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Post by s73 on Nov 9, 2013 21:33:29 GMT -6
Players that haven't bled/ sweat/ paid-the-price that try to give halftime talks make me laugh: the real players just roll their eyes. Good captains will take care of that problem with a one-on-one chat to show how the system is supposed to work. That sounds like something the players themselves need to address themselves. EXACTLY! We didn't have that this year. That's why my #1 priority for next year is to develop better leadership. When this clown is leading you know things aren't going well. I just want to avoid any of this at all next season but again, nothing he has done merits dismissal. He's just more of a very socially awkward dude that tries to lead & is terrible at it.
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Post by s73 on Nov 9, 2013 21:25:29 GMT -6
I would say you have some valid points. As for him talking at halftime, we meet as a staff for a few minutes outside the team room just to clarify our half time adjustments before we address the team. In that time we can hear him screaming movie quotes & other cheese ball stuff before we get in their. It's very awkward. The kid has also been in trouble for athletic code twice so he missed half of the season as a frosh. & his whole sophomore season as well due to codes. I guess it does bug me that a kid that has been in that much trouble doesn't come in a little more humble. I guess I just assumed that when you've only played 5 games in your whole HS career & are only a junior on a varsity team that you would be less likely to whine & pout and withdraw when you aren't getting your way. You didn't post any of this in original. Who teaches them what to do at half time? Where are your Captains-Senior leaders? Don't assume anything about teenage kids. Teach them expectations and then hold them accountable. These are great questions BLB. We had great senior leadership last year & none of this would fly. But our seniors were terrible this year both as leaders & talent perspective. Probably why we went from a very strong play off team to missing the play offs entirely this year. My concern is we have a lot of talent returning next year & I think we have a shot at being a tough play off team again so I want team chemistry to be strong but this kid just doesn't quite get team dynamics. I guess to put it in a nutshell I would say this. Since he hasn't really played since he was a freshman, I think he still has that youth perspective on things. In other wprds, he acts like "I work hard so I get to play". He has told me before he deserves to play. I told him you need to earn it through performance and it looked like his head was going to explode trying to process this. Just a weird situation. Quiet team w/ a vocal loud mouth who's not good but believes he is & he hasn't been around due to prior discipline issues. You can just see kids rolling eyes and ignoring comments. It's bad for chemistry but again nothing tangible to kick off for. That's what makes it such a weird deal.
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Post by s73 on Nov 9, 2013 21:09:58 GMT -6
I would say you have some valid points. As for him talking at halftime, we meet as a staff for a few minutes outside the team room just to clarify our half time adjustments before we address the team. In that time we can hear him screaming movie quotes & other cheese ball stuff before we get in their. It's very awkward. The kid has also been in trouble for athletic code twice so he missed half of the season as a frosh. & his whole sophomore season as well due to codes. I guess it does bug me that a kid that has been in that much trouble doesn't come in a little more humble. I guess I just assumed that when you've only played 5 games in your whole HS career & are only a junior on a varsity team that you would be less likely to whine & pout and withdraw when you aren't getting your way. I think you have validity but I also feel confident it isn't just a "me problem". But to each his own. I appreciate the response. But you just can't kick him off of the team because you don't like him. Could not agree more w/ you fantom. That's what makes the situation so tough. He's bad for chemistry b/c he openly whines he's better than he is and is extremely uncoachable but doesn't do anything to warrant being kicked off. He's just an irritating distraction who can be a very vocal distraction at times.
