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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 20, 2009 11:29:31 GMT -6
Yes I agree...
There would be the meeting... One on one. I would try and get into his head. But usually that meeting occurs in November / December range... Today is the first day of spring and we are approaching spring break soon. If he could not give me a commitment I do not see how something would change in August...
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 20, 2009 10:12:07 GMT -6
I think the young man answered his question...
IMO - I don't know = NO..... As talented as he might be if he is not totally into it I would be afraid of what happens in the future...
7 on 7 and other activities are coming up fast so he needs to decide...
My philosophy is when a guy is on a "fence", I will push him off. Either he comes with "US" or he falls behind.
Again I always go back to the fact this is FOOTBALL!! One man can not make a team. If he is not into find someone that is... Ask yourself this question:
Is the kid THAT SPECIAL that if you do not have him you are out of the playoffs or states.... I mean is he a true blue chip D-IA Athlete. If he is no, his impact really will not be THAT substantial..... IMO.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 17, 2009 19:30:08 GMT -6
As with everything else I think this is "leaking down" from the NFL... I know many NFL teams start their workouts this month and they begin to do their off-season lifting and running... Teams now also do Stuff where they focus on certain aspects of the game... Pass game (QB / WR)... OL (Blocking, drills)..
Not sure of the laws for the states (Some states you can work around them) are there any teams getting prepared to do this type of stuff in the upcoming months?
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 17, 2009 11:15:16 GMT -6
If you live in the following states: 1. VA 2. DE 3. PA 4. NJ 5. MD 6. WV
PM Me -
I have been working with 1st Team Sports for years (They are reps who broke off from varsity gold 6 years ago..). They have made me a TON of money of the years.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 17, 2009 11:07:48 GMT -6
Yes,
One of my players got one last week as well... They want a deposit by April (175.00) and total payment is around $400.00 by July...
This kid is 6'1" 195lbs TE/DE type... I love the kid to death but as a junior for us last year he didn't even get honorable mention all district... I did not recommend it. I told the kids give me a list of 20 coaches that say they are going to be there and we will send out tape to them... We already sent out around 10 tapes so far..
Yes big money maker.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 11, 2009 12:28:01 GMT -6
True Story -
We had a kid transfer from DC (Good looking athlete) seemed like a good kid. He comes out late because his parents move.. Well three weeks into the season he gets an injury and it out for a while.. Finally we suit him up knowing he probably will not play much...
Well we are getting killed in the 4th quarter and I figure it is a good time to get some kids in.. I go to him and I noticed he is taking off his cleats on the field. I asked what he was doing.. He said he is done. I said what do you mean... He said he quit... I said "Are you sure you want to do this?".. He walked away.
I sat him down and told him you can quit BUT YOU WILL NOT WALK OFF THIS FIELD WITH OUR UNIFORM ON!!. YOu have to take this off... He looked at me crazy. I DEMANDED HE TAKE OFF HIS UNIFORM AND WE HAD HIM ESCORTED OFF THE FIELD!! He left in his t-shirt and someone gave him some shorts... His uncle drove him home.
Looking back it might not have been politically correct but the message was sent. And all of the other kids in the program saw it too.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 11, 2009 12:22:50 GMT -6
That head coach will not be around very long with crap like that going down in his program.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 12:09:14 GMT -6
A training facility focusing on speed, agility training....
Two areas you might want to focus on - 1. Pass / QB academy (QB/WR) 2. Oline Academy
areas of focus on individual areas.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 12:03:24 GMT -6
Well Said Ohio... I am the same way. They are with us or I push them off the fence.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 11:28:33 GMT -6
When you post your team rules make sure to include the part about how you WILL NOT discuss players playing time, position or spot ON the depth chart.
Yes this happened this year. Booster club presidents son was not playing. She came to me in a sneaky way... Kind of prying. Finally I tell her about our policy about playing time. She got the message and understood what I meant.
Be frank and up front with him. Remember - You are the alpha male and it is your program. You do not have to justify yourself to a parent.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 11:24:18 GMT -6
Yes webiste / email are important.
On your website you can post calendars, events.... Can be a great resource.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 11:22:50 GMT -6
Peer pressure does work well... I have had success with as well...
Ultimately though if your goal is to win championships one of two things has to happen:
1. Have a TON of talent (have all kinds of D-IA and IAA players on your roster... Especially a ton of big, fast explosive players who can take plays to the house).
2. Have kids who are committed to a common goal and you do not have to trick or bribe them..... I I believe in rewarding attendance and hard work. But ultimately we do not need to reinvent the wheel.. If you have kids that you have to constantly "bust their balls" to workout and if you have kids who have not worked out since November than I guess you get what you paid for...
I still believe often we as coaches spend too much time focusing on players that do NOT do what we want them to do in the off-season.
Hell I just got wind that one of my more talented 9th grade players is focusing on B-Ball (open gym, travel team....) and does not want to workout.... Now I will come and speak to him next week one on one... I will tell him know we want him as long as he wants to be apart of it... After that meeting I will not continue to beg or chase him... I will just focus on the kids we have in our program who are doing well.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 7:42:33 GMT -6
EMAIL....
