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Post by 50slantstrong on Apr 4, 2018 14:35:25 GMT -6
As a coaching community, I believe something can be done.
I don’t know what it’s like in your parts but here in Southern California there is an epidemic of con artists disguised as trainers, 7-7 coaches and position experts who claim to be responsible for their athletes receiving scholarships. They mislead parents about knowledge of the process, their kids’ abilities and how their high school coach should be doing his job and in turn finesse parents out of money. Parents buy these clowns’ acts hook, line and sinker. After all they’re paying them and they have a really cool instagram with pictures of NFL players they supposedly trained.
Based off of conversations the staff has had with kid and parent, it seems like once again a returning starter is transferring because him and his parents think that he's not playing the right position and it's the reason he's not being offered a scholarship. He's been a great kid the last three years, a serviceable (but not great) 3 tech and occasional 5 tech vs power teams, and for the most part a pleasant kid to coach. However, he has about a 2.5 GPA, and ran a 5.2 in testing 2 weeks ago. Him and his dad insist that he's a linebacker and fullback (even though we run a spread) and that their trainer agrees and thinks in order to get a scholarship, he needs to play those positions.
When asked who his trainer was, dad showed us a social media account of videos of kids doing cones and ladders with rap music playing and a list of clients that included Derek Carr, the St. Brown brothers, Jamaal Williams, etc. No testimonials or pictures with any of said guys of course. A lot of the younger kids that he can verify he did train have transferred schools, I'm assuming because of his influence. Guy also claims he played at USC, of course when we googled his name, nothing came up.
This is not an isolated incident. Last year a 7-7 guru told a group of our parents and his customers that their kids need to go play at his fellow 7-7 guru's school in order to win a championship and the year prior another 7-7 guy told one of our all-league D lineman (who literally couldn't squat parallel or do drive-crossover-drive agilities) that he's a DB and as a staff we had him out of position.
All kids transferred with predictable results.
Guys like this are bad for business. They make coaches' jobs even harder, they fleece parents out of their hard-earned money, and worst of all, they lie to kids. What do you think a realistic sollution is?
I do not believe it is crazy to assert that all coaches, trainers, etc need to obtain some type of a certification from USA Football.
In turn as high school coaches, we can emphasize to our kids and parents that if they wish to seek outside training, it will be in their best interest to make sure they retain a trainer whom is certified by USA Football.
What are your guys' thoughts on the potential of adopting such certifications?
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Post by coachbdud on Apr 4, 2018 14:46:50 GMT -6
i dont think there is anything you can do about it
it requires NOTHING but social media and some cones to call yourself a trainer or 7on7 coach
-if they wanted paperwork you can get an online personal training certificate for probably $50 and 30 minutes of time
If anything the problem is just getting started and will only get worse
It doesn't mean every trainer or 7on7 guy is a bad dude... i know several who are good people who honestly care about the kids and want to help them. However the ones who aren't like this give the rest a bad rap.
I have noticed this year more and more twitter beef between HS coaches and the 7on7/training coaches
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 4, 2018 14:55:49 GMT -6
i dont think there is anything you can do about it it requires NOTHING but social media and some cones to call yourself a trainer or 7on7 coach -if they wanted paperwork you can get an online personal training certificate for probably $50 and 30 minutes of time If anything the problem is just getting started and will only get worse It doesn't mean every trainer or 7on7 guy is a bad dude... i know several who are good people who honestly care about the kids and want to help them. However the ones who aren't like this give the rest a bad rap. I have noticed this year more and more twitter beef between HS coaches and the 7on7/training coaches I somewhat disagree in the anything "you" can do about it. Yes, there is not much individual coaches at the HS level can do, BUT I do think that the AFCA could, through its leadership, could start to change things. Unfortunately, I don't believe that will happen. Just look at Jimbo Fisher's first splash in the HS football mecca that is Texas. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2018 15:03:05 GMT -6
It's not much different than the AAU basketball coaches screwing things up for the HS game. It's only going to get worse before it gets better. They may even be the future of the game, unfortunately.