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Post by s73 on Nov 9, 2013 14:04:07 GMT -6
I have an unusual issue in regards to this question. We have a kid in our program that none of us can stand and would love to kick off. Unfortunately, he never quite does enough to justify this. He's just really irritating. He thinks he's really good and he's not. He talks smack & can't back it up, he's super vocal trying to fire guys up at halftime & is the WORST speech maker ever. At halftime almost all of his speeches are different excerpts from movies. It's like were waiting for the Braveheart paint. The kicker is he works really hard in season & off season but he sucks on D and can't remember what to do on O. So we don't start him & depending on the day his attitude goes from decent to pouty almost on an every other day basis. Again, nothing that I would say is worthy of kicking off but I cannot stand the kid. He's just really irritating and wines about not starting as a junior. What's he going to be like as a senior? It's actually a comical situation, but in all seriousness he's not good for team chemistry. Thoughts? Why are you letting him make speeches at half time? The only one who talks in our locker room is me except when kids are asking-answering questions. From your description he sounds like a pretty normal 16-year old (15?) to me. Takes some of them longer to mature-for the light bulb to come on. He may be a model citizen as a Senior. It's what you get when coaching HS. This is benign stuff, Coach. Certainly not anywhere near considering firing him. Sounds like a "you" problem. Don't let him bug you so much. I would say you have some valid points. As for him talking at halftime, we meet as a staff for a few minutes outside the team room just to clarify our half time adjustments before we address the team. In that time we can hear him screaming movie quotes & other cheese ball stuff before we get in their. It's very awkward. The kid has also been in trouble for athletic code twice so he missed half of the season as a frosh. & his whole sophomore season as well due to codes. I guess it does bug me that a kid that has been in that much trouble doesn't come in a little more humble. I guess I just assumed that when you've only played 5 games in your whole HS career & are only a junior on a varsity team that you would be less likely to whine & pout and withdraw when you aren't getting your way. I think you have validity but I also feel confident it isn't just a "me problem". But to each his own. I appreciate the response.
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Post by s73 on Nov 9, 2013 8:22:47 GMT -6
I have an unusual issue in regards to this question. We have a kid in our program that none of us can stand and would love to kick off. Unfortunately, he never quite does enough to justify this. He's just really irritating. He thinks he's really good and he's not. He talks smack & can't back it up, he's super vocal trying to fire guys up at halftime & is the WORST speech maker ever. At halftime almost all of his speeches are different excerpts from movies. It's like were waiting for the Braveheart paint.
The kicker is he works really hard in season & off season but he sucks on D and can't remember what to do on O. So we don't start him & depending on the day his attitude goes from decent to pouty almost on an every other day basis.
Again, nothing that I would say is worthy of kicking off but I cannot stand the kid. He's just really irritating and wines about not starting as a junior. What's he going to be like as a senior? It's actually a comical situation, but in all seriousness he's not good for team chemistry.
Thoughts?
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Post by s73 on Nov 7, 2013 6:53:17 GMT -6
One of the most successful coaches I know told me this one time when dealing w/ parents & I never forgot it. Hope this helps.
He said when you walk down the street & you happen to see a big pile of dog-$h*t, are you gonna stop & talk to it? I said no. He said, then why would you stop & talk to a parent?
I hope you find that as helpful as I did.
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Post by s73 on Aug 15, 2013 19:24:29 GMT -6
I kind of feel like every year my kids are weird. I was kind of wondering if it was just me getting older.
Although, I did coach one kid who missed a practice b/c he was attending a medieval fantasy role playing festival called "Orctoberfest". I'm pretty sure it's not me getting older to consider that weird.
Pretty sure that kid will never get laid either. Just sayin'
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Post by s73 on Aug 15, 2013 5:50:39 GMT -6
I believe that how you carry yourself is everything. Like when that shy substitute walked into your class in HS and everybody started licking their chops b/c they knew it was going to be a period of free for all.
If you carry yourself w/ confidence and decisiveness (and of course are good at what you do) then IMO that will radiate to the players. I believe it starts w/ you and how you present yourself. If you are assertive and make eye contact etc. you send a message of self respect. IMO it STARTS w/ SELF respect. If you respect yourself and carry yourself that you will not tolerate anything less from others than I believe that acts as a nonverbal cue of what you demand from your players. Again, IMO.
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Post by s73 on Aug 10, 2013 6:39:26 GMT -6
We always ASSIGN kids to positions the 1st day of camp. That way the tone is set right away that we make those decisions. Not parents, players or recruiters.
After we assign the positions I remind them of a rule I have. Everybody must compete as hard as they can for 1 week before they can discuss any positional changes. Usually this helps us see what we need and what we need to change. If the kids want to change, then we will allow if we think it will help us. If not, then we don't.
Occasionally, we will compromise if we think the kid can actually play 2 spots by working them in their assigned spot but letting them jump into team for a couple of plays & we just coach them up on the fly at their spot of choice. But only if we see team advantage in it. Just my opinion.
