Introduction

I have always wanted to start a blog, but I never really knew where and when to start. In light of the Corona Virus pandemic and subsequent quarantine, I have found myself with plenty of time to write, so I have finally started my own blog, 4th and Goal. First, a little about myself. My name is Mike Hughes. I am 22 and a senior English education major at West Virginia State University. This upcoming season will be my fifth year of coaching high school football in West Virginia. I spent the first four years of coaching at the high school where I graduated, Poca High School. I was an assistant coach there where I worked with the offensive and defensive linemen. I loved it at Poca and will always be thankful for the staff there, they taught me nearly everything I know about football. This off-season I was hired at a rival school five miles down the road, Nitro High School, as their defensive coordinator and linebacker coach. They have accepted me as one of their own and they are letting me implement a defense that I think we will be really successful with. The learning curve for this new position has been huge, but I am pumped for a new challenge. 

The purpose I have for writing this blog is to get some of my thoughts down on paper. Every day we are bombarded with all kinds of new ideas. Whether it be through talking to people, reading, listening to podcasts, or social media, the amount of information available to us is astronomical. Whether it be teaching, coaching, or day to day life, there are resources all around us to learn. We just have to make sure we are cashing in on this information as much as possible. There is a ton of crossover for lessons learned in life, football, and teaching. So, in light of that, this blog will be a lot of reflecting on and discussing new and old ideas in many ways. Hopefully, eventually, I can use this blog to interact with others to share ideas!

To close out, I want to share why I chose 4th and Goal as the title of this blog. I think there is no more crucial down, no more challenging decision in football than 4th and goal for all three phases of football. The offense must decide if they are going to go for it or kick a field goal. The defense must be ready for whatever the offense chooses, and then must choose whether they will be aggressive or passive. There is no holding back on 4th and goal, all things are out the window, it is score or stop them from scoring. There is so much on the line, so many decisions going on, on 4th and goal. So to be ready for the 4th and goals in life, we have to be prepared with knowledge. This blog is not really for me to teach, but more so a way for me to write some of the things that I have experienced, collect them, reflect on them, and share them with you. I hope you enjoy. 

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