US Sports Partner Spotlight: Until Gone

 

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US Sports Football: How to Maximize Tackling Efficiency within Scheme and Las Vegas Raiders vs Arizona Cardinals 2025 Preseason Week 3

 

• By Keith Grabowski

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We’ve gone through the era of the Hawk tackle and various certifications and made a ton of progress in the teaching of tackling in regard to safety.  Since then (2014), not much new knowledge has been shared, especially in terms of how the tackle fits into the scheme and how to be sure technique is married to scheme.

All of those techniques had a foundation in rugby. Rugby players don’t wear helmets so protecting their face and head with proper technique is critical, and the techniques made football safer.  The only problem, and this was said to me directly by a rugby tackling expert, is that rugby is not football. Rugby does not have the dynamic of the schemes which include blockers and fits.  So while the technique of the tackle is an upgrade, you still need to account for scheme.

In that regard, Fordham assistant Vince DiGaetano has put together an approach around a philosophy he calls the 3 C’s which he explains in the video (click on images to watch videos):

Coach Dig incorporates tackling basics that can be utilized to help develop a coaches eyes when making on field and off field corrections. Through the coaches eye we develop the ability to narrow the focus on tackling evaluation and incorporate our assessment into the defensive scheme to measure its effectiveness and get more players to the ball. It’s a principle he has borrowed from Bill Walsh:

This in depth system that Coach Dig has put together accomplishes the following:

1. incorporates scheme into skill keeping balance between the two 

2. Efficient in evaluation - not labor-intensive 

3. Can be infused into already existing practices without a complete overhaul to systems 

4. Allows coaches ownership and ability to coach faster 

5. Allows pinpointing schematic success and challenges with leverage 

6. Narrows focus on the most relevant part of skill to pinpoint corrections in pre or post-contact.

Being able to utilize tackling to play effective team defense leads to better leverage for your defense and decreased yardage for the offense you are facing. This resource helps to create value for your defense in three main aspects: Contact, Chase and Converge in simple terms that are relatable to your coaching staff and players. 

This Masterclass includes: 

Full Presentation 

Full Access to Slides from Presentation 

Videos of Drills Explained 

Individual Drill Video with point of Emphasis

Examples of Hit Chart for Use

Coach Dig also put together a resource focused more on the players in the box. Defense is about fitting gaps and defeating scheme. “Winning Gaps with Engaged Tackles” covers the ability to win a short area of space on the field within various schemes.  Most defenders in the box face situations when they are at short range and power is at not 100%, and they can’t cleanly get off of the block. Dig explains what an “engaged tackle” is here:

How important is coaching the engaged tackle?  70% of a defensive lineman’s tackle is made while engaged with a blocker. A linebacker will have this situation about 30% of the time. He shares how it’s important to understand how this works here:

Of course, taking this to the practice field and execution on game day starts with effective and applicable drills. The One Arm Tear Drill is one of Dig’s favorites. He illustrates it here:

What’s this look like in game? Dig breaks it down here:

If you follow coach Dig on twitter, you will know he’s been sharing his #TackleStudy clips daily for almost a year. Here is an example of Ndamukong Suh in an engaged block situation on #TackleStudy:

The primary focus of this resource is working with interior lineman and in box players that create leverage is short spaces. This masterclass covers purpose, concepts, drills and game film to find areas for this to be implemented into your existing tackle system. 

Full access to presentation slides 

Engaged Tackle drills explained and noted 

Game film evidence of Engaged Tackles 

BONUS: Clips from #TACKLESTUDY that cover scenarios of Engaged Tackles 

Both masterclasses are available in this bundle - Ultimate Tackling Master Class. Over 5 1/2 Hours of instruction plus downloadable resources.

I am very impressed by the depth and detail in this resource. If you coach defense, this one is invaluable to have in your library and implement.

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The Rock Almighty: The Good Muslim? and In Donald Trump We Have A Racist In The White House?

 

• Author Aaron Taylor

Perhaps one of the most famous parables of Jesus, besides the parable of the prodigal son, is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Even non-believers who have never picked up a Bible are familiar with the term Good Samaritan as someone who helps another in a time of need. We have organizations honoring the famous Samaritan (such as Samaritan's Purse) and laws as well (such as the Good Samaritan law). The most obvious meaning is that all of us should be willing to lend a hand when we see someone in a desperate situation.