What that makes them so hard to stop is that there aren't state associations or many rules and regulations on this type of thing, whereas HS coaches are strictly regulated and have to answer for our actions and promises to a chain of command. It puts us at a competitive disadvantage.
Insisting on a USA Football certification would be a nice first step, but if these parents are falling for that level of BS then a certification is going to be way down on their list of priorities when evaluating a kid.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 4, 2018 15:04:28 GMT -6
These guys are definite douchers. But I don’t necessarily think they are fleecing families. Parents are buying from these guys lines they want to hear about dreams they want to come true for their child’s athletic future.
It’s like taking your life savings and heading to Vegas to get rich. Sounds like a lot more fun than cutting back on spending so you can invest a little extra in that 401k or 403b for the next 30 years.
The situation sucks a lot but there will always be people that are both looking for and putting on schemes to find and easy way to success. This one just hits us all harder because it plagued our profession.
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Post by coachbdud on Apr 4, 2018 15:15:53 GMT -6
I will add
the biggest difference between the good guys and the bad guys is this
Good guy: do ABC and I will do XYZ to help you
Bad guy: Do ABC and i will do XYZ to help you, but don't listen to your HS coaches or workout with them... i know better, also transfer to INSERTnameHERE HS... they are better
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Post by realdawg on Apr 4, 2018 15:45:52 GMT -6
Parents and kids need to know that every college coach I have ever talked to has said 1) I will not talk to or answer emails from a recruiting service. 2) I will talk to the high school coach. Not his 7 on 7 coach or trainer.
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 4, 2018 15:52:46 GMT -6
Parents and kids need to know that every college coach I have ever talked to has said 1) I will not talk to or answer emails from a recruiting service. 2) I will talk to the high school coach. Not his 7 on 7 coach or trainer. And yet... Jimbo's first recruiting stop as the A&M head coach. |
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Post by 19delta on Apr 4, 2018 18:59:56 GMT -6
When asked who his trainer was, dad showed us a social media account of videos of kids doing cones and ladders with rap music playing and a list of clients that included Derek Carr, the St. Brown brothers, Jamaal Williams, etc. No testimonials or pictures with any of said guys of course. A lot of the younger kids that he can verify he did train have transferred schools, I'm assuming because of his influence. Guy also claims he played at USC, of course when we googled his name, nothing came up. With all due respect to the parents of your kids, how gullible are they? What did they say when you pointed out that there weren't any testimonials from these high-profile athletes? Or when you googled this guy and nothing came up? If the guy is using the likenesses of pro athletes without their consent in his marketing materials, that is a pretty clear-cut case of fraud. Can't you guys contact the social media platform these guys advertise on? My guess is that would be an obvious violation of the terms and conditions. I do understand that it could end up being a game of whack-a-mole with these guys. But if the word gets out that your school is proactive when it comes to shysters trying to separate parents from their hard earned money, perhaps they will back off your kids a little. |
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Post by adawg2302 on Apr 4, 2018 22:46:20 GMT -6
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Post by carookie on Apr 4, 2018 22:48:49 GMT -6
I too am in So-Cal and have seen these guys first hand. The problem is a lot of successful schools get in cahoots with these characters and work in symbiosis. So those big name schools, who got the CIF rulemakers on speed dial, they like these 7-on-7 coaches because they funnel athletes their way.
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 4, 2018 23:02:09 GMT -6
eh, the difference between Buddy Morris's complaints about professional athletes using personal trainers and HS kids going to trainers/ skill coaches is night and day. I will be honest, I think one factor motivating Buddy is that the landscape of the industry is getting such that his job may be irrelevant. |
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Post by groundchuck on Apr 5, 2018 3:33:45 GMT -6
I think the only thing a high school coach can really do is control what they can. Provide the best your school can in terms of strength and conditioning. Not only in terms of facility but also programming. Then sell student athletes and parents on the fact that the team will be better if they workout together.
