Becoming a football coach

Question
Hi I have a general question about getting myself into coaching. Firstly I played football in high school but not any further, and I dont have a B.S. in sports and health sciences. I understand the game very well and I believe I would be a good coach but I dont know where to start. I dont have a memorized offensive or defensive scheme or playbook but Ive got an understanding of plays and individual techniques. However I was arrested in college for driving with a suspended license, would that disqualify me from any kind of coaching?? What kind of materials such as books,film would you recommend to a newcomer?? And how should I go about learning the game as a coach?? Thanks

Answer
Justin,

While I am not a lawyer- I can probably tell you that you would just have to validate what the issue was (and more importantly how long ago it was). There is also a website called Sports Management Worldwide (I think that is it) where if you have the time (and some cash) you can take either an on-line set of courses or go there and become "certified".

Also, depending what State you live in, most High Schools #if that is where you want to start# has a program called "Community Coach" where you are not PAID directly to be a coach- but you can get some stipend- but it allows you to be part of the coaching team.

If you cant get on there- then I would suggest you go to the local Pop Warner league #if there is one# and start coaching at the Youth level and work your way up from there.
I don't know if you are on one of the social media sites called LinkedIn- but if you are there are all sorts of discussion areas you can join that will give you some great insights in to learning the game of football from a "coaching perspective"

If you are also serious about coaching- i would strongly recommend you read the book by John Wooden #even though he was a basketball coach# and how he approached coaching young men. The book is plainly called... Wooden A lifetime of Observations and refection on And off the Court

Hope this helps

Coach Nolan