Summary: USA Football Master Trainer Vince DiGaetano is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. DiGaetano, a defensive assistant at Wagner University (Staten Island, N.Y.), also has experience as a U.S. National Team coach, serving as head coach during International Bowl VIII. He discusses the intricacies of coaching at the Division III level, the role of a defensive analyst and the importance of the “yards after first contact” metric. Show notes 1:00 start as a football coach 2:55 Key points in development as a coach 5:04 Learning not only about the players you coach, but the place where you coach 8:47 What exactly does a defensive analyst do? 13:12 Maturing from a young coach who is always trying to validate his existence 15:01 Do what you do best and what you believe in 16:20 Backwards planning from the end of a play 17:44 Evaluating effort by defining what effort is (not pointing out lack of effort) 20:48 Columns in DiGaetano's breakdown system 24:55 Importance of "yards after first contact" metric 28:54 Designing drills with a purpose