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Post by s73 on Aug 1, 2013 18:30:36 GMT -6
May be in the minority here, but at some point I think the team getting smoked also has some responsibility in recognizing the games over & subbing as well. Had situation last season where we were up big & subbed. Opponents keep 1's in & score. Then kick onside. We recover. I send in 2nd team & they go w/ D starters now. After a couple plays I brought my 1's in again for about 3 plays to "give the hint". After I pulled starters for 2nd time he subbed.
He was upset w/ me by game's end, butagain i think both sides have some responsibility in this issue. JMO
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Post by s73 on Jul 30, 2013 10:52:58 GMT -6
Coaches, Due to financial and other reasons, I will be taking this season off from coaching. It is my full intention to get back into coaching ASAP. Do you have any reccomendations about how to learn and take advantage during this time off? I was thinking about getting the NFL package that allows you to see All-22 footage and studying away. Thanks in advance! The best thing I have ever done in my coaching career was when I was a young HFC and struggling early in my HC tenure, I called a very successful HFC from a school that ran similar systems and asked if he would meet with me. He graciously agreed to do so and 8 hours later I truly felt like I was going to be a 10x better HFC. Since then, I have networked w/ 3 other successful FB coaches around our state and have drawn a ton of insight and CONFIDENCE based on the fact that I am learning from guys who have DONE IT before. When you are running things and you know that other schools are doing things similarly & having success, it's just a very comforting feeling. NETWORK- NETWORK- NETWORK! Best thing I have ever done!
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Post by s73 on Jul 30, 2013 7:06:26 GMT -6
Are you talking about ugly gear or ugly coaches w/ gear ? (LOL)
My sister-in-law our 1st year at my current job several years ago had a friend who does coaching shirts and approached me about having her friend make us some shirts. It was one of those deals where I couldn't think of a good reason to say no.
Well anyway, we get these shirts a week or so later and we looked like a Monday night bowling league team. We all were comparing bowling handi-caps and average scores. Plus, half of our names were spelled wrong. It was ridiculous. They were gray on the front w/ black panels on the sides and blue name tags on the front. Those were home shirts. The away shirts were midnight blue on the front (not a school color mind you) w/ a baby blue side panel (again not a school color). But a good story. What can you do?
The worst of it was we were starting a new regime and were not good on the field either. So our staff looked like idiots and we got our butts kicked regularly. When we would shake hands after the game, maybe it's my own insecurities, but I swear I saw a couple of double takes by the other teams coaching staffs. Good stuff.
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Post by s73 on Jul 27, 2013 12:01:32 GMT -6
As a HFC, I decided that I was going to have a particular vision that I was going to follow. The vision was short and concise. My vision was/is to be fundamentally sound. To sell lifting/ speed development and overall player development as the lynchpin to success and to make it an absolute mission to eliminate as many mental mistakes from our game play as possible by focusing on blocking and tackling over "schematic trickery". In short, develop kids to the best of their abilities, don't confuse them, and put the best team on the field we can regardless of year to year talent.
With that being said, I guess you could start by asking the HFC what his vision for the program is. If he has one and expresses it to you then it will be easier to make a decision. If you do not agree w/ the vision, you owe it to the kids to do your best until you find a job elsewhere. If he has no vision, then I guess you could try to formulate one w/ him if he is open to that. If he's not, then again, I would say do your best in your role until you find another one elsewhere.
Just my 2 cents.
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Post by s73 on Jul 26, 2013 9:34:26 GMT -6
I basically remember doing a few indy drills, then lining up in our defense and the coaches saying this is our defense. No 8 million calls and fronts and stunts and stuff. And you know what? We weren't half bad. Shocking huh? Maybe the past still has some productive insight for us all. you have to remember though. in those days you didnt have packaged plays: Zone Read/Iso/Bubble/Vertical with a halfback pass all in one play. The game has definitely evolved, not arguing that. Back "in the day" we did not have the time to do as much as we do now due to state legislation allowing for fewer practices, etc. With that being said, we definitely had audibles (or packaged plays if you wish). Not quite the variety, but I think you would be surprised at how much some of the "old timers" got done is a short amount of time. I personally can think of a few guys from the past in our area that I would have a heck of a time beating on a Friday night.
