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Post by lions23 on Feb 4, 2019 11:16:43 GMT -6
Medium and large size schools I have coached on. Best 2 freshmen/sophomore play QB and WR. Rotate quarters. Develop depth at most important spot. Let it shake out where it does for varsity.
We have had to throw in that starting senior WR to QB after one goes down and two goes down or just can’t a few times. it has saved us.
Get as many top kids to play same as. Best RB starts second best RB starts at OLB/safety. Both learn both spots. Easy to rotate as needed. Still keep fresh. No big drop offs.
Develop 3 corners that rotate and 1 or 2 starts on offense. Can take breaks early in series as needed. Have run off and blocking WRs that force the other time to cover early in series.
Develop 5 d lineman in a 3 man front. 4&5 might be o-linemen.
Try to keep o Line one way as much as possible.
Give breaks to studs right before end of 1st and 3rd quarter. Double the break with quarter timeout. Then do what you have to do in the fourth.
Package jumbo sets for D linemen and ILB to spell or get short yardage. They usually love it and can find the energy when needed.
Adjustments we make are bigger than others can make. We remain fresh and win games late.
Others will even say they can’t compete with or energy late and ability to adjust.
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Post by lions23 on Dec 3, 2018 21:41:08 GMT -6
David Yost at Texas Tech would be fun to listen to. Junior College coaches out of California are always great speakers in my opinion. Yost is fantastic
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Post by lions23 on Feb 27, 2018 21:51:03 GMT -6
Yes we had a sped teacher who was great at helping kids get organized, stay on top of things, and steer them or help herself with extra ACT prep. Most of our kids have some sort of circumstance that makes it tough for them. Poverty, single parent, first generation college possibilities. Many of the kids just don't know how to do the things that will make them successful students. Most will work hard they just don't know how to do school. Their parents usually care and work hard too. It they don't know either. She will help them Fafsa and applications. She pulls the ones who are D2 D1 possibilities out of PE checks grades, organizes, or helps with ACT extras. The kids love/hate it. She is tough on them but they end up being successful. Many of them have continued success in college.
We have daily study hall with all coaches and other content teachers. She checks on at risk kids and the ones who have opportunity. Kids who would be drop out concerns graduate and kids who felt like graduating was a peak go on to college.
We have teachers who feel the same as others here have expressed but not all your kids come to you in a prepared state. That's our job as educators to get them there. Trust me playing basketball in PE is much more fun than the things she has them doing but she does bribe them with cookies and treats.
She gets a stipend and loves being called a football coach.
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Post by lions23 on Jan 29, 2018 14:05:47 GMT -6
Yes. I think Brian and Focus 3 are gold and they have helped us clarify something's and their teaching has had huge impacts on some of our kids, coaches, and other staff members. Just a disclaimer.
It's broken up into 2 curriculums basically where Brian does a 5 minute segment. Then It has a quick quiz and you can move on. I'm not through all the content yet but I like that it's already divided and it builds more ideas and skills. I don't think the quizzes are that useful. I'm planning to use the presentation to start or intro an idea and then do an activity or lead a discussion with our team council. I was hoping for it to have some of those ideas for discussion and activities built in but it didn't ala a Jansen book. I'm guessing for 2 reasons: they really push for teams and companies to take the Focus 3 systems and apply as they see fit. He often compares the success of Washington and OSU and will tell you how they apply their standards are vastly different. Both successful nonetheless and both use the Focus 3 systems. Secondly, I know that they have a more planned approach that they use with their clients to help them lay out values and culture but i think they tend to work on that with you. Saturating his own market with too much of his of his systems may make it less profitable I'm guessing. They aren't cheap for a keynote or consultation and they give you more there. Being able to talk to them and ask questions is gold too. Again I think that is how they make money. They really provide tons for free. You essentially get 2 of his keynotes for 250$ which is a HUGE bargain! You might otherwise have to chose to have him for the day or your new jerseys. You will still have to do some work to figure out how to get the info and apply to you and kids but I'm guessing that was intentional. He literally ends his podcasts with "now do the work"
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Post by lions23 on Jan 25, 2018 8:54:39 GMT -6
I have kids reading Jeff Janssen's Team Captains Leadership Manual. They are reading it in small groups of 3. We meet and talk about it. When they are done they will give the book to another teammate of their choice and invite them to talk about it. The coaches and I are also reading Jeff Janssen's Seven Secrets to Successful Coaches, and Building a Championship Culture. I think coaches character development is very overlooked. We need assistants that will model the behavior we expect from our players. And Janssen's books are a short easy read, and it puts things in perspective. There are a ton of good books out there with big time coaches names on them. I have found Janssen's books to be the most relate-able and they have a ton of ideas to use. Don't just focus on the kids though, your assistant coaches can have a much greater impact, and you just need to communicate your expectations for them clearly and make sure you also show your appreciation for them. I wholeheartedly agree those guys are spreading your mission and vision as much probably more than you. Better coach them up.
