Top 3 Most Important Aspects of a Successful Program...
Feb 11, 2016 11:06:01 GMT -6
runitupthemiddle and spartandefense like this
Post by carookie on Feb 11, 2016 11:06:01 GMT -6
If by success you mean winning football games I would write:
1) Large available talent pool within vicinity of the school in an area devoid of another dominant program, or at least being a school that can attract a relatively large student body. This is HS football, where the relative talent disparity is great. If I get a couple of top line athletes I can become significantly better for a couple years, and the truth is winning begets winning. Now, since this is all relative to your opposition I write in an area devoid of a top line program; if there is already an alpha school just down the road taking all the studs out of your backyard you will not have the horses to match them (at least not consistently). Nor will you be evenly matched with opponents from outside the dominant school's pull radius- assuming those schools aren't losing their players as well. I hate to write it, but in a lot of cases you being able to create a successful program is more about the situation you are in than what you do.
2) A well organized, attended, and sound athletic development program. This is a broad way of writing S&C; and while I know lots of schools have them you would be surprised has bass ackwards some of them are run. You get a wt lifting class, only to have it run by a PE teacher who just has kids bench and mess around. You get a HC who doesn't understand what wt training is for an can do, and take cycle one of a BFS manual and repeats it year round with 3 sets of 20 (both of these examples I have seen firsthand). Or you get a coach from another sport who prohibits lifting during their season, and convinces mom and pop of the evils of wt training (or the opposite, the 3 hour wt room session coach). There are far too many coaches who want to spend all year long installing their stuff, and running drills; when the majority of that time should be spent improving athletic ability. Get your AD on board to establish some school wide norms, get them to understand sports are won by the best athletes, and then develop them properly.
3) Sound, consistent, and simple techniques & systems. I would assume over 90% of what coaches run are sound (at least X & Os); so that is not a problem. Heck, I would even assume that over 80% of coaches teach proper techniques for the most part. The problem is many explain it once, drill it twice, and then expect their players to execute it at full speed while under the duress of game. Then they proceed to install 20 other techniques and 30 other plays; take the headset off Bill Walsh, you don't win games by out smarting the other team, you win by having your players out execute them.
We are what we repeatedly do, so if you are talking a lot then your players are repeatedly listening (they will be a great team of listeners but not football players). Have a sound and simple system, comprised of sound technique then repeat. Your players should know exactly what they are doing everyday during indi time by week 4 because you've done it over and over and over again. And remember every time you NEED to install something new, the more stuff you do the worse you will do it. Don't have your players suffer from paralysis by analysis.
1) Large available talent pool within vicinity of the school in an area devoid of another dominant program, or at least being a school that can attract a relatively large student body. This is HS football, where the relative talent disparity is great. If I get a couple of top line athletes I can become significantly better for a couple years, and the truth is winning begets winning. Now, since this is all relative to your opposition I write in an area devoid of a top line program; if there is already an alpha school just down the road taking all the studs out of your backyard you will not have the horses to match them (at least not consistently). Nor will you be evenly matched with opponents from outside the dominant school's pull radius- assuming those schools aren't losing their players as well. I hate to write it, but in a lot of cases you being able to create a successful program is more about the situation you are in than what you do.
2) A well organized, attended, and sound athletic development program. This is a broad way of writing S&C; and while I know lots of schools have them you would be surprised has bass ackwards some of them are run. You get a wt lifting class, only to have it run by a PE teacher who just has kids bench and mess around. You get a HC who doesn't understand what wt training is for an can do, and take cycle one of a BFS manual and repeats it year round with 3 sets of 20 (both of these examples I have seen firsthand). Or you get a coach from another sport who prohibits lifting during their season, and convinces mom and pop of the evils of wt training (or the opposite, the 3 hour wt room session coach). There are far too many coaches who want to spend all year long installing their stuff, and running drills; when the majority of that time should be spent improving athletic ability. Get your AD on board to establish some school wide norms, get them to understand sports are won by the best athletes, and then develop them properly.
3) Sound, consistent, and simple techniques & systems. I would assume over 90% of what coaches run are sound (at least X & Os); so that is not a problem. Heck, I would even assume that over 80% of coaches teach proper techniques for the most part. The problem is many explain it once, drill it twice, and then expect their players to execute it at full speed while under the duress of game. Then they proceed to install 20 other techniques and 30 other plays; take the headset off Bill Walsh, you don't win games by out smarting the other team, you win by having your players out execute them.
We are what we repeatedly do, so if you are talking a lot then your players are repeatedly listening (they will be a great team of listeners but not football players). Have a sound and simple system, comprised of sound technique then repeat. Your players should know exactly what they are doing everyday during indi time by week 4 because you've done it over and over and over again. And remember every time you NEED to install something new, the more stuff you do the worse you will do it. Don't have your players suffer from paralysis by analysis.