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Post by s73 on Jul 26, 2013 8:48:35 GMT -6
Could not agree more. Never did a summer camp or 7 on 7 when I was in high school. Was also never offered year round lifting. "Kids these days" are asked to do more than I ever was, I know that for sure. Were your practices filmed so that you could get yelled out for loafing days later? HAHAHA....no. In fact, I have only scarce memories of even watching much of our game film now that I think about it. I do remember our coach talking about how VHS tapes were going to make film watching so much more productive:) I basically remember doing a few indy drills, then lining up in our defense and the coaches saying this is our defense. No 8 million calls and fronts and stunts and stuff. And you know what? We weren't half bad. Shocking huh? Maybe the past still has some productive insight for us all.
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Post by s73 on Jul 26, 2013 8:40:54 GMT -6
Fantom.. you might not get that much out of it, but I know many HS coaches who have visited the saints camp and come away noticing the "professionalism" of the coaching for lack of a better term. The organization, the pace, planning behind it, the follow up..etc. Many of those guys had never been exposed to such things, and practice was just line up and scrimmage and oklahoma drills... or one coach installing while 22 players and 3 coaches stood around etc. I have noticed the same thing at the few D1 practices I have had the good fortune to see. After watching some of them, I thought that I would really like our practices to look something like that. Not sure we'll ever quite get there but just trying has improved how we practice. I found it worthwhile. On a side note, the last time I attended an NFL practice I was not even a coach yet so paid little attention to detail. But, when I see them practice on NFL TV where they only high light the "stars" it seems like the "stars" are never working very hard. Those of you that have attended these practices more recently, is this accurate or skewed b/c I'm only seeing snippets?
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Post by s73 on Jul 26, 2013 7:44:37 GMT -6
I find it hilarious when I hear coaches complaining about kids today not having a work ethic because these kids work 100 times harder than we did. Could not agree more. Never did a summer camp or 7 on 7 when I was in high school. Was also never offered year round lifting. "Kids these days" are asked to do more than I ever was, I know that for sure.
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Post by s73 on Jul 25, 2013 17:09:21 GMT -6
The Op wasn't super specific but based on my interpretation, i fall in line w/ what fantom and Coach D are saying. Didn't seem to be complaints about system, just things like organization, discipline, etc.
In that sense, it seems to me like their can be a win-win solution. I see no reason why the assistants can't uphold some discipline and organization w/o throwing the new guy under the bus.
I mean, why can't you have your position groups and all other responsibilities you have as an assistant organized and ready to go and be high energy in your position drills and hold your guys to a standard of discipline during your drill time? I see nothing wrong w/ doing your part the way you see fit. As a HC if my guys take some personal repsonsibility to do things a certain way, as long as their position requirements get done, then I don't care.
Furthermore, as a HC maybe he can learn a few things from you guys if the way you do things is as worthwhile as you say.
I guess what I'm saying is be the best assistant you can be and hold the kids accountable when it's your individual time w/ them and if you are as good as you say you are, then that should rub off some.
If the kids have experienced success then they know what it takes and they will fall in line w/ you during indy and group time and if the HC just has a different personality then kids are usually smart enough to know that when they are w/ coach X we get after it and coach Y's personality is somewhat different. Just my opinion but I think this can work. One thing I know is everybody wants to win. Coach w/ passion and intelligence and things will usually fall in line. Just my opinion.
PS - IMO coaching is nothing more than problem solving, just one more problem to solve.
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Post by s73 on Jul 25, 2013 8:23:19 GMT -6
For us the following has been helpful:
Half Line O/D
Team: Run plays only v. front 7/8 (IMO this toughens up the 1st group as does half line b/c they know it's a run so your scout guys play a little tougher)
Team Pass v. front 7/8 and 1 DB (We work v. heavy blitz in this and have the 1 DB alternate between covering the primary or secondary receiver, may not be a full defense but at least we can see if our QB is making the correct reads).
Tons of Indy time and group time. This is what has helped us when numbers were an issue.
