Submit your question to Coach Bass.

Note: Coach Bass receives nearly 100 email questions every week from NFLHS.com visitors. Because Coach Bass tries to respond to every question, you may not see your question answered immediately.

Many NFLHS.com visitors have very similar questions. Before you submit a question, be sure to read Coach Bass' columns about getting faster and getting bigger.

Also, check out his columns about getting started in high school football, recently updated for the 2006 season.

Nick from Wilmington sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I love to play football and I am a senior in high school and wanted to take it to the next level and play college. In the pre-season I was being recruited by a couple of schools and they were looking forward to seeing me play my senior year. However, I suffered from a couple of concussions and the calls and e-mails stopped coming. I have decided that I want to try and walk on at a small school and try to move my way up the depth chart. The college recruiters told me I had the size to play outside linebacker at the next level so I am encouraged. How hard would this be to accomplish and what do you recommend me doing to get started on preparing for walking on? Do you recommend any workouts to start doing to get ready too? Thank you for your time Coach, your site has helped me a lot.

Hi Nick,

I am glad that the site has helped you as this is the reason that we keep it going. The first thing you really need to do is to get a baseline test so that you have a measurement in case you encounter any concussions problems in the future. Check with your team Doctor, discuss where you are at this point, ask for the test, and make sure that you have a written clearance from the Dr. to continue your football career.

If you have a weight room that you can use, I would start a lifting program that focuses on repetitions for your core muscle and your big muscle groups and not max lifting.

Then you need to start a combination running program made up of distance running [preferably on hills] and short sprint work featuring lateral movement, and pass drops.

The goal should be to get your body in the best physical shape that you can while protecting against the chance of injury. When fall practice starts you want to be able to concentrate on the mental aspect of making the team and not continually needing to work on improving your condition.

You will also need to check with the coaches from colleges that you have selected (ones that meet your academic needs) to see what the walk on process is. Every school is different. When you go out for the college team, make sure you alert them about your past situation.

Get the doctors OK first, and then work hard this off-season and I am sure you will soon be moving up the depth chart, Coach Tom Bass.

David from Phoenix sent the following question:

Hi Coach, I'll be playing high school next year but I don't know how to become mentally tough for it. I just need to learn to fear almost nothing. Could you help me with this problem? Thank you.

Hi David,

Fear in football is a very normal feeling and it is not something that is not always necessarily bad. The key is how you react to the fear and the root of the cause of the fear. If it causes indecision, confusion or the inability to complete your assignment, then it can be a situation where you hinder your ability to play the game.

In football you need to focus on the activities that will help you overcome your fear. First is learning, practicing and using safe techniques in everything you do on the field. Next, is making certain that you completely know and understand what you are supposed to do on every play and drill that you are involved in on the field.

Once you learn proper technique and have your assignments mastered, you will find that you become much more comfortable when playing and your mind will focus on the game and not on any previous fears that you may have initially had concerning playing football.

Listen to your coaches, practice hard, realize that you will make mistakes and try to relax and have fun, Coach Tom bass.

Nick from Oviedo sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I was just wondering if you're small but quick, around 5'8" and 150lbs and run a 4.57 in the 40 yard dash, then what position should I play?

Hi Nick,

As a general rule the smaller you are, the further you should be from the center and the ball when the play begins. Obviously, a lot depends on the size of the players you are going to be playing against. Your size may fit any number of positions.

Looking at the long term, I would think you might consider running back and wide receiver on offense and the corner position on defense. All three of these positions are suited for a player with your size and speed and if you learn the skills needed to play these positions, they are ones that you could continue to play as you continue to grow.

Remember your coach will have the final say as to the position you play so keep an open mind and be prepared to enjoy any position that he selects for you, Coach Tom Bass.

Naveed from Atlanta sent the following question:

Hey Coach Bass, I am a sophomore in high school, and next year will be my fifth year playing football. I am about 6'0" 170 pounds. I bench 250, squat 320, and run a consistent 4.7 40. I feel like by the end of the summer, I will be athletic enough to start varsity my junior year. I have two questions: How does a player become an exceptionally smart and alert football player? And also, some people are in a "zone" when they play football. What is the role of mindset on the gridiron? Thank you.

H Naveed,

I explained to my players that becoming smart in playing football was like ripples in a pool of water. It starts at the center - that is you, and your complete knowledge of the techniques you need to be successful and total knowledge of your assignments on every play.

The next circle is your total understanding of the skills and assignments of the players on either side of you. The next circle is a basic knowledge of all 11 players on your side of the ball.

The next outer circle is learning what the opposition is trying to do, what assignments they may have and what techniques they may use to defeat your team.

Knowledge in football is power and can contribute greatly to a team's or an individual player's success, but it takes time and must be acquired in well defined steps.

Players describe the zone as playing in slow motion - that they know ahead of time exactly what they are going to do and what their opponent will do and everything happens exactly how they sense it is going to occur.

Playing in the zone, should be viewed as playing in the extreme outer circle of the ripple in the water, Coach Tom Bass.

Douglas from Bladensburg, MD sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I play Running Back in High School and I just came from a pro style offense and now going into a Wing-T Offense. Do you think I should look for another school or adjust to the offense? Do you have any ideas on how to learn a Wing-T Offense and how to improve my catching?

Hi Douglas,

I really do not think that you will have much trouble making the adjustment to the Wing-T offense. You may find that there are a greater number of plays that require closer faking between you and the quarterback, but the actual running back skills will be very similar. I would not recommend that you consider changing schools based on a new offensive scheme.

Catching a football starts with really focusing on the ball and eliminating everything else from your vision. For a running back, your hand position should be the same as you would use to catch a toss or a pitch on a running play.

If the ball is at your number or above you want to have your thumbs together, fingers spread, and palms tilted slightly back. For a ball below your numbers or a pass coming over your head you need to have your little fingers together, fingers spread, and your palms up.

In both cases you need to reach out with your hands as you see the front tip of the ball coming to you, see both the ball and both hands at the moment of the catch, and then immediately secure the ball as you continue up the field.

As I have mentioned before, I encourage players who are working on their catching skills to use a tennis ball and continually throwing it up against a wall, changing the velocity and the angle of the bounce on the return so that you can practice placing your hands in the proper position and making the catch correctly. This is a drill that you can do on your own everyday. Then you should see if there is a quarterback that will throw to you a couple of times a week, Coach Tom Bass.

To submit your question to Coach Bass, send an email to "Ask Coach Bass."

"Play Football The NFL Way" is the first Instructional Manual for Football Players and Coaches ever published by the NFL. It is the ultimate position-by-position guide of techniques and drills for Offense, Defense and Special Teams. Author Tom Bass is a former NFL coach with more than 20 years of experience with the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For a personalized autographed copy of "Play Football the NFL Way," plus information on Coach Bass Sport Maps--the new Official NFL Licensed Football Guides to watching, enjoying and understanding all the action on the field, for all fans--please visit www.CoachBass.com.

For information on Coach Bass' In-Depth Coaching Clinics, please visit Coach Bass' Clinics and Consultations.

Copyright © Thomas L. Bass 2007. All rights reserved.