1. How do I Purchase a Special Teams Playbook Package?
2. How long will it take to get my order ?
3. Where can I find more information on special teams?
4. How much time do you spend during practice?
5. Who is Coach Shackelford?
6. Why do you align your punter at 10-11 yards?
7. How do you block an 8 man front if your center is not required to block?
8. What are your rules on going for "2"?
9. What are good times for high school/college snappers and punters?
10. What is your favorite Kick Off return and Why?
11. We usually don't have very good kickers, what can we do to get more consistent at the place kicking position?
12. Why don't you like wall returns?
13. Coach Shackelford, what do you feel the #1 key to consistent special teams is?
14. How many kicks should my kicker kick during practice?
15. When watching film, what do feel like are important things to look for (special teams)? 

How do I Purchase a Special Teams Playbook Package?

You can purchase a special teams package by going to the Footballcoach.com store.

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How long will it take to get my order ?

Most orders will ship out the next day after payment.  

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Where can I find more information on special teams?

Check the links page on this web site or email Coach Shackelford for more options.

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How much time do you spend during practice?

Time varies.  I usually practice special teams 25-40 minutes a day.  This does not include specialist (punters, centers, holders, return men, & place kickers) practice time.  For an example, I have a specialty practice before practice (15 minutes) only special team "specialist" participate.  Also, if a group didn't give good efforts, or they you didn't get everything covered during practice...I will keep that group after practice for 10-15 minutes.  However, be careful of too much practice after practice.  The players will get to resent being on special teams if they have to stay late everyday.

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Who is Coach Shackelford?

Check out Coach Shackelford's Bio Page.

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Why do you align your punter at 10-11 yards?

I get this question often.  I have 2 reasons why.  1st. Finding deep snappers that can snap a ball 14-15 yards can be very tuff.  Even college/NFL coaches have a hard time getting a good, consistent deep snappers.  At 11yds a center can be more aggressive and get more velocity, because there is less room for error.  2nd.  The outside attack angle is very poor.  An outside rusher cannot attack in a straight line through the blocking point.  He must "bump the hump" or round the corner.  His aggressive momentum can force a roughing the punter call.  Because of this fact, they tend to be more cautious, and therefore, less aggressive, which inevitably slows down the rush.  Now you might be thinking the the middle is more vulnerable.  Yes, we have shortened the distance for middle rushers, but because of our aggressive blocking style and a faster snap we are able to get the ball off.  

I am sure you have a 3 step passing series in your offensive attack.  The 3 step passing game nearly eliminates a sack, because the linemen block aggressively and the ball is off before a rusher can get there.  This is the same philosophy of this punt team.  We will attack with our protection ( which helps in coverage) and we will get the punt off before the rush can get to us.  

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How do you block an 8 man front if your center is not required to block?

We punt from a double slot-double split formation.  Usually, a defender will cover  each of the splits and they usually will have at lest one man back to return the punt.  That leaves 8 potential players to rush the punt.  We can block seven without using our center.  We want his focus on snapping...not blocking!  We use a man blocking scheme.  The right guard makes the initial call.  He will block the 1st man either head up or over from the center.  We call this R1 (right #1), the Rt Guard has R2, Lt Slot has R3.  On the other side, the Lt Guard blocks the L1, Lt Tackle blocks L2, Lt Slot blocks L3.  This leaves R4 and L4 unblocked.  The Personal Protector will block #4 to the Punters foot.  This means if the punter is right footed, Personal Protector will block R4.  We do this because a rusher has approximately 1 foot shorter distance to the punters kicking foot side.  In this example, L4 is unblocked.  I tell my punter that L4 is his man.  Let me explain, the personal protector will count 4 right of the center and 4 left of the center.  The personal protector will make an "Over Load Left " call.  This alerts the Punter that L4 is unblocked!!  The punter will catch the snap and step away from L4 (the angle is toward the Rt Tackle ).  This makes the distance approximately 2-3 feet longer for L4.  Also, remember our punters depth is 11 yards deep.  L4 has a poor angle to attack and he has to "bump the hump" or round the corner.  The Punter is know going to kick the ball between the rt hash and rt sideline.  

One other very important thing.  Punt pressure teams are reluctant to rush us with 8, because of the ability to throw the ball to one of the slot backs in the flats.  If they bring all 8, we can snap to the Personnel Protector or Punter, he can then throw the ball to the slot out in the flats or we can release the slot straight downfield.   This is our basic philosophy, obviously, there is more to it, but  this basically how we handle eight man front/8 man pressure.

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What are your rules on going for "2"?

Coaches, you need to understand something....there is no set rule on when you should or shouldn't go for 2.  A two point convert chart is just a tool that can give you an idea or suggestion.  These charts are based only on the point differential immediately following a touchdown.  This does not mean that you should follow the chart exactly, actually, following the chart can be very detrimental to your team in some cases.  Each team is different.  Some teams are high scoring, some are defense oriented, others are possession type teams, while another team has a "fast break" mentality.  So, why should everyone follow the same card.....the answer is obvious, they shouldn't.  