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Post by s73 on Jul 24, 2013 10:25:53 GMT -6
With all of this talk about culture I think a great question is how do you evaluate your own culture? I'm the HC, so due to human nature, I am going to see the culture I helped to create maybe better than it is, if you just plainly asked me the question. But.... I think I have an interesting perspective as to why I believe our culture is good. We have won in recent years, but I think that's a slippery slope to evaluate culture b/c some win in spite of their culture. I believe our culture is positive due to how we handle negative situations and players. In particular, I have a kid who thinks he is Ray Lewis at LB despite the fact that he is not very good. He's tough, maybe our toughest kid and one on one in a chute he'll beat anybody on the team. He's also lifted hard and is very enthusiastic about FB.....as long as he is practicing w/ the projected starting group. However, he is like a car driving 100 mph w/o a driver. In the chutes he's a man, but put him in team situations, and he can't handle the added stimuli. The kid is very raw, but what's worse is he is oblivious to the fact he has a lot to learn (after multiple mistakes one day, I asked him if he understood his responsibilities and his response was "Hey coach, I've been playing football my whole life" and then got wrong every question I asked him). Well, in short, the kid is HORRIBLE at taking coaching and direction. As a result, I replaced him w/another kid during a team session due to multiple instances of not heeding corrections. He chose to take his helmet off and sit on his butt behind the drill all alone (not taking a knee drives me CRAZY) and usually the expectation is to get involved in the scout side of things but he just sulked instead. I thought about kicking him out entirely, or ripping him for his reaction and forcing him to get on the scout. Some of my assistants were agitated by it and made a comment to me about it etc. But instead, I rolled the dice and decided to ignore it just to see what would happen. What happened was the show went on as if he wasn't even there. Not one player consoled him, not one play or rep slowed b/c of him and the kid that replaced him played his A$$ off resulting in me finding a new LB. It was as if the kid did not exist. Trust me when I say that it was DIFFICULT not to confront the behavior, but i felt like that would only reinforce his deluded importance he thinks he has to the team. Instead, the incident proved to me that our kids understand they must conform to the team not the individual. He was improved the next day, but has a long way to go. In my younger days I would have destroyed this kid, but I put faith in our kids and our culture and the lack of attention he received by his teammates I believe spoke louder than I ever could have. Obviously, if it continues he will be dismissed, but for now I am proud of the way our kids handled the situation w/o me saying a word. Just my opinion, but I feel this evidence of a solid team culture. You handled that well. What's your next step? You have a kid who's a potential player so what do you do with him next? Did you call him in and talk to him about why you took him out and what it will take to play? Are you considering changing his position (not every good, tough football player can play LB)? Thanks coach, I appreciate the compliment. After practice, we coaches discussed the situation. I had his position coach tell me what he liked about him and what he didn't. I told him to relay that to him the next day. In short, we told him his positives but that due to attitude and lack of coachability we did not trust him and that we don't play kids we don't trust. We told him he has about 6 weeks to prove us wrong. I also told him that if what happened the day before would be his typical reaction to adversity or discipline that I would be taking his gear before season's end. Since the discussion, he has improved but has a LONG way to go. His effort is EXCELLENT, but very misguided. So I guess in a nutshell, it's in his court to conform to the team. He seems like he THOUGHT the team would conform to him, but that's not happening (hence my original post). The kid's tough, but clearly is not used to discipline, which leads me to believe this may not end well. But I'm hoping.
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Post by s73 on Jul 24, 2013 9:55:36 GMT -6
I think its an everyday evaluation. Dont you? That's what CONTINUAL evaluation to avoid complacency means.
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Post by s73 on Jul 24, 2013 9:42:52 GMT -6
I agree w/ everything you are saying here coach. But my point is that I think you have to continually evaluate that to make sure complacency isn't setting in after you've been somewhere for a while. I have never run into that- My assistants are always throwing ideas in my direction, then ducking because I am going to throw responsibility right back at them. Complacency has never been an issue- just getting good help and keeping it around is the challenge. What Id evaluate is this, are the kids actually upholding the expectations? are the coaches? Do you have high enough expectations and do I hold everyone accountable? I'm not trying to start a fight here by any means coach so correct me if I'm wrong. Are you saying that b/c of the way you do things you never need to evaluate yourself? I think "high enough" expectations is very gray. Not sure exactly what that means. Also, not sure what you mean by holding everyone accountable. I used to confront every situation verbally and thought I was holding everyone accountable. Now, I hold kids accountable w/ playing time. Again, not trying to fight, just not sure what you are saying.
