caseys8527
Junior Member
You are either coaching - or letting it happen
Posts: 296
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Post by caseys8527 on Oct 1, 2013 11:54:42 GMT -6
My coaches and I are at a complete loss for how to fix this - but our kids flat out don't celebrate. A kid scores no one greets him, the sideline is quiet. A big play is made - we just get back up and line up. No one does anything. Our kids don't have a lot of football so I am sure if its not defined in a playbook they flat don't do it. Same thing for helping a kid out of a pile, picking a teammate up, things like that.
This isn't something to punish....I just don't know how to fix this.
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Post by tothehouse on Oct 1, 2013 11:59:05 GMT -6
We are mired in a losing streak. Last week I told the team during a team period that all touchdowns must have some kind of celebration. I'm talking about completely illegal celebrations that would get a flag every time.
It was a short team period and the offense scored twice. They came up with spinning the ball and getting warm from it and the famous bowling ball...where the kid who scored rolled the ball and the rest of the players were the pins. I even jumped into that one and fell down like a pin.
Basically the point was....have some stinkin fun. And then celebrate appropriately during the game.
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caseys8527
Junior Member
You are either coaching - or letting it happen
Posts: 296
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Post by caseys8527 on Oct 1, 2013 12:17:45 GMT -6
I Like that - what drives me nuts - is we are a pretty Ok team having a pretty OK season, so we have things to celebrate - kids just dont do it.
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Post by coachphillip on Oct 1, 2013 12:23:06 GMT -6
Maybe that's just not your team. I had a blast playing high school football. We scored and won often. My team was particularly close. We didn't celebrate almost at all in games. The one time we went crazy was when we completed a 2 point conversion with no time left to beat a rival. I think that warranted something. But, maybe your team loves being business like and that's okay if that's the particular kind of swagger they identify with.
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caseys8527
Junior Member
You are either coaching - or letting it happen
Posts: 296
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Post by caseys8527 on Oct 1, 2013 12:31:47 GMT -6
Good point - and I guess I don't want to force my vision on them - but I think its a lot of they don't know what they don't know. I am in year 3 of this program and it was horrible before I got here. They weren't successful so didn't have things to celebrate. Now we do and there is no one that knows how.
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Post by fantom on Oct 1, 2013 12:50:18 GMT -6
Good point - and I guess I don't want to force my vision on them - but I think its a lot of they don't know what they don't know. I am in year 3 of this program and it was horrible before I got here. They weren't successful so didn't have things to celebrate. Now we do and there is no one that knows how. I think that this kind of thing kind of falles under the heading of "Fake it until uou make it" and I don't mean that as a bad thing. You sometimes get a team like this that isn't used to success and do not feel particularly close as a team. Sometimes they just don't know how to cut loose on the field. They play tight and act tight so learning how to turn it loose CAN help them become a better team. Here are some ideas that I've heard of or used: 1. High-five drill. An actual 10 minute period during practice when kids compete to have the most creative celebration. We only did it once a season and only in years when the kids were as the OP described. If you have to do it more than once or twice in a season you're probably wasting your time but I think that it did help loosen us up. 2. I'm a DC so we've made a rule some years that when we had a takeaway in practice everybody on defense had to celebrate. They all had to point a first down and congratulate the kid who made the play. We don't do these things every year. In fact we've only felt the need to do it a couple of times. We did think it helped when we dit it. |
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Post by dsqa on Oct 1, 2013 16:41:13 GMT -6
Love the descriptions so far...One of the holdovers to a losing tradition is exactly what has been described. Kids who don't celebrate another athlete's success on their team are genuinely so inward and self-conscious that they can't break free...You can help them..
A few ideas...
