Winning before stepping on the field

heck, why not just hand him a snake at the coin toss - that ought to shake him up for a series...

And I don't know about the pink thing -- We had our cancer awareness night game and I bought the kids pink mouthpieces from the cancer society and let them wear pink other stuff if they had them for that night -- did they have them? we look like a bunch of flamingos out there - socks, gloves, wrist bands, skull caps - definately not afraid to show our feminine side.

not sure we'll go all the way pink next year...

Lol, of course that too

And as far as the color psychology thing goes with what the other coaches said, color has been proven to have a subconscious effect with people. The reason fry used it was that pink has shown to have a calming effect on people, so he was trying to bring their arousal level too low before kickoff. On the other hand, there were also players that were angered by all the pink around them, and that too served to take their mind off what mattered-the approaching game.

Of course it's not too far. I'll take it anyway I can get it. I'm a ninja, baby.

I've walked up to the other team's coaches and players and began to talk about how cold it was to throw their players off. I always make sure those pre-game stretches are loud and vicious sounding. We want to intimidate. It's all part of the game.

I remember a story from the history channel. Genghis Khan told all of his men to light 5 fires at their camp ground instead of just one. So when the enemy scout came and looked at their camp ground the scout reported his army was about 100,000 men strong. The enemy was so scared they gave up without a fight.

However, In Sun Tzu's book, I think he talks about winning the battle before it happens by being prepared and knowing your enemy - not with psychological warfare.

"Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."

I think there's always a "classy way" to do things, however that often varies based on individual people's opinions. I personally believe in the philosophy of: "If you have to think about whether or not it's okay... then it probably isn't."

If you have to think about whether or not something is right... then it probably isn't.
If you have to think about whether or not something is a good idea... then it probably isn't.
If you have to think about whether or not you should say something questionable... then you probably shouldn't.
If you have to think about whether or not you should do something questionable... then you probably shouldn't.

When in doubt... err on the side of what's classy.

"The goal is to win the game--fairly, squarely, and by the rules..." - Vince Lombardi

Not to go off topic, but

Samurai=Japanese
Sun Tzu=Chinese

Just to be clear........
Chuck Norris is both Ninja and Samurai and has defeated both while reading The Art of War.

Sorry....my immaturity took hold for a moment.

was this one of those suggestions that you made to your staff?

Dcohio, I agree 100%. I will stoop to send a message and I don't care what other coaches think. I have two teams in mind as I type this. As far as intimidation before a game, maybe suttle things but nothing like snakes or hot water. That is over the top.

Sometimes we have to remember that... "We're the adults here." We should act like it.
Even if we don't always want to.

As far as running up the score goes... I know it's the other team's job to stop you; and it's your to stop them (when they're the one's doing the scoring,)... but I also think it's important to remember what we're doing, and the example that we're setting.

First off: When you run up the score, you are humiliating the other team's kids. I don't care if you're trying to win some ego-battle or avenge some personal grudge with an opposing coach; what you're really doing in the process is humiliating those kids. And that should be the exact OPPOSITE reason of why you got into coaching in the first place.

Second: When you rub it in, you're acting like a child, and you're showing your true lack of character. Aren't we trying to teach character? Aren't we trying to teach our kids how to win with class, lose with grace, and carry themselves in a respectable way?
What kind of example does it set when you run up the score---some 50-something year old man "rubbing it in" on some other adult male that he's got a grudge with? Who is acting like the child in that case...?

I think reputation works best. For example, teams who play us know we are going to ground and pound you for 48 minutes, and hit you as hard as we can within the confine or the rules.

That in itself works against a few teams.

We have a wall that all the "injured" kids sit on at practice. We painted it pink one year and the number of injuries significantly declined. Then administration caught wind and eliminated our fun pretty quickly. Now there's a pow wow on the wall everyday.

Many years back I was at a Div II national playoff game North Dakota State was hosting Central State of Ohio.

It was about this time of the year and it was cold, about 20 below zero, All the Central State players were huddled around some sideline heaters before the game, NDSU's offensive linemen came out of the locker room carrying their shoulder pads and were just wearing t-shirts they intentionally walked in front of Central states bench and put on their gear.

The game was over before it started, it was a great intimidation ploy that worked wonders. Both teams had to play in the same elements but Central State was paralyzed with fear and cold.

Like this so much that it is now part of my signature line.

I wonder how many coaches have won a pregame? lol!!!!