Jon Clanton at a USA Football Contact System clinic. (Photo via twitter.com)

 

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jon Clanton, head coach at Phoenix Central High School. Before getting into coaching, Clanton was a four-year player at the University of Nebraska on the defensive line. Clanton had 45 tackles and two forced fumbles in his senior year and earned a start in the Independence Bowl game. He graduated from Nebraska with a degree in special education.

After graduating from Nebraska, Clanton went on to play professionally with the Tennessee Titans and in NFL Europe for a short time. Clanton was an all-state lineman in high school at Centennial High School (Arizona). Over the past few years, Clanton has also worked with Scott Peters and the USA Football Contact System. Clanton is an instructor with USA Football on the defensive side of the ball. He looks at how players can effectively defeat blocks while maintaining proper technique. 

On today’s show, Clanton and host Keith Grabowski talk about Clanton’s experience with the USA Football Contact System, teaching defeating blocks effectively and how that applies to coaching high school football.

Show Notes

• 1:15      Playing experience affecting his coaching
• 2:24     Getting to play at Nebraska while in college
• 3:14      What brought him to USA Football Contact System
• 5:02     Detail that goes into superior technique
• 6:36     The importance of hip placement in blocking/defeating blocks
• 7:52      Drills that look cool but aren’t effective
• 9:31      Explaining the “pillar” concept
• 10:54   Keeping the head and helmet away from the contact
• 11:43    Breaking down the BLAST concept
• 13:19    Having personnel to work with your scheme
• 14:05   Overview of the pillar technique for defensive line
• 15:05   Working on engaging the hips in defeating blocks
• 15:45   Using techniques with his high school team
• 16:32   Teaching these techniques to younger players
• 17:18    Helping make things simple for defensive players to learn
• 20:04  Coaching and developing his son into a great player
• 21:03   Teaching Contact System in the Virgin Islands
• 22:21   How coaches react to the Contact System
• 23:57   Teaching coaches the fundamentals and science of the system

 

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This post was updated on 12/6/18.