I have a booster club and 95% of my parents are on email distribution. I send out emails probably once every few weeks with updates (Weight room, testing, 7on 7 , fundraisers, team camps...).
I would than have my big meeting the last week of school before summer workouts (Make sure they are on the same page).
I am a big believer in communicating. I would if I were you meet with your players at the end of workouts as much as possible and on individual basis to keep people update.
The email thing is huge. Really keeps parents updated.
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Post by bigm0073 on Mar 5, 2009 7:37:59 GMT -6
O-LINE PRIDE
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 24, 2009 20:42:41 GMT -6
Those teachers are fing Azz clowns... WOw!! They need to get a clue. Have the AD make them idiots go to some clinics... Wow they are clueless....
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 22, 2009 11:28:46 GMT -6
Raffles.. We raffle a week in Aruba (My timeshare, ipods, tvs, xbox...) We mad around $15,000.00 last year doing this.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 22, 2009 11:26:48 GMT -6
If your kids have been working hard since December than a week off will not do anything but help...
We open practice August 10th and I am going to give all our players and coaches off the week of August 3rd... They need that week to recover physically and emotionally. So I think a week off is good just to recover... This is not the "Old days" when kids just worked out from May - August... Kids are going year around week intervals are good for them...
We have been lifting since 12/1/2008... We are testing this week and we are CLOSING the weight room the week after... GIve them a week off to recover and get fresh again.. .We will do this again in Late May before we get ready for the summer push. My strength coach is CSCS certified and has worked for professional teams. I will take his advice on this one.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 22, 2009 11:21:29 GMT -6
Hmmm.... Sell? I would call it apart of our expectations...
What I do with the players he ask them this simple question..
"What do you want for yourself for this upcoming season" ... I ask them their goals for the team and personally...
From there we outline how it has to get done. Obviously working out HAS to be apart of that equation. For players that do not come consistently they weed themselves out and are replaced by other players...
I have been at two programs - both of them had questionable off-season expectations. At both places I met with the kids individually and outlined what they needed to be successful.. .At both schools the upcoming senior class really struggled with this concept. I ended up weeding them out and playing young kids. The best thing I did at my current job is get rid of the seniors who did not want to work and play all young kids.;.. They all worded hard and last year I had 16 Freshman and Sophomores start for us... Yeah we took our licks but I have 20 starters returning and they ALL work hard.
Right now my hardest working players are the older kids who are returning starters. It is great for our team. We now have that as apart of our culture. The younger kids see all of the starters working hard in the weight room and it sets the bar for what needs to be done.
Again I do not sell or beg. I recognize good kids, with good grades with a good work ethic and we focus on them. The other kids either "Hop to" or they do not usually last long.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 21, 2009 20:31:15 GMT -6
I am a the oline coach and I want the athlete any day of the week.... Like Jim McNally would say "How fast can you get the 2nd step down...." It is all about hips, explosion and getting off the ball. If you want to move people off the ball than double team your guys. Either take the athlete!!
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 21, 2009 12:19:32 GMT -6
I take a different angle than both of you....
With state accountability and having to water down the curriculum so all kids succeed I feel I am not able to challenge my classes the way I would want to. If I push too hard and have a few kids fail than the administration looks at me and wonders what am I doing wrong....
SO I pull up and I do not give daily homework and now I accept late work and now kids make up work two weeks later... All of a sudden my grades are inflated but the expectation has lowered. That is the frustration for many teachers. And yes it is the parents who are the blame. They are the ones who go to the school board and complain and make the school board create policies like no zeroes, accept late work....
I would agree that many do wonderful job but others (I especially look at the parents in the 45 - 55 year old range) they seem to be the biggest enablers.
Coaches, imagine if you had to make practice, conditioning and lifting so easy and so unassuming that everyone could do it and nobody would fail.... Imagine if you could not discipline a kid or hold the accountable for missing practice.... What kind of product do you think you would have on the football field???
Is it no wonder why we are failing in many school systems...
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 20, 2009 10:27:00 GMT -6
Maybe it is me but I do not think you can compare what goes on in a classroom with football... They have to go to school, they do not have to play football..
We as football coaches have the ability to demand more out of our players. We can push them physically, psychologically and also emotionally. Along the way some kids may fail but that is the price people pay to be successful.
For me personally (I teach World History, Government...) my approach to the classroom is much different than how I approach football. In class I do not demand too much (I can not because I have such a wide range of students) I basically water what we do down enough so most everyone can pass. Not good I know but this is what the schools want.
In football I am MUCH more demanding and I push much harder. I also obviously see better results. Yes I guess this is another example of how kids are not motivated and parents... But in football I do not encounter this in my programs. I will not allow it.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 19, 2009 20:44:03 GMT -6
Oh I do agree... That kid for minor infractions will get the benefit of the doubt...
I mean the situations where the kid is disrespectful in class or cuts practicec... I think it is important to send a message to him and the team when this behavior does not seem to correct itself...
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 19, 2009 19:38:53 GMT -6
Great points Coach:
If your kid is a IA - IAA player they really need to have a good junior year.... Like coach before me said they should have a hi-light tape with two game tapes...
