*For permission to use an article in your publication, please contact me at chris@eightlaces dot org
BUILDING YOUR PROGRAM
- Bosco Football Program Organizational Management
- AFCA Convention: Building A Program
- Turning Around A Program
- Building Your Program: Insight From A Colorado State Champion
- 17 Ways To Make Your Program Better in ’17
- 107 Things Assistant Coaches Most Like About Their Head Coach
- The Greatest Teammate I Ever Had
- 99 Things Every Head Coach Can Do To Get 100% Buy In From Assistants
- 15 Point Plan To Be A Better Team by Mike Shanhan
- Hiring Dynamite Assistant Coaches
- A Terrific Mission Statement
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Ohio DIV State Champ – Bishop Hartley
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Ohio DII State Champ – La Salle
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: California 2AA State Champ – Del Oro
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Alabama 7A State Champ – McGill-Toolen Catholic School
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Alabama 4A State Champ – Leeds High School
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: California 5AA State Champ – Mater Dei Catholic
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Oklahoma 3A State Champ – Heritage Hall
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: California 3A State Champ – Rancho Bernardo
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Idaho 3A State Champ – Emmett High School
- CHAMPIONS LOCKER ROOM: Texas 3A-II State Champ – Waskom High School
- The #1 Thing Head Coaches Need To Improve
- Top 10 Characteristics of Championship-Caliber Football Programs (Fore’s book)
- 103 Ways Every Assistant Can Help Improve Their Program
- When and How To Fire An Assistant Coach
- 114 Ways Assistant Coaches Can BEST Help The Head Coach
- How to Successfully Deal with Sports Parents
- Thoughts On Turning Around A Program
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: Texas State Champion Cedar Hill
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: #1 Ranked Team In Kansas, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: #1 Ranked Team In Indianapolis, Ben Davis High School
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: #1 Ranked Team In Iowa, Dowling Catholic High School
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: California State Champ, Redlands East Valley
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: #1 Ranked Team In Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: Tip of the Spear, Azusa Pacific University
- CHAMPIONS’ LOCKER ROOM: Palm Springs High School, California
- “That’s What Teams Are For” – Nick Hardwick (Chargers) Retirement Speech
- Season is over. . . . . . Now What?
- A New Beginning, A Second Time: Interview With A New Head Coach
- 100 Things Every Football Program Needs
- An Insider’s Insight: The Urban Meyer Way
- The Concord De La Salle Coaching Manual
- 72 Things Your Opponent Does NOT Want You To Do This Offseason!
- 65 Ways To Self Scout Yourself This Spring
- 4 Things All Parents Want From The Head Coach
- Turning Around A Program
- The Season Is Over . . . . .Now What?
- Team Chemistry: The Most Overlooked Key To Success
- About You: A Team Building Excercise
- In 30 Seconds, What Is YOUR Program About?
- Outside The Lines Manual: Bolster Your Administrative And Organizational Portfolio
- To Do List When Taking Over A Program
- 5 Ways To Create A Winning Atmosphere
- Common Coaching Errors And How To Avoid Them
- Common Coaching Errors In Tactics, Strategy and Judgement
- Developing A Parents FAQ Sheet For Your Program
- A Tool To Evaluate Yourself And Your Coaches
- End Of Season Program Evaluation
- Football 101 For Moms
- Saying Goodbye To Seniors – 3 Traditions I Love
LEADERSHIP
- My Biggest Regret In Coaching High School Football
- How Are Nick Saban and Pete Carroll Alike and Different?
- 99 Things Every Head Coach Can Do To Get 100% Buy In From Assistants
- 5 Example-Setting Attitudes That Can Ruin A Football Program
- 14 Dynamite Managerial Skills
- 5 Gold Nuggets From Coaching Legend Bill Parcells
- On Becoming A Leader, Follower, and Teammate Part 1
- On Becoming A Leader, Follower, and Teammate Part 2
- On Becoming A Leader, Follower, and Teammate Part 3
- Leadership Academy Series Part 1
- Leadership Academy Series Part 2
- Leadership Academy Series Part 3
- Leadership Academy Series Part 4
- Leadership Academy Series Part 5
- Leadership Lessons From The Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Leadership Lessons From Notre Dame Football
- Leadership Lessons From The Number 1 Football Team In North Carolina
- Leadership Lessons From The Number 1 Football Team in Nevada
- Leadership Lessons From The Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 1 – Love What You Do
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 2 – Enthusiasm
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 3 – Attitude
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 4 – Be A Doer!