There was a tennis/basketball/track kid at a school I was at once and his dad did not believe in our school athletic development program so he hired a trainer. Guess what? The kids who trained at school with us whether they were in football or not progressed just fine and it was free.
It really boils down to do people buy in to BIG TEAM/little me or the other way around.
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Post by dijackson08 on Apr 5, 2018 5:52:39 GMT -6
Try to have your state association put a rule together that makes kids ineligible to play high school football if they play 7 on 7 for anyone outside of their high school team. That's how we're battling it here in Louisiana.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 6:34:43 GMT -6
Parents and kids need to know that every college coach I have ever talked to has said 1) I will not talk to or answer emails from a recruiting service. 2) I will talk to the high school coach. Not his 7 on 7 coach or trainer. And yet... Jimbo's first recruiting stop as the A&M head coach. And this is the thing... these recruiting handlers and trainers are becoming at least as important to the college coaches as the HS coach. As I said earlier, it's the AAU basketball culture seeping into football. From their perspective, it makes sense to cozy up to the guy who's working with dozens of motivated prospects who take training seriously and has a solid personal relationship with them and their parents (which means he's very influential) than to spend their time running from HS to HS to see 1 kid here, talk to a coach there about maybe 2 or 3 kids they're interested in, etc. |
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Post by NC1974 on Apr 5, 2018 7:05:25 GMT -6
I am not an HC but I think I would include the following in every "meet the parent meeting"
-Program goals - explicitly state and/or imply that getting Johhny a scholarship is not a major goal. If a player/parent's only reason for playing HS ball is to get a scholarship, then they should be prepared for the fact that their goals might not line up with our program goals. That being said, if an athlete is good enough and buys into our program, he should put himself in a position to continue his career.
-Making a distinction between HS, College, and Pro Ball. HS Football is not a business, it is part of the educational process and will be treated as such
-Have a part of your presentation dedicated to those who want to play college ball. Start this section with the statistics. Drive home just how small of a percentage of kids pay for school through athletics. Include something on 3rd party trainers/recruiters etc explaining "Buyer Beware".
-Possibly add some quotes from college quotes regarding the recruiting process...I have seen good ones from Urban Meyer and Pat Fitzgerald floating around that strongly imply that the HS coach, not the trainer or 7v7 coach, is the gatekeeper.
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Post by gators41 on Apr 5, 2018 7:17:46 GMT -6
It's not much different than the AAU basketball coaches screwing things up for the HS game. It's only going to get worse before it gets better. They may even be the future of the game, unfortunately. What that makes them so hard to stop is that there aren't state associations or many rules and regulations on this type of thing, whereas HS coaches are strictly regulated and have to answer for our actions and promises to a chain of command. It puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Insisting on a USA Football certification would be a nice first step, but if these parents are falling for that level of BS then a certification is going to be way down on their list of priorities when evaluating a kid. In my state, FL, they can be considered agents of the school if they are recruiting kids to a school, thus facing recruiting sanctions. Now proving it is another story |
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Post by CS on Apr 5, 2018 7:41:07 GMT -6
I think the only thing a high school coach can really do is control what they can. Provide the best your school can in terms of strength and conditioning. Not only in terms of facility but also programming. Then sell student athletes and parents on the fact that the team will be better if they workout together. There was a tennis/basketball/track kid at a school I was at once and his dad did not believe in our school athletic development program so he hired a trainer. Guess what? The kids who trained at school with us whether they were in football or not progressed just fine and it was free. It really boils down to do people buy in to BIG TEAM/little me or the other way around. This. The more I see this stuff the more I think that all you are being outdone in is marketing. It may not be your thing to do but unfortunately, it is coming down to getting kids to the next level and showing that off. You can do it in a way that isn't complete douchery and just celebratory for the kids and at the same time make your program look like it produces college athletes. We put our kids and accomplishments of our team on social media all we can. While my state isn't having the same problems from the outside looking in it seems like you need to do more "look at our program" type stuff. |
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Post by funkfriss on Apr 5, 2018 7:44:05 GMT -6
Snake oil salesmen exist because there are enough people desperate enough for the product. With so many parents on a mission to keep up with the athletic Joneses recently these guys have taken advantage. Capitalism at its finest and honestly I don't think there is anything that can or should be done about it. Sucks for us as coaches if we lose players, but nobody is being harmed or downright "fleeced" out of money. It's one thing to claim my bath water will cure cancer and another to say I will train you to be a better football player.
