangy (OH)
High School, has used Telcommand for the last two seasons and is a
devoted supporter. “I believe this product helps us across the
board; offense, defense and special teams,” said Haskins. “It
helps with the confidence of our players when they can be corrected
in a calm voice and not by a loud voice from clear across the field.
But what I like best is the second team can watch and hear
corrections while on the sideline. It keeps them into practice and
reduces my time spent on correcting the same mistake the starter
made.”
Haskins
summed up perhaps the two most important assets of Telcommand for a
coach. “I coach defensive backs and we are spread out all over the
field. Now I don't have to wait for everybody to get back into the
huddle to coordinate coverages. I also like to put them on sideline
personnel so they can hear what I am saying to the players on the
field, especially when we put in something new.” He added, “I
don't have to yell across the field and the second string can hear
adjustments and corrections.”
“If you continue to do things the way you always have, you can expect the same results”
- Rick Meyer, President, RPM Sports
Besides
the obvious advantages that Telcommand provides to coaches in terms
of communication, both Haskins and Reeve see intangibles that make
the system an even greater asset to their programs. “There are
endless uses for this product,” said Haskins. “I would like to
use it during our mini camp where the coaches can wear the receiver
and the camp coordinator can wear the transmitter to keep everybody
on schedule and up to date on schedule adjustments.” Reeve saw the
powerful impact that Telcommand has on players. “We noticed that
our kids felt special when we put the devices on them, even our back
ups. They appreciated the extra coaching. The kids really responded
well.”
In
an age where technology changed the way that coaches coach,
Telcommand is an innovation that simply but effectively enhances the
most basic coaching responsibility; one-on-one communication between
coach and player for the betterment of the team.
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