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 5 – Empathy
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 6 – Relationships
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 7 – Servanthood
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 8 – Have A Vision
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 9 – Integrity
- L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Part 10 – Perseverance
- Developing A Player Committee
- Turning Around A Program
- 14 Leadership Traits Of The United States Marines
- Being A Great Teammate by Don Mattingly
- 5 Tips For Leading Your Team During A Playoff Run
- Leadership Lessons From Football Coaching Legend Don Coryell
- More Leadership Lessons From Coach Coryell
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION
- 4 Reasons It’s A Horrible Idea To Allow Parents To Sign Off On Concussions
- 5 Things That Happen When Parents Get Too Involved
- 6 Lessons About Crisis Management by Jay Paterno
- 3 Ways Football Is More Safe Today Than 15 Years Ago
- 3 Ways To Safeguard Yourself As A Coach
- My Concussion Management Policy and Protocol
- 5 Things That Can Happen When Parents Get Too Involved
- 3 Essentials To Building A Booster Club Part 1
- 3 Essentials To Building A Booster Club Part 2
- 6 Ideas For Building Team Chemistry
- 3 Tips To Get Along Great With Your Athletic Director Part 1
- 3 Tips To Get Along Great With Your Athletic Director Part 2
- 3 Tips To Get Along Great With Your Athletic Director Part 3
- Hiring Coaches: One Of The Best Parts Of Being An Athletic Director
- Social Media Policy
- End of Season Report
- My First 24 Days As Athletic Director
- Increasing Participation In Your Athletic Department Part 1
- Increasing Participation In Your Athletic Department Part 2
- 5 Ways To Create A Winning Atmosphere
- Using Your Games As Community Events
- All Decade Team – Celebrating Your Past
- What Coach Joe Pa and Athletic Director Curley Should Have Done
JOB SEARCH: RESUME, INTERVIEWING, ETC
- Cover Letter Worksheet
- Your Coaching Portfolio: 5 Mistakes Coaches Make
- JV Head Coach In An Average Program OR Varsity Assistant In A Great Program?
- 36 Critical Questions To Prepare Football Coaches For A Job Interview
- You’ve Been Fired, Now What?!
- Why Even Successful High School Coaches Are Fired
- One Coach’s Story About Moving From The Recruiting Office To The Sidelines
- Lessons Learned During a Coaching Job Change
- Cover Letter Critique
- Really Want To Be A Head Coach?
- How To Navigate Through 3 Intriguing Interview Questions
- 99 Questions To Ask Before Taking That Next Head Football Job
- 49 Mistakes That Coaches Makes On Their Resumes
- Why Use A Search Firm For Your Head Football Coach Search
- 3 Reasons The Athletic Director Is Not Getting Back To You
- 9 Questions For An AD Who Just Hired A Head Football Coach
- 6 Things An Athletic Director Looks For On Your Resume
- 3 Pieces Of Advice For Interviews With A Panel
- An Insider’s Guide To Scoring Your Next Coaching Job (Fore’s book)
- How An NFL Vet Cleaned Up A Film Room And Became A College Football Coach
- Good Job To Take? Use This Guide To Help You
- What Questions Should I Ask During The Interview?
- The MOST Important Thing A Head Coach Looks For In An Assistant
- The Only Assistant I Ever Fired
- 103 Ways Every Assistant Can Help Improve Their Program
- An Insider’s Guide To Scoring Your Next Coaching Job
- Get Your Resume Ready
- First 30 Days On The Job
- 9 Qualities To Look For In Great Coaches
- To Do List When Taking Over A Program
- New Beginnings: My New Job As Athletic Director At Excelsior
GAME MANAGEMENT/THE XS AND OS
- Oregon’s Dynamic Warm Up
- Dominating The Line Of Scrimmage In The Off Season
- No Huddle Offense Clinic Notes
- Day Before The Game Special Teams Organization
- Game Day Play Sheet Organization – The Front Side
- Using Drive Sheets To Analyze Your Offense
- Using Live Drive Sheets During Football Game
- How To Handle A Bench Clearing Brawl
- Getting Along With The Zebras
- It’s Raining, It’s Pouring The Old Coach Is Snoring: Handling Rain During A Football Game
- Great Resource For the 3-3-5 Defense
- My QB Project – Evaluating Every Throw Of The Season
- Scripting The Offense
- The Day Before A Game: Helpful Hints/Reminders Part 1
- The Day Before A Game: Helpful Hints/Reminders Part 2
- The Day Before A Game: Helpful Hints/Reminders Part 3
- My Absolute Favorite Wing T Pass Play
- The Best Two Point Conversion Play Ever!