In the next month (March) I send out most of my stuff for our IA-IAA players... By the end of May I will have a good evaluation from the college coaches about them. If they are good enough they can go to a one day camp and workout.... Something to keep in mind -
If the player is under six feet tall it is very, very unlikely he gets a IA scholarship unless he runs a BLISTERING 40 and has some CRAZY hi-lights... The good IAA programs in my area basically do not look at kids unless they are IA prospects. It is very competitive.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 19, 2009 19:31:58 GMT -6
I guess I have been known as a disciplinarian.... At my old school it was lacking and I had to install it. Here are some thoughts:
1. Expectations - They must be clearly defined. In the classroom, in the weight room, practice, game....
2. Consequences - Must be consistent and must be clear.
3. Consistent - Might be the most important part. Make sure you treat all of the players the same when it comes to discipline issues.... Do not pull the BS favorite crap.... You know the coach who screams at or benches the scrub but turns a blind eye for the STAR... You know the coaches who coddle and let the D-IA players get away with all kinds of crap but than they are hard asses with younger weaker kids.... THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY!!
4. Make the Punishment Meaningful - At my old school before I was there the old head coach would bench a player for one play or sit him for one series.... OHHHHH Really tough stuff coach. There were players that would skip practice during the weak and that sorry coach would sit them for one play or series.... Think about the message it sent to the rest of the team....
It you sit a player, bench him for the WHOLE game and make him show up in a shirt and tie.. Do not dress him... That sends a message real quick to the team that when you have a rule in place people will follow. Playing time is the biggest thing you can hang over a players head....
The funny thing is I head this reputation when I cam to my new school last year (All of the kids were emailing and on myspace telling the kids at my new school how I did not play and I meant what I said). This past year just had to suspend one kid for a pretty minor issue.
You may lose a few games early on because of this (Especially when trying to install discipline at a school that lacks it..) but in the long run this will pay off for your program BIG TIME!!
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 19, 2009 10:28:45 GMT -6
Coach here is what I do:
Have a file of each players that has: 1. Copy of updated transcripts 2. Two game tapes with some hi-lights 3. SAT/ACT Scores
That is in a folder. This is for my coaches who drop in the spring and fall. I want to give them something tangible.
In the spring of their sophomore and junior year I send out a mass email to around 50 schools about our kids (I am in VA - So VA, VA Tech, JMU, Richmond, W & M, ODU, Christopher Newport, Bridgewater, Shepherd....).
OVer the years I have developed a good relationship with these coaches so I usually get good honest feedback. I will send out DVDs or Clips online (If the players have it) to any school...
We just ordered APEX and we plan to have a site online this spring so coaches can go in and watch our players online..
Sending tape is great but I found from doing this (And from being a college coach too) most of these tapes get lost or never make it to their destination.
From there our players go to one day camps (We also do a team camp) and we also do 7 on 7 tournaments at local colleges. This allows our players to get a good evaluation.
Biggest thing is to contact the coach via email and phone calls and get them into your building in the spring so they can SEE the kid up close and also so you can give them the tapes, transcripts and scores.....
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 18, 2009 11:36:17 GMT -6
What is your goal?
I would not recommend the D-3 route personnally... Been there and done that and I much prefer being the head coach at a high school program...
it is very, very, very hard to go from D-3 to d-IA or IAA... Plus you lack security. I got into high school for the security aspect. I have a family and I love Friday Nights.... I feel I have the best of both worlds.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 17, 2009 11:32:59 GMT -6
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 17, 2009 11:29:59 GMT -6
Once again Ohio is right on ;D
Bottom line put them in a position (For me it is usually OL...) that they HATE and tell them that is where you see them best to help the team... Believe me either they will quit or be the best scout team player you have ever had...
Going into my 6th season as a head coach at two programs... I have had only one kid who went through all of this and really stuck it out... All of them fade in the spring and summer and usually decide they do not want to play.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 17, 2009 11:24:59 GMT -6
That is fine... Let the little brat tryout and then you can cut him after 3 days.... Remember all sports allow you to cut as long as you give 2-3 days for tryouts.
I think personally we are making too much of this... I know from experience: 1. Make the workouts demanding 2. Make it so if they do not make a scheduled number of workouts they are basically "Out of the circle of trust".. No camps or 7 0n 7 or team camps, nothing. GIve them extra conditioning during practice to make up for what they missed over the summer, spring and winter....
Make the kid the 4th string left guard even you he might only weigh 170 lbs (Tell him you need his speed for zone blocking or pulling.. whatever).
Believe me if the kid did not come to weights in the off-season he will not deal with that BS you put him through.
And don't tell me what a great athlete he is...blah, blah, blah.... One great athlete is not going to win you a title in football. Plus if he is true scholarship player / athlete he would be lifting running with you anyway.
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Post by bigm0073 on Feb 17, 2009 9:36:21 GMT -6
Get bigger and stronger (We started 16 9th and 10th graders on varsity last year). This is for physical and psychological reasons.
Adjust playbook and condense it.
Create uniformed terminology for all levels.
Now that we have unidentified our best players I think we are working on schemes and ways to make them successful next year.
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