Holly J.

Every day of my life I thank the University of Notre Dame for affording me the chance to study and work in my favorite sport- football. As a Football Manager for the Fighting Irish, I was able to study under the tutelage of coach Greg Mattison, current defensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines, and special teams coach Steve Addazio, current coach of the Boston College Eagles. After playing in the IWFL for a few years as a fullback and center/longsnapper, I have stopped playing to pursue the opportunity to coach. Currently I am the special teams coach and backs coach of the Everett Reign.

Football is a mental sport and I try to focus on training the player both on and off the field. Mental discipline is a key component in this game, and in addition to working with the athlete physically, I work to engage the mind through reading and meditation, something I saw time and again at the college level.

Sessions begin with proper stretching and move into drills for hand/eye coordination as well as agility drills. Kickers and longsnappers will work heavily in timed drills, as those are two of the most mental positions in football.

I also have experience in recruiting footage and film presentation, as one of my jobs at Notre Dame was to help in the review of recruiting videos.

I am a VERY patient coach and I am very comfortable working with youth players who may take a little longer to grasp fundamentals. I am also comfortable working with players who are shy or who lack self confidence. Sports are a great way to build self confidence.

Helping the player succeed at the next level and to obtain a good education is my goal. Football is a true team sport and can teach a great deal of responsibility and life skills.

Sporting achievements for all sports include:

Football Manager, University of Notre Dame
Member, Notre Dame Rugby Club
Member, Notre Dame Crew Club
Starting Center, IWFL Breakers
Player Spirit Award, IWFL Breakers
GISA State Champion, twice regional champion, golf
Collegiate golfer
Canoe Journey paddler, top mileage per day reached was 32 miles in one day

Stretching and warm-ups will take place for the first 5 to 10 minutes. I do not rush my stretches or my warm-ups. I have witnessed too many injuries due to improper stretching, and I like the athlete to focus on this as just another way to build strength.

After stretching and warm-ups, I invite the player to share any areas of concerns or areas in which he or she has seen improvement since our previous training session so I can gauge what drills should hold more focus.

We move into daily EDDs for their respective position for 30-40 minutes. I then take 10 minutes of practice and spend them doing timed drills. If I am working with a kicker, long snapper or center these timed drills will last 15-20 minutes. The last 5 minutes are spent on cool down, stretching and chalk-talk. I bring a whiteboard to all practices for visual illustrations.