Thankfully I coach in a more rural setting and don't have to deal with this crap. We have, however, had kids transfer out of our district b/c of want for a better athletic program/experience. These have been some very athletic kids, but in each case we haven't missed them for a second. Any kid, or parent for that matter, who wants out of our school can kiss my ass and don't let the door hit you on yours on the way out.
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Post by fshamrock on Apr 5, 2018 8:29:12 GMT -6
We are going the other direction with it. We make plain at the beginning that it is not our job to get their sons athletic scholarships. Our job is to build a championship football program, if their sons want to be a part of that, they are welcome, when colleges come around we will be honest with them and provide them with whatever they ask, but we aren't going to take blame for kids not getting recruited, and we aren't going to take credit for it either.
one big problem we have is that most of our kids families are well off, so most of them have no interest in playing at some small college in the middle of nowhere, they'd rather just be students at big universities, so when signing day comes and the other schools around are tweeting up a storm about their 18 football signees and we only have a couple, it looks like we aren't getting kids recruited and parents complain. Whatever, I hate recruiting and the whole recruiting "buzz" created by online ranking sites and other bullchit artists, celebrates the individual over the team and puts kids focus on their "rankings" above the goals of the team, and their parents fully support it. How many kids back in your day (assuming you're a little older) bitched about changing positions so they could start somewhere because they don't "project" to be d1 at that position? It's unbelievable and out of control.
I've graduated into the realm of not GAF anymore...I hope that all of the 3 star kids from the twitter rankings go to private ING type schools where they can do ridiculous footwork drills all day with a guy who has a PHD in running f'n speed ladders......the rest of us will play football with regular kids and have a great time.
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Post by newcoryell on Apr 5, 2018 8:54:14 GMT -6
I work with kids a lot as a "trainer". The first thing I ask upon meeting a parent/student: What system does your HS run? What concepts are the working in this year? Then I build skills and IQ around those ideas. I always recommend that kids ask their position coach for any details on how to play this or that. I explain that there are certain measurables that are required from a certain class of schools. Nothing your HS coach can do about that. It's all on how much you workout and genetics. What you can control is how you play in the allotted system you find yourself in. Does this mean that I agree with all the personnel decisions HS coaches make? No. But, the solution isn't going to be transferring to another school...first that involves money and guys seem to forget that these players have been with this coach in HIS system for years. So you're just going to leapfrog them huh? Not a lot of loyalty there. I've had kids go the JUCO route after leaving HS and playing a new position....that then made it to D1. Seen a NT turn into a D2 MLB after a year of training and busting a$$ to get this movement skills where he needs to be. Is he going to the league? Most likely not...but he's got a free ride (mostly) at school to get a great degree and a jump start in life. That's enough for me. While I can be critical of coaches...I think that most coaches are trying to do there best and should be given room to do that.
