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Post by mustangcoach on Mar 26, 2006 8:31:50 GMT -6
I am hoping to get some ideas on how to boost my program's weight room attendance. I am a new head coach at a school where I was the varsity d-coordinator last year. The bad part is that we do not have an athletics period (thanks to block scheduling), so everything must be after school.
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Post by bluboy on Mar 26, 2006 8:50:44 GMT -6
I know of some schools in my area where the kids earn credits for off-season lifting. At the start of the workouts (right after the season) the coach tells the kids that they need to earn so many credits in order to play. If the kids do not meet the credit requirement, they can't play (the coach who does this has board approval to do this). The kids get 1 credit for each workout (3/week). So if there are 10 weeks in the workout cycle, a player earns 30 credits if he attends all the workouts. Kids in a sport (school sport, not rec league) would also get 30 credits. During the summer, the same thing applies with one exception. Kids get the same credit for attending a sports camp (3 credits if they miss 3 workouts while at football camp).
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eagled
Freshmen Member
Posts: 57
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Post by eagled on Mar 26, 2006 9:36:34 GMT -6
We had low attendance until we went to an early morning workout. We usually had 5-10 after school. We now have 65-70. We have 4 coaches monitoring 5 stations 1 agility and 4 core lifts. They do the rest after school or in the weight lifting class. It's amazing how they are buying into it that the have to work together.
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Post by coachdawhip on Mar 26, 2006 11:03:53 GMT -6
Coach we do things, like names on the back of jerseys, who gets to pick numbers first and at the extreme only play with the 11 that will show up to work out
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Post by coachjd on Mar 26, 2006 11:11:02 GMT -6
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Post by sls on Mar 26, 2006 14:35:39 GMT -6
I got this from another site I think. Make a big poster with squares for attendence. If they come fill their square with your color. If they do not come fill the square with the color of your opponent. Helped us a lot. If you can, do 2 of these and put one in the school commons to see who is helping "the steelers and who is helpong the browns."
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Post by coachcalande on Mar 26, 2006 15:30:20 GMT -6
i think earning "pride" points is a big thing for kids...
points for showing up to meetings, winnign fun team building challenges, wt training attendance, setting personal records, achieving goals set by position coaches and the head coach and even team captains...
points earned can result in spirit pack stuff, helmet stickers (even the regular helmet logos...no points, no helmet decal!) and heres a good one, extra conditioning IN AUGUST....IE, EACH PIECE OF GEAR COSTS "10 POINTS"...*each work out is a point...so a player who makes wt training would have points "banked"...in august, make it alot more demanding to "earn a point" or whatever...
kids who bank the most points get... - no locker room clean up - no field clean up -first pick of jerseys, helmets, seats on bus, etc..etc...just some idea.
I think you have to give the upper classmen ownership of the program. let them meet and decide on what wt room attendance will bring in terms of rewards...(with coaches approval of course)
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Post by texasokie on Mar 27, 2006 13:23:54 GMT -6
Whoever shows up the most over the summer and during the offseason will be team captains for next year. It is an honor that can be won by anybody in any grade. No senior wants to go out into the community and have community members ask why an underclassman is a captain instead of a senior. If you annoint seniors as captains, that will work only for tradition rich schools IMO. They had to earn playing time those 3 years, they have to earn the captain title too.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 27, 2006 13:45:36 GMT -6
I think that keeping attendance is overrated. We have had kids attend 100% of their lifting sessions for four years and still squat the same as seniors as they did as freshmen.
I think that a far better approach is to create some kind of performance-based system that gives first priority of starting jobs to kids who can meet whatever standard is set.
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iahc
Freshmen Member
Posts: 78
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Post by iahc on Mar 27, 2006 14:28:34 GMT -6
I know what you mean wildcat, but I don't know that I'd say its overrated. You want to get your players in the weight room and for some attendance being taken or "counting" can serve as a motivator. I also agree you must emphasize getting something done once you are in the weight room.