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Post by s73 on Jul 24, 2013 9:19:26 GMT -6
With all of this talk about culture I think a great question is how do you evaluate your own culture? I'm the HC, so due to human nature, I am going to see the culture I helped to create maybe better than it is if you just plainly asked me the question. But.... I think I have an interesting perspective as to why I believe our culture is good. We have won in recent years, but I think that's a slippery slope to evaluate culture b/c some win in spite of their culture. I believe our culture is positive due to how we handle negative situations and players. In particular, I have a kid who thinks he is Ray Lewis at LB despite the fact that he is not very good. He's tough, maybe our toughest kid and one on one in a chute he'll beat anybody on the team. He's also lifted hard and is very enthusiastic about FB.....as long as he is practicing w/ the projected starting group. However, he is like a car driving 100 mph w/o a driver. In the chutes he's a man, but put him in team situations, and he can't handle the added stimuli. The kid is very raw, but what's worse is he is oblivious to the fact he has a lot to learn (after multiple mistakes one day, I asked him if he understood his responsibilities and his response was "Hey coach, I've been playing football my whole life" and then got wrong every question I asked him). Well, in short, the kid is HORRIBLE at taking coaching and direction. As a result, I replaced him w/another kid during a team session due to multiple instances of not heeding corrections. He chose to take his helmet off and sit on his butt behind the drill all alone (not taking a knee drives me CRAZY) and usually the expectation is to get involved in the scout side of things but he just sulked instead. I thought about kicking him out entirely, or ripping him for his reaction and forcing him to get on the scout. Some of my assistants were agitated by it and made a comment to me about it etc. But instead, I rolled the dice and decided to ignore it just to see what would happen. What happened was the show went on as if he wasn't even there. Not one player consoled him, not one play or rep slowed b/c of him and the kid that replaced him played his A$$ off resulting in me finding a new LB. It was as if the kid did not exist. Trust me when I say that it was DIFFICULT not to confront the behavior, but i felt like that would only reinforce his deluded importance he thinks he has to the team. Instead, we finished w/ a great practice and he marched off home on his own when it ended. The next practice he was not great but improved. I may have been wrong for not coming down on him, but I didn't want him to receive the attention he was seeking and the kids seemed like they could have cared less. I was proud of the way they conducted themselves and as a result, I believe our culture is positive and better for it. Just my opinion. PS - In my younger days I would have destroyed this kid for his reaction, but IMO this turned a better result. Interesting to see how he handles not starting for us b/c there's no way I can trust him out there. You set high expectations, communicate them, hold everyone accountable. Thats it, its a huge job and it takes a village. I agree w/ everything you are saying here coach. But my point is that I think you have to continually evaluate that to make sure complacency isn't setting in after you've been somewhere for a while.
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Post by s73 on Jul 24, 2013 9:00:38 GMT -6
With all of this talk about culture I think a great question is how do you evaluate your own culture? I'm the HC, so due to human nature, I am going to see the culture I helped to create maybe better than it is, if you just plainly asked me the question.
But.... I think I have an interesting perspective as to why I believe our culture is good. We have won in recent years, but I think that's a slippery slope to evaluate culture b/c some win in spite of their culture.
I believe our culture is positive due to how we handle negative situations and players. In particular, I have a kid who thinks he is Ray Lewis at LB despite the fact that he is not very good. He's tough, maybe our toughest kid and one on one in a chute he'll beat anybody on the team. He's also lifted hard and is very enthusiastic about FB.....as long as he is practicing w/ the projected starting group. However, he is like a car driving 100 mph w/o a driver. In the chutes he's a man, but put him in team situations, and he can't handle the added stimuli. The kid is very raw, but what's worse is he is oblivious to the fact he has a lot to learn (after multiple mistakes one day, I asked him if he understood his responsibilities and his response was "Hey coach, I've been playing football my whole life" and then got wrong every question I asked him).
Well, in short, the kid is HORRIBLE at taking coaching and direction. As a result, I replaced him w/another kid during a team session due to multiple instances of not heeding corrections. He chose to take his helmet off and sit on his butt behind the drill all alone (not taking a knee drives me CRAZY) and usually the expectation is to get involved in the scout side of things but he just sulked instead. I thought about kicking him out entirely, or ripping him for his reaction and forcing him to get on the scout. Some of my assistants were agitated by it and made a comment to me about it etc.
