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Post by brophy on Sept 11, 2010 19:16:46 GMT -6
How do folks keep their edge within the profession?
I know most guys who have been at it for a while have contacts all over and see everyone as colleagues. They get together every so often and go over what's working what's opening up. Once folks become headers, though, who can you bounce things off of (there are no more peers, just competitors)?
The cycle seems to be
1. Be an assistant
2. Do everything your header says (he shapes your thought process)
3. Wish to be a header and talk to guys who are headers.
4. Be a header (and lose all mentoring network)
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Post by airraider on Sept 12, 2010 0:51:09 GMT -6
How do folks keep their edge within the profession? I know most guys who have been at it for a while have contacts all over and see everyone as colleagues. They get together every so often and go over what's working what's opening up. Once folks become headers, though, who can you bounce things off of (there are no more peers, just competitors)? The cycle seems to be 1. Be an assistant 2. Do everything your header says (he shapes your thought process) 3. Wish to be a header and talk to guys who are headers. 4. Be a header (and lose all mentoring network) Not sure if this is what you are talking about or not.. But I have had some questions for some of the areas coaches on some things they are doing... but have been hesitant to ask, because who knows?? I could be coaching against them next year. There really are only a select handful of programs in this area that I would seriously be interested in a chat session with. One of the first I would choose would be Haughton. |
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Post by jgordon1 on Sept 12, 2010 7:00:22 GMT -6
well.... only been a header for a few months...I still have called area head guys..just asking about practice...logistics...HUDL..things like that....they seem to appreciate....I have never been a "hater" you know...I hate this guy..that guy..etc...I think you (or another Huey nut) wrote a great article about "us vs them"....same w/ coaches....as far as X's and O's...we usually go to small colleges (although JMU just beat VT..so maybe theyare big now  and area clinics |
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Post by lochness on Sept 12, 2010 9:13:13 GMT -6
Fortunately, there are schools in our immediate area that are from all different divisions (we never play them), so we are tight with some of those staffs. We do camps with them, 7-on-7's, etc, and we all like to get together to do some whiteboarding or sharing of ideas in the summer. Even one of our major rivals in our own area is a staff that has one of my best friends on it, so our staffs talk a lot during the season, trade film on common opponents, etc.
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Post by coachbdud on Sept 12, 2010 15:50:18 GMT -6
I make it a point to be the biggest theif i can be. If i see someone doing something i think is smart, sure enough i will use that idea.
I try to never burn any bridges and ive built a lot of connections over the last 5 years of coaching. Knowing people pays off, i ALWAYS have film on whoever we play... because sure enough i know someone who played them. And im friends with a couple guys on a local staff (different league and division so we dont play them) who run the same O as us, so i always go to these guys to check out film and to learn from them
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Post by mariner42 on Sept 12, 2010 16:21:46 GMT -6
If I ever become a HC, I plan on running a pretty open program to anyone that isn't on our schedule that year or in the near future. I like sitting down and talking shop with people and I hope I can continue that into the future.
Personally, it kinda bothers me when staffs and coaches aren't open to sharing and communication because it implies, at least partially, that I'm not worth their time or effort. The other aspect that bugs is the idea that they don't trust me to keep confidential what they want kept confidential.
One of the programs in the area runs a really basic, really fundamentally strong and sound defense. I've tried for the past two off-seasons to politely get in touch with their HC/DC to talk and they don't even bother to respond. That's rude and bad for the profession, imo.
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Post by mitch on Sept 16, 2010 21:39:47 GMT -6
The guys that were my mentors have remained my mentors after becoming a HC. They will often call me when they know times are tough for me to keep me sane and give much needed advice.
I talk to each of them regularly in the off-season to talk shop. I also talk to a select few coaches (one of whom is in our district) throughout the year at track meets, weight meets, etc. about what they do.
It never ends, even when you become the HC.
I agree totally on coaches not willing to share what they do, or how they do it. What a poor way to represent our profession. We are supposed to be a tight-knit fraternity.
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Post by notdarkyet75 on Sept 17, 2010 8:28:25 GMT -6
Do you think the closed door mentality might have something to do with keeping a lot of things bottled up while working your way up the ranks? In terms of I would never do that, I would do this instead. And once your in a position to call the shots you really don't want to get any new ideas or share things you think are the greatest?
I suppose I'm fortunate in my short career that I haven't bumped into anyone like that. I'm sure I will....
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Post by lsrood on Sept 20, 2010 7:24:05 GMT -6
I still talk to many of the coaches that I considered my mentors. I regularly solicit advice from the Principal at the school I coach at (but don't teach there) as we coached as assistants together and I coached as an assistant on his staff when he was a head coach. I also keep in contact with coaches from other staffs that I respect that are in different classifications or districts that I can bounce ideas off of. And I love to keep up with the latest topics on board here, and have bounced many ideas off of the members.
I guess you have to constantly keep asking questions and trying to learn as much as possible. I also have moved out of my comfort area to coach different positions and to learn about different offenses and defenses that I have not coached before. I have been coaching close to 30 years now and still don't feel as though I have scratched the surface of what I could learn about the game.
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and area clinics
