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.

Steve from Kewanee sent the following question:

Hey coach. My son is a starting quarterback and is also an ace pitcher in high school. He's a good kid and gets good grades. People are telling him that he needs to concentrate on one sport if he wants a shot at playing in college. Just wondered what your thoughts were on that subject. Thanks a lot.

Hi Steve,

My feeling has always been that it is perfectly fine for a player in high school to participate in more than one sport, in fact I encourage it. There are many physical and mental carryover skills that a player can take from one sport to another.

If a player reaches his senior year and can see that his future is more in one sport over another, then he can focus on that one sport, but I see no compelling reason that he must make that decision before his senior year.

The only real reason to play only one sport would be, in my mind, if the player needs extra time to concentrate on his studies in order to be properly prepared for college.

As long as your son enjoys playing both sports, I hope you encourage him to continue and congratulations on your concern for his future. Coach Tom Bass.

Mike from Colorado Springs sent the following question:

What are some important drills that fullbacks need to do in the off-season?

Hi Mike,

One area that I would spend time working on is making certain that you have a good balanced stance, feet parallel, minimum weight on your forward hand, your back level and head up.

From this stance, practice starting by stepping with both your right and left foot straight ahead, right and left, at an angle right and left and to the sideline by leaning right and left and rolling over the foot on the side you desire to go. Make all of these steps without taking a step back as you start (false stepping) and making certain that you keep your hips over your feet as you stay low and gradually come up as you start your run.

Once you have your stance and start down then you can add bursting up the field and running ten to fifteen yards at full speed.

Blocking will be difficult to practice, but a good start will greatly aid your blocking ability in the fall.

You can then use your stance and start to practice running any pass routes that you may be asked to run in the offense. If you have a quarterback that you can work with, spend some practice time running your pass and making sure that you have your hands in the correct position to catch the ball. Once you make a reception, secure the ball in the hand and arm closest to the sideline and sprint up the field.

With a workout like this, you are working on football skills that you will be able to use in practice and a game rather than merely going out on the field and running wind sprints.

Try to take part in any summer lifting or passing league program that may be offered at your school and above all, focus on your classroom work. Coach Tom Bass.

Troy from Howell sent the following question:

Spring workouts have started and I'm performing extremely well for a DB. I'm the top DB and WR in lifting. I missed a year last year and I was wondering how I could transfer my performance in the weight room to on the field? Because I missed a year I plan on giving it my all on the practice field to impress the coaches. But is there a limit on how intense I should practice?

Hi Troy,

Usually the intensity of each drill that you do will be defined by your coach. He may say that the drill is half speed or full speed. He may tell you that the drill is designed to help the offense work on a certain area (then you would be less intense) or that it is a defensive drill (then you go full speed).

He may inform you that during the drill you should avoid contact to prevent injuries (then you have the intensity but pull back at the end).

The key is listening to your coach and asking him at the start of each drill what the intensity level should be if he hasn't told you at the start.

One of the key elements of building a good team is helping one another develop and understanding when you are helping the offense and when the offense is helping you.

Of course, when you are involved in a scrimmage with tackling, you need to work at your greatest intensity. In this way all the work you did in the weight room will transfer to your performance and development on the field.

Work hard, work smart, and be a team player. Coach Tom Bass.

Jason from San Jacinto sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I'm 13 years old 5'11 at 190 pounds and I play middle linebacker. I've been trying to improve my ability to recognize and react to certain situations like sweeps, HB with lead blocker, when the FB runs up the middle, and counters. I usually stop them, but when I don't its frustrating. I am a very intense person about everything. What do I have to do to stop it 100%?

Hi Jason,

You are at the beginning of your football career and it is only normal that you will miss plays. Getting the proper read comes with playing experience, lots of practice, and gaining an understanding of how the offense is designed to attack you. This takes time and no player stops every play.

One thing you need to guard against is thinking about the last play, regardless of the result, and not focusing in on the play that is being run. I always told my players that to be successful they needed to have a very short memory.

In football, you never have the luxury of having the opportunity to play the play over, so put it out of your mind and relax, ready to stop the next one.

The first thing is to completely understand your defensive scheme, know where you are to go and where your teammates should be.

Once this is done you can then start spending time studying the offense you are going to play against. Know what the player directly in front of you does on a sweep, a counter, a lead play or a straight run at your position. Learn to recognize each of his moves and then see who has the responsibility of blocking you on each play.

Finally try to see if anyone tips off the play they are trying to run. You may find that the fullback is mainly a blocker always leads to the ball carrier and by looking through the offensive lineman to the fullback, you can get a jump on where the ball carrier is going to run.

The big thing is to try stop putting so much pressure on yourself to stop every play that you stop reacting and having fun. Coach Tom Bass.

Riley from Linden sent the following question:

Hi Coach Bass, I am going to be a freshman next year in high school. I have never played football, but all my friends and the coaches asked me to give it a try. I am 6'0 and 145 lbs. They have me at receiver and lineman. Do you have any advice to help me get ready for the season? Thanks coach I like your web site.

Hi Riley,

As a beginning football player, the most important thing you can do is to get yourself in good condition so that your do not become fatigued when practice actually begins.

Now is the time to begin a daily running program, stance, starts and sprints running pass routes one day, and distance running the next day and then a day of rest. Keep a written record of your workouts. Record the number of sprints you are able to do in the beginning and then try to increase the number as you go along. Start by running the short pass routes, then the medium routes and finally the deep routes.