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 5, 2018 8:59:38 GMT -6
I work with kids a lot as a "trainer". The first thing I ask upon meeting a parent/student: What system does your HS run? What concepts are the working in this year? Then I build skills and IQ around those ideas. I always recommend that kids ask their position coach for any details on how to play this or that. I explain that there are certain measurables that are required from a certain class of schools. Nothing your HS coach can do about that. It's all on how much you workout and genetics. What you can control is how you play in the allotted system you find yourself in. Does this mean that I agree with all the personnel decisions HS coaches make? No. But, the solution isn't going to be transferring to another school...first that involves money and guys seem to forget that these players have been with this coach in HIS system for years. So you're just going to leapfrog them huh? Not a lot of loyalty there. I've had kids go the JUCO route after leaving HS and playing a new position....that then made it to D1. Seen a NT turn into a D2 MLB after a year of training and busting a$$ to get this movement skills where he needs to be. Is he going to the league? Most likely not...but he's got a free ride (mostly) at school to get a great degree and a jump start in life. That's enough for me. While I can be critical of coaches...I think that most coaches are trying to do there best and should be given room to do that. So what are you doing to build skills and IQ regarding a system that you don't actually know (do you really think the student/parent interview conveys the equivalent background knowledge to that of the coach actually coaching the kid) that the school coaches are not doing? |
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Post by fshamrock on Apr 5, 2018 9:08:51 GMT -6
I work with kids a lot as a "trainer". The first thing I ask upon meeting a parent/student: What system does your HS run? What concepts are the working in this year? Then I build skills and IQ around those ideas. I always recommend that kids ask their position coach for any details on how to play this or that. I explain that there are certain measurables that are required from a certain class of schools. Nothing your HS coach can do about that. It's all on how much you workout and genetics. What you can control is how you play in the allotted system you find yourself in. Does this mean that I agree with all the personnel decisions HS coaches make? No. But, the solution isn't going to be transferring to another school...first that involves money and guys seem to forget that these players have been with this coach in HIS system for years. So you're just going to leapfrog them huh? Not a lot of loyalty there. I've had kids go the JUCO route after leaving HS and playing a new position....that then made it to D1. Seen a NT turn into a D2 MLB after a year of training and busting a$$ to get this movement skills where he needs to be. Is he going to the league? Most likely not...but he's got a free ride (mostly) at school to get a great degree and a jump start in life. That's enough for me. While I can be critical of coaches...I think that most coaches are trying to do there best and should be given room to do that. often times, those personnel decisions are made with what is best for the team in mind. I can't tell you how many kids we've known would more suited to a different spot but we needed them to fill a hole somewhere else because we already had a decent player at that spot. It's about the team and what's best for the group. Tell those kids and their parents about that when you don't agree with personnel decision, you'd be helping us out a ton. |
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Post by newcoryell on Apr 5, 2018 9:19:25 GMT -6
Are we assuming a parent or teenager doesn't understand say the underlying nature of the Wing-T or a Leach-like Spread system? If you want to hold on to the "mysteries" of football you go ahead and do that. One, I don't get paid so I have no financial incentive to "hurt/harm" the relationship between coaches and their kids. But in Texas, there are limitations to the hours the coach can spend with the kids in the spring and the summer. Do you know how many kids (14+) I've met that have no idea what a "Wham" block is or how/why that play might be called let alone how to execute said blocking scheme? By the way, I'm in Dallas, Texas so I can imagine how other programs/cities have this problem.
From your post alone, you seem to think that someone is trying to usurp some almighty position as a coach. Not the case. Stop blowing up the heads of coaches and placing them all to have some standard of excellence. I've read your posts and you seem to have a great base of knowledge. Don't assume that all HS coaches do. Now, as far as the parents go...I've met some that understand that they don't know much about the game and go looking for "experts" to teach their kids because they have DOUBTS about the coaching staff at their HS. Some get rebuffed so hard by coaches that they don't feel comfortable talking or speaking with these coaches...because as adults they can feel the coaching staff looking down on them. Others have a fundamental disagreement with coaches stating that it's not their job to work to get their kids opportunities at the next level.
