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Post by gbishop3689 on Aug 2, 2016 12:05:05 GMT -6
This is pretty general since it depends on type of kids and many other variables. What is your mindset when rebuilding? Whay is your approach to things, what is the first thing you look into changing? I have just finished rebuilding a team and taking the year off. When I return I am looking to do it again, but just want others perspectives on how they have done it. Looking to grab ideas and mesh them with my current philosophy. Thanks.
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Post by chi5hi on Aug 2, 2016 12:18:03 GMT -6
If you don't know and appreciate the character of the school and the kids...your "rebuild" might end up as a disaster.
Spoiled rich kids with a sense of entitlement are different from ghetto kids who believe that they have no future, no matter what. Trying to institute "change" in either of those situations may just run you into a brick wall.
My mindset would be to get a sense of where I'd be working.
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Post by the1mitch on Aug 2, 2016 12:26:21 GMT -6
To me the question should be " How to avoid having to rebuild". So to answer your question while answering mine at the same time, here goes. Start with an offense that allows for different kinds of kids to be stars. ie years ago while at a Wing-T clinic, I wrote down some great advice on how to avoid the "Offense of the Year" approach. If you have a stud running back, put him at FB and run him ragged, then boot and counter them to death. If you have two pretty good ones, but no star, run sweep and trap equally and boot them for a change up. If you have three pretty good ones and no star, put one at QB and run midline as well as the Wing-T stuff. The point here isn't to run the Wing-T, but to know your system well enough to have those "answers". I like the idea of planned substitutions that make sure your second stringers get some quality reps on Friday nights. Your subs will work harder to move into the mix and you get to see them dodging live bullets. Thirdly, you gotta recruit better!
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Post by carookie on Aug 2, 2016 12:42:51 GMT -6
I think a LOT of it depends on the school and situation (what is good in one case may not be in another).
But there are some things that I feel are close to universal:
Vertical teaming- you have to make sure the lower levels are teaching what will be done at the varsity level and teaching it the right way. I had a buddy take over as a HC in a rebuild and his JV coaches refused to run his offense. They were old guys who had been there a while and wanted to do their own thing. He had to can 'em but its hard to find guys so he waited one season.
Start Simple- let your players build on the field confidence by executing simplicity; then build on that.
Under schedule- If possible, line up cupcakes and get W's for the first couple years. Let them see that they are better than some people. Be ready to coach 'em up if they do lose to a good opponent and have to put up with the "soft schedule" critique, but get W's and build on it.
Convince stakeholders that it takes time- Rome wasn't built in a day, be patient
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Post by hsrose on Aug 2, 2016 15:35:22 GMT -6
This year is looking to be pretty good, really good class of seniors, numbers, talent, attitude, it's all there. Next year will be very questionable because right now, heading into the start of practice next week, I have 9 juniors on the team. 30-33 total players, but only 8-9 juniors. They're pretty good, I think 1 will start, but not enough of them. So I figure the 2017 season we will be younger and will have to adjust to how we do things vs. what we do this year with 20+ seniors. Got a good class of soph's, and the numbers at the 9 & 10 grades are good, and so we will be back into our regular numbers after next season. First time I will have to rebuild, never been anyplace that was good enough to see a real decline in performance.
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Post by gbishop3689 on Aug 3, 2016 9:52:25 GMT -6
What is your guys approach to the weight room? Have you guys ever started sophomores and juniors instead of seniors because of the refusal to change their mindset ( wish I would of done it my first year at a previous place)? just looking for ideas to incorporate. Yes You don't want to rebuild, but I am referring to a team, that has been a losing team every year for decades (may have an occasional 5-5,6-4 pop up ever decade or so), so I would have to rebuild with everything from weight room, culture, mindset, etc...
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Post by brophy on Aug 3, 2016 10:02:58 GMT -6
'rebuild' (i.e. taking over a losing program) starts everywhere but football wins.
Include as many kids as possible.
Kids largely play because they want to be on the team with their friends
More kids = more families
More families = more community support
More community support = better attendance
better attendance = more likelihood of sponsorships
Once you have the kids, engage them and keep them actively doing things. Your program is built November through May.