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Post by lions23 on Jan 22, 2018 22:07:10 GMT -6
We have a coach that handles equipment uniform practice set up and film. He recruits the really nice kids who stick it out freshman year but don't find football for them. Usually they are really nice kids, smart, or maybe a little awkward. They like hanging out but football just isn't for them. He does a good job making them feel like they can contribute in other ways. They help him with all that stuff. They get out of school early on game days, he gets them a little gear, and we all make sure they get fed or get playoff gear and stuff like that. Our HC thinks it's so important to efficiency that he uses our last stipend on it so that means one less coach on the field. He is a teacher and still coaches in the locker room. Our HC is probably right we all couldn't coach as much if we had to take care of the 100 plus unis and gear. Our kids have very little so it's not getting done at home and if it went home it ain't always coming back.
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Post by lions23 on Jan 22, 2018 16:07:23 GMT -6
I think you have to have very clear messaging. Whatever your values are promote those and promote the why.
All athletes have a degree of task orientation and Ego orientation. You have to find a way to promote the task orientation in order to motivate your players. Task being mastery of task and Ego being being better than others. Most team sport participants are naturally more task driven already. Like anything in your program you have to sell it and it helps to have some success. Also it helps to develop some player autonomy when developing your task orientation. Give them some room to make some decisions that aren't real consequential for the program-chose weight room music, auxiliary lift choice, 7 on 7 unis. Put the players in leadership positions who have developed task mastery and let them teach the others how to do a lift or drill.
The players need to see the vision and mission. You have to sell it and model it. You can't sell team if you are a dictator. Let them take some ownership over parts of the program or include them in decision making. All the way back to Maslow once people have their basic needs taken care of they want to make connections and they want to know their input and sweat equity are valued.
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Post by lions23 on Oct 13, 2017 9:55:12 GMT -6
As far as marketing goes and delivering a message there is a really good book called Brands win Championships. There is lots you can take from there as far as what your booster club sells and making yourself identifiable and marketing. It fits into what Broohy is talking about too.
Some how toos for fitting in your marketing plan with mission and core values.
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Post by lions23 on Jul 31, 2017 12:54:43 GMT -6
Don't let anyone tell you what you can get done or the kids can get done.
It's part of the building. It's not easy for the adults either and there are just as many programs that have adults-the coaches, admins, teachers, boosters that are the biggest problems. Evaluate all of them first. It won't be easy you'll need support and the ability to delegate to those people. Make sure you got people around that care about kids, build relationships with kids, and willing to contribute their strengths and learn more football as needed. They should know it is never easy.
Never stop recruiting your kids and building relationships with them.
Make sure you have efficient well planned practices and training. You will lose trust and this kids if you are not effective manager of all time you ask of them. You will lose good adults even faster if you are a poor manager. Kids and adults have lots they can spend their time on.
Make sure Maslow's hierarchy is taken care of. You'll need to get to know kids and coaches to get to know kids to evaluate this.
Make sure it's about the process and you congratulate kids as they get good at the process.
Make your program special and unique somehow.
It is not the kids!
You will lose some bc you are working hard and doing things right. That's is okay. Evaluate the guys you left. Can you count on them and they are pretty good kids?
If so you might be fine. We were in a similar situation at 2 different schools. Got it done at both. I hate to break it to you but it never gets easy-even after winning. Sometimes a little easier but it never gets easy! You got to 8-2 with hard work. It will take hard work to sustain it.
We were at bigger schools but our numbers have dropped since we were building and everyone got excited. A lot of kids are willing to come out and give it a shot at first. We used to get 110 and now we are s lot closer to 80. And that has steadied out right around there for a few years since we are losing about 1 time a year. For a few kids we ask too much. Some kids just don't like the game. That's okay. I can see why you would be concerned with only 22. Keep recruiting some of those guys.
As we have leveled off some. We have gotten even better.
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Post by lions23 on Jul 31, 2017 12:53:01 GMT -6
Don't let anyone tell you what you can get done or the kids can get done.
It's part of the building. It's not easy for the adults either and there are just as many programs that have adults-the coaches, admins, teachers, boosters that are the biggest problems. Evaluate all of them first. It won't be easy you'll need support and the ability to delegate to those people. Make sure you got people around that care about kids, build relationships with kids, and willing to contribute their strengths and learn more football as needed. They should know it is never easy.
Never stop recruiting your kids and building relationships with them.
Make sure you have efficient well planned practices and training. You will lose trust and this kids if you are not effective manager of all time you ask of them. You will lose good adults even faster if you are a poor manager. Kids and adults have lots they can spend their time on.
Make sure Maslow's hierarchy is taken care of. You'll need to get to know kids and coaches to get to know kids to evaluate this.
Make sure it's about the process and you congratulate kids as they get good at the process.
