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Post by fshamrock on Oct 2, 2009 8:31:07 GMT -6
We have tough time with our kids getting them ready to play in the hourse before the game. When we are around they'll sit there silently in the weight room and pretend to be thinking about the game.....but as soon as they're alone it becomes a free for all....I don't think we are telling them the right things..."shut the f up and get focused" doesn't seem to be working, I'm not sure if they really understand the concept. It drives us nuts....but I wonder if there might be a better way to get the point across that would make sense to them.
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Post by John Knight on Oct 2, 2009 8:38:46 GMT -6
We do a walk thru (in the gym) of all special teams and def and ofense sets. Usually starts 1 hour before going out for specialties. Before that, let them do whatever.
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Post by blb on Oct 2, 2009 8:48:11 GMT -6
Kids get ready for competition now differently than "back in the day." Making them be dead silent doesn't necessarily indicate they're focused. In fact might add to anxiety or "fight-flight" stress. Heck, all I can think of is the things that could wrong.
Most of our kids go in weight room and play LOUD music on stereo until it's time for Pre-Game. Ones that don't like the loud music sit outside on benches. Who cares? If that's what makes them comfortable or fires them up, fine. They're not in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Besides, I gave up long time ago trying to read if teenage kids are "focused" or "ready," because I was wrong a lot.
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Post by bulldogoption on Oct 2, 2009 10:02:10 GMT -6
IMO.....
what happens monday thru thursday is much more important, determines how the game plays out, than how they "act" during pregame......
In fact, how they act during pregame is probably more of a reflection of Monday -Thursday than anything.
If Monday thru Thursday went well, and the kids feel confident and prepared, pregame will be better......less jacking around
if Monday thru Thursday went bad, no focus, kids don't get it, pregame will be about "other" things, because kids have no idea what football is about......
Monday thru Thursday
If our kids practice hard, and know their assignments, it will just take over on the field. Emotion only lasts about one play. Then it has to come from inside the kid, and if they've repped it hard all week, it SHOULD happen on the field.
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Post by Wingtman on Oct 2, 2009 10:10:58 GMT -6
As a player, we went into pregame at 5 for 7:30 kickoff. It was dead silence.
My first coaching gig same deal.
As a middle school HC I keep it that way as well.
I do agree that kids focus differently. Our varsity kids blare music up till pre game warmups. It works for them. For me I like calm and quiet.
I know that 90% of my kids arent thinking about the game (High School or Middle School), and to be honest, if I was 17 (or when I was), I was thinking about nailing that girl in math class too, but when we went out for pregame, the switch flipped and I was ready to roll.
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Post by fshamrock on Oct 2, 2009 10:12:50 GMT -6
thanks for the suggestions....makes sense to me that the whole idea is probably a little overrated....the comment about Iraq and Afghanistan reminded me of how we used to act before a patrol when I was in the military....if we were going out somewhere was was suppossed to be hot with insurgents....we were jacking around like crazy before we went out.....better that than sit there silently and worry yourself into making a mistake
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Post by olemissmba on Oct 6, 2009 22:31:12 GMT -6
As a player I slept on the bus ride over, or on a bench in front of my locker. I was the type of kid who could not function with stress and I had to tell myself over and over and over that this was a school yard game no different then 3rd grade. So if you have players like me, then you need to give them a chance to chill out.
My players want to listen to what sounds to me like bass drums being pounded. I guess the kids call it music. I do walk throughs during lunch and then an hour before we walk out for pregame I walk through the first 5 plays on offense while the DC goes over the opponents offense and our fits.
As an educator I can quote the research that specifically states, "stress = brain dead", but ultimatly everyone has their own coping mechinisms.