I have a group of guys who are in there each and every day it is open, but haven't made the kind of improvement one might expect for the amount of time they spend in the room. They get their points for being there, but when it comes time to test and get points for improvement, the miss out.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 27, 2006 14:48:30 GMT -6
iahc -
I would agree that keeping attendance is a great way to jump-start a program. Our guys are at the point where they lift because they know it will make them better. However, if you are starting from scratch with no weightroom tradition, I agree that keeping attendance (and letting the kids know you are keeping attendance) is very important.
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Post by coachcalande on Mar 27, 2006 15:19:52 GMT -6
"We have had kids attend 100% of their lifting sessions for four years and still squat the same as seniors as they did as freshmen."
Wildcat...Id have to accept the blame as the HC if that was the case...the kids werent being taught how to make progress. Poor diet? Poor effort? NO incentives?... but to me the very first part of making gains is BEING IN THE WT ROOM. I know my varsity coach never taught us diddly about recoup or nutrition.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 27, 2006 17:17:41 GMT -6
"We have had kids attend 100% of their lifting sessions for four years and still squat the same as seniors as they did as freshmen." Wildcat...Id have to accept the blame as the HC if that was the case...the kids werent being taught how to make progress. Poor diet? Poor effort? NO incentives?... but to me the very first part of making gains is BEING IN THE WT ROOM. I know my varsity coach never taught us diddly about recoup or nutrition. You can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink, Coach.
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Post by brownspit on Mar 28, 2006 10:58:59 GMT -6
then get rid of that horse
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Post by wildcat on Mar 28, 2006 11:10:25 GMT -6
then get rid of that horse Well, when you only have 21 or so horses, you need all of them, even the ones who aren't thirsty!
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Post by coachcalande on Mar 28, 2006 11:13:27 GMT -6
I SAY RIDE THAT HORSE...HE SHOWS, YOU PUSH AND DRIVE AND MAKE HIM WORKOUT YOUR WAY. NO WAY A KID CAN COME TO THE WT ROOM AND NOT MAKE PROGRESS.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 28, 2006 12:06:01 GMT -6
coachcalende -
Well, we DO push kids. The PROBLEM is that kids can count. They know that the coaches have to put 11 guys on the field. With just 20-25 kids on the varsity, those kids KNOW that they are going to play whether they lift or not if they are any kind of an athlete.
I went to a big high school that had about 70 varsity players. If you didn't lift, the coaches wouldn't even know your name when the season started.
That is the problem at a small school. The level of competition is NOT conducive to getting the best efforts out of kids.
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Post by sls on Mar 28, 2006 13:13:04 GMT -6
coachcalende - Well, we DO push kids. The PROBLEM is that kids can count. They know that the coaches have to put 11 guys on the field. With just 20-25 kids on the varsity, those kids KNOW that they are going to play whether they lift or not if they are any kind of an athlete. I went to a big high school that had about 70 varsity players. If you didn't lift, the coaches wouldn't even know your name when the season started. That is the problem at a small school. The level of competition is NOT conducive to getting the best efforts out of kids. I have been in your shoes and it is tough. All you can do is beg, holler, coerce, anything to get them to come. After school you have to stand in the main school exit and get them as they leave. This would be my strategy if I was in that situation again. Find the 1 or 2 kids that want to lift and do everything that you can for them in the weight room, brag about them to the team, school, and teachers. Award them with food and clothes. Make sure that everyone knows that they are getting this treatment because of weights and the number that want to buy in will slowly grow. Now if you are trying everything suggested on the board you might have to consider that your school is not the place for you.
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Post by brophy on Mar 28, 2006 13:20:40 GMT -6
wildcat, we were there too...man, it REALLY REALLY SUCKS....I know your frustration.