Make your program special and unique somehow.
It is not the kids!
You will lose some bc you are working hard and doing things right. That's is okay. Evaluate the guys you left. Can you count on them and they are pretty good kids?
If so you might be fine. We were in a similar situation at 2 different schools. Got it done at both. I hate to break it to you but it never gets easy-even after winning. Sometimes a little easier but it never gets easy! You got to 8-2 with hard work. It will take hard work to sustain it.
We were at bigger schools but our numbers have dropped since we were building and everyone got excited. A lot of kids are willing to come out and give it a shot at first. We used to get 110 and now we are s lot closer to 80. And that has steadied out right around there for a few years since we are losing about 1 time a year. For a few kids we ask too much. Some kids just don't like the game. That's okay. I can see why you would be concerned with only 22. Keep recruiting some of those guys.
As we have leveled off some. We have gotten even better.
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Post by lions23 on Jul 31, 2017 12:17:47 GMT -6
If you have checks the players should be saying their checks aloud.
If you have a formation recognition system then your LB or S in charge of that should be saying it aloud.
Watch your keys and communicate as if you were on the field. "Pull" "wheel" "push" etc...
Same for O. Make front calls. Make checks. Make sure your guys are doing the work.
It really should go just like your classroom. They should be the ones doing the most communicating. It doesn't matter what you know it matters what they know.
Literally take mental reps.
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Post by lions23 on Jun 18, 2017 14:01:56 GMT -6
1. You can't do it alone. Your staff must be all in and you are going to have to invite others and their talents to help you. You set the standards and vision that lead to reinforcing behaviors. There are people who are willing to follow in your school and your community. Find them. Get them involved. 2. You have to have an overarching philosophy about your culture that helps you make decisions. We can some it up in a word "opportunity." Are community is poor poor. They are thirsty for opportunities. There are many problems based on those lack of opportunities. We find ways to give them to kids. We don't do 7 on 7 at home though it would be nice bc our kids have never seen a college campus. We go to the colleges' 7 on 7. A football kid in a poor community is not part of the problem. He wouldn't be there if he was afraid of work. Help him find it. We have study tables bc they need it. As above stated the goals are individual. For many it's just be eligible bc you ll get the opportunity to play but for some it turns into more. It also gives teachers and staff a chance to lend their talents and increase but in. You can play other sports and be the one that makes that easy bc it's about opportunities. 3. It's about relationships. That doesn't mean you have to be soft but if you are trying to turn things around you are going to have to help kids figure out how to work through things. Sometimes they don't know what they don't know. Sometimes bc of community issues they witness they don't believe certain behaviors are a problem. You can't throw everyone aside that doesn't initially get it. 4. You better be competent coach. If you don't have a solid scheme and coaching plan it is going to be a tough go. You have to sell it and demand it. If you start winning some games you'll get some more time and believers. In the words of Daniel Coyle you will need an "ignition" moment. That can be the player that shows everyone else how or the team that does it capitalize on it literally posterize itvand make sure every kid that walks in your locker room knows and can see and can tell that story. Our school was a basketball school with many igniting moments but recently they have forgot about them. They don't celebrate it anymore. We do. Every college football player from our program gets a poster in the underclass locker room. Sell and celebrate opportunity. Make it culturally relevant. Those succes stories are kids neighbors cousins uncles and brothers that is more inspiring than an old coach or young one from somewhere else selling a dream. Those kids are real. 5. Better have great character among your staff. You will e expected to live the values you teach bc the detractors will look for chink in the armor. You don't have to be perfect just do the little things you have been taught and go the extra mile. Be a good citizen teacher and coach. If you mail it in the classroom you will lose confidence. You ll have to build trust through character competence and relationships. 6. Make your program stand out be different or cool yes cool. You are going to compete against mediocrity and every other sport and teenage opportunities. 7. It never gets easy. You can never stop working. If it starts moving the right way people will start giving you access to resources which can make some things easier but the relationships building character and competence is always going to need work. 8. Define your success. Tap into that overarching philosophy. For us we have been only winning games for 4 years but the building years were paramount in establishing our success by providing opportunities. Our ignition moment was a 5-4 team with 10 kids that went on to play college football. Most of them graduated college the same year we win a state championship. After them all the kids wanted those opportunities. Yes many thought we should have won more then too but we saw it as a giant success. 9. Win games. Yes you have to win too. The goal of the game is to win. 10. You can't just Coach Football. You have to be more and stand for more. You will have to be intentional and invested in doing more for the kids. You have to be intentional and invested in teaching your culture. 11. Don't believe anyone who tells you it can't be done. Get them away from your program (unless they are your players) or convert them. 12. Your admin has to buy in and then start pushing the culture through the staff and school. You are going to have to sell yourself and improvement throughout the school. Likely there are other teachers and coaches who want to go on this journey too. Support each other.