But instead, I rolled the dice and decided to ignore it just to see what would happen. What happened was the show went on as if he wasn't even there. Not one player consoled him, not one play or rep slowed b/c of him and the kid that replaced him played his A$$ off resulting in me finding a new LB. It was as if the kid did not exist.
Trust me when I say that it was DIFFICULT not to confront the behavior, but i felt like that would only reinforce his deluded importance he thinks he has to the team. Instead, the incident proved to me that our kids understand they must conform to the team not the individual. He was improved the next day, but has a long way to go.
In my younger days I would have destroyed this kid, but I put faith in our kids and our culture and the lack of attention he received by his teammates I believe spoke louder than I ever could have. Obviously, if it continues he will be dismissed, but for now I am proud of the way our kids handled the situation w/o me saying a word. Just my opinion, but I feel this evidence of a solid team culture.
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Post by s73 on Jul 23, 2013 22:42:07 GMT -6
Could anyone go into a little more detail about culture. I understand it's a attitude and mindset. I have had the good fortune (I mean this seriously) to work in 3 schools that needed to turn around. Once as an assistant and twice as a HC. The culture that was their when I started all of these jobs was a lack of expectations of both the kids and the program. Somewhere along the way, the previous coaches got into a rut where they did not expect the kids to work hard and as a result, they did not expect to win. I suspect some of this came from a couple of tough seasons. The other thing i saw from the previous staff was an ACCEPTANCE of kids not working hard in the off season as well as a lack of relationship. It was kind of like the kids v. coaches kind of thing. Coaches were bitter b/c the kids weren't working and the kids blamed the coaches for not running a better program. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of all of these programs seeing significant improvement. Not world beaters mind you but respectable competitive programs. And honestly, I think it starts w/ something as simple as speaking about success in a confident way. Talking about winning habits, traditions, etc. IMO if the coaches have some swagger and confidence in them, eventually it rubs off. In my experience, if you start talking like a winner and FORCE them to practice like a winner, they tend to SLOWLY but surely not view hard work as a negative but a positive. I also have found IN MY EXPERIENCE that if you set the bar higher, many kids will meet you there or at least close. That's what culture means to me anyway. Eventually kids just start talking about beating teams and winning and play offs, etc. I can't speak for anybody else, but this has been my experience & this is what I mean by culture.
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Post by s73 on Jul 23, 2013 13:52:19 GMT -6
I believe the difference between mediocre and good is probably coaching and buy in.
Now elite v. awful IMO is talent and culture.
Naturally, their are other factors as well (school size, facilities, etc.) but I am taking this question as all things being equal.
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Post by s73 on Jul 18, 2013 16:13:51 GMT -6
Coach, that's a broad stroke I painted but SOME guys jam FB down kids throats. But not really the point. The point for me from this thread is different strokes for different folks. Some don't want to compromise and some are willing to do so. Every situation/ school is different. I mean, if every inner city coach drew a line in the sand about commitment similar to what some of you are saying, we wouldn't have an inner city school field a team in the entire country. I have worked in this environment before. In order to have enough guys to practice at the start of the season, we coaches drove around 2 trucks driving through neighborhoods picking kids up for practice b/c so many of them had no cars, bikes and it wasn't safe to walk to school. If we weren't willing to do so, no FB team. My philosophy is shaped by my experiences. Mine may be different than others, but guys who've been in these type of situations before probably favor forms of compromise. You are obviously right if you take on situation such as you describe, and my hat is off to you (seriously). Coach, appreciate the compliment. I am seriously not worthy though. I was their 1 year. Football was only a small reason for departure, primarily commute was the other and I got my 1st HC gig that Spring. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me to be there for 1 year. It gave me great perspective. Now, my job has it's challenges for sure but I love the school I'm at. With my past experiences I try to remind myself (or my better half does) when things are tough that they could be a lot worse. I guess that's why I find compromise easier than some. Great discussion and good luck this fall.
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Post by s73 on Jul 18, 2013 12:46:43 GMT -6
We run what we call the volunteer drill. Basically it's the Oklahoma drill w/ 3 layers.
1st group is 1OL v. 1DL inside bags 2 yards wide.
