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Post by coachcb on Oct 17, 2009 17:32:57 GMT -6
Throughout this season, I have developed a new take on using the word 'commitment'.
We all ask the kids to commit to the team, the coaches, the program, etc...
But, I'm taking a new approach to it; I'm asking the kids to commit to THE GAME of football, before committing before anything else.
I have just seen a few kids, at the soph/jv level (can't say much about the varsity kids) that just haven't committed to the game and have no LOVE of the game right now. They just don't seem to love the contact and the violence of the game in many ways. I think that if I had asked them to commit to the game to start the season and REALLY think about if and how much they LOVE the game, I may have gotten to a few more of those kids that aren't giving me a whole lot right now.
What do you guys think?
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Post by touchdownmaker on Oct 17, 2009 18:07:19 GMT -6
commitment to the team before commitment to the game for us. I just need a chance to coach them and teach them game so they can learn to love the game and each other.
discipline is another word we toss around alot, the discipline to do the right thing all of the time...
great words though, discipline and commitment.
my pregame speech this friday ? "guys, four words for four quarters...DO YOUR OWN JOB"
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Post by coachcb on Oct 17, 2009 18:43:04 GMT -6
commitment to the team before commitment to the game for us. I just need a chance to coach them and teach them game so they can learn to love the game and each other. discipline is another word we toss around alot, the discipline to do the right thing all of the time... great words though, discipline and commitment. my pregame speech this friday ? "guys, four words for four quarters...DO YOUR OWN JOB" That has always been thought as well, I just don't know if I can get the commitment to everything else if some of the kids just don't have the commitment to the game; loving the violence and aggression that goes along with it.
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Post by khalfie on Oct 17, 2009 18:57:34 GMT -6
Here's where coaches lose me...
1. If you don't define terms for kids, they are nebulous in meaning...
2. Have you defined "commitment" for your team?
3. I use "desire, persistence, courage, commitment, and confidence" all the time with my team, but I make sure to define it for them...
4. Commitment, for us, is setting aside a specific amount time, effort, and more importantly patience, to achieve your goal. If you do those three things, then you are committed.
If kids are coming to practice, giving me everything they have, and sometimes its not enough, but that's not the issue, if they are giving me, everything THEY have, as well as being patient enough, to allow their bodies to catch up with their football iq... then the kids are committed.
5. this... not committed, no love, I don't understand. The, not embracing the contact / violence, that's a courage issue, mixed with a lack of confidence. Physicality is an off-shoot of knowing your responsibilities and being able to accomplish them.
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Post by coachd5085 on Oct 17, 2009 20:49:59 GMT -6
I just don't know if I can get the commitment to everything else if some of the kids just don't have the commitment to the game; loving the violence and aggression that goes along with it. I am going to have to disagree a bit here. Not everyone is going to love violence, aggression..etc..and many of those can still be very good football players. Now, their lack of aggression does eliminate them from certain roles on a football team, but not wanting to be a sledgehammer doesnt mean they don't love "the game" or they can't be successful at it
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Post by coachcb on Oct 17, 2009 21:32:50 GMT -6
Here's where coaches lose me... 1. If you don't define terms for kids, they are nebulous in meaning... 2. Have you defined "commitment" for your team? 3. I use "desire, persistence, courage, commitment, and confidence" all the time with my team, but I make sure to define it for them... 4. Commitment, for us, is setting aside a specific amount time, effort, and more importantly patience, to achieve your goal. If you do those three things, then you are committed. If kids are coming to practice, giving me everything they have, and sometimes its not enough, but that's not the issue, if they are giving me, everything THEY have, as well as being patient enough, to allow their bodies to catch up with their football iq... then the kids are committed. 5. this... not committed, no love, I don't understand. The, not embracing the contact / violence, that's a courage issue, mixed with a lack of confidence. Physicality is an off-shoot of knowing your responsibilities and being able to accomplish them. Commitment is clearly defined for our kids; the want and ability to put the energy and effort into various aspects of the program. But, again, I do think that the kids need a commitment to the game ITSELF before anything else. I feel that if they're committed to the game of football, then they'll enjoy/love playing the game. f you don't emphasize that first, and you ask the kids to put effort, focus and energy into being a part of the team and the program, it's all for not if they don't commit to the game. If they don't commit to the basic intrinsic motivation of loving the game, then it's tough to ask them to commit to the extrinsic factors of playing the game WITHIN a team and a program. I think by asking the kids if they're committed to the game you force them to think about why they're playing the game. If they don't love the game, then football is just a job for them. If it's work, then they're not going to enjoy it. If they don't enjoy it and don't have a high level of enthusiasm, they're not going to put the energy into everything else outside of themselves.