This isn't in order as much as it is a list. I've been a part of it at two places that were rock bottom with as many community school or socioeconomic problems as you wouldn't want. This is not easy and is not a quick fix. Happy building.
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Post by lions23 on May 4, 2017 12:19:33 GMT -6
Wonder why so much space on this forum is devoted to character and culture if all we're talking is t-shirt slogans. Apparently, a lot of coaches are wasting a lot of time trying to teach character... Should just look to develop athletic skills, I suppose. Is it necessary to quantify attitude? Don't you just know a good one or a bad one when you see it?I have already described what I feel is "great attitude". A kid who shows up on time, is reliable, works hard, and doesn't cause headaches has a great attitude as far as I am concerned. The problem is, for a lot of coaches, that is simply not enough. Unless a kid completely buys in 100% and drinks the coach's Kool-Aid, that kid runs the risk of getting labeled as having a "bad attitude". Kid can't make all the football summer activities because he is also playing baseball or basketball? That kid has a bad attitude. Kid can't make it to a weekend passing tournament because his parents had the audacity to schedule a vacation? That kid has a bad attitude. Kid is tired and sluggish on Wednesday after a 3.5-hour, Week 7 practice on a Tuesday night? That kid has a bad attitude. So, this discussion isn't really about "attitude". Instead, it is about an expectation communicated by many coaches that sends the message that if football isn't as important to the kid as it is to the coach, then that kid obviously has a "bad attitude". Delta-Yes! Huddle Hut-It doesn't ever matter what you know. It matters what the kids know. If you don't communicate those expectations then you can't hold them accountable for not reaching those expectations. If you try holding them accountable for things you don't communicate you are going to have difficulty. Could you imagine your principal holding you accountable for something that wasn't outlined in your contract, at a meeting, or clearly defined in your evaluation process? Could you imagine your evaluator saying you are performing below expectations? You respond-what expectations? Evaluator responds-I just know it when I see it." Evaluators and coaches are there to teach growth. How can you grow and improve towards a target that does not exist? Yes you must define your expectations and if a certain type of attitude is desired then you must define the terms.
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Post by lions23 on May 3, 2017 21:36:51 GMT -6
Sometimes the wins take care of themselves when you have high character guys. Invest into those who are investing in you. Build and develop the character and then develop the skills and fundamentals. Kids will see the culture change and want to be apart of something special. Those who are not "falling in line" or "buying in" will feel like an outsider and leave or be forced to leave. Trust the process! I agree. You have to teach your character expectations and tools to develop character just like anything else. If you expect them just to have it then you'll get what they give you. Behavioral skills might be more lacking then technical skills with some kids. Focus on the behavior skills there. Some kids are going to need more technical skills. Good coaches and teachers can differentiate. If you do it well you can help kids improve behavior and technical skills.
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Post by lions23 on May 3, 2017 9:36:07 GMT -6
From what I have read from the OP Kid#1 is a PITA because he isn't getting the technical applications right.
If he isn't getting the technical skills right then I would try a different approach in teaching them to him. Talking isn't probably enough. Has he seen film? Has he been shown what is expected? Has he been able to see someone on film or practice do it to your standards?
He is robotic...maybe he just needs more reps. Maybe it needs to be taught different. Is perfection right now getting in the way of pretty good right, but working towards great later?
The reality is that we have to outlast behaviors that we don't like and be the problem solvers. Unless I missed one of the other comments your beef is that he is robotic and he doesn't take constructive criticism well. You don't have to change your standards, but maybe you can change your approach. Show it to him on film. Make sure he knows that he is using his hands correctly, but he needs to work on X. He probably goes hard in his opinion. He catches all of the balls while player 2 has bad hands.
He is at practice and team events? He participates?
I had a player like this a few years ago. He was a very good athlete and ball player. He was a transfer kid and I didn't teach him all of the way up. I didn't like the way he practiced. A little robotical, slow processing, and seemed to jog through everything. He didn't play at the speed I wanted.
After yelling at him one day he asked me what the problem was. I told him those things above. He didn't agree. I said lets watch the practice film together. As soon as he saw it. He said-You think I'm slow. I responded-Real slow.
We never had an issue again. He was all conference and played college football. Point is that I can't change his behavior only change mine. When I showed him and changed my approach things got better.
I understand that there is a line with the team and we have to hold it. I'm assuming from what I read this isn't really a line that needs to be held. Your trying to get a good from better than what you have to great.