2nd group is 5 yards behind DL and this group is 1 TE v. 1 LB inside bags 4 yards wide
3rd group is 5 yards behind TE and this is SE v. DB. inside bags 6 yards wide
The bags start from narrow to wide making a V (hence volunteer drill). From start to finish the V is 10 yards long w/ 3 stations of blockers and defenders. One runner has to run through the V trying to get past a DL, LB and DB. It gets pretty ugly in their sometimes. Some real nice collisions. We basically do it once a year (1st day full pads). The kids who love it are usually FB players, the kids who don't are usually kids who like to wear jerseys.
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Post by s73 on Jul 18, 2013 12:20:24 GMT -6
s73, I don't think we're "jamming HS football down" anyone's throat. They make the decision and commitment to be part of the Team, or not. HS Football is different than other sports (Baseball and Basketball specifically) because of its early starting date, for many teams weeks before school starts. "If you want to be part of our program-Team, here's what you have to do, and also what you can't." Commitment isn't convenient. But one of big benefits of the sport is kids can learn how to make one and follow through on it, plus the self-discipline, responsibility, and accountability that go along with it. Or in a few cases the consequences of not meeting it. Good time in their lives to do so, because "real" or adult life isn't convenient, either. Coach, that's a broad stroke I painted but SOME guys jam FB down kids throats. But not really the point. The point for me from this thread is different strokes for different folks. Some don't want to compromise and some are willing to do so. Every situation/ school is different. I mean, if every inner city coach drew a line in the sand about commitment similar to what some of you are saying, we wouldn't have an inner city school field a team in the entire country. I have worked in this environment before. In order to have enough guys to practice at the start of the season, we coaches drove around 2 trucks driving through neighborhoods picking kids up for practice b/c so many of them had no cars, bikes and it wasn't safe to walk to school. If we weren't willing to do so, no FB team. My philosophy is shaped by my experiences. Mine may be different than others, but guys who've been in these type of situations before probably favor forms of compromise.
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Post by s73 on Jul 18, 2013 6:02:03 GMT -6
cfoott, Just curious if you'd be willing to share whether or not you are the head coach. As for the "special treatment" that fantom is handing out, and the domino effect that may have, I'm sorry but I have to call BS on this. I use to believe this also, then I came to the realization that the vast majority of that is just cliche/excuse for many of us to jam FB down HS kids throats. The fact of the matter is many of them can't even remember what they had for breakfast, let alone if you gave a couple of kids some break the year before. In fact, it's more likely that some kids can just as easily accuse you of giving special treatment when you're not. The bottom line is, I don't make judgements on what kids think or might think. I try to make judgements based on what I believe to best. That DOES NOT look the same for all of us. I think the OP needs to do what he feels is best regardless of what anyone else thinks (especially kids). Just my opinion. Agree to disagree. Not the head coach, DC. I have been a head coach in this program previously and had been given the leash to handle situations with my level as I saw fit. We are a small school and have to share athletes at our school. So, when your sport is in session, your expected to be there. If a kid is playing basketball or baseball, our expectation is that he'll be committed to that sport. We believe that this will keep the competitive edge all year long. I think that you're not giving kids enough credit for being smart and picking up a lot we don't think they would. I understand that every situation is different, but if a kid is missing because he wants to go play 'fall ball' for baseball during football season, then I'd tell them to go. Obviously football isn't a high priority on their list and I'd rather reward to kids to are committed. You can't be half committed and be successful. Doesn't work. Especially in football. Coach, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. You mention I don't give kids enough credit, I kind of see it the other way around. You mentioned that compromising w/ some kids could lead to all these kids being angry/ upset and expecting special treatment, etc. I think most kids are not that petty. But that is my experience. Our school is very diverse socio economically. One kid pulls into the lot w/ a brand new car, another kid works his butt off, but has to miss practice periodically b/c mom is a single parent and can't afford babysitting. I even demoted a captain for multiple lates to practice last year only to get a call from a family friend telling me the kid was up all hours of the night visiting his dying father in hospice. I had no idea. Of course, I reinstated him. I just don't think things are always as clear cut as you'd like to them to be. Back the OP. I don't envy your situation at all. I hope you make the right decision in the long run. Personally, I have not had compromise lead to a domino effect of chaos, hence I lean towards compromise. Of course we all have to draw a line, but where that line is, in my experience is not always so clear and easy to define. Good luck to you. I hope you make the best decision for you & your program.
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