When your score and you are still down by 5 it would make sense to go for two in hopes that you could make it a 3 point game ( a field goal can tie the game ).  But, many times the scenario is not this simple.  In a game two years ago, we scored and was still down 17-13 with just a little over 4 minutes left to go in the game.  Now, everyone (including the 2pt card) said we should go for 1, make it 17-14 and hope to get a chance for a game tying field goal. We decided to go for the 2 point conversion, which was not a popular decision by the sounds from the grand stands.  This was our reasoning:  We did not want the game to go into overtime, our opponent was healthier and they would have a distinct advantage the longer the game went on!!  We had 5 offensive players hurt and our QB had just turned his ankle.  We had a kicker with a 45 yard FG range.  We had been playing good defense (10 of their 17 points came from turn-overs ).  We felt like we would go for two....make it 17-15, our defense would force them to punt, and we could win the game with a touchdown or FG!!  If we kick the extra point, the score would be 17-14, a FG would then tie the game and probably send the game into overtime.....that's is what we DID NOT want to happen.  We felt like we had to take a chance at winning, we felt like going into overtime would benefit our opponent more than it would us.  So we go for the 2pt conversion, we are successful the score 17-15.  Our defense stopped them after giving up one first down.  They punted and we received the ball on our 42 yard line with 2:30....with the help of two penalties our offense drove the ball to the 23, with 35 seconds left in the game we kicked a 40 yard FG and WON 18-17.  We probably would have lost this game if we did what we were "supposed to do".  

THE BOTTOM LINE: A coaches "gut" feeling is sometimes the best.  You know your teams strengths and weaknesses.  You have studied the film and you know your opponent. Go with your instinct, however, know why you are making the decision don't just guess.  I do recommend having the chart to help in your decision making, but do not SOLELY base your decision to go for one/two because the chart tells you to do so!!  Good Luck.

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What are good times for high school/college snappers and punters?

First, time EVERY snap & punt.  The distance doesn't matter if the ball can be blocked.  The stop watch doesn't lie, it will tell you if you are vulnerable to a block punt.  Special Teams Coordinator should always have a stop watch! 

                       These times are for a 14-15 yard center to punter alignment...
Deep Snapper to Punter:
        High School......  1.0
        College.............  .75
Catch to Kick:
        High School......  1.2-1.5
        College.............  1.2-1.4
Overall Get-Off Times: 
        High School....... up to 2.0(Great), 2.1 - 2.4(Good), 2.5 and higher (Danger!!)
        College.............. up to 1.9(Great), 2.0 - 2.3(Good), 2.4 and higher (Danger!!)
Suggested Hang Times: (from the punters foot to the ground)
       High School....... 3.8 - 4.4
         College.............. 4.3 - 4.6 

                            We line up 11 yards deep so are times are shorter...
Deep Snapper to Punter:
        11 yard alignment.............  .75
Catch to Kick:
        1-2 step approach............. 1.1-1.25
Overall Get-Off Times: 
        11 yard alignment.............. up to 1.9(Great), 2.0 - 2.2(Good), 2.3 and higher (Danger!!)
Suggested Hang Times: (from the punters foot to the ground)
       High School....... 3.8 - 4.4
         College.............. 4.3 - 4.6 

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What is your favorite Kick Off return and Why?

I like the MIDDLE RETURN:  I criss-cross my front five and wedge with the back five.  I like the criss-cross because of the great angles and it really widens the middle of the field.  I like the wedge because you can get the wedge to all areas of the field. So now matter where they kick the ball we can maximize our blocking.  I like the middle return, because of the math standard....the shortest distance between point A and B is a straight line.  A runner can run 5 yards laterally and not gain an inch, but he can make 1 step forward and gain a yard.  The principal is very elementary, but so is football....we Coaches have made this game way to complicated :)  Check out the Kick Off Return page.

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We usually don't have very good kickers, what can we do to get more consistent at the place kicking position?

The bottom line is to work year round with your kickers.  Every year, I "beat the hallways" for potential kickers.  A good start is to talk with the soccer players.  They naturally tend to have good foot-eye coordination and can pick up place kicking pretty quickly.  I also will ask if anyone is interested in kicking.  I have had players, whom I never would have thought could kick, volunteer and go on to be very good.  I try to have two of everything (kickers/snappers) for each grade.  For an example:  2 freshmen place kickers, 2 sophomore place kickers, 2 junior place kickers....and so on.

I have found video taping a kickers form and showing the video to the player, to be very helpful.  You can find out many things on video that you just can't see "live".  It also, shows the player what he is doing right/wrong.  Another thing I do is work in the gym during the off-season.  I bring in kickers 1-2 times per week and have them kick 20-30 balls into the net.  I personally feel like anyone can coach a player with average ability to kick 85-95% of PAT's.....but you can't wait until the season to start!!  Most high school coaches just hope that they will have a good kicker.  I beat you don't use the same philosophy with the quarterback.  

