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Post by football365 on Sept 24, 2014 10:45:44 GMT -6
Curious what your guys' attendance policies are in season and during summer workouts for Varsity?
Want to hear from coaches who took over a losing or struggling program with low numbers.
For example, would you play a guy who's the best on the team but doesn't attend often (misses 1-2 practices a week, skips summer) or would you play a guy who is worse than some of the freshmen but shows up to everything?
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Post by wingtol on Sept 24, 2014 11:30:14 GMT -6
Is he in school and not coming to practice or absent from school those days?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 11:34:23 GMT -6
Can't punish off season workout attendance but we do reward those who show up at a certain percentage. In season: 1st unexcused absence: miss a game. 2nd unexcused absence: 2 games 3rd unexcused absence: dismissed.
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Post by jsk002 on Sept 24, 2014 12:29:14 GMT -6
I was in the same spot - coming off an 1 - 8, 0 -9 (including 5 or 6 forfeits) and a 3-6 season. We simply started anyone who did not attend the workouts in the offseason and put them at the bottom of the depth chart. We made them work their way up. Any unexcused absence in the week would equal not playing in the game. It helped. These are our same policies today. This year was the first year in many where I had to sit a kid because of an un-excused absence.
Whatever the policy - put it in writing, distribute it and stick to it no matter what. If you let what has been continue to happen, then you will never change.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 12:51:34 GMT -6
Our state won't let us make offseason stuff mandatory, so you have to focus on positive reinforcement for those who do show up. Try to make the weightroom fun and competitive so they want to be there and want to outdo each other.
If the school allows it, I like for players to have to "make up" missed lifts via extra lifting, extra running, etc. You can also use a points system with rewards in terms of new gear, shirts, stickers, other swag, etc.
Personally, I've coached in those situations and I believe very strongly in making the ones who lift go in as the starters going into spring and summer practice, at least until they get unseated by someone who shows up and puts in the work there.
The problems at my old place extended beyond kids skipping workouts to multiple starters skipping practice on a weekly basis. They'd lose the starting spot that week, but they'd get to play within a series or two anyway so it didn't matter much. The only ones who cared about starting were the unathletic benchwarmers.
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Post by gammelgaard on Sept 25, 2014 2:11:27 GMT -6
Our state won't let us make offseason stuff mandatory, so you have to focus on positive reinforcement for those who do show up. Try to make the weightroom fun and competitive so they want to be there and want to outdo each other. If the school allows it, I like for players to have to "make up" missed lifts via extra lifting, extra running, etc. You can also use a points system with rewards in terms of new gear, shirts, stickers, other swag, etc. Personally, I've coached in those situations and I believe very strongly in making the ones who lift go in as the starters going into spring and summer practice, at least until they get unseated by someone who shows up and puts in the work there. The problems at my old place extended beyond kids skipping workouts to multiple starters skipping practice on a weekly basis. They'd lose the starting spot that week, but they'd get to play within a series or two anyway so it didn't matter much. The only ones who cared about starting were the unathletic benchwarmers. Just because it can't be "school madatory" doesn't mean there can't be consequences. Tell them that it's mandatory in your mind, and in the team's mind. And seriously, if a player is being subbed out after a series or two, because the guy going in doesn't deserve to start, then the first player didn't start. Starting and being a starter isn't just playing the first snap of the game.
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Post by football365 on Sept 25, 2014 7:04:50 GMT -6
Would you stick to those policies if the team had 30 or so guys and you might have to go through a game with only 15-16 guys?
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Post by coachwilcox on Sept 25, 2014 8:09:30 GMT -6
I had my kids sign a contract that stated that if they missed a practice for any reason at all they would sit for the first half and run 6 timed gassers the following practice. If they missed 2 practices that week they would sit the entire game and run 12 timed gassers on the following practice.
I have had 2 kids miss this year and both of them had doctors excuses. They both sat out the first half and played in the 2nd half.
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Post by coachwilcox on Sept 25, 2014 8:12:49 GMT -6
Would you stick to those policies if the team had 30 or so guys and you might have to go through a game with only 15-16 guys? If your goal is to change a behavior and send your program in a different direction, then yes. You can't have your cake and eat it too. I told both my kids who are two of my best players that, "Heck I want you to play, but you know the rules." Instead of having a Junior center that weighs 280 starting, I had a freshman. And instead of having a Junior 240 guard starting, I had a 160 pound kid. No one wants to go through the lumps, but sometimes you have to send a message before you can move forward. I don't think I will have any trouble with them missing practice the rest of the year.
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Post by newhope on Sept 25, 2014 10:53:17 GMT -6
Curious what your guys' attendance policies are in season and during summer workouts for Varsity? Want to hear from coaches who took over a losing or struggling program with low numbers. For example, would you play a guy who's the best on the team but doesn't attend often (misses 1-2 practices a week, skips summer) or would you play a guy who is worse than some of the freshmen but shows up to everything? He misses one practice without letting me know I'm going to run him until I'm tired and I'm sitting him. He misses a second without letting me know, I'm collecting his stuff. Missing 1-2 practices a week? Come on....you can't let that happen. I skip work one or two days.....what's going to happen? We're supposed to be preparing them for something beyond just playing games.
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Post by utchuckd on Sept 25, 2014 11:03:29 GMT -6
You also get personal days for work you get to take off if needed.
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Post by jsk002 on Sept 25, 2014 11:37:59 GMT -6
Would you stick to those policies if the team had 30 or so guys and you might have to go through a game with only 15-16 guys? If you let kids skip practice once or twice a week - you aren't running a program that will have any success at all. If you need to win games this year to keep your job, then you are already too far gone. If you want to turn things around then you need to change that behavior - even if it costs you a game or two or the season.