As much as I love the Sunday School version of the story, this was not the primary meaning to the original hearers of the parable. What would have shocked the first century Jewish audience the most was the fact that the hero of the story was, in fact, a Samaritan. What seems to us like a simple help your neighbor story was actually a clever literary device by Jesus to condemn one of the most prevalent sins of his era (and our own I might add). The sin Jesus was referring to was, of course, racism. Jews simply didn't like Samaritans because they were half-breeds, racially impure.

Given that the majority of my readers are Christians with a similar background as myself, I am reasonably sure that what I have written so far should come as no surprise. All of us have heard sermons on racism at one time or another and, thank God, most of us realize that racism is a sin. What may come as a surprise is that the parable of the Good Samaritan was not only a slight against racism but also against another sin that I feel is far less talked about, and that is the sin of religious bigotry.

The Samaritans were not just racial half-breeds between ethnic Jews and Assyrians. They were also apostates from Judiasm. They believed in the God of Abraham and yet, they mixed their belief in God with pagan idolatry. The Samaritans were the descendants of the 10 tribes of Israel who broke away from Judah and Benjamin and set up their own version of temple worship complete with their own priesthood-something they had no authority to do under the Law of Moses. Not only that, when they were finally taken captive by the Assyrians, they interbred with them and adopted some of their religious beliefs as well.

In this remarkable parable, by making a hero out of a despised Samaritan, Jesus cut to the heart of religious pride to teach us that individuals should be judged on the content of their character, not on their race or, yes, even their religion.

If Jesus were giving this story today on a pulpit in one of the thousands of mega-churches that dot the American landscape, I wonder if He would tell the story of the Good Muslim? Or...dare I say....the good Palestinian? Furthermore, I wonder what kind of reaction He would get if He did.

Aaron Taylor is a seasoned missionary and the founder of Great Commission Society. Aaron is currently working on his book, "Reformation: A Biblical Response to Holy War." You can read Aaron's blog at http://www.aarondtaylor.blogspot.com . Aaron can be contacted at fromdeathtolife@gmail.com

Raiders @ Cardinals Live on US Sports!

The Las Vegas Raiders are heading to Arizona for the preseason finale against the Cardinals.

Saturday will mark the first preseason matchup between the teams since 2019.

The game is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. PT (10pm EST) from State Farm Stadium. Here's what you need to know.

What to know

The majority of the Arizona's starters are not expected to play Saturday after Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon said the it would look "similar to last week," in which most of their starters, including quarterback Kyler Murray, sat. Keep reading with the Raiders app....

Click here to listen live 

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US Sports Track and Field: How to Coach Weightlifting For Increased Speed and Acceleration and The Women's 400mH did not disappoint! Diamond League

 

• By Grant Young

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Regardless of the sport they play, strength training and conditioning is an absolute must for any high-level athlete’s training regimen.

And while most coaches and players know their way around a weight room — at least at a barebone, simplistic level — increasing functional strength safely from weightlifting is a nuanced subject that takes years of study to master. 

But when one considers the increased risk of injury that can come from weightlifting improperly, which can impede an entire season’s worth of hard work, it’s best that coaches receive their weight room knowledge from experts. 

Especially because these experts have dedicated their lives to finding the most effective weightlifting regimens to increase explosion, speed, acceleration, and every other aspect of athleticism. Luckily for coaches, these gurus want to share the insights they’ve gleaned with the rest of the sports world, to maximize every athlete's potential. 

We've compiled some of the best online courses about how to increase speed and acceleration in the weight room; all while minimizing risk of injury.

JT Ayers - Lifting for Speed Made Easy

Coach JT Ayers is a three-time Orange County Track Coach of the Year (2013, 2016, 2019) and has been coaching Track and Field for 14 years. Since 2014, his athletes have broken 35 grade level and 8 school records, 3 All-Time Orange County Records, and the team has been ranked #1 in Orange County in 4 different years (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020).

Coach Kula has 22 years of experience in the athletic development of athletes at all levels from youth to professional. He has worked with Division 1 athletes from over 25 universities across the country including notable local athletes Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers running back), Anna Hall (US Record Heptathlon/Pentathlon holder in 2019), MaryBeth Sant (NCAA #1 ranked 100m sprinter in 2013 (Oregon/CSU), among many other professional athletes.