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Post by coachcb on Oct 17, 2009 21:35:37 GMT -6
I just don't know if I can get the commitment to everything else if some of the kids just don't have the commitment to the game; loving the violence and aggression that goes along with it. I am going to have to disagree a bit here. Not everyone is going to love violence, aggression..etc..and many of those can still be very good football players. Now, their lack of aggression does eliminate them from certain roles on a football team, but not wanting to be a sledgehammer doesnt mean they don't love "the game" or they can't be successful at it Gotta remember coach, I'm a DC; I generally do my best to bring out the sociopath-side of my kids during the season. LOL. I've got a couple of kids right now that have great personalities and are nice kids, but when it comes to 'commitment', they're definitely committed to being violent, angry football players.
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Post by khalfie on Oct 17, 2009 21:57:30 GMT -6
I apologize for not being clear coach... Commitment is clearly defined for our kids; the want and ability to put the energy and effort into various aspects of the program. If that is how you define commitment, how is it you are assessing your players commitment via intangibles such as "enjoy / love"? But, again, I do think that the kids need a commitment to the game ITSELF before anything else. I feel that if they're committed to the game of football, then they'll enjoy/love playing the game. Again coach... you have defined commitment one way, and are assessing it another. The ability to put the energy and effort... and the want... I don't know what your practices are like, but I'm sure they encompass hard work, discerning to me, that the players that are showing up for the voluntary torture, are committed. And if not, shame on you, for having practices that allow for non-committed players to hang around. If they don't commit to the basic intrinsic motivation of loving the game, then it's tough to ask them to commit to the extrinsic factors of playing the game WITHIN a team and a program. Coach you are losing me with the flowery language. "loving the game?" They are there, doing what you ask, what more do you want? Extrinsic factors? Are these like the unwritten rules in baseball? Should your 14 years know about these unwritten extrinsic factors? I think by asking the kids if they're committed to the game you force them to think about why they're playing the game. If they don't love the game, then football is just a job for them. If it's work, then they're not going to enjoy it. If they don't enjoy it and don't have a high level of enthusiasm, they're not going to put the energy into everything else outside of themselves. I think... IMHO, that a non-committed kid will give you a noncommitted answer... we coaches need to understand, we can't force anything. We model, promote, and develop... that's it, that's the job. I think you are reaching on this one coach... You have them showing up... model your "love for the game" and leave it at that... That quiet guy, not hooping and hollaring, who won't make the big hit... may still love the game, just as much as you do... but simply has a different understanding of where he fits into the game.
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Post by coachcb on Oct 19, 2009 14:56:02 GMT -6
I guess I just hear the word 'commitment' tossed around a lot, in a lot of programs, so I figured I would take it in another direction.
Commitment to the Team: the want and focus to be a part of a team, to play with the team and to be unselfish.
Commitment to the Program: the want and focus to pay your dues in the off season, in the weight room and the classroom.
Commitment to the Game: the want and focus to the game itself, regardless of everything else. In my mind, this is about loving to play the game, regardless out everything else; the score board, the stats, etc..
My kids work hard, the ones that don't aren't playing. But I am wondering why those kids don't work hard....I guess I would just like to have something more tangible than 'he's lazy'. Now this may be the case; but I am wondering if I have a few kids out there that just don't love the game. They're showing up for practice and slacking because, again, they view it as just work; a job that they're tied into, but don't like. Heck, maybe they're out there because they play too much Madden or because they watch college/NFL football and just want to be a part of the game for those extrinsic reasons.
I am really just looking for internal reasons why the kids don't play hard; trying to go deeper than just excepting that they are lazy.
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Post by gre3nday on Oct 20, 2009 6:16:05 GMT -6
Coach, have you tried asking them?
Rather than second guess asks the kids. Tell them the reasons they aren't playing - that they don't apply themselves during training or whatever, let them know they would see some game time if they did apply themselves and question why they bother to turn up knowing all this.
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Post by coachcb on Oct 20, 2009 15:16:11 GMT -6
Coach, have you tried asking them? Rather than second guess asks the kids. Tell them the reasons they aren't playing - that they don't apply themselves during training or whatever, let them know they would see some game time if they did apply themselves and question why they bother to turn up knowing all this. 1. I am very honest with the few kids I have that aren't playing. I'm not a tyrant about it; I let them know that they're not giving me enough effort. 2. There are only 1-2 kids that I am having issues with and I can't figure one of the out. I have asked him if he likes playing football, he says he does, but then goes out and just doesn't play hard. And this is coming with ALOT of coaching; he knows what he's supposed to be doing, he just doesn't put any effort into it. The other one is just a whole different story, one that would take another thread to talk about. 3. They all know that if they practice hard and play hard that they'll get a lot of playing time. As I have stated in other threads, I have two DBs and a LB that none of us thought would get much playing time; but they've worked very hard and have been coachable. The effort plus the attention to the coaching has turned them into very good football players. '
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