Get them active in the weight room and invest the time to 1) teach them how to lift and the tempo to lift as well as regular venues to compete (show off their gains in the weight room)
Headers and Assistants need to be active in youth leagues and feeder middle schools. Active, as in show up...go to the games, volunteer as refs for youth league, visit PE classes of your feeder schools to get them excited about coming out for freshman ball for you (host those interested kids one night for your school's basketball game).
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Post by blb on Aug 3, 2016 10:15:25 GMT -6
Be positive but demanding.
Don't assume kids care about winning much less know how to. You have to teach them.
Coaching attitude will be at least as important as Xs and Os.
Don't cut corners especially to placate better athletes. There is no easy way.
You will be met with resistance. Stick with your plan. Don't compromise or lose your poise in the face of adversity. As HC you are the designated problem solver.
You will win when you deserve to because kids have invested so much of themselves they won't quit or give in. It starts in the Off Season.
Exhibit confidence in your way and your players, that the only way you won't be successful is to fall apart from within. |
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Post by dubber on Aug 3, 2016 11:55:50 GMT -6
You need to pick just a handful of hills you are willing to die on, and stick to them.
I think participation is key.
Personally, and I know others will disagree with me, I think we start out thinking you need huge off season attendance to be successful.
I won't argue that is part of being a good program, and I think you can hang yourself if you start there.
I would start by getting as much in season participation as possible.
Heck, our program is running high right now, and we STILL will be beating the hallways on the first day of school. At this point, those guys are backups and JV players, but just because a kid misses all summer doesn't mean that they will miss all of the NEXT summer.
Once they see how much fun it is to be with their friends and play ball, THEN you can start to build an interest in off season training.
On a small school staff, I coach OL, LB, and am the JV OC. My entire JV season is about getting kids to play with great attitude and effort, and hammering home that if you want to play on Friday nights, find the weight room.
We've had kids with zero summer attendance buy in to that and become varsity starters the next season.
Finally, you need to identify your leaders (not the rah-rah guys, but the "never miss, always positive" guys), and give them some power.
This is the hardest thing to do as a coach, because we want all the control, but kids are going to play harder for each other than they ever will for us.
Some ways to do this:
*Captains run pre-practice drills
*Captains go to media days/talk to newspaper
*Captains decide on discipline for players (Peer Accountability Council)
*Have them coach up the younger pups off on the side
*Have them text the missers
Over the last four years, our RB (best player) and QB haven't missed a single workout.
Those guys are in the media, and when they send a text telling a player to get his a$$ to weights, that player responds.
All we had to do as coaches was give them some freedom and responsibility, and get out of their way.
Oh, and here's the other thing about building a program:
You MUST have a good OL coach.
There is a difference between knowing the blocking scheme, and knowing (more importantly, being able to teach) the blocking technique.
Until you get the later, be prepared to underachieve.
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Post by dubber on Aug 3, 2016 11:56:55 GMT -6
Coaching attitude will be at least as important as Xs and Os.
The only way I could agree more is if you said "more important". |
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Post by carookie on Aug 3, 2016 12:14:46 GMT -6
This year is looking to be pretty good, really good class of seniors, numbers, talent, attitude, it's all there. Next year will be very questionable because right now, heading into the start of practice next week, I have 9 juniors on the team. 30-33 total players, but only 8-9 juniors. They're pretty good, I think 1 will start, but not enough of them. So I figure the 2017 season we will be younger and will have to adjust to how we do things vs. what we do this year with 20+ seniors. Got a good class of soph's, and the numbers at the 9 & 10 grades are good, and so we will be back into our regular numbers after next season. First time I will have to rebuild, never been anyplace that was good enough to see a real decline in performance. I am exactly where you will be one year down the road (last year 20+ seniors in a program under 40 and a trip to the title game, this year....errrr....not so much). Problem is, here in SoCal they realign playoff divisions every two years based on recent success (an asinine attempt to appease bigger schools that can't win). So not only did we lose a lot of our talent, but we've been bumped up 6 divisions to boot. |
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