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Post by joker31 on Mar 3, 2014 21:26:18 GMT -6
Today we had our first off-season competition and believe now is the time to address this issue, is how to connect all players at all levels in the program?
I believe our Varsity squad has better chemistry than last years team, and many of them are lifting in class so we do not see them all after school. A large amount of our sophs/freshman are playing other sports, and our incoming freshman are spotty in their attendance at best.
With this in mind, we want to develop the connection between all the players. How do you believe is the best way to do this? |
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Post by lochness on Mar 3, 2014 22:00:08 GMT -6
Sounds like it might be an uphill battle trying to develop it in the weight room given what you've said here. Sounds like our team!
What about some team building events every now and then? That's what we are leaning toward.
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Post by joker31 on Mar 3, 2014 22:08:36 GMT -6
Sounds like it might be an uphill battle trying to develop it in the weight room given what you've said here. Sounds like our team! What about some team building events every now and then? That's what we are leaning toward. We've created 8 teams with Varsity leaders and each leader has about 8-9 kids in their groups. We will have various off-season competitions, so this does help I suppose. We've done team building events in the past, such as going paintballing, go-karting, etc. We've fundraised and set aside money for this in the past, but because we will be playing a game in Texas this year, it will be very tough. |
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Post by coachplaa on Mar 5, 2014 10:40:36 GMT -6
We did something very similar last year and it was a huge hit.
We had 12 teams that each had about 12 kids on it. Of those 12 kids, there were 2-4 kids from each class.
Coaches chose 12 Seniors with the most leadership potential, and we threw a "draft party". They were instructed that "rather than pick your friends, pick kids that are going to help you win competitions physically, mentally, and that are responsible." The kids that were picked in the 1st round took pictures with their captains, with a #1 jersey just like in the NFL, and we put those pics on twitter. Kids ate it up. What was shocking to the coaches, is the kids that WEREN'T picked first. We had some very good athletes with questionable attitudes that dropped to the middle rounds, and that spoke volumes and was a reality check for that kid who dropped.
At the end of every summer workout, we set aside 15 minutes for the daily "summer games." It could be any contest from relay races, to strength competitions, to pushups, to planking; you name it. Teams would get points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and we'd keep track on google docs. Then every Friday, teams from just that week that were the point leaders, would have a Tug-O-War contest. And we'd be creative with the Tug-O-Wars, as there are all different kids you can do- 3-way, 4-way, freshmen only (force teammates to root each other on), etc. A side benefit, was we got to see which "Senior Captains" could and couldn't lead. By the end of summer, we knew exactly who are captains were, because there were so many times that we could give them a chance to lead their group of 12. And if they couldn't lead 12 kids, how could they be expected to lead a team.
Then Tug-O-War winners each Friday would be awarded points for our Pride Point system that we have built into our program for achievement. It would force peer pressure for good attendance. We would push Hudl signups/logins early in the summer by rewarding teams that were the most in compliance. This summer we are going to send home "character" homework and reward the teams that have the best completion rate, etc.
Bottom line....Freshmen work with the older kids to be a team. They are not as isolated. They have more fun. They get good role-modeling. My son was a 9th grader last year, and he loved it.
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