Summary: In today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, USA Football’s Keith Grabowski and Dr. Joe Eisenmann talk with Dr. Fergus Connolly. He’s the director of performance science for the University of Michigan football program, and he previously held a similar role with the San Francisco 49ers. He has also worked with international rugby, soccer and NBA teams. Connolly talks about his book, “Game Changer,” and why training to develop instinct in players is so essential to a successful program. Show notes 1:45 Connolly’s book, “Game Changer” 3:30 How the ooda loop can translate to football 5:25 How to create a game plan based on relying on instinct 7:20 How to properly use statistics and technology when implementing a game plan 8:37 Why creating game scenarios is so important 11:00 How to budget time for instinct training 13:10 Does virtual reality training work? 14:40 How does a fast-paced offense affect a defense, and how can a defense counteract it? 16:30 How this training builds into a team culture 18:15 The Winning Edge