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Post by newcoryell on Apr 5, 2018 9:25:22 GMT -6
I work with kids a lot as a "trainer". The first thing I ask upon meeting a parent/student: What system does your HS run? What concepts are the working in this year? Then I build skills and IQ around those ideas. I always recommend that kids ask their position coach for any details on how to play this or that. I explain that there are certain measurables that are required from a certain class of schools. Nothing your HS coach can do about that. It's all on how much you workout and genetics. What you can control is how you play in the allotted system you find yourself in. Does this mean that I agree with all the personnel decisions HS coaches make? No. But, the solution isn't going to be transferring to another school...first that involves money and guys seem to forget that these players have been with this coach in HIS system for years. So you're just going to leapfrog them huh? Not a lot of loyalty there. I've had kids go the JUCO route after leaving HS and playing a new position....that then made it to D1. Seen a NT turn into a D2 MLB after a year of training and busting a$$ to get this movement skills where he needs to be. Is he going to the league? Most likely not...but he's got a free ride (mostly) at school to get a great degree and a jump start in life. That's enough for me. While I can be critical of coaches...I think that most coaches are trying to do there best and should be given room to do that. often times, those personnel decisions are made with what is best for the team in mind. I can't tell you how many kids we've known would more suited to a different spot but we needed them to fill a hole somewhere else because we already had a decent player at that spot. It's about the team and what's best for the group. Tell those kids and their parents about that when you don't agree with personnel decision, you'd be helping us out a ton. That is understood and I do. But, understand that a lot of parents aren't there for the team. They are there to do what they think is best for THEIR kid. A parent explained it like this: "My son makes straight A's in Ms. Yang's class (Geometry)....he responds to her style of teaching. I don't care if the rest of the class is stuck making 70s or worse. I'm involved in parent-conferences. I participate in the school. Why should I care about the kids in the class whose parents aren't involved? I'm concerned about my child." This was said to me in a very Mama Bear like approach. This lady isn't evil..I know her from work in the past. I've explained so many times why a 6'2 185 pound kid is starting at DE...while this same kid was a CB on another team and at 7 on 7 with another trainer. I explain that it's about the TEAM. Let's say this team's initials go by TB and are prominent in the Dallas area. What happened? I'll let you know at the end of summer. |
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Post by carookie on Apr 5, 2018 9:32:43 GMT -6
I am not an HC but I think I would include the following in every "meet the parent meeting" -Program goals - explicitly state and/or imply that getting Johhny a scholarship is not a major goal. If a player/parent's only reason for playing HS ball is to get a scholarship, then they should be prepared for the fact that their goals might not line up with our program goals. That being said, if an athlete is good enough and buys into our program, he should put himself in a position to continue his career. -Making a distinction between HS, College, and Pro Ball. HS Football is not a business, it is part of the educational process and will be treated as such -Have a part of your presentation dedicated to those who want to play college ball. Start this section with the statistics. Drive home just how small of a percentage of kids pay for school through athletics. Include something on 3rd party trainers/recruiters etc explaining "Buyer Beware". -Possibly add some quotes from college quotes regarding the recruiting process...I have seen good ones from Urban Meyer and Pat Fitzgerald floating around that strongly imply that the HS coach, not the trainer or 7v7 coach, is the gatekeeper. That may not go over well with parents, admin, or players. I actually have heard one coach say that before, and a lot of players soon transferred out. |
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Post by fshamrock on Apr 5, 2018 9:34:19 GMT -6
often times, those personnel decisions are made with what is best for the team in mind. I can't tell you how many kids we've known would more suited to a different spot but we needed them to fill a hole somewhere else because we already had a decent player at that spot. It's about the team and what's best for the group. Tell those kids and their parents about that when you don't agree with personnel decision, you'd be helping us out a ton. That is understood and I do. But, understand that a lot of parents aren't there for the team. They are there to do what they think is best for THEIR kid. A parent explained it like this: "My son makes straight A's in Ms. Yang's class (Geometry)....he responds to her style of teaching. I don't care if the rest of the class is stuck making 70s or worse. I'm involved in parent-conferences. I participate in the school. Why should I care about the kids in the class whose parents aren't involved? I'm concerned about my child." This was said to me in a very Mama Bear like approach. This lady isn't evil..I know her from work in the past. I've explained so many times why a 6'2 185 pound kid is starting at