Hi ! every one,

First of all, I would like to tell you that I am in a great club in the SERVALS of Clermont-Fd. I am here since the 1999-2000 season, my first two years as a defensive coordinator and this year was my first ever as head coach. In 1997-1998 the club was already French Div II Champion and the year after, it loose the championship game, so there is a great traditiopn of success here.

To begin our 2001-2002 season, I had to build a new offensive system, this was not so complicate as I had already one, I always stay informed about new trend in football, and both way offense defense kicking as well. I always read books, revues about football and share with other coaches about philosophy or plays to stay at the top.

To motivate my offensive players on the new system (to make them believe in this system), I asked coaches Fisher DeBerry (Air Force), Harold “Tubby” Raymond (Delaware) and Tommy Bowden (Clemson) to make dedicates for the team as my offensive system is build around the flex bone, wing T and short passing game. I thanks these 3 coaches who respond positively to my request.

Then to motivate the all team, I take an idea I read in an AFCA proceeding 2 years ago I think, by making a pyramid with the ultimate goal at the top. This pyramid was the first page of all our playbooks, I think like many other person that you have to have an eye on your goal every day, and to enforce that, after each game I put the sheet of our pyramid on a board in our locker room.

In short, our pyramid was like that :

Be French Champions
Be South Champions
Be League Champions
Win all home game
Win non league game
Effort
Take fun
Team = Family

In France, I don’t know if it is the same in other European Country, it doesn’t mean a lot to be league champion, for me it does and when you know that we play in the best league of the French championship it mean a lot more.

So, the pyramid was for the all team, now we also have offensive, defensive and kicking goals. As in any other business, to motivate people you should give them goal to reach. Like our pyramid, after each game I put a sheet in our locker room about how we played, which goal we reached which one we not and why. We don’t have a long list of goals, we keep it short to be sure to stay focused on something rather that dispatching our mind every where.

Offense	Defense	Kicking
Score 3 Tds or more	let 13 pts or less	1 ko return +30
150 yds run (or 5.5 av)	160 yds or less	1 successful fake
100 yds pass	4 turnovers	1 punt return +20
70% short yardage	50% short yardage	1 blocked kick
50% 3rd down	60% 3rd down
60% 4th down	no long run (20 yds)
75% red zone	no long pass (30 yds)
no turnover	no more than 10 plays in each drive
1 +20 run	1 sack every 10 passes
1 +30 pass	1 interception every 15 passes
no sack	1 inter. return +30 or TD

Everything worked well for us this season, mainly because we have experienced players, 10 to 12 of them have more than 9 years of football experience, so we have naturally leaders in these players. If you don’t have leaders in a team it is very difficult to do anything.

General goals
Offensive goal
Defensive goal
Kicking goal
Leaders

I think that this is the key to be successful, no matter what system you may use.

Coach Michael Groisne
Email: groisnemichael@aol.com