- Scouting Your Opponent Checklist
- Halftime Organization
- Inside Linebacker Expectations
COMMUNICATION
- Why Kids Should Listen To Their Football Coach
- An “Unconventional” Way To Address Playing Time With Parents
- The Greatest Piece Of Advice I Have For Parents, and Coaches
- When and How To Fire An Assistant Coach
- Chain of Command Part 1
- Chain of Command Part 2
- Chain of Command Part 3 – Communicating What the COC Is
- How To Handle The Over Bearing, Over Involved, Over The Top, Over (fill in the blank here) Parent Part 1
- How To Handle The Over Bearing, Over Involved, Over The Top, Over (fill in the blank here) Parent Part 2
- How To Handle The Over Bearing, Over Involved, Over The Top, Over (fill in the blank here) Parent Part 3
- 10 Questions To Ask Your Players At The End of the Year
- Letter To Parents About Removing Son From Team
- Letter To Eighth Grade Students Enrolled In School
- College Recruiting Profile For Your Players
SPECIAL TEAMS
- How To Successfully Fake A Punt
- Kickoff Team Checklist
- Kickoff Return Checklist
- Punt Return Checklist
- The Onside Kick Heard Round The World!
- Top 10 Ways To Know That Special Teams Are Not Important In Your Program
- Neutralizing The Punt Team Gunners
- Get Your Returners In The Right Spot
- 3 Reasons Michigans Punt Was Blocked
- I Was Not Ready For This (Losing The Ball After A Safety)
- 8 Of The Most Misunderstood Special Teams Rules and Situations Pt. 1
- 8 Of The Most Misunderstood Special Teams Rules/Situations Pt. 2
- 10 Reasons To Invest In The RETURNS/BLOCKS Manual
- The ABCs Of Making A Special Teams Impact! Part 1 (A-M)
- Top 10 Special Teams Categories
- Day Before The Game Special Teams Organization
- Kicking Game Analysis
- Evaluating Your Special Teams On A Week By Week Basis
- 4 Common Penalties On PAT/Field Goal And How To Avoid Them
MY COACHING PHILOSOPHY
- 5 Things I Wish I Knew As A Rookie Coach
- My Vision For A Football Program
- Mission Statement For My Program
- Four Ps Of Program – My Program’s Four Values
- What My Assistants Can Expect From Me
- What I Expect Of My Assistants
- One Of My Favorite Articles About One Of My Teams
SOCIAL MEDIA
- A Coach’s Dilemma: To Friend or Follow
- 2014 Social Media Survey Results (222 respondents)
- Top 5 Issues Getting Kids In Trouble On Social Media
- One Coach’s Story About His Kids Being Illegally Recruited Via Social Media
- Coach Gets Caught On Social Media Illegally Recruiting Student-Athletes
SHIELD PUNT
- ShieldPunt.com
- Why I Love The Shield Punt
- What Others Are Saying The Shield Punt E Clinic
- X and O Labs Featured my clinic report on Shield Punt. “Efficiency of the Shield Punt.” March 25, 2013.
- Punt Rules To Live By
- Anatomy Of A Terrific Shield Punt
- Anatomy Of A Blocked Shield Punt
PRACTICE
- 3 Day Football Camp Agenda
- Improving Your Off Season Program
- 4 Non X and O Training Camp Outcomes – Part 4 – Team Chemistry
- 4 Non X and O Training Camp Outcomes – Part 3 – Admin Support
- 4 Non X and O Training Camp Outcomes – Part 2 – Parents
- 4 Non X and O Training Camp Outcomes – Part 1 – Community Buy In
- Scripting The Offense
- Does Practice The Day Before a Gold Medal Match Even Matter?