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Why don't you like wall returns?

I don't like wall returns because the punts are too erratic.  For wall returns to work consistently, you usually need a well placed punt in the middle of the field or to the side of the return.  If the ball is kicked to the opposite side, good cover teams will not let you get back across the field and into the wall.  

I have seen big returns from behind walls.  However, they are very inconsistent and you usually don't get much of anything when all of the factors aren't met.  I would compare it to a bad bet in a casino.  You put up a big bet against poor odds.  A middle return can be ran with success with all varieties of punts: short, long, left, right or up the middle.  Also, I want my return men running North/South or up field.  I do not like to see returners running laterally.  I always say you can run 5 yards toward the sideline and not get a yard, but you can run 1 yard up field and get a yard.  

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Coach Shackelford, what do you feel the #1 key to consistent special teams is?

Repetitions, Repetitions, Repetitions, Repetitions, Repetitions.....get the point.  This is the bottom line.  The more you do something the better you will become at it.  I would be willing to bet that your team has a couple of plays that you would call your "bread and butter" plays, they are the plays that you are most comfortable with, they are the plays that you are the best at.  Now, the question is this.  How did you get good at those plays?   The ANSWER: Repetitions.  The same goes for special teams.  You should get about 10 plays versus "air" and you should try to get 7-10 "live" plays each week on all phases of the kicking game.  Punt team needs about 15-20 "live" plays each week.  The bottom line is repetition is the key to all of football.  Put your players in situations that they will find themselves in during games.  Run fakes against your punt return team, have your scout team suddenly line up in an onside formation against your kick off return team.  Have the kicker squib kick the ball, put pressure on the field goal team.......tell them that they have 15 seconds to run onto the field set up and make the field goal, if they fail to convert, they get extra conditioning, if they are successful, I cut some of the running off (the point is not to wager with them, the point is to put some pressure on the the unit to be successful).  Again, get repetitions but make them as game like as you can. 

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How many kicks should my kicker kick during practice?

This is a very tough question, because there can be so many factors.  Is your kicker a veteran/rookie, is he consistent/erratic, is he strong/weak, does he play other positions or does he strictly kick  I will give you an example of what one of my kickers do during a typical Tuesday practice ( we play on Friday ).  

I usally have the kickers working on the phases of the kicking game we will on during practice.  For an example, Tuesday's during special teams practice we usually work on the punt team and field goal units.  So I have my kickers doing Punt/FG kicks and drills.  The kicker workout for this day might include: Stretches, 25 leg swings (front & side), 10 "dry" warm up reps,  10 line drops, 10 catches (snaps), 10 partner pass punts, 10 target punts, 5 "pooch" punts, 5 "coffin" corner punts, and finally 15 scripted punts from different areas of the field ( our punters chart were they hit and finally end up ).  They do this workout on their own, during special teams practice they will then punt under some live situations.  This is a typical Punters practice for a Tuesday.  

I get feedback from the kickers.  If they feel like their legs are tired...I back off them during practice.  If the athlete is serious about kicking they will usually shot you straight on how they feel, ect.  I do a similar practice regiment for the place kickers as well.  One last point, I strongly recommend making charts and setting up a practice regiment for the kickers.  A lot of coaches just let them kick on their own and hope they make the kicks come game time.   I think they are setting themselves up for failure, one the player has no guidelines to go by, and if he is not a very self motivated player a great percentage of practice will be wasted.  Set up a chart and make the players do the workout and chart each kick.  This will ensure you that the kickers are not wasting time and the charted kicks will give you some feedback on how they are kicking.   

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When watching film, what do feel like are important things to look for (special teams)? 

Things I look for are:  special teams specialists numbers ( punter, place-kicker, kick returners, deep snappers, etc.), I look for "athletes" who do they have that can hurt us, should we kick to the deep return man or should we try to kick away from him, what type of returns do they like (wall, wedge, kick-outs, criss-cross, etc.), how deep is the punter, is he a 1/2/3 step punter, what is punt average, is he consistent or erratic, what part of the field does he most often punt too, what are the "get off" times for the punter (anything over 2.1 we feel like we have a chance at blocking), does the deep snapper "hitch" if so that can give you punt rush unit a key to get a jump, what type of blocking scheme does the punt team use (man or zone), any weak players that we may be able to attack, does the cover team hustle down, is there any one or two players that cover exceptionally well (we sometimes double teams those players), how deep does the kickoff go, what part of the field do they like to kick to, who are the best cover men, who are the worst cover men, (ATTACK THE WEAK LINK & DOUBLE TEAM THEIR STRONG PLAYERS), what type of fakes have they ran in the past, does the coaching staff take chances or are the conservative.

I also feel like it is very important to evaluate yourself.  Ask questions like:  If I were them where would I attack against my team, where are we weak, where are we strong, who is just not getting the job done (can we replace him with someone else), what is our tendencies, are we giving keys to what we are doing, etc.  Many times scouting yourself is more important than scouting the opponent. 

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