Think Football: Roundtable with the Skills Position Coaches

This Think Football summer is designed to give athletes an unprecedented opportunity to focus on their athletic development and off season training. Our position clinics provide athletes the chance to work closely with position coaches on the fundamentals of playing their position and technique development to improve their play. We focused on the lineman position with our OLine/DLine coaches to help athletes gear up for the Challenge Clinic, so now it is time for our Skill Position coaches to offer a few thoughts about attending their Skills Camp on May 22-24!

What do skill players need to focus on? Running routes, breaks, cutting, and tackling are just a few of the skills that are required to perform at a high level on the football field. As with any sport, athletes have success by repeating movements and techniques to train their body and mind to correctly perform fundamental skills at a high level. The Skills Clinic is a great opportunity to maximize reps and work on the "little things" that will improve your game. Football movements are unique, so we have to put ourselves in these positions in the off season to keep our skills sharp!

Josh Siegfried and Blake Wilson are two of our coaches who will be working to assist athletes at the Skills Clinic. Josh has an extensive background coaching and playing, and he will be working the defensive side of the ball to teach athletes the essentials of defensive skill positions. Blake Wilson had a very successful career at Southwest Minnesota State at wide receiver, and he is continuing his career playing with the Sioux Falls Storm and coaching with RPF. Blake's career has continued because of his work ethic and his ability to work on the "little things" required to play receiver. Blake does an excellent job setting up routes, blocking, understanding the defense and thinking like a quarterback. Both of these coaches are excited to work on skill development at their clinic!

Blake Wilson

What advice would you give to a young athlete who someday wants to play at a skill position?

Josh:  Deep Practice! There are a lot of good players out there, but if you want to separate yourself from the crowd, you must put in the time and effort to become great! You must focus on your deficits as a player and then practice those at a high level to train your body and mind to react in a way that improves your game and the success of the team.

Blake: Work, work, and more work! If you want to be the best at any position you play you have to be willing to put in the sweat and time.

What is your favorite part about playing/coaching at your position?

Josh: Defense is all about doing your job as part of the scheme. It’s really all about team, chemistry, and trust. When everyone does their job, the success is very rewarding. Defense is PASSION...getting excited about successes as a unit!

Blake: The satisfaction you get from the joy of your teammates when you pick up a key third down conversion or score a game winning touchdown. That is the best part of playing receiver!

Josh Siegfried

Why should athletes go to this special position clinic?

Josh: You must become an expert at your position and understand what is happening around you to help your team win! You need to keep these skills sharp in the off season to allow you to show growth year in and year out. These are not all movements and reads that you do on a consistent basis, and skills clinic will allow you to get a step up on your competition. Practicing these movements also gives you confidence, and when you combine ability to play faster with confidence, you will develop a football player that performs at a high level.

Blake: As a receiver you must know your strengths and advantages. Whether you are faster, quicker, or maybe just bigger than your defender, you need to utilize that advantage. This clinic gives athletes a opportunity to develop their strengths and learn details about the position that will give them a step up on their competition. They will learn from coaches that have been where they are and know what it takes to raise their game to another level.

We are looking forward to the Skills Clinic next week! Stay tuned for more discussions with our coaches. Next up is Coach Riggs’ conversation with kicking coach, Parker Douglass.