One thing you could do (that we tried) is assign your Seniors (and/or top Juniors) a team. 6 or 8 teams of however many.....then those guys show up for a "meeting". Draw straws for a DRAFT ORDER, and the players draft from the "talent pool" of underclassmen for their team. That is THEIR team, they are responsible for (calling, attendance, etc) - it gives a "brothers keeper" thing going on. You can reward / punish the winner/loser however you see fit at the end of the off-season (maybe a pizza party...loser serves....). Whoever doesn't show up (senior) the coaches will make default picks for that student, who loses out on getting prime underclassmen who would be good for high % attendance.
just a thought....we tried to build a better mousetrap to improve numbers over the last five years....it is tough, especially when parents will fight you all the way.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 28, 2006 13:41:05 GMT -6
Good suggestions by all... When I first started running the weights, my attitude was, "I'm not going to make these guys lift. They are going to have to want to get in here on there own". Well, that didn't work because the kids didn't lift. What I do now is cajole, beg, make phone calls, send letters home, you name it. By now (I've been here 5 years) our attendance is actually pretty good. Most of our varsity guys lift, but sometimes, the intensity is not what it should be. The phrase "going through the motions" comes to mind.
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Post by blb on Mar 28, 2006 13:48:10 GMT -6
"You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to roll over and float...then you've got something."
Kids will do most anything for T-shirts or food. Also post Perfect Attendance list; Bench, Squat, etc. clubs; and Physical Fitness test scores where lots of kids can see them.
We tell our kids if they want to start, they must bench 200, squat 250, run a 5.0 40 minimum (5.2 for DL, 5.4 for fat OL who can play). If they have to start, because of numbers for example, and can't do those things they will be "The Weakest Link." At least gives them some concrete goals to shoot for.
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Post by brophy on Mar 28, 2006 13:51:24 GMT -6
By now (I've been here 5 years) our attendance is actually pretty good. Most of our varsity guys lift, but sometimes, the intensity is not what it should be. The phrase "going through the motions" comes to mind. better get some youth on your staff, then. Enthusiasm is infectious....nothing wrong with hollerin' and screamin' in the weight room (encouragement). Your Staff gets excited, the kids will get excited.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 28, 2006 14:30:46 GMT -6
We tell our kids if they want to start, they must bench 200, squat 250, run a 5.0 40 minimum (5.2 for DL, 5.4 for fat OL who can play). If they have to start, because of numbers for example, and can't do those things they will be "The Weakest Link." At least gives them some concrete goals to shoot for. blb - Good suggestions... I want to move to a "performance" based system rather than an "attendance" based system. It would be similar to what you posted except that I would base it on percentage of bodyweight lifted. For example: Dead lift - 150% of BW lifted Box Squat - 125% of BW lifted Bench Press - 100% of BW lifted Pullups - 3 I would tell the kids that they have to meet these minimum requirements if they want to start. The kicker is that I have to convince our head coach that rewarding performance rather than attendance will produce much better results.
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Post by blb on Mar 29, 2006 12:21:15 GMT -6
wildcat, ask your head guy if the administration and community is going to evaluate him on whether he shows up for all nine games, or how his team performs when it gets there?
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Mar 29, 2006 16:24:47 GMT -6
Not having a weight training/conditioning class does hurt- we are fortunate, we have 3 sections of weight training/conditioning for athletes. Some thoughts: We have a "zero" hour- one hr. before school. The students get credit and a PE grade- and it doesn't take time away from the school day (we had to do it due to scheduling conflicts... every FB player has weights, but scheduling is tough in a small school). Like a lot of schools we chart everything- progress in speed, agility, 1RM and have a 200LB. Club for Bench and Clean, 315 club for Squat, etc... and give a shirt each club (200, 250, 315, 500, 800, 1000). that's a big deal for our guys. We also have 10-15 min meetings with all players in January- to set wt. room goals, and again in April to set summer progress and next season goals. The January goals are part of class (6 or 7/7 A, 5/7 B, and so on). The players (all sports in class...boys and girls) set their own goals (with my "guidance"). basically, they have to have goals in 7 areas (bench, squat, clean, 10 yd. dash, pro agility drill, vertical and body fat/muscle mass). The April goals are part of our FB conditioning grade (must have 80+ to bypass pre-season 12 minute run... no one has done the run in 10+ years). We have a lot of buy in... but we've been fortunate to have a lot of success. While I'm thinking about it, we had our January team meeting where I pointed out how many guys we had on our weight board. There is a direct relationship (or an outstanding coincidence) between names on the board and wins during the season. According to history and our weight board in Jan.- we would be 3-6 next year. Apparently, that scared our guys- since then 5 guys have "made it" up on the board, 4 more are very close. Depending on where you are as a program- pointing out potential positive outcomes or negative outcomes in a tangible way can have an effect....statistics lie and can be manipulated...but use them if they can work for you. Sorry this is so long... but these are some things that have seemed to work for us.