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Post by jsk002 on Sept 25, 2014 11:39:06 GMT -6
You also get personal days for work you get to take off if needed. I don't punish kids for excused misses. I would consider a DR's appointment an excused miss. Like any work place, if this was abused then we would have to deal with it.
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Post by huskerdoc on Sept 25, 2014 11:40:42 GMT -6
I just took over an inner city school that was on a 21 game losing streak. I am the 3rd coach in 3 years. From the things I found out there was no discipline, or real off season work outs until I got here. We have competed this year and broke the streak. Attendance is an issue for sure. During the off season I don't push much because we can not make it mandatory, however I try to make it fun with team "challenges" that they want to attend.
During the season is a different story. Once it becomes mandatory I felt I needed to eliminate any "cancer" from the team. If that guy isn't committed and at practice he is gone. Regardless of talent. What are you representing or saying to all in your program to allow that?
Have some type of consequences the players have to do before allowed to play on missed days.
During a week 1st missed practice: miss at least a series during the game (first offense, sometimes life happens)If it is a common occurrence, then miss a quarter. 2 missed practices in a week: minimum a half 3 missed practices: game
Side note: Have you talked to him as to why? Does he have a job? Watching younger siblings? I have some players that have to miss, but these are pre-arranged, discussed issues.
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Post by huskerdoc on Sept 25, 2014 11:42:30 GMT -6
FYI, I have 26 kids on my roster this year.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 18:55:17 GMT -6
Our state won't let us make offseason stuff mandatory, so you have to focus on positive reinforcement for those who do show up. Try to make the weightroom fun and competitive so they want to be there and want to outdo each other. If the school allows it, I like for players to have to "make up" missed lifts via extra lifting, extra running, etc. You can also use a points system with rewards in terms of new gear, shirts, stickers, other swag, etc. Personally, I've coached in those situations and I believe very strongly in making the ones who lift go in as the starters going into spring and summer practice, at least until they get unseated by someone who shows up and puts in the work there. The problems at my old place extended beyond kids skipping workouts to multiple starters skipping practice on a weekly basis. They'd lose the starting spot that week, but they'd get to play within a series or two anyway so it didn't matter much. The only ones who cared about starting were the unathletic benchwarmers. Just because it can't be "school madatory" doesn't mean there can't be consequences. Tell them that it's mandatory in your mind, and in the team's mind. And seriously, if a player is being subbed out after a series or two, because the guy going in doesn't deserve to start, then the first player didn't start. Starting and being a starter isn't just playing the first snap of the game. That's true. The thing about subbing the first kid out after a series or two was stupid and ineffective. It just made starting into something meaningless, which fed the downward spiral further. Eventually that was replaced by another rule: you sit out one quarter for each day of practice you miss during the week. That meant a kid could show up for 1 day and still go in during the 4th quarter to beat up on an opponents' 3rd stringers in garbage time, so that's what many did. As for making workouts "mandatory in your mind," well... that's something you have to be careful about depending on your AD and prinicpal. If an AD is a stickler for the rules, like ours was, that can get you in hot water fast the first time a parent complains that you're telling a kid they have to be there when the players know the rule and know they don't "really" have to be. What you have to do in that situation is straddle the line between declaring them mandatory (because if they're not, kids won't care) without actually calling them "mandatory." My favorite way of addressing the question is to answer "Well, playing time's not mandatory." Then I ask them what they think the players on the good teams we'll face are doing. The thing about that school was that the bigger or more athletic kids knew they could not lift and would still go in bigger and stronger than the kids who did, plus they didn't care that much about actually working to get stronger and better than their opponents as long as they got to play and be part of the team. It was not a good environment.
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Post by gammelgaard on Sept 25, 2014 23:22:33 GMT -6
Just because it can't be "school madatory" doesn't mean there can't be consequences. Tell them that it's mandatory in your mind, and in the team's mind. And seriously, if a player is being subbed out after a series or two, because the guy going in doesn't deserve to start, then the first player didn't start. Starting and being a starter isn't just playing the first snap of the game. That's true. The thing about subbing the first kid out after a series or two was stupid and ineffective. It just made starting into something meaningless, which fed the downward spiral further. Eventually that was replaced by another rule: you sit out one quarter for each day of practice you miss during the week. That meant a kid could show up for 1 day and still go in during the 4th quarter to beat up on an opponents' 3rd stringers in garbage time, so that's what many did. As for making workouts "mandatory in your mind," well... that's something you have to be careful about depending on your AD and prinicpal. If an AD is a stickler for the rules, like ours was, that can get you in hot water fast the first time a parent complains that you're telling a kid they have to be there when the players know the rule and know they don't "really" have to be. What you have to do in that situation is straddle the line between declaring them mandatory (because if they're not, kids won't care) without actually calling them "mandatory." My favorite way of addressing the question is to answer "Well, playing time's not mandatory." Then I ask them what they think the players on the good teams we'll face are doing. The thing about that school was that the bigger or more athletic kids knew they could not lift and would still go in bigger and stronger than the kids who did, plus they didn't care that much about actually working to get stronger and better than their opponents as long as they got to play and be part of the team. It was not a good environment. So if they get suicides for not attending workouts, you could get fired? I seriously think we need to make the players stop thinking "him vs. me" and start thinking " me vs. myself."
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Post by coachguy83 on Sept 26, 2014 2:18:27 GMT -6
In the offseason you just need to make it clear that attendence is the expectation and reward the kids that show up. I have found that unless a kid is just physically gifted they quickly work themselves out of a job by not showing up.
In season if they miss for an excused reason they do not start if their backup was there all week.
First unexcused is 1 quarter, second is 1 half, third is 1 game, fourth we collect your gear. If you miss two or more unexcused in a week it is also a game.
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