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Post by lions23 on Apr 28, 2017 8:54:48 GMT -6
We tell them all of the time-that diagnosis of said disorder isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. So you are going to have to learn how to become productive despite it. Just like another kid with diabetes, your life and choices are going to have to be different than others. Fair doesn't exist. Equal doesn't exist. Not being catty, but how often does that work? Fair question. Not always, but enough to keep you coming back. We can acknowledge the reasons for behavior. If I understand the reasons for some of the behaviors I might be able to talk with the experts in the building about things that I can do to improve the situation. If I talk to the experts who understand the disorders better, I also know when to call the BS and when to call the student out for using it as a crutch. I don't mind the students who have certain accommodations and I remind the students to advocate for their accommodations. I have seen enough students take advantage of those accommodations and become successful. Some have even gotten through college. However, I don't chase students to go to study skills and do their work. I remind them I am open to their extra time and to take advantage of it. They still have to learn to work. I don't care how long it takes. I want you to leave with the skills. We have the same conversation with the kids who aren't diagnosed but have poverty or home issues. We have to understand the events to form a response. The kids with the biggest issues need us the most. We can't make them all drink, but we can show them the way to the water. I won't pretend like it is easy work. It is hard to overcome some of these issues. I think that some of you are right when you say that kids take advantage of their SPED or socioeconomic baggage, but who is allowing it? I know sometimes we are hamstrung by certain administrators, but we can also get out front of some of it. I work in a tough building. Sometimes it doesn't work out for a kid. In fact a lot of times it doesn't. But a lot of times it does. It just really becomes about providing the opportunity to succeed. We can't make them do anything, but we can offer and have some support when necessary. Building relationships with kids doesn't mean I have to lower my standards and expectations. We can do that with high standards. I always just remember my dad and my HS football coach. Both were tough as chit, but both also loved the heck out of us. I think many of us probably have someone like that. When I talk with the teachers that struggle, they nearly expect perfection from the beginning and always. They sometimes miss all of the growth that takes place. Some of them also get so worked up about the 3 students who are failing or being jack_sses that they miss opportunities with the other students. Its the ...These kids... and These parents... like it is all of them. Maybe the 3 jack_sses are jack_sses and their parents are too, but not all of the kids are that way. We also have to acknowledge that the only behavior that we can really change is our own. So we can try to find solutions or we can try to find a better place to work. I think both can be valid in different situations. We have had those conversations at home. Can we make a positive change here...or should we look for a job where we fit into the culture better? My building also has very supportive and helpful admins too. I could imagine this place being much more difficult if they were not.
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Post by lions23 on Apr 28, 2017 8:01:21 GMT -6
We tell them all of the time-that diagnosis of said disorder isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. So you are going to have to learn how to become productive despite it. Just like another kid with diabetes, your life and choices are going to have to be different than others.
Fair doesn't exist. Equal doesn't exist.
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Post by lions23 on Apr 26, 2017 20:29:07 GMT -6
I suppose the only other thing that makes me lose it is a student that is a flat-out sociopath. I have a junior right now that is absolutely brilliant in mathematics but she is sneaky, manipulative and will lie to your face without batting an eye. I caught her trying to get answers off of someone in the middle of a test. She was turned to her left, trying to talk to them and looking at their paper. I walked up, asked her for her test, told her that she had a zero and asked her to go to the office. She looks at me square in the eye and says "I haven't said a word all period, I don't know what your problem is." I caught her with her phone in the middle of class one day. The damn thing was sitting in her lap and she was texting while I was walking around the room. She saw me coming over and tucked the phone in her pocket. I asked her for it (as per school policy) and she looks up and tells me "I put the phone in the box at the front of the room, just like I am supposed to." She has pulled chit like this repeatedly this year and I cringe when her class period comes around because she's an absolute PITA. I had a meeting with her, her mother and the administration a few months back and she started off with some crocodile tears saying that "she doesn't feel comfortable in my room because I don't like her." I told her point blank that I'm not comfortable having her in the room either as I can't trust a word that comes out of her mouth. I don't take the test anymore. It takes too much away from the kids who are working hard. They get disrupted. I just give the kid an F in the book and write cheated in the comments. When they turn it in I throw it away. That way the kid has to come to me and ask about their F. They see in the comments I know they were cheating. Rarely anymore do they even address the situation. It's easier on me and the other students.
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Post by lions23 on Mar 27, 2017 12:39:50 GMT -6
Honestly, I am amazed at the amount of time and effort you guys put into the academic stuff! I guess that we've been lucky because all we do is check up on our players on the computer (we can access their grades) and if anyone is having difficulties we address it. No study hall, no tutoring, or punishment. Haven't lost a kid to grades in years. We have "normal" kids. No gifted parents or any of that stuff. Heck, if a high school student needs all of that other stuff to motivate them to stay eligible, then you've got big problems! Your right! We would have big problems if we weren't proactive. We have issues with poverty, neglect, physical and drug abuse, homelessness, and etc... (I'm not trying to be snarky) Truth is many of our kids are tough and really good survivors but they don't have the skills and habits we are trying to instill. Surviving isn't the same as thriving and we are trying to teach and push towards thriving. So we chose to accept those realities and create some solutions. I wish it wasn't necessary but it is. I find we are coaching less football and doing more of this and we have become more successful. Kids know we care so they care more. We take care of some of those other hierarchies they need to fulfill and their football gets better too. Sometimes I wonder about teaching and coaching where study hall and such weren't needed but I'm sure there would be another issue to deal with. I haven't had hardly a negative parent interaction in years. They aren't involved or they super supportive of all the things we do. Others I know have to deal with parents all the time. That sounds terrible to me but I'm sure some of you got that figured out.