Coach Ayers and Coach Kula’s ‘Lifting for Sprre Made Easy’ course is an approachable and effective way for any coach to learn the necessary steps in making their athletes faster through the weight room. 

In their course, Coach Ayers and Coach Kula discuss the three components of speed: 

1. How often you contact the ground

2. How much muscular force you can deliver during ground contact

3. How much ground contact time is available to deliver that force

That might sound difficult to decipher at first. Thankfully, the coaches explain an in-season workout plan that will allow you to train and improve upon all three of these aspects, all with minimal risk of producing injury.

But before that, Coach Ayers discusses about a common misconception of many coaches: that their athletes should not be lifting weights during the season.

This is inaccurate. Athletes should certainly be lifting weights and aiming to improve (or at least maintain) their strength during the season, or else everything they did in the offseason would be for naught. But the important part is that they’re lifting weights thoughtfully, not lifting as heavy as possible every day, and utilizing a balanced training program that accounts for rest and recovery.

Here’s a weekly in-season workout plan that Coach Ayers would suggest for a track athlete: 

Monday - Run, Weight room (warm-up, deadlift, hurdle hops)

Tuesday - Run, Pre-Meet

Wednesday - Dual Meet

Thursday - Recovery, Weight room

Friday - Run, Pre-Meet

Saturday - Invitational Meet

Sunday - Rest, Recovery

As you can see, this is a balanced weekly schedule that will not have a track athlete too burnt out on any specific aspect of their program, and will also minimize physical overuse and injury.

Amanda Rego - Stronger Core for Faster Running

Amando Rego has 5+ years of coaching experience at the NCAA level, experience with coaching at the professional level, as well as the USATF Junior Olympic youth level. As a runner, Coach Rego was a 7x All-American & NCAA Runner-Up for Florida State and has run a 4:26 indoor mile. 

In her ‘Stronger Core For Faster Running’ course, Coach Rego details why core workouts are more than about obtaining washboard abs for athletes. 

Coach Rego has five reasons why core workouts are a must for every athlete to train in the weight room:

1. Improve dynamic postural control

2. Necessary to have a strong core before you move to strengthen the extremities

3. Improve running economy

4. Prevent injuries

5. It’s the key component of the kinetic chain

The core is, well, just that; our body's core. Its foundation. Without a strong core, athletes not only put themselves at risk of increased injury everywhere else across their bodies but also aren’t maximizing the strength of other body parts. Every athletic movement utilizes the core, so it’s crucial not to neglect this part of your body during weight training sessions. 

It’s also important to diversify your core workouts. While crunches and planks are great, they need to be complemented by other exercises that target separate areas of the core (such as the obliques). 

DeShawn Fontleroy - Hip Mobility & Hip Stability

Coach DeShawn Fontleroy specializes in problems of training — including the role of strength training, sprinting, and explosive plyometrics in the athlete’s physical preparation. Coach Lontleroy has helped professional, collegiate, and high school athletes develop explosive power and jumping ability.

Increasing speed and acceleration isn’t all about weightlifting. It’s also about flexibility. In his 'Hip Mobility and Hip Stability’ course, Coach Fontleroy explains why hip mobility is paramount to maximizing one’s speed. 

“Hip stability is your ability to maintain your center of gravity and produce strength and coordination in the hips and trunk,” Coach Lontleroy explains. Some ways that he recommends increasing hip mobility and stability is by foam rolling over one’s hips before the weight room session, by the body weight Romanian deadlift exercise, and by trying a barbell hip bridge exercise. 

These tools and techniques can all be utilized together, helping your athletes achieve their maximum speed and acceleration injury-free so that they can chase their goals. 

US Sports Tennis: How to Beat a Serve-and-Volley Player and Mpetshi Perricard vs Medjedovic; Korda Seeks SF Spot Winston-Salem Highlights

 

• By Krsto Arsenijevic

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Pete Sampras dominated the entire world of tennis through a dominant use of the serve-and-volley strategy. He consistently forced his opponents to make unforced errors through his excellence in this type of play. However, just as in other sports, tennis has gone through a change of play. No longer is the serve-and-volley approach recommended by tennis experts. This doesn’t mean it’s completely extinct though. Here, I’ll show you how to beat it when you see it!