- Teaching Tackling Progression
- Using the B.R.I.E.F. Method In The Film Room
- Teaching Receivers How To Block
- Using A Whiffle Ball To Make Your Kick Returners Better
MENTAL TOUGHNESS/SELF CONFIDENCE
- The Mental Approach, Part 1 – Causal Attributions
- The Mental Approach, Part 2 – Imagery
- The Mental Approach, Part 3 – Goal Setting
- The Mental Approach, Part 4 – Self Confidence
- A Motivational Tool: League Championship For Sale
- Mental Toughness: The MVP Of Your Team
- 4 Principles In Building Self Confidence
- The Importance Of Self Confidence In Athletics Part 1
- The Importance Of Self Confidence In Athletics Part 2
- The Importance Of Self Confidence In Athletics Part 3
- The Importance of Self Confidence In Athletics Part 4
- Are You A Builder? Inspirational Story
- Hold The Rope – Inspirational Story
- California Leg Amputee Selected As An All Star
- A Little More Motivation To Win That Championship Ring
- Three Ways To Help Others Reach Their Full Potential
MISC.
- 4 Reasons It’s A Horrible Idea To Allow Parents To Sign Off On Concussions
- Why We Played The Week of 9/11
- Hall of Famers Thank High School Coaches and Teachers
- Free Football Stat Templates
- I Will Let My Sons Play Football
- The BEST Thing I’ve Ever Seen On Social Media
- 5 Sports Your More Likely To Get A Head Injury From Than Football
- Shout Out To All The Moms Out There!
- My Son Didn’t Start Today
- Maximizing Motivation in the Weight Room
- Three Reasons Coaches Aren’t Respected Like The Old Days
- Real Life Lessons – Everyone Does NOT Get A Trophy
- Is football really alone among our sports spectacles in killing our children?
- Contract For Drug Offender On Your Team
- From The Penthouse To The Outhouse And Back: Ups And Downs Of Coaching
- Best Advice About Being #D1Bound Ever!
- Wing T Speed Out/Waggle Pass Play
- My Kid Is Going D1 . . . . Maybe Not!
- Lessons From Coaching Your Own Son
- Twitter Helps Student Get Full Ride Scholarship
- A Theme To Rally Around: Built On The Rock
- Convention Notes From Mark Mangino
- Great Article About Kids Never Quitting (Sports Illustrated)
- My Favorite Football Picture Ever!
- Advice To High School Athletes From NFL Draft Picks
- 17 Reasons Why Football Is Better Than High School
- Questions To Ask Before Taking That Next Head Job
- A Widow And Her Two Boys Need Your Help
- Teamwork: The Harding Way
- California Coach Fired For Following School Policy
MY BOOK ABOUT THE 108 STATE CHAMPIONS
- My Book: Building Championship Caliber Football Programs (2014) by Coaches Choice
- 2011 State Champions Featured In My Book
- Information On My Groundbreaking Research About State Champions
- Insight From 2011 Texas State Champion: Southlake Carroll
- Insight From 2011 Florida State Champion: Plant High School
INTERVIEWS/MEDIA/ARTICLES
- Entrepreneur Builds Out a Niche Representing High School Coaches and Serving as an Expert Witness
- Special Teams and Career Development – Hudl Radio
- Whistle and a Clipboard Podcast Interview – General Coaching Principles
- “Trending Now with Kevin Acee” Might 1090, San Diego, California
- Three Reasons Coaches Aren’t Respected Like the Old Days – Huffington Post
- My Son Didn’t Start Today, And I Couldn’t Be Prouder – Huffington Post
- Plenty of Prep Football Coaching Jobs Open – interview with San Gabriel Valley Tribune
- “Jim Mattson Show” 96.5 ESPN Radio, Peoria, Illinois
- Onward and Upward: Five Keys To Help Your Team Move Forward After A Loss, CoachGray.com
- 3 Tips To Get Along Great With Your Athletic Director, CoachXO.com
- Forbes Article: Would Social Media Guidance For Young Athletes Prevent Bad Conduct, Lawsuits?
- Top Athlete Websites – Highlighted my Social Media Policy
- Increasing Athletic Participation By Reaching Out To Your Student Body, Coach and AD Magazine, Page 44
- Excelsior Kicks Off Sports Medicine Academy
- The Village News: AD/Assistant Coach Fore Wins CIF Football Championship
- FootballCoachingPodcast.com – Interview About 8 Man Football/Spread Fly Offense
- Excelsior Eagles Football Moving To 11 Man Football
- Excelsior Introduces New Athletic Director
- Press Enterprise: Former Linfield Christian Coach Named AD In High Desert
- Radio Interview With Jeff Fisher From High School Football America About My Book
- North County Times: When Junior Seau Called Me
- The Village News: Fore Named Athletic Director at Capistrano Valley Christian
- The Village News: Fore Takes Over As Capistrano Valley Christian Football Coach
- The Village News: Fore Runner Up For Academy League Coach Of The Year
