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Post by coachbarlow on Dec 3, 2021 9:49:24 GMT -6
One of the big issues that I am seeing with my high school team is that a lot of the kids have jobs and need to miss/or leave early/ come late during the summer and the season to do these jobs. A lot of the kids on my team qualify for free/reduced lunches and I know that some help their families pay rent. The issue that I am seeing after COVID is that now a lot of kids have jobs and it has created this come-and-go culture. How do I address these issues while also allowing the kids to help support their families?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 9:51:10 GMT -6
One of the big issues that I am seeing with my high school team is that a lot of the kids have jobs and need to miss/or leave early/ come late during the summer and the season to do these jobs. A lot of the kids on my team qualify for free/reduced lunches and I know that some help their families pay rent. The issue that I am seeing after COVID is that now a lot of kids have jobs and it has created this come-and-go culture. How do I address these issues while also allowing the kids to help support their families? Multiple lift sessions PER DAY. Then make it quick and simple. |
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Post by coachlit on Dec 3, 2021 11:16:26 GMT -6
Kids don’t have jobs at the ass crack of dawn. I’d start summer sessions early so they don’t have to choose between lifting and working.
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Post by newhope on Dec 3, 2021 11:16:55 GMT -6
One of the big issues that I am seeing with my high school team is that a lot of the kids have jobs and need to miss/or leave early/ come late during the summer and the season to do these jobs. A lot of the kids on my team qualify for free/reduced lunches and I know that some help their families pay rent. The issue that I am seeing after COVID is that now a lot of kids have jobs and it has created this come-and-go culture. How do I address these issues while also allowing the kids to help support their families? Personally: summer ok, not mandatory so what am I going to do? I'll make him let me know each time, I'll impress upon him the importance of being there, but I can't force him to be there. In season: no, come to practice every day. If you can't make that commitment, don't play (there are situations that can't be helped that change that obviously----but we're not going to miss for work, haircuts, beach trips, birthday, etc in season---not and expect to get on the field. |
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Post by coachcb on Dec 3, 2021 11:49:55 GMT -6
Off-season: Multiple weight sessions offered; with one being bright n' early and another later in the evening. Offer the opportunities and limit the excuses.
In-season: Nope; missing for work would be considered an unexcused absence. I've only given on this when working in a farming and ranching community. We had a couple of players miss one or two practices in August to work the family farm or ranch. There was really no way around this as it's the family farm or ranch and it is just expected to come before football within these communities.
With that being said, I addressed this is the preseason parent meeting and let it be known that this was a special situation. And, a special situation that I would only "give" on to a point.
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Post by realdawg on Dec 3, 2021 12:06:40 GMT -6
Summer-not much you can do-its not mandatory and you cant punish them. I will say this, give your kids a schedule of off season activities really early, let them know when you are going to workout and when you are going to practice. Most employers will work with the kids and work their schedule around yours if you let them know early enough going in, at least in my area.
In season-you gotta be there....I am pretty willing to work with kids, maybe overly so, but you gotta be at practice. No practice, no play.....but again communication is key. Let them know early what your practice plans are. Communicate your expectations on practice early so that parents know what to expect.
I will set down after Christmas and make out a calendar of our off season events and our practice schedule through Labor Day. This schedule will be in our kids hands and on their school email within the first couple of weeks of January, and I will pretty much stick to it. Now the ball is in their court.....do you wanna play, or do you wanna work?
They can work Sat. and Sun. in season. I have several kids who leave practice at 6-630 and go get a couple of hours of work in. It can be done. Its just a matter of importance to them.
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Post by blb on Dec 3, 2021 12:11:02 GMT -6
Summer-not much you can do-its not mandatory and you cant punish them. I will say this, give your kids a schedule of off season activities really early, let them know when you are going to workout and when you are going to practice. Most employers will work with the kids and work their schedule around yours if you let them know early enough going in, at least in my area. In season-you gotta be there....I am pretty willing to work with kids, maybe overly so, but you gotta be at practice. No practice, no play.....but again communication is key. Let them know early what your practice plans are. Communicate your expectations on practice early so that parents know what to expect. I will set down after Christmas and make out a calendar of our off season events and our practice schedule through Labor Day. This schedule will be in our kids hands and on their school email within the first couple of weeks of January, and I will pretty much stick to it. Now the ball is in their court.....do you wanna play, or do you wanna work? They can work Sat. and Sun. in season. I have several kids who leave practice at 6-630 and go get a couple of hours of work in. It can be done. Its just a matter of importance to them. One of best posts I've seen on here in a long time. Agree with it whole-heartedly. That was pretty much my approach in 30 years' as a HS HC. |
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Post by coachbarlow on Dec 3, 2021 13:03:32 GMT -6
Thank you for all the responses. I like the idea of doing multiple lifts during different times to open up their options and we already employ a schedule that starts early in the morning to try and limit that. We also give them the schedule around February to set the expectations for them on when practices are but we still run into kids missing. I think that its just been hard because the football team has been down a couple years and we have lost the culture we had before. Now on some days we hardly have enough people to go 11 on 11.
