Winning Football - Bil Ramseyer - NEW

Winning Football

by Bill Ramseyer

NEW, 208 pages

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About Winning Football

Winning football begins with preparation and planning. The game’s best players, coaches, and teams step onto the gridiron confident in their ability and their strategy for shutting down the opposing team. With this comprehensive guide, you too can be confident knowing that you’re prepared for every practice, game, and situation.

In Winning Football, renowned coach Bill Ramseyer shares the expertise and insights that have guided his teams and players to success at every level of the sport. With instruction for every key technique and tactic, as well as accompanying drills and special tips for executing them when the game is on the line, you’ll find all the tools you need to develop the skills, discipline, and consistency for winning football week after week.

Winning Football covers both sides of the ball, special teams play, player development, and game planning. You’ll learn how and when to use offensive formations such as the shotgun, single back, power I, and empty back as well as dominating defensive sets such as the 4-3, 3-4, nickel, and dime.

From assembling your staff to assigning player positions, this book provides you with the information, drills, and plays that will help you transform your team into a championship contender. Before you take to the sidelines, let Winning Football give you the tools you need to bring home the wins!

About Bill Ramseyer

Bill Ramseyer’s coaching experience spans both the high school and college ranks. He began his coaching career with 8 years at the high school level, which included guiding Firelands High School in Ohio—a school that had not had a single winning season until Ramseyer’s arrival—to a 24-2 record during his tenure.

Bill then turned to the college level, where he was an assistant coach and head scout for the University of Missouri for the 1969 Big 8 Championship team. From there he moved on to coach the Wilmington College squad, which had accumulated only 28 wins over the previous 15 years. Bill amassed a record of 114-58-4 during his tenure, which included qualifying for the national championship game in 1980. He also earned 5 conference or district coach of the year honors while at Wilmington. Ramseyer completed his career as the first-ever coach at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, which included back-to-back 10-win seasons in 1995 and 1996, the first program ever to accomplish this feat in its first 6 years of existence.

Bill holds a PhD from the University of Missouri and has been inducted into seven halls of fame.

Reviews of this book

"Bill Ramseyer has given football coaches a blueprint for building a successful program. Winning Football is a must-read for every coach who wants to compete at the highest level."

John Gallup -- Editor and Publisher, American Football Monthly

“From practice plans to game-day strategies, Winning Football offers the information that coaches and players need for a championship season.”

Grant Teaff -- Executive Director, American Football Coaches Association

“Winning Football is the ultimate A-to-Z guide to coaching and playing football.”

Mickey Mathews -- Head Football Coach, James Madison University

About American Football

American football, known in the United States as football, is a sport played between two teams of eleven. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by running with it or throwing it to a teammate. Points can be scored by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line, catching a pass thrown over that goal line, kicking the ball through the opponent's goal posts or tackling an opposing ball carrier in his own end zone.

In the United States, high school football, college football and professional football are played under slightly different rules. High school football is governed by the National Federation of State High School Associations, college football by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, while the major professional league is the NFL.

The sport is also played in Europe, Japan and Mexico. The International Federation of American Football acts as an international governing body for the sport. American football is closely related to Canadian football but with some differences in rules and the field.

Because the game stops after every down, giving teams a chance to call a new play, strategy plays a major role in football. Each team has a playbook of dozens to hundreds of plays. Ideally, each play is a scripted, strategically sound team-coordinated endeavor. Some plays are very safe; they are likely to get only a few yards. Other plays have the potential for long gains but at a greater risk of a loss of yardage or a turnover.

Generally speaking, rushing plays are less risky than passing plays. However, there are relatively safe passing plays and risky running plays. To deceive the other team, some passing plays are designed to resemble running plays and vice versa. These are referred to as play-action passes and draws, respectively. There are many trick or gadget plays, such as when a team lines up as if it intends to punt and then tries to run or pass for a first down. Such high-risk plays are a great thrill to the fans when they work. However, they can spell disaster if the opposing team realizes the deception and acts accordingly.

The defense also plans plays in response to expectations of what the offense will do. For example, a "blitz" (using linebackers or defensive backs to charge the quarterback) is often attempted when the team on defense expects a pass. A blitz makes downfield passing more difficult but exposes the defense to big gains if the offensive line stems the rush.

Many hours of preparation and strategizing, including film review by both players and coaches, go into the days between football games. This, along with the demanding physicality of football (see below), is why teams typically play at most one game per week.

Winning Football