At practice, during a team period, assign the backups as the "cheer squad." Not cheerleading, but genuine encouragement, getting pumped up, running into the pile when the offense does well and retrieving the running back or wide receiver...similarly, the defense has a squad of backups standing off to one side doing the same thing, and when a play is made, they are allowed to run on the field and celebrate with the player. Start with goal line so everything is compressed and easier to access. Get the coaches involved and build it up...lots of clapping, yelling and cheering for their side. Then rotate the groups and do it again. Keep score offense v. defense for first downs, TDs scored, or stops...reward the winners - don't punish the losers. Make sure you explain what you are doing and why...they will buy in better
In station work, assign one station as the encouragement station, to do nothing but pump up their teammates in the hitting drills they are doing. Great way to get the environment pumped up.
Bottom line, we observe what we coach, so when we don't observe it, we coach it up! Will be a little cheesy at first as kids acclimate, but as you reinforce their effort, it will catch on.
Funny, you have to teach kids to like supporting each other's success...I had to do this in both programs I began at schools because they just didn't see getting pumped up as cool. Didn't take long before they were doing it on their own.
Coaches have to lead this and be involved, they cannot stand off and not participate...
Hope that helps
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Post by PIGSKIN11 on Oct 2, 2013 12:52:42 GMT -6
We had to teach our players how to celebrate because they were so unsuccessful for a long time...
One Saturday we did perfect plays from the 50... they then had to score and do the most outlandish, illegal, inappropriate, celebration they could think of... (They took it to the inappropriate level - but it was funny)
we then had the coaches judge and they had a blast...
bowling, grenade throwing, fisherman catching fish, machine gun, dunked over goalpost, carried like a roman emperor, stripped down to there pants and flexing, was hilarious and fun...
we mandated that everyone on the field must touch up the scorer and the scorer must do the same and thank his teammates - after a while they understood what we were doing...
We also film all post scoring celebrations and grade them on Saturdays... looking for the nonparticipants and what not...
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 5:08:12 GMT -6
I was always a believer if the act like you have been there school.
Celebrate on the sidelines, hell yes. On the field, hand the ball the to the official and get the PAT out there!
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moball
Junior Member
Posts: 254
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Post by moball on Oct 3, 2013 9:15:54 GMT -6
Once a year we substitute defensive pursuit with an pick 6 drill where we teach how to return an interception. When they score they must come up with a great group celebration. It must have shome choreography to it. If it sucks then they get 5 up downs. If it's really good then the coaches sprint into the endzone giving chest bumps and high fives. It is without a doubt our funnest period of the year.
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Post by fantom on Oct 3, 2013 9:21:05 GMT -6
I was always a believer if the act like you have been there school. Celebrate on the sidelines, hell yes. On the field, hand the ball the to the official and get the PAT out there! This isn't about celebrations during games. Nobody wants kids to act like fools during games. We make sure to make that clear. This is about teaching kids to learn to stop holding back and to enjoy playing the game and appreciate their teammates. |
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 10:45:14 GMT -6
I always felt like you play the way you practice.
I get what you are saying, I don't agree with it. I think you can do other team building competitions and make it a challenge and celebrate wins and such. Not game type situations though. JMHO
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Post by PIGSKIN11 on Oct 3, 2013 10:45:38 GMT -6
I was always a believer if the act like you have been there school. Celebrate on the sidelines, hell yes. On the field, hand the ball the to the official and get the PAT out there! This isn't about celebrations during games. Nobody wants kids to act like fools during games. We make sure to make that clear. This is about teaching kids to learn to stop holding back and to enjoy playing the game and appreciate their teammates. Amen |
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Post by brophy on Oct 3, 2013 10:47:53 GMT -6
what do your practices look like?
Are COACHES celebrating big plays (turnovers, takeaways, explosive gains, etc) during practice? If not, don't expect your kids to adopt that practice on their own. And by celebrating plays....I mean, EVERY play. You should do it so much that it becomes how you practice. So whenever we get a sack, pick, hit on defense, me as a coach is hollering (and participating) and telling kids to pat the guy responsible on the helmet. EVERY time it happens. Kids won't think you're serious so you have to do it again and again. After a while, they will do it on their own out of habit. So whenever the kid that produces a big play...he will be getting surrounded by his teammates with affirmation (because, after all, whether we admit it, THAT is why we play the game)
Also, some kids "GET UP!!", some don't. So long as they perform and are having fun, that's all that matters. Being demonstrative doesn't mean productive.