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Post by lions23 on Mar 22, 2017 12:26:43 GMT -6
We have a paid academic "coach." She has counselor access so that she can look up all kids grades and keep track of them. She pulls them out of PE to do extra work. She keep kids till 3:15 during off season to help kids that need it. She sends transcripts and keeps in touch with college recruiters. She is trained special ed teacher so I think that helps her a bunch. She loves being called coach. This has taken some work to get her an extra free period to do this. We had to give up part of a on field stipend to pay for her. It took some behind the scenes work to get her access to all of the kids grades since she is not a counselor. However, after a bunch of our low average kids started getting to college and a bunch of at risk to repeat kids started graduating the admin loved it.
We have study hall Mon-Wed during the season. Kids who do well and don't necessarily need it get special privileges during that time. Everyone else is required to be there. Gives the students time to go and talk with teachers if they need to. Teachers also know there is a time to come help a kid or even have an intervention with coach and student.
Ours isn't perfect, but it very beneficial. In order to get kids on your side I think that you also have to give them more than just football. You have to be willing to give them things that will be a greater benefit than just football.
Not everyone will get through, not everyone will get to college, but it won't be for lack of trying on our part.
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Post by lions23 on Mar 14, 2017 7:45:43 GMT -6
We got a lot of flack this year for not taking a knee when a player from the opposing team was seriously injured. It was the first cold game of the year. It was under 30 degrees and the player had been down for a few minutes. I told our kids to get up and move around. I didn't want them to get cold and get hurt themselves.
A teacher on Monday comes in to chastise me about the event. I told her it was none of her business but there was no point in us taking a knee for one player who was hurt and risk the health of another 30 kids.
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Post by lions23 on Mar 14, 2017 6:52:48 GMT -6
F**K TRACK!! hahaha....kinda We paid for the equipment, as well as the upkeep. We allow other teams to use it, we make appropriate adjustments to our own schedule to accomodate teams...but it's our room. We have a machine room on campus anyone can use any time, but the squat racks, platforms, and dumbbells are ours. And really, as I mentioned in another thread, no coaches at our school REALLY wants to lift anyways. We are only having this issue because the track coach is upset that our kids do not run for him. I am not sure how he thinks this will solve getting more kids out. At the last stop we were having a similar problem. The similar program being off season programs running at the same time as in season programs. I will say that in my experience that it does effect numbers of those in season sports and that is unfortunate. I didn't pay much attention to similar complaints like your track coach has until intramural basketball starting effecting our numbers for football. We were pretty good at the time too. Intramurals moved their days to twice a week after school instead of the weekend. Semi-organized basketball in the air conditioning vs. a rough football practice in 95 degree heat. We were losing. The AD answered with a policy that ever since has seemed like a positive for all sports. No off season programs can run right after school until x amount of weeks into the in season sports' season. For example, we don't start weights until January in the winter. It gives the b ball and wrestling coaches plenty of time to recruit and set their teams. It forces us to take a break which is good too. I will say that it has been positive. Now we even have those winter sports sending us kids they cut or sometimes kids that quit which doesn't always happen. Technically when a kid quits a sport they are not eligible to participate in another sport in season or out until the sport they began has ended per our athletic code. Again a rule that is supposed to keep us from recruiting kids from other sports. I think it is a good rule. All of our major sports have had significant success in the past 5 years with these policies in place. Because we aren't fighting over kids everyone usually is okay sending a kid to another sport if it doesn't work out. We aren't recruiting against each other. It is good for the kids, the school, the athletic department, and the coaches IMHO. We have a football championship, basketball championship, wrestling champions, and track champions. All sports relied heavily on multiple sport athletes. We are a big school but not big enough not to share. To encourage track or baseball participation we go as far as to stop having weights in the spring. Our track lifts twice a week and techniques with is like a plyo workout at least once a week on top of all the running. If you pay a good trainer to get you more athletic, faster, stronger they essentially put you through a track workout. Our baseball lifts twice a week. All of this with the added bonus that kids get to compete. Plus everytime we have significant track success we also have significant football success like Moe alluded to with ESL. In the summer our HFC spends a bunch of time talking with hoops coach and figuring out their schedule so that we are only asking kids to choose as few times as possible.
