Getting the most out of players as young coach

First off congratulations on becoming a varsity level coach at 21. I'm sure you'll have a great experience. Your approach of "not becoming buddies" with the players naturally makes sense and there should always be an amount of professionalism when coaching, however, be careful not to put up a wall between you and your players. By this I mean football is an emotional sport and you will see that there will be times that your personality and youth will be needed to comfort and motivate your kids when the situation calls for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is use your age to your advantage and be the coach that your personality lets you.

Don't try to be somebody you are not. Be yourself - sometimes it takes a while in coaching to figure out what that is. I see a ton of young guys try to pull off the tough guy act - if that is not you, don't do it. Kids can see through that bologna.

I agree with the previous posts. Show them you are human and that you care about them.

When we take the guys to camp I take my Playstation 2 with me and whip their tails in NCAA Football. They talk about that tournament all year. I think some guys come up with the money to go to camp just so they can get in on the tournament. I get in the pool with them and wrestle around, they love it. When we get back home, the next week at football workouts they are talking about the things we did. Then when it's time to work, they know it's back to business.

If you can't joke around with them a little you're taking fun away from them and yourself. I always have to adjust how much I can play around with them while still maintaining a serious atmosphere, but the guys who I have the most fun with are the same guys who work the hardest for me.

I've been coaching since I was 18, I'm now 25, so I can really relate with the being close in age and having to work through that. My difference is that when I was 18 I was coaching no one older than 15 (middle school).

Three BIG things - 1) When you have them in individual period, don't waste any time. A lot of young coaches will spend half
their time during individual talking, etc..., while the kids are standing there doing nothing. Have your drills set up to where you get as many reps as possible with all of them, and don't have a drill that lasts too long, because then you begin to lose their interest. Get the reps you need quickly in that drill so you can move on to another drill, and when you have to coach them up on something, keep it short and to the point. Some guys I have been around like to hear themselves talk so much that they never actually get much coaching done. - 2) Never assume that the kids you coach have their techniques, rules, etc... down after you have taught them these things and worked on them for a while. Repeat yourself over and over to reinforce the main points that you stress. Repetition is the key to success, not only in the drills that you do, but in your coaching points. 3) Focus on fundamentals and keep the # of drills you use to a minimum. Fundamentals are the still the cornerstone of this game, no matter what offense or defense you run. Hammer those fundamentals into them and never get away from working them, even late in the season. And don't try to do so many drills that you never get enough reps at the main ones to be great. That's my 2 cents from trial and error when I was younger, and from watching a lot of "pups" just getting started over the years. Luke

As the saying goes, nobody cares about how much you know until you show them how much you care. Teach life lessons. That's what HS football is all about. You may not see the benifits now but later down the road those kids will thank you for it.

I am also a younger coach. I am 26. The kids know that when they are with me it is time to work. But if there are dillemas such as being broken hearted over a girl or grades or anything else they know that they can talk to me about it. There is a fine line between being friends and being a coach they know they can come to with things other than football. It is up to you to walk that line. After all we are not just building football players. We are building men.

Just to add to the rest of these great posts.

Take advantage of your youthfull energy. Be excited when they achieve a goal, let em know about it. If they do something wrong in practice let them know about that as well, but back it up with something they did good at the same time.
Exp- " You took a great angle and made a great hit, but next time try to keep your feet moving on contact so you can redirect the ball carrier"

Let them know your as happy to be there coaching as they are to be there playing. Everything else will fall into place with time.

thanks coaches this is great stuff

Don't worry about boring them. Technique is all about repition. Find the drills that you need and do them every day. If you don't get bored, they won't get bored.

Excellent advice Luke

Talking is done in pre-practice or in the classroom/meetings
Indy should be rapid fire and players should dread individual period due to the lack of down time. I used to hate indy and couldn't wait for team period because I had a great O-line coach that worked our balls off.

If you are close to their ages, be the mature one. Besides being their coach, you need something that differentiates you from them. Usually, that just calls for maturity.

Also, i've heard new and younger bosses, throughout my life after being elevated to a supervisory position make the comments, "I can't be your friend," or "I can no longer be your friend." This is a mistake I made when I was even younger than you are.

It's not that simple and I think, damaging to your relationship with them if they already see you as one. I like the advice of just being yourself. If at 21 you are at varsity level, your experience in coaching is what they will come to respect. That and results.

1. Coach 2. Expert 3. Friend? Even if you can't be... I wouldn't tell them that. It just sounds like something a young coach would say. A mature coach, would just go out there and show them how to play football and let the rest fall in place.

There are a few northern states that have a great football tradition, by the way, but Hemlock's points are well taken. When you step into a new environment you have to adapt to it as it is adapting to you. Hopefully, both you and the place where you are coaching will become better for it.