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Post by tothehouse on Oct 7, 2009 8:17:57 GMT -6
We tell our players they need to have the "look" of being ready to play. They should, literally, get ready to play. No sitting there taking 2 hours to get their gear on, etc. At home we have an area where we warm up. It also is the place that has our 5 man sled. Players come down to warm up on their own for about 10 minutes then I get the whole defense over. We hit the sled for 10 to 15 minutes. They are pretty dang tired after they hit this thing. One thing I noticed? The sled gets all the heeby geebys out of the players. When we hit our stride with our warm ups the players seem very relaxed and ready because they released a ton of energy into the sled. We're thinking of going Nebraska style and bringing the sled with us on away games.  |
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Post by gschwender on Oct 7, 2009 16:04:40 GMT -6
[glow=red,2,300]you have to teach them how to focus and to visualize. we used the 10 minute toughness by jason selk and had the kids go through it during the summer. at first they ahve to go through the steps using the paper they filled out. after a while they remember it by heart because it is what they came up with. before the game they contiually go through it until it is time to go out. have a pwr point on it if people are interested but the book goes into much better detail (i typed out the book in word)
gschwens@louisiana.k12.mo.us[/glow]
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coachkaz
Sophomore Member
LIGHT WEIGHT BABY!!
Posts: 147
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Post by coachkaz on Oct 8, 2009 7:23:36 GMT -6
i have been the coach that stays in during specialists and what not during pre game.
before the specialists go out i grab one of the linemen and watch some film of them and tell them what to do in situations. then i'll rotate the player i'm watching with. then when the specialists go out i keep moving up and down the locker room and not stop talking. i keep telling them sit down but i dont yell at them. if they have questions i go over questions. if i'm gettin a bunch i'll go over some chalk talk.
when i think back to my early years of football, i didnt know how to focus. i just wanted to move around. as long as the starters are dicking around i'm good. the 3rd string tards will be playing with each other. pisses me off but i know they wont be gettin in the game since this is how they dick around in practice.
i like moving aorund and talking to them.
when we go out all i say is, actions speak louder than words, have a swagger. and some others. our kids then get into gear during team pre game
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Post by cnunley on Oct 8, 2009 7:31:53 GMT -6
Besides, I gave up long time ago trying to read if teenage kids are "focused" or "ready," because I was wrong a lot.
I couldnt agree more BLB.
I would look at our team one night and think to myself "Wow, they look like they could run through a wall right now"....and then we get demolished
And other times i would think "Wow, we are going to get pounded tonight, they could care less that we have a game in 15 minutes" and then we proceed to play the game of our lives.
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mce86
Junior Member
Posts: 281
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Post by mce86 on Oct 8, 2009 8:43:14 GMT -6
Our Friday's were very scheduled from the time they got out of school, to game time. Very limited time when no coaches were around, maybe during the first part of the soph game.
We did it because of the lack of focus...
Our schedule was as follows:
3:30 Team Meal
4:00 Motivational Film / Highlights from prior Week
4:30 Position Meetings
5:00 Watch half of Soph Game
5:30 Begin getting Dressed
6:00 Specials Begin.
Total quiet is not always the best...certain players were quiet, certain were chatty and goofy....If a chatty player was suddenly quiet, then we were concerned about his focus and vice versa....
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Post by gschwender on Oct 8, 2009 9:35:29 GMT -6
when we go through our personal highlight reels etc from 10 minute toughness, i walk them through each step 2-3 times and make sure they are either doing it or acting like it. at least they aren't messing around. after a while they begin to do it themselves because there is nothing else to do but that. you need to verbally walk them through it.
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Post by fatkicker on Oct 8, 2009 9:56:32 GMT -6
i know it doesn't work for every group but my favorite group was a few years ago...
absolute silence starting after the pep rally at 2:30......pregame meal.......leave a movie on in the lockerroom or almost quiet music in the weightroom.....during specialties and warm ups.....until the first team breakdown before kickoff.....then it turned into absolute madness....
coaches always suggested to be calm but never silent...kids chose to do it.....and for this group it worked.....
flip side....if the group we had last year was that quiet all afternoon......they wouldn't wake up good until half time........
for us....it's been different every year......
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