It's a tradition that dates back to the 80's I believe, so by now we've all witnessed NFL teams bringing in martial arts experts and MMA legends to come in and teach players (particularly the defense lines) about the intricacies of hand to hand combat.
Well, one could argue that Chargers wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan has taken that philosophy a step further by integrating lessons he's learned from a little something called "Filipino knife fighting." According to a piece from the LA Times highlighting McGeoghan's approach, that's a type of fighting involving "sticks, swords, and knives." He likes it because it directly relates to how he wants his guys to get off the line of scrimmage.
"You’re protecting yourself from being stabbed. There are a lot more consequences there than when you’re releasing from the line of scrimmage. Fundamentally, the principles are simple — you want to control the wrist and protect your vitals.” The LA Times shared.
Over the years, McGeoghan has evolved the Filipino fighting technique into drills with some help from trainers and other professionals knowledgeable about the craft to help give his guys the tools to beat press coverage and how to gain an advantage during routes against physical defensive backs. Players gravitate towards the way it's taught because McGeoghan is passionate about the martial arts connection and how it relates to football, as he's been a fan of fighting for most of his life.
Perhaps the most relevant quote in the LA Times piece that talks about the wrist device that McGeoghan created to protect himself during drills was this one, in which he describes what he feels his job is as a coach.
“My job as a coach is to take the extraneous information and not give it to the players. Only take the pertinent stuff and give it to the players. I’m a buffer. There are hundreds of thousands of techniques out there that are nonsense for our guys. I’ve got to take one or two and bring them to our room that I know will get us better. That’s my job — make it simple."
That is a really enlightening way to think about coaching.