|
Post by knightfan64 on Jan 11, 2024 10:43:43 GMT -6
I think a general principle of his that I try and apply to both life and football is that you play the game a certain way and the score does not matter. Basically, the opposite of the ends justify the means. The idