Post by coachcb on Sept 19, 2010 19:04:11 GMT -6
As many of you know, I have taken over a struggling 8 man program this year. And, when I struggle, I mean STRUGGLE. They lost a game 100-0 (not a typo) last year and only scored 12 points on offense. We went out our first game and competed; we played hard. We would've wailed on them if it weren't for some stupid cheap shots by my guys. The kids were flying around, smiling, competing and having fun. However, we got thumped yesterday by a squad that was comparable to the first unit we played. The kids were so jittery and nervous, it was ridiculous; they came out and just froze. I was dumbfounded, but I cracked a couple of jokes at half time and they went back in, played hard and competed.
Here's my conundrum; I've been trying to boost their confidence by talking about how those bad years are behind us and that we've got a solid shot at the play-offs (which we honestly do). But, that seems to be making them REALLY nervous during the week and in games; our practices haven't been very good and we played very, very poorly this last game.
I know that my assistant and I need to get back to focusing solely on having fun, playing hard and letting everything else fall in place. BUT, after our first game, they were just happy to have competed even though it was OUR game and we should have won by three scores instead of losing by two points. I don't want them thinking that it's kosher to just go out and 'not lose by that much'. This was something that I've heard once or twice around the school.
So, I'm struggling to find a happy medium here. They don't know what it's like to actually COMPETE in a game, much less win it. I want them to understand that they can win games and that it's not alright to play sloppy and lose a game we should have run away with. But, when I do that (while still emphasizing playing hard and having fun) they just freeze.. I mean, we looked like a totally different team this week; even when after pulled it together, started playing hard and putting up points.
So, I'm just at a loss right now.
But, we've made some HUGE strides within the program; we played the fourth ranked team in the state the week before and really competed. We hung in there with them until the middle of the 3rd quarter and then our lack of depth showed, the kids got worn down and they pulled ahead.
Here's my conundrum; I've been trying to boost their confidence by talking about how those bad years are behind us and that we've got a solid shot at the play-offs (which we honestly do). But, that seems to be making them REALLY nervous during the week and in games; our practices haven't been very good and we played very, very poorly this last game.
I know that my assistant and I need to get back to focusing solely on having fun, playing hard and letting everything else fall in place. BUT, after our first game, they were just happy to have competed even though it was OUR game and we should have won by three scores instead of losing by two points. I don't want them thinking that it's kosher to just go out and 'not lose by that much'. This was something that I've heard once or twice around the school.
So, I'm struggling to find a happy medium here. They don't know what it's like to actually COMPETE in a game, much less win it. I want them to understand that they can win games and that it's not alright to play sloppy and lose a game we should have run away with. But, when I do that (while still emphasizing playing hard and having fun) they just freeze.. I mean, we looked like a totally different team this week; even when after pulled it together, started playing hard and putting up points.
So, I'm just at a loss right now.
But, we've made some HUGE strides within the program; we played the fourth ranked team in the state the week before and really competed. We hung in there with them until the middle of the 3rd quarter and then our lack of depth showed, the kids got worn down and they pulled ahead.