Basic Meaning of Serve-and-Volley

The goal of a serve-and-volley player isn’t complex. Simply put, they’re looking to get in a strong first serve that doesn’t allow a strong groundstroke in the return. Then, immediately after serving, they’ll rush the net and look to volley the ball back before it hits the ground. The two primary qualities needed are a big serve and quickness off the line. As for the returner, it puts them in immediate pressure. Even though it’s tough to get a strong return on a big serve, you can’t hit a light shot that allows the server plenty of time to set up a winner.

The Fastest Miles Ever Run

Typically, serve-and-volley players are going to experience more success on hardcourt and grass court surfaces. It can be a daunting task for the opponent, but there are still plenty of ways to get by these serve-and-volley players with a victory.

Look for Your Chances

Cautious or Reckless?

There are two ways you can attack a serve-and-volley player: cautiously or recklessly. The cautious approach will lead to you just returning the first serve and not attempting any type of passing shots. Essentially, you’re not going to let your own shots lose the point, but rather make the opponent win the point. Conversely, a reckless strategy will attempt a high-degree of passing shots. This player will try to hit a big shot with every swing and go for a winner often. There are glaring negatives with each approach. A cautious approach can result in an experienced player making quick work of you. Meanwhile, a reckless approach will lead to a high number of unforced errors.

A Little of Both

My best solution is to play a mixture of cautious and reckless. With a serve-and-volley player, you’re not going to have a chance for a point on every shot. This requires patience. If they make a strong serve, just get a return in and wait for the opportunity to hit a winner. Sometimes, you’ll even luck out and they’ll miss on an open shot. The key is to wait for your chances. Don’t give your opponent free points, make them earn it!

Play to Their Weaknesses

Unless you’re playing someone like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic, chances are your opponent will have some holes in their game. As a player, it is your job to find these weaknesses and take advantage of them. Even if this requires you to alter your approach slightly, it is still likely going to be worth it. If you don’t have the opportunity to watch them in a previous match, check out how they play warming up and in the early stages of your match. Do they struggle running back if a lob was hit over their head? Is their backhand or forehand stronger? Finding answers to these questions will help greatly as the match carries on.

Get the First Return In

As I mentioned earlier, a big serve is a critical part of the serve-and-volley approach. If they can’t force you to stay back behind the baseline, then the serve-and-volley strategy won’t be effective. Assuming they do have a strong serve, the only way to stay in the point is to get the first return over the net. While it would be ideal to get a decent return in, I recommend making sure you get the first return in for the early stages of the match. This will not only make the games closer, but it will increase your own confidence. If they’re serving up aces on multiple serves each game, then chances are your confidence would start to drop and your own game would suffer. However, getting the returns early in the match will make you believe that you can start trying different and stronger returns as the game progresses.

Try to Keep Them Back

At the core of serve-and-volley player’s games is the idea that they want to get to the net. They want to put pressure on you. On the opposite end, you will want to keep them back closer to the baseline. Once they get to the net, it will be tougher to win the point. There are two methods for this. First, you can work on blocking the initial serve back so it goes deeper on your opponent’s court. This shot takes a lot of work due to the speed this serve may be coming in at. However, it will keep them closer to the baseline. The second approach is for when the server is able to get to the net. In these situations, you can hit a lob. A lob goes over their head and forces them retreat on their court. If you’re able to successfully hit a few good lobs, it could also force them to hang back longer on some points due to tentativeness.

Hold Serve

Serve-and-volley players are going to be tough to break on most occasions. In these matches, you may only have a few break opportunities. With this being the case, it is vital to hold your own service games. By doing so, it will not only put you in a better position to win, but also apply more pressure to them on their service games. While learning how to effectively serve is a long concept in its own, the best advice I can give here is to be aware of them coming to the net when you’re serving. After one or two shots, they’ll look to charge the net and put pressure on you. They will want to prevent any long rallies, so don’t be worried when they do come in.

Control Momentum

In nearly every sport, the word ‘momentum’ gets tossed around frequently. A team can be rolling along and then one play can change the entire outlook of the game. The same idea is present in tennis. Your opponent can be controlling the match, but one break could certainly change the tides. Be aware of this and try to grab the momentum early in the match. Players aren’t always completely ready when the game starts, so take advantage of this and come out ready to play. This will not only ensure momentum is on your side, but can also set a tone for the rest of the match.