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Post by lions23 on Mar 14, 2017 6:52:18 GMT -6
F**K TRACK!! hahaha....kinda We paid for the equipment, as well as the upkeep. We allow other teams to use it, we make appropriate adjustments to our own schedule to accomodate teams...but it's our room. We have a machine room on campus anyone can use any time, but the squat racks, platforms, and dumbbells are ours. And really, as I mentioned in another thread, no coaches at our school REALLY wants to lift anyways. We are only having this issue because the track coach is upset that our kids do not run for him. I am not sure how he thinks this will solve getting more kids out.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 12, 2017 21:17:56 GMT -6
We started last year and had exceptional success with our teaching. We followed Urban Meyer's model. We developed a curriculum taking pieces from Dr. Rick McGuire from Mizzou, their former track coach and Urban Meyer's Above the Line book. We assigned a "unit leader" from each position to train in leadership. We did a coach's seminar on the weekend. All coaches were trained over one day so we would all be familiar with the language and curriculum. Then myself and HC met with Unit leaders met 1 to 2 times a week during our homeroom period. We discussed the principles we took from McGuire's Positive Coaching (there is a great video) and Meyer's Above the Line. We focused on one principle a week and encouraged the unit leaders to apply to their life, school, relationships, and other sports. After that each Monday during the summer and before our workout myself and the Unit Leaders presented the material again to the entire team. I used them to share anecdotes of how they had already applied the principles. We also took some ideas from Jon Gordon's "you win in the locker room first," especially the parts about connections. We took time throughout the summer for the individual units to make connections with their position group. We modeled all of these connection activities within the Unit Leader meetings during the off season. The the Unit Leaders were able to run the connection activities on their own before or after practice. There were tremendous positives. Anytime we had an issue with the team we just took it to our unit leaders. They talked with their units and solved the problems on their own. It helped develop tremendous autonomy and success dealing with adversity before the season even started. I was at the same point as the OP where we had some difficult off the field situations a couple of years ago and it was clear we did not have a plan to deal with adversity other than "tough it out" football mentality. With the severity of the incident that was not going to cut it. We had plans for 3rd down, for special teams, blitz concepts, offense and defensive philosophies, but we did not have a real philosophy or concept to deal with adversity. I don't see us ever leaving that out again. very interesting..how were the coaches trained? Coaches went through the same lessons but instead of 2 times a week for a half hour we did it one Saturday. Then they could use the same language and piggyback on lessons as they organically come up in school, personal life, or other sports. They all read above the line on their own or listened to audio.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 12, 2017 21:00:52 GMT -6
Sort of. All my position coaches are required to pick 10 plays from Friday to review. Generally I tell them to pick 6 good plays and 4 bad so we are reinforcing more positive than critiquing. I want the players to see themselves doing more right and I want the young kids to see more right.
The kids watch that on their own and we cover it in Monday film with explanations.
I cut up formations, run scout, and pass scout. Sometimes that is all I share with the kids. I won't always share all full scout games.
If I keep the number of clips to a reasonable amount the kids will watch it on their own but I still spend 20-30 minutes of film before practice. All defenders have to watch their keys and make their pre and post snap calls. I put up a clip and pause it and LBs and secondary makes their call on check. Essentially this is our walk through that another thread is discussing right now. I can get way more done this way vs holding up cards and having kids run out to formation and walking through. I can do all that mental prep with film and have it all ready before we walk into the classroom.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 12, 2017 20:46:25 GMT -6
I hate team walk through. Too many kids not involved. 10 mi utes on the board or lately I write things up before and send kids the pictures. 20-30 mins of film. Less as week goes on.
My rule in the classroom is 10 minutes tops for lectures as well. However I'm realizing that our situation is more unique than I knew after talking with my college coach last weekend. He pointed out that I have more assistants than a college staff.
Our meetings are pretty successful probably bc we are split up in position groups and we have the numbers of players and coaches to do that. I think if it is working for you and you are executing at a high rate then do what you do but I hate the ideas of large group or team walk through for teaching. We do it by position group. We do team walk through for Thursday review.
For me all kids need to go through the VAKT learning process. So I want them to see it hear it jog it and run it over. And over.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 9, 2017 9:25:48 GMT -6
We started last year and had exceptional success with our teaching. We followed Urban Meyer's model. We developed a curriculum taking pieces from Dr. Rick McGuire from Mizzou, their former track coach and Urban Meyer's Above the Line book.
We assigned a "unit leader" from each position to train in leadership. We did a coach's seminar on the weekend. All coaches were trained over one day so we would all be familiar with the language and curriculum.
Then myself and HC met with Unit leaders met 1 to 2 times a week during our homeroom period. We discussed the principles we took from McGuire's Positive Coaching (there is a great video) and Meyer's Above the Line. We focused on one principle a week and encouraged the unit leaders to apply to their life, school, relationships, and other sports.
After that each Monday during the summer and before our workout myself and the Unit Leaders presented the material again to the entire team. I used them to share anecdotes of how they had already applied the principles.