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 10:51:56 GMT -6
No one is out going or demonstrative as I am. I whoop up every big hit and big play and all that, kids do too. I just don't like the showboating crap that is NFL style celebrations and think they don't even belong in practice.
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Post by brophy on Oct 3, 2013 10:53:41 GMT -6
No one is out going or demonstrative as I am. I whoop up every big hit and big play and all that, kids do too. I just don't like the showboating crap that is NFL style celebrations and think they don't even belong in practice. and, yet, that isn't what the OP is talking about. |
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 10:57:47 GMT -6
yes it is. That is how you fix it, You whoop it up, you celebrate in practice you be outgoing and let the kids know it is ok to do so. I just don't think acting like NFL USC is a very good tact.
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Post by brophy on Oct 3, 2013 11:04:47 GMT -6
NFL crap is a solo thing.
What we are talking about, what the OP posted about, was showing emotion for good production.
A RB scores a TD, his offensive line rush down to congratulate him. That is something that is taught.
What we're talking about is essentially a pat on the butt.
No one is talking about how to choreograph the funky chicken and stanky leg.
We are talking about reinforcing:
* WHAT should be celebrated (identifying GAME CHANGING plays are important and can happen at any time - why shouldn't it be YOU that makes it happen?!)
* HOW it should be done (all teammates directing accomplishment recognition as a group)
----------I would go so far as to suggest that if it isn't done with enough intensity or fast enough, then that unit regroup on the sideline until it is done correctly.
* WHO is involved (not just the guys near the player....but EVERYONE)
* WHEN to do it.....EVERY TIME, be consistent, establish the intensity and tempo of what is expected.
The more you control as a coach, the less you'll have to worry about kids deviating from the script.
If a ball carrier is on the ground, coaches should be on their OLine to get down and help that player up.
If we just scored, the OLine should be pretty darn close to the ball carrier, hustling into the end zone, or they will get an earful
If we just got an INT on defense, and you're not hustling to make a block, a coach should be reaming that kid for effort.
Not only do we have to teach the game, we have to reinforce HOW to play the game at the standards we expect (it ain't gonna happen by itself)
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 11:07:50 GMT -6
I agree with that 100% my comment was directed at orchestrated celebrations.
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Post by PIGSKIN11 on Oct 3, 2013 11:13:25 GMT -6
I would never allow an orchestrated celebration - EVER!
I would personally run out to the end zone and yank the Faulker off the field if they did some sh!t like that...
Last year we had our Guard pick up the running back to hold him up and I was damn near in the EZ screaming at both of them....
I told the rb it is not acceptable and if anything he should pick up every linemen after a score...
Have fun and celebrate with your teammates in the EZ the RIGHT way - then go kick the PAT...
Kids nowadays need to be taught everything - what to do and what NOT to do...
We practice our celebrations like we do any other phase of the game - because if done wrong it could be a penalty and totally screw us...
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 11:27:24 GMT -6
I agree with that pigskin, my point is don't do hand grenades on wed and expect it to not happen on Friday.
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 11:36:38 GMT -6
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Post by brophy on Oct 3, 2013 11:49:46 GMT -6
 missing the point of the OP and we just can't be bothered |
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 12:07:16 GMT -6
You are nuts Brophy, I get the point, just don't agree with some of the ways to fix it. That is called a difference of opinion. Get over yourself son! LOL!!!
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Post by brophy on Oct 3, 2013 13:59:06 GMT -6
Its not really a difference of opinion (we all agree with your position) However, you're assuming the OP is talking about  and have gone off (derailing) into tangents against selfish showboating. NO ONE is talking about orchestrated celebrations The OP and the rest of us are talking about  |
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Post by PIGSKIN11 on Oct 3, 2013 15:02:26 GMT -6
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Post by John Knight on Oct 3, 2013 18:07:58 GMT -6
I was never talking about the OP. I was responding to Pigskin's solution.
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