On distance days, begin by charting the distance you run and time it takes. Work on lowering the time and then increasing the distance. You might start with a half mile as a starting point. Once you feel you can run a distance, you could start running cross country to give you changes in elevation, going up and down hills to build your endurance and leg strength.

Speak to your coaches and see if they have a summer program that you can join and begin to be part of the team. I hope that you have lots of success and really enjoy playing football. Coach Tom Bass.

Jorge from Salinas, CA sent the following question:

Hi Coach, I am will be going into my senior year playing football next year. I know that I have pretty good talent and our coach has instituted a new lifting routine with plenty of explosion lifts. I think that these lifts and my talents could give me a chance to play college football. What can I do to get more attention, considering scouts don't make a lot of visits to this area?

Hi Jorge,

Now is the time to start contacting schools in your area (San Jose State - Cal Poly - Fresno State U. - Sacramento State U.) and if you can, try to visit as many of the schools as you can during the spring and meet and talk to the coaches.

You also have the advantage of being in an area where there is great Junior College football and this may be a fallback situation for you if you do not find a four year college after your senior season. Playing in Junior college will give you an opportunity to develop your game and, if needed, to get your grades up to a level where you can transfer to a four year college.

Talk to your coaches and ask them what they would advise you to do to get started in creating interest for your football career at the next level. They will be able to advise you and may even have contacts at a four-year school and can generate initial interest for you. Coach Tom Bass.

Ron from Flint, Mi sent the following question:

Hey Coach last season I played guard and LB. I loved Linebacker but didn't care for O-line. I've been told I'm a lot like my grandpa who was a great QB and think I might be good too (not trying to be like him I just think this would be a good position for me). I'm 5.9" 165 lbs and our current QB only has one season of playing quarterback. Can you help me? Thank you.

Hi Ron,

Obviously this is a decision that you are going to have to make after talking it over with your parents and coaches. You want to make certain that if you do make the change that the coaching staff is going to give you every opportunity to learn and play as a quarterback. This is an essential consideration before you make the change.

If it is a move you are going to make, you will need to start right away developing your quarterback skills and learning the offense so you feel comfortable when practice begins and have the confidence to lead the team.

I hope this change works out for you and that you have a great deal of success. Coach Tom Bass.

Patrick from Morris sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I'm a sophomore in High School and our team is in the midst of our off season workouts. I weigh 200 and I'm 5'9 last year I played DT. This year I would still like to play the same position but I am in a debate with myself, to lose weight and gain speed or gain weight and be like a wall. I do not know which route to go, any advice would be very helpful and I find this site very convenient and helpful.

Hi Patrick,

My feeling on this important question is that you should never give up speed and quickness for weight. Also it is important to focus on gaining strength instead of weight.

Because you are only a sophomore player, I really believe that you will naturally gain added strength and weight as you go through your high school football career.

Talk to your coach and see what he feels is best for you. Coach Tom Bass.

Nick from Tampa sent the following question:

Hey Coach, I'm 5-11 and 170 lbs I run a 4.6 40-yd dash time and love to hit but like to be in the spotlight. What position should I go for? Also could you give me some tips on cornerbacks? Thank you, Nick

Hi Nick,

Playing in the defensive secondary as either a safety or corner will certainly get you in the spotlight if you like to hit and be in the action. You have the size and speed to play either position, but may find that safety is the best suited for you since you enjoy contact.

When I taught my corners, I always emphasized to them that they needed to master the physical skills first so that they had their muscles trained to perform without any thought. This would include lining up in a good stance, developing an explosive start, perfecting a smooth back pedal, and learning to go from a backward run to a forward run in a smooth motion without losing any momentum.

The second phase would be the mental part of playing the position. This would include learning all the pass routes, and the different areas where each route was run. Next they needed to learn to recognize each pattern, knowing when the receiver makes his break (the breaking point), and understanding where the receiver would be when he could first catch the ball (the interception point).

Once he had mastered both phases, I would have him put them together and really start practicing covering a receiver.

Finally you need to work on your tackling with an emphasis on being a sure tackler over a total all out hitter. You are the last line and can never afford to miss a tackle. In this area you need to study how to come up and force the run, how to meet and defeat blockers, and when you must leave your coverage and become involved in stopping the run.

Click on our "Position Index" and scroll down to the "Defensive Back" section and read about each of the techniques in more detail. Coach Tom Bass.

Giovanny from Miami, Fl. sent the following question:

Hi Coach, I'm 29 yrs. old with a year left before I get my bachelors. I love football and played all the way from little league to high school. I've decided to try a coaching career so I'm volunteering at a local high school here in Miami. What are some steps I can take to take my coaching career to the college level?

Hi Giovanny,

Welcome to our profession and congratulations on volunteering at the local high school. This is your first step and it is an important step in that you are gaining coaching experience, learning on the job from coaches who have taught the game, and you have the great opportunity to start building your football network.

If you can, try to visit any spring practices at colleges in the area. Make sure you introduce yourself, listen and learn and begin to establish contacts with assistant coaches who may end up moving and bringing you on board.

I always encourage beginning coaches to become a real student of the game and attend as many coaching clinics as you can, listen to the lectures, take detailed notes and write them up in an organized fashion after you are back at home. Make your notes part of your football library along with as many football books as you can get to continually add to your knowledge about every position on the team, not just the position you played.

While you are at the clinics make it a point to introduce yourself to as many coaches as you can (you might want to have business cards made up that you can hand out). Many times the first opportunity to move to college will occur when someone you talked to at a clinic gets a Head Coaching position and needs a young coach to come in and start his college coaching career. 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.