Practice!

Since serve-and-volley is a rarity in today’s game, it is tougher to be prepared for it when a player pulls it out. As a result, practice the concepts utilized by it during practice. For example, have a teammate serve and then rush the net against you even if they’re not a serve-and-volley player. They don’t have to possess a huge serve. Just practicing against the basic concepts will put you in a better mental mindset for moments when you’re faced with it in an actual match.

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US Sports Lacrosse: Where Legends Train: Why Wall Ball Matters in Lacrosse and Maryland Whipsnakes vs Boston Cannons Full Game Highlights

 

• By Avery Hixson

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“Hit the wall!” - an annoying but true phrase burned into the minds of every lacrosse player. Wallball is the simplest but most effective way to take your stick skills to a higher level. Wallball can help you consistently catch passes, dodge while passing, try unique shooting methods, and more. It might seem mundane, but once you start seeing results from wallball, you won’t want to stop. Here are some important steps to perfect your skills with wallball.

Coach Jamie Munro is a former lacrosse player for Brown University and has collegiate coaching experience for both men's and women's lacrosse teams. One thing in common between men's and women's lacrosse is the importance and accessibility of wallball. Coach Munro’s Lacrosse Wall-Ball Drills course expresses the need for wallball for developing players and shows how to do it effectively.

Big-Picture Ways to Improve with Wallball

1. Fluidity of Switching Hands

Every style of passing used while playing wallball can be done with both hands, which will significantly improve your fluidity between hands so that you can be more versatile of a player on the field.

2. Throwing at Different Angles

Once you’ve nailed the basics of catching and throwing in wallball, the next step is to push yourself beyond routine play. Experiment with different angles, speeds, and passing styles to challenge your reflexes and accuracy. Wallball offers endless ways to keep your game sharp.

Improves Two-Handedness: Switch Hand Quick Sticks

As previously mentioned, varying your passing style is a crucial way to become more of an asset as a player. One way to improve your reflexes is by practicing quick sticks. Coach Munro’s course has several segments about conquering quick sticks. Here’s what one of them covers.

Quick sticking is a style of passing characterized by quick, powerful passes without a full follow through. The pass allows the ball to bounce quickly back off the wall and helps with receiving short yet powerful passes; a crucial skill for high-pressure moments on the field. Switch hand quick sticks are where you switch the hand your stick is in between passes, which merges the benefits of quick passes with switching hands.

The player featured by Coach Munro in the course displays the usefulness of quick sticks for “two-handedness” and switching hands.  

Throwing at Different Angles with Wristers

Wristers are a passing style often mentioned by Coach Munro that is characterized by hard, powerful passes towards the bottom of a wall from a farther distance away. Coach Munro explains in his wallball course how these implement a different passing style and are a great practice for improving players.

With wristers you can practice a variety of different passing styles such as overhand, three quarters, sidearm, and underhand. All of these different angles of throwing have real-world value on the field and are a great way to improve your skillset using wallball.

Taking Wallball to the Next Level: Implementing the Face Dodge

Once you master the basics of wallball, it can be difficult to progress further. However, by practicing dodges while doing wallball you can improve at a more advanced level. Coach Munro's wallball course teaches one example of this. The extra steps of the pass increase the difficulty which will up a player's game to the next level.

The face dodge is a well known lacrosse concept best described as when a player dodges a defender by planting their foot and stepping to their offhand side while simultaneously cradling their stick over to the offhand side, mimicking a hand switch or a direction change, and then swiftly switching back to the leading foot and dominant hand.

Bringing the face dodge to wallball is somewhat simple. Facing the wall, players should do a full face dodge and as they finish the motion, release the ball and pass it to the wall. This mimics real game situations like passing under pressure of a defender, and can be a real game changer for more advanced players.

Hit the Wall!

Ultimately, wallball isn’t just a warm-up drill, it’s one of the most powerful tools for sharpening your lacrosse game. From building two-handed confidence with quick sticks to mastering wristers at multiple angles, the skills you develop translate directly to better performance on the field. The beauty of wallball lies in its simplicity and accessibility. Any player, anywhere, can pick up a stick, find a wall, and get better. So the next time you “hit the wall,” remember that every rep is an investment in your speed, accuracy, and versatility. Keep at it, and you’ll see your game reach new heights.