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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 24, 2015 8:38:44 GMT -6
The old gray mare just ain't what he used to be, and I'm okay with that. Though my demonstration days are limited, I still get geeked up about spring practice. I still love the sweaty old weight room. I still enjoy setting up cones for drills before practice. I still laugh with the kids in locker room. My neck hairs still stand up when a JV kid makes a check call without me having to remind him. And my heart still skips a beat when a kid hugs my neck and says, "Thank you, Coach".
I find myself coaching like gangbusters during the season, but when the games start counting the most I struggle to maintain the vigor of the early season. And come playoff time, I'm having a hard time enjoying the process as much. I'm not trying to poor mouth the fortunate success I have been a part of, but rather I'm trying to figure out how to maintain that vim throughout the entire season.
How do you maintain that focus, that satisfaction, that enthusiasm for the long season? How do you best decompress and maintain your sanity? How do you avoid from falling into zombie mode and start losing perspective?
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Post by fantom on Apr 24, 2015 8:53:14 GMT -6
We have a nature park in town with a walking trail that's about two miles. I like to walk that trail on weekends. Sure, I think about football while I walk it but not the whole time and at least I'm not locked in a dungeon watching film. I've had some of my best ideas that way (Also some really bad ones but mostly we got rid of those at the staff meeting).
Anyway, what I recommend is, even during the season, get away from it all.
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Post by msirishman on Apr 24, 2015 9:10:11 GMT -6
The old gray mare just ain't what he used to be, and I'm okay with that. Though my demonstration days are limited, I still get geeked up about spring practice. I still love the sweaty old weight room. I still enjoy setting up cones for drills before practice. I still laugh with the kids in locker room. My neck hairs still stand up when a JV kid makes a check call without me having to remind him. And my heart still skips a beat when a kid hugs my neck and says, "Thank you, Coach". I find myself coaching like gangbusters during the season, but when the games start counting the most I struggle to maintain the vigor of the early season. And come playoff time, I'm having a hard time enjoying the process as much. I'm not trying to poor mouth the fortunate success I have been a part of, but rather I'm trying to figure out how to maintain that vim throughout the entire season. How do you maintain that focus, that satisfaction, that enthusiasm for the long season? How do you best decompress and maintain your sanity? How do you avoid from falling into zombie mode and start losing perspective? Good topic coach. Although I'm not all that old, I still find myself getting really run down late in the season. I find that is more mental fatigue than physical. As the games begin to mean a little more (district championship on the line, playoffs, etc...) some times I think the stress of winning takes some of the joy out of being in that situation to begin with. I don't have any answers or advice for you, interested in seeing what others have to say. |
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Post by realdawg on Apr 24, 2015 9:14:43 GMT -6
The season is a long grind. I think our bodies get naturally wore down from the time effort and lack of sleep. For me spending time with my wife and kid on the weekend helps. Sleeping later Sunday morning and a good sermon at church helps. And if you can steal a day or two away around your open week helps. I don't have a problem getting jacked back up for the playoffs. It's the last third of the regular season that wears on me. And it is that time we play our 2 biggest rivals. Both defending state champs.
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Post by joelee on Apr 24, 2015 9:17:28 GMT -6
We have a Thursday night gathering at the DC's house. Adult beverages, pizza and wings usually. Big screen college or NFL game on and we tell stories, laugh a lot, and cut on each other. We try to do as little football as possible from Saturday morning at 10 till Sunday @ 4 during the season. We keep meetings as short as possible. Eat right and exercise. When playoff time rolls around we have a little extra left in the tank.
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Post by realdawg on Apr 24, 2015 10:34:25 GMT -6
Joelee-do your wives come to this gathering? We have JV games on Thursdays so that would be out for us. But I'd like to do something like that
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Post by joelee on Apr 24, 2015 12:55:20 GMT -6
No wives ever come to his house, but a couple of times a year we meet at a restaurant and some do come then.
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Post by newhope on Apr 24, 2015 12:55:39 GMT -6
The beach in the summer can work wonders. Get away from it all for a week. I'll answer emails, etc, that I need to, but no football film, planning, etc. Just relax and recharge and I'm ready to go again---42 years in the business.
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Post by realdawg on Apr 24, 2015 14:53:43 GMT -6
Love the beach new pride. That's a great recharge. We live very frugally most of the time so that we can go to the beach a few times in a teacher and public nurse salary. We usually make 3 or so trips to the beach between Memorial Day and August 1. Couple years ago stole a quick trip to the beach in October on our off week. It worked wonders
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Post by fballcoachg on Apr 24, 2015 20:10:50 GMT -6
We had family over a rotation of coaches houses after every game, helped to put things in perspective and unwind. Also was fortunate enough to be on a staff and involved with a successful team that eliminated much of the "grind" feel. It is something I hope to reproduce, to make practice and preparation meaningful and cut out the unnecessary.
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Post by lions23 on Apr 24, 2015 22:14:33 GMT -6
As soon as game is over a couple coaches leave and get game film loaded pick up wings and beer. We hustle out, watch the game, eat, drink, and be merry.