DE...while this same kid was a CB on another team and at 7 on 7 with another trainer. I explain that it's about the TEAM. Let's say this team's initials go by TB and are prominent in the Dallas area. What happened? I'll let you know at the end of summer. I hear you man, I really do. I have kids in elementary school and I find myself saying "parenty" crap all the time that I never thought I'd say. The parents aren't evil, just selfish, and in many cases not to type of people to take bad news well. "ma'am....johnny is a senior now, he's 156 pounds and runs a 4.9..he's not going to start on for us next year in high school, so it's doubtful that he's going to be getting recruited by Stanford" "well......what are YOU guys doing to HELP him!...if ya'll didn't HATE him so much and had moved him to QUARTERBACK we wouldn't have this problem!!" "............................" |
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Post by funkfriss on Apr 5, 2018 9:37:19 GMT -6
Are we assuming a parent or teenager doesn't understand say the underlying nature of the Wing-T or a Leach-like Spread system? If you want to hold on to the "mysteries" of football you go ahead and do that. One, I don't get paid so I have no financial incentive to "hurt/harm" the relationship between coaches and their kids. But in Texas, there are limitations to the hours the coach can spend with the kids in the spring and the summer. Do you know how many kids (14+) I've met that have no idea what a "Wham" block is or how/why that play might be called let alone how to execute said blocking scheme? By the way, I'm in Dallas, Texas so I can imagine how other programs/cities have this problem. From your post alone, you seem to think that someone is trying to usurp some almighty position as a coach. Not the case. Stop blowing up the heads of coaches and placing them all to have some standard of excellence. I've read your posts and you seem to have a great base of knowledge. Don't assume that all HS coaches do. Now, as far as the parents go...I've met some that understand that they don't know much about the game and go looking for "experts" to teach their kids because they have DOUBTS about the coaching staff at their HS. Some get rebuffed so hard by coaches that they don't feel comfortable talking or speaking with these coaches...because as adults they can feel the coaching staff looking down on them. Others have a fundamental disagreement with coaches stating that it's not their job to work to get their kids opportunities at the next level. I'm pretty sure you took the previous post slightly out of context. I don't think coachd5085 had any intention of bashing you or placing coaches into a semi-god status. I think what he was simply stating was that asking kids, and especially parents, what system and techniques are being taught might not give you the most accurate and best answer. As a suggestion, and to piggy-back off coachd, have you thought about contacting the coaches of these players your train? If I received a phone call or an email from you saying, "Hey Coach, I'm ______ and I'll be helping Joe get better this offseason. Can you help me by telling me what skills, techniques, etc he needs to help make him better for next season," I would be more than happy to help out and would appreciate that you took the time to really find out what is going to best help Joe rather than run him through a bunch of generic drills that may or may not pertain to what he needs. Just a thought... |
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Post by newcoryell on Apr 5, 2018 10:06:52 GMT -6
1) I do. I contact every coach that I'm working with to make sure that I'm using the right terminology along with the techniques that the coaching staff prefers. With the Wham concept example, I asked that OC what situations that concept would be used along with the coaching staff's evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of that player. There is no one size fits all resolution for players.
2) When meeting with the parents...I can understand the frustration of coaches. Some of them have no solid idea what they are talking about...but I've met some that would surprise you. It's a case by case thing.
3) I've had the 5.2 40 running player's parent say the same thing: He should be at QB. My solution? During a 7 on 7 game, I'll place that kid there after spending some time at QB in drill work...usually wets the bed. I explain that you are feeling pressure without having to worry about pressure...how are you going to hang in and throw darts with guys hitting you? Some actually get a hunger for it and begin training to become a QB in the next 2 years for the team. A lot just fall back to the position they started at and become more invested.
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Post by ogre5530 on Apr 5, 2018 10:25:30 GMT -6
I think some of the issue boils down to what the state association rules are. In the state I'm in there are certain restrictions about how much "contact" you can have with athletes outside of your strength and conditioning. In my opinion they might as well do away with the limited contact time and allow HS coaches to do drills, run these 7 on 7 teams, and allow spring ball. I know a lot of southern states have spring ball, but up north we don't have it and as a result kids flock to these "trainers" to get their football work in. A lot of schools already bend the rules and conduct "open gyms," but just get rid of these rules and allow more contact days besides whats's allotted to us in the summer.
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