Coaching Up The Staff | CoachHuey.com

coachcb
Executive Member

Posts: 13,504

Coaching Up The Staff Oct 15, 2012 7:41:40 GMT -6

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Post by coachcb on Oct 15, 2012 7:41:40 GMT -6

I've gotten into it with the HC twice, in private over this crap.

I don't get angry with them about it anymore, I just take the drill away from them and let them know why.

Plus, I'm not going to pull the "insubordination" card because I'm not the HC. The way I figure it, they can listen to me and coach the guys up or I can do it myself.

coachcb
Executive Member

Posts: 13,504

Coaching Up The Staff Oct 15, 2012 7:56:22 GMT -6

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Post by coachcb on Oct 15, 2012 7:56:22 GMT -6

Honestly, this thread is going to degenerate into whining about the staff again which wasn't my intended purpose. I have gleaned some good information from it, thanks fellas. But, I think I'll keep on doing what I'm doing and see where it goes. We thumped a team 42-6 on Saturday without our two best players (I benched one and the other is in deep chit with the league) so something is being is being done right.

goforiton4th
Lurker

Posts: 3

Coaching Up The Staff Dec 11, 2012 16:13:31 GMT -6

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Post by goforiton4th on Dec 11, 2012 16:13:31 GMT -6

Oct 10, 2012 10:47:03 GMT -6 coachcb said:

So, I discussed an issue in another thread that started with poor coaching and really ended up boiling over into something nasty. I need to be more proactive and ask for some advice here. I have a fair amount of experience coaching HS football but this is only my second season with the youth league. The staff consists of dads with kids on the team and they either a)have limited experience or b) all of their experience is at the youth level in a league where poor coaching is the name of the game.

I am the OC on the team but have been tasked with running the defense when the DC is gone along with coordinating special teams. I have been using very simple, sound schemes and trying to coach the staff up on coaching stuff but it hasn't been going well. I will lay out what I have done and then I would like some input.

1. Everything is diagrammed for the staff and everyone has a copy of the offensive playbook. It is a very small, limited playbook.
2. The playbook has terminology defined and explained. The terminology is drastically limited as the offense is small.
3. I verbally explain what how something needs to be done.
4. I demonstrate how something needs to be done.
5. I have cue cards that I give to the coaches that give teaching points for the kids.
6. I give an explanation to the staff for how and why we do things offensively including drills, play calling, etc...
7. I give the staff leeway to bring in their own drills and what-not as long as it fits with what we are doing offensively.

Now, with all of this being said, the staff still struggles to coach the kids and they have done so since day 1. The kids have progressed along farther than the coaches in terms of understanding the offense. Now, the HC and I have had two heated exchanges (away from the staff and kids) but I get along fine with the rest of the staff.

So, what else can I do?

Coach,

I think the answer is real simple. You've done all you can with that group. I've been running a program for eight years and I have seen coach/ dads with no experience playing or coaching who don't want to take instruction from someone with experience. They don't like starting at the bottom and building their way up. Everybody looses when that attitude is running through a program.

The only thing you can do is be prepared so you don't get so frustrated to make you quit because you are needed to bring some order to the situation. It will take time but you will find those who appreciate what you are tying to do.

Madden and XBox has spoiled alot of people.

formrbcbuc
Junior Member

Posts: 438

Coaching Up The Staff Dec 23, 2012 14:29:05 GMT -6

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Post by formrbcbuc on Dec 23, 2012 14:29:05 GMT -6

Hold in program coaching clinics to make sure everyone is running the same stuff on the side of the ball you coach. Explain it's like teaching curriculum you are teaching them what to teach, their play calling is their own style which should ease any sense of implied inferiority. Next, as a staff go to clinics such as Glazier or local HS / college clinics. If you guys can, hang out, I feel that this opens people up to criticism much more if they have even a minimal personal relationship with another person.

Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
- Vince Lombardi

In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard.
-Theodore Roosevelt

flosman
Probationary Member

Posts: 9

Coaching Up The Staff Dec 27, 2012 9:20:23 GMT -6

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Post by flosman on Dec 27, 2012 9:20:23 GMT -6

You know I think I figured out how to handle the Dad coaches over the years. In my situation I know I understand football better than them, I played for great coaches and was a football rat through HS and college. I wasn't really that gifted but had to out work and out smart people a long the way. When I first started coaching youth football I had the same problems you are having. I understood why we where doing this drill or that drill. Why I taught a LB how to read, Why we taught the Oline the way I did. But the Dad's I coached with didn't. Most of these guys never played at the level you are trying to teach. They don't understand that great football players are made by doing a lot of little things well over and over and over.

Now what has worked getting Dads to buy in is being all about player development. I coach 14u and I am the OC and OL coach. Players that buy in are always successful at the high school. I tell the Dad coach that if your son can't do this drill well he is going to be watching a lot of football next year. This I find makes them invested in what I want done. I tell them that the objective is the kids being ready to actually compete on Friday nights. This seems to resonate with the Dad coaches. Now we run what the HS runs with some limitations. I push the kids as far as I can in the HS's system. I feel I get less push back because our offense looks just like the HS's offense and the stand out guys at the HS are all my guys. But most importantly I feel is that it is not MY offense it is the HS's. I point to the guys that did it my way and how successful they are at the next level. These kids love me and are always showing up at our practices and helping with buy in. I feel that they love me because I was honest with them and I helped them understand how to achieve what they want.

When you get the Dad's to believe that if they don't buy in to your way they are hurting their kid then they don't push back. As a matter of fact they become disciples.