2 years ago we were winning but our D sucked and I didn't have that much fun. Last year we were winning an were good on all phases and I had a ball after games. We literally put the game to bed.
We stopped having Saturday practice/condition/film. Best thing ever. Wow! Thanks to those on Huey who talked me into that. What a relief. No tired coaches and players coming in crabby. If we won kids don't take film well anyway bc how could they be that bad. If we lost everyone was pissy and tired. We all do our hudl on our own when convenient. It has to be done by our 6 on Sunday. Everyone gets time with their fams that way. Less pissy wives makes for happier coaches.
I don't have trouble during the season. I have trouble continuing to grind in the off season. I'm currently working with my HC and AD on finding more help for off season weights.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 6:04:45 GMT -6
The old gray mare just ain't what he used to be, and I'm okay with that. Though my demonstration days are limited, I still get geeked up about spring practice. I still love the sweaty old weight room. I still enjoy setting up cones for drills before practice. I still laugh with the kids in locker room. My neck hairs still stand up when a JV kid makes a check call without me having to remind him. And my heart still skips a beat when a kid hugs my neck and says, "Thank you, Coach". I find myself coaching like gangbusters during the season, but when the games start counting the most I struggle to maintain the vigor of the early season. And come playoff time, I'm having a hard time enjoying the process as much. I'm not trying to poor mouth the fortunate success I have been a part of, but rather I'm trying to figure out how to maintain that vim throughout the entire season. How do you maintain that focus, that satisfaction, that enthusiasm for the long season? How do you best decompress and maintain your sanity? How do you avoid from falling into zombie mode and start losing perspective? The kids do it for me. The minute that isn't sufficient, its time to get out. |
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Post by blb on Apr 25, 2015 6:37:02 GMT -6
Get together (including wives) to celebrate or commiserate after games.
Take Saturdays off except to watch film on own. I debrief by watching CFB. Go for a walk per fantom's suggestion. Date night with wife.
Keep meetings to a minimum, get rid of the "busy work." Cut practice time down when playoffs start.
Make sure you eat right and are getting enough sleep. That alone will help with the "grind."
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Post by Coach Bennett on Apr 25, 2015 7:31:00 GMT -6
One way to alleviate the grind for us in-season is not infinitely tagging every film we have on an opponent, especially in the last 1/3 of the season when it's easy to have 5 films on a team. I/we are so worried about leaving no stone unturned that at times I know we grind ourselves up. Maybe it's negligent but I see a lot of teams doing things vastly different five weeks prior compared to the last two weeks.
We also started going no pads two days out from a game instead of the day before and I feel like it kept everyone, players included, fresher.
I give myself an hour walk either at 5:15 in the morning or 7:30 at night during the season to decompress. I never really feel like doing it until I'm 30 steps into it and then I'm glad I did.
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Post by tango on Apr 25, 2015 7:50:17 GMT -6
No unnecessary meetings. Don't sit around after practice. Go to bed. If you are a HC, find a great strength coach and let him do his thing with your presence. This will be my 17th year as a HC and I'm actually not tired going into spring practice for the first time ever.
Other stuff bother me more than ever but I'm not as tired.
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Post by jlenwood on Apr 25, 2015 8:14:33 GMT -6
Not to sound sappy or anything, but for me it took looking at things a little differently than I would have 15 years ago, and this applies to anything I do. In the past several years cancer has taken several family members and friends, I'm talking about people dying way before their time. So when I feel like "man what a grind", I just re-adjust my thought process to "I am fortunate to be able to do this".
In my business we do some dirty, nasty, back breaking stuff and this is how I wrap my brain around that at times also. I wrote a post on here years ago about taking a few minutes after every game to kind of look around and appreciate what we get the privilege of being a part of on Friday nights. I think when we start to get run down (and it happens to everyone), I feel like it is just a loss of "big picture" thinking, and getting wrapped up in the day to day beat down a long season puts on a coach.
Something else to consider, when we have some kids draggin' a$$ at the end of a season, they go thru the same thing coaches do.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 8:17:32 GMT -6
Not to sound sappy or anything, but for me it took looking at things a little differently than I would have 15 years ago, and this applies to anything I do. In the past several years cancer has taken several family members and friends, I'm talking about people dying way before their time. So when I feel like "man what a grind", I just re-adjust my thought process to "I am fortunate to be able to do this". In my business we do some dirty, nasty, back breaking stuff and this is how I wrap my brain around that at times also. I wrote a post on here years ago about taking a few minutes after every game to kind of look around and appreciate what we get the privilege of being a part of on Friday nights. I think when we start to get run down (and it happens to everyone), I feel like it is just a loss of "big picture" thinking, and getting wrapped up in the day to day beat down a long season puts on a coach. Something else to consider, when we have some kids draggin' a$$ at the end of a season, they go thru the same thing coaches do. I am not sold that this will necessarily happen...but how much longer are we going to be able to do this? |
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