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Post by lochness on Mar 29, 2006 16:31:27 GMT -6
Simple:
MAKE IT FUN! Lifting has to be fun, and not feel like a chore. Dress up the room, do what you have to do...there's some great ideas out here already on this.
MAKE IT COMPETITIVE! Football players are all competitive. We make lifting teams in the off-season (each one led by a senior) and we give them points for attendance, achievements, etc. The winning team gets whatever award you like.
COACH INVOLVEMENT! I believe that the coach's enthusiasm in the weight room is just as critical as it is on the field. Be present and ACTIVELY helping kids every day in there, and they will come.
Most importantly, I find a lot of kids don't go because they're embarassed or afraid that they are going to look silly or weak if they are beginners. Find a way to positively encourage these kids.
Again, these are just the base things I think you need to do. There are plenty of good ideas out here already!!
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Post by gamedog on Mar 30, 2006 10:09:51 GMT -6
coachcalende - Well, we DO push kids. The PROBLEM is that kids can count. They know that the coaches have to put 11 guys on the field. With just 20-25 kids on the varsity, those kids KNOW that they are going to play whether they lift or not if they are any kind of an athlete. I went to a big high school that had about 70 varsity players. If you didn't lift, the coaches wouldn't even know your name when the season started. That is the problem at a small school. The level of competition is NOT conducive to getting the best efforts out of kids. I have been at a small school before(less than 230 kids). That school sucked in football for many, many years with 25 or more kids on the varsity. After our staff came in we won over 70 games in 6 years with never more than 20 kids. One year we went to the semi's with 17 kids, another year to the semis with 25 on the sideline but only 16 ever saw the field. If you have the attitude you have to keep someone to be successfull you may not ever be. All you have to have is 11 kids. If they will give you everything they have all of the time, those 11 will be a lot better than 20. Is it better to have a lot of kids, you bet. But if you have the belief that you have to have numbers to be successful, I don't buy it.
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Post by wildcat on Mar 30, 2006 10:11:43 GMT -6
I have been at a small school before(less than 230 kids). That school sucked in football for many, many years with 25 or more kids on the varsity. After our staff came in we won over 70 games in 6 years with never more than 20 kids. One year we went to the semi's with 17 kids, another year to the semis with 25 on the sideline but only 16 ever saw the field. If you have the attitude you have to keep someone to be successfull you may not ever be. All you have to have is 11 kids. If they will give you everything they have all of the time, those 11 will be a lot better than 20. Is it better to have a lot of kids, you bet. But if you have the belief that you have to have numbers to be successful, I don't buy it. Coach - We have won 70% of our games over the past 10 years and have been to the playoffs, including the quarterfinals, 7 times in that period. Up until 10 years ago, our school had made tha playoffs 3 times in 20 years. Winning isn't a problem.
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Post by gamedog on Mar 30, 2006 10:16:19 GMT -6
I have been at a small school before(less than 230 kids). That school sucked in football for many, many years with 25 or more kids on the varsity. After our staff came in we won over 70 games in 6 years with never more than 20 kids. One year we went to the semi's with 17 kids, another year to the semis with 25 on the sideline but only 16 ever saw the field. If you have the attitude you have to keep someone to be successfull you may not ever be. All you have to have is 11 kids. If they will give you everything they have all of the time, those 11 will be a lot better than 20. Is it better to have a lot of kids, you bet. But if you have the belief that you have to have numbers to be successful, I don't buy it. Coach - We have won 70% of our games over the past 10 years and have been to the playoffs, including the quarterfinals, 7 times in that period. Up until 10 years ago, our school had made tha playoffs 3 times in 20 years. Winning isn't a problem. It was not an attack. But if your winning then why keep someone who obviously isn't getting it done?
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Post by wildcat on Mar 30, 2006 10:22:16 GMT -6
What do you propose? Cutting kids? I'm not sure where you coach, but cutting kids is NOT an option where I am.
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