Do you guys have a set attendance policy? Like if a kid has a good excuse like dr. or dentist, are they good to play, compared to a kid saying that they are having a family issue? I have been on programs that had a black and white system that eventually saw issues arise with parents and admins because of not letting kids play because an excuse they thought was dignified?
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Post by realdawg on Dec 4, 2021 5:38:01 GMT -6
In the summer/off season-I reward the kids that make a certain number of days. You earn off season points in our off season character development program.....showing up is part of it. They get rewarded with t shirt, name on back of jersey, and some other things.....
In the season, I have a policy that if you miss practice it has to be excused by me. No communication means not excused no matter what it was. Funeral, sickness, etc...ok you can still play. "Family issue", had to babysit my little brother, get haircut, go school shopping not ok. I told our kids and parents if you are going to tell me you cant be there bc of a "family issue" you better be ready to discuss that issue with me so that I know the situation and may be able to help our player. If you are gonna call me and say you have to babysit younger siblings your parent better be the one calling and telling me that.
Even if you are excused...i.e family death or COVID....if you miss two you dont start. Not fair to the kid who had to take your place, and no way I feel like you can learn the gameplan for that week.
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Post by Defcord on Dec 4, 2021 5:55:38 GMT -6
One thing I have done that is helped is to call their boss. Most but not all the time getting linked up there will help get the work schedule so that the kid can get just as many hours without missing football.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2021 7:04:02 GMT -6
Give them a min. Number of workouts they must complete. If you have a couple of work out dorks on your staff, this shouldnt be a hard ask.
If a player called my mentor and arranged the work out, that counted as a work out. And he would come in sat and sunday. We dont schedule team lifts on sat and sunday.
And it takes one to realize, you are better off just coming to the team lifts. But you get out of the conditioning. But to get pads you need to do 10x110’s, all under a certain time.
And the number of lifts is like 20.
And the job thing? If the boys are going to get a life lesson, they are going to get paid for it. And you really cant blame them. At the exact time, it is amazing what happens when the kids get it. A lot of the excuses go away.
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Post by kylem56 on Dec 5, 2021 14:25:30 GMT -6
When I coached at a rural school, we had about half of the kids who had to et up early to do chores and work on the family land, the other half were your typical suburb kids. The best we could do is offer 2-3 morning times a week, and 2-3 evening times a week. It sucks not having them all together but for those kids that are working on their family farm, they are WORKING so I was never worried about them being in shape.
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Post by blb on Dec 5, 2021 14:59:31 GMT -6
When I coached at a rural school, we had about half of the kids who had to et up early to do chores and work on the family land, the other half were your typical suburb kids. The best we could do is offer 2-3 morning times a week, and 2-3 evening times a week. It sucks not having them all together but for those kids that are working on their family farm, they are WORKING so I was never worried about them being in shape. God bless you kylem56 . If I had to come in before school 2-3 times a week and 2-3 times a week in evening in Off-Season just to try to win HS football games, I would have had to find another line of work. |
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Post by realdawg on Dec 5, 2021 15:12:55 GMT -6
Huge advantage to have your kids in a class during school day!
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Post by kylem56 on Dec 5, 2021 16:36:09 GMT -6
When I coached at a rural school, we had about half of the kids who had to et up early to do chores and work on the family land, the other half were your typical suburb kids. The best we could do is offer 2-3 morning times a week, and 2-3 evening times a week. It sucks not having them all together but for those kids that are working on their family farm, they are WORKING so I was never worried about them being in shape. God bless you kylem56 . If I had to come in before school 2-3 times a week and 2-3 times a week in evening in Off-Season just to try to win HS football games, I would have had to find another line of work. Ha thanks but I usually took the morning lifts and then my assistants split up the evening times. |
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