We also took some ideas from Jon Gordon's "you win in the locker room first," especially the parts about connections. We took time throughout the summer for the individual units to make connections with their position group. We modeled all of these connection activities within the Unit Leader meetings during the off season. The the Unit Leaders were able to run the connection activities on their own before or after practice.
There were tremendous positives. Anytime we had an issue with the team we just took it to our unit leaders. They talked with their units and solved the problems on their own. It helped develop tremendous autonomy and success dealing with adversity before the season even started.
I was at the same point as the OP where we had some difficult off the field situations a couple of years ago and it was clear we did not have a plan to deal with adversity other than "tough it out" football mentality. With the severity of the incident that was not going to cut it. We had plans for 3rd down, for special teams, blitz concepts, offense and defensive philosophies, but we did not have a real philosophy or concept to deal with adversity.
I don't see us ever leaving that out again.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 8, 2017 12:00:44 GMT -6
1. They don't care what you know until they know how much you care. You have to build relationships and you have to go out of your way to do that. They do not have to play. In other words what are you doing intentionally to build relationships? They will follow the leader first. Then they will follow the vision.
2. Make everything earned. Equipment, helmet stickers, numbers, locker, gear, first in line to eat team dinner. Build a system of rewards. You are not punishing kids who don't show up. You are just rewarding kids who are doing the things that you expect. (Do not make it impossible for kids in other sports to earn these things.-You do not want to be the coach that makes athletes choose. That coach will eventually lose to the other coaches in the building. The coach that makes athletes choose will eventually be viewed as self interested and that is not good for building teams.) This also builds in small successes all of the time that you can celebrate and count "wins."
3. Figure out a way to reward the values and characteristics and values you are trying to establish in the weight room. T shirts for 1000 pound club. Take pictures and hang them or put out on twitter of kids making 1000 pound club.
4. Make part of the weight room fun. Build competition. Our last 25 minutes each day starts with a game. Losers have to do the last part of the workout (which they hate), but there is a way out of it if you win the competition. You can build the competition however you like. You can do things real physical or real cerebral. You find out who fights, who can think, who can outlast. You are also teaching them to compete. You are teaching them that things are earned.
5. I don't know if this is you but I find that when teachers/coaches feel this way they are generally exaggerating the amount of kids that are being a pain. They start saying "all" of the kids are acting up or entitled. It is usually just a couple. Often those couple cause us a lot of energy from disruptions in the classroom or to the best athlete not buying in. It feels bigger than it actually is. Take stock of who is there. Love the heck out of those kids. Work on them helping you get buy in from others. Urban Meyer calls it the 10-80-10 percent principle. You are always going to have 10 percent you dont have to worry about. They always do what you want and then there is the middle and then there is the bottom 10 percent who are going the wrong direction. Focus on the top 90 and pull them in. That doesn't mean you have to forget about the bottom 10. Have the top 10 help you recruit all the middle kids. Get them separated from the bottom 10. Eventually the bottom 10 takes care of themselves. They will get lonely and buy in. They will want the gear and buy in. They will want the relationships and buy in. If they don't they'll generally go away on their own.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 7, 2017 13:23:31 GMT -6
In our JV locker room we hang 8x10s action shots of all conference players and action shots of college players. We are trying to establish culture. We are trying to establish what success looks like on the field and what it can lead to. Most of the guys who are all conference are also our college football players.
In our varsity locker room we post action shots and team pictures of teams who make the quarterfinals, and/or conference championship teams. These posters lead to the door outside, so they are one of the last things players see on their way out. On the opposite wall leading to the field we have individual posters of all Americans and conference players of the year.
Our yearbook teacher takes all the pictures so that part is easy. Walmart photo and shutterfly have easy to use templates to make posters with labels. So the posters have the name of the player and their accomplishments. For instance "Joe Blow LB '16 All Conference, All Region, Coach's All State, etc. I make them and get cheap frames. Then we give the players one to take home. So it is their gift for making all conference. Its about 12 bucks to make 2 of each individual poster for all conference players. My AD loves them so he reimburses me. After a successful year it can cost me about 300 dollars, but it is worth it. We have kids stand in front of the pictures during the summer saying I'm going to be up on that wall.
In the weight room our art teacher helped me design posters with our core values. There are no individual or team achievements in the weight room. It is about the process and work in the weight room.
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Post by lions23 on Feb 1, 2017 22:01:25 GMT -6
Sometimes I feel like it is more of I don't have enough time to teach all of that. Many of those upper level guy's are phenomenal at teaching fundamentals. They have great teaching points and cues for fundamental techniques. You can get a ton from that sort of clinic IMHO.
But when it gets to scheme and they start talking about everything that they do often times I just don't have time to add those things and do well enough to execute. My meeting time is short. Film is short. And really practice is shorter bc all my guys have to at least back up a position on the other side of the ball if they don't already go both ways.
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