Play the Percentages

Years ago, a successful high school track and football coach told me, "you win with numbers." Successful coaching in the long run involves getting your numbers right so that you have increased chances for success. This includes, of course, having sufficient numbers on your squad to create competition and lessen the effects of injuries.

But getting the numbers correct has additional meanings. A coach needs to carefully "play the percentages," as I like to phrase it. By "playing the percentages", a coach can be more successful in the long term. It's more important to achieve the greatest success at the end of the game, rather than at the beginning, and better to have more success at the end of the season than at the beginning.

So how does a coach "play the percentages?" To use a basketball analogy, a team will shoot a higher percentage if the shots are taken closer to the basket. Therefore, at key moments in a game, it would be more prudent for a team to forego or bypass the longer three-point shot and either drive toward the basket or take shots within close proximity to the basket. An added benefit of this approach would be drawing fouls from the other team and getting free throw shots because of the fouls. This, of course, doesn't mean a 3-point shot should never be taken. They should. Many successful have taken this high-percentage approach. They "play the percentages."

Football coaches can "play the percentages" by opting for shorter, higher percentage passes rather than long passes the majority of the time. This approach will also eliminate certain "turnovers" such as dropped passes and interceptions. In addition, shorter passes necessitate quick releases by the QB and therefore, the avoidance of QB sacks.

"Playing the percentages" also come in to play when making personnell decisions. For example, if you have plays where you need "pulling and trapping" offensive linemen, you need to make sure your best offensive linemen "pull" and "trap" the majority of the time, if not all of the time. This may come into play when you have personnell limitations as many high school football programs do. Personnell issues will also factor in what teams should do offensively and defensively. For example, if you are blessed with many talented receivers, then make sure you are using multiple receiver sets in your offensive attack. If you are blessed with several big bruising, offensive linemen, you would be best served by utilizing a power running attack. It's all about getting your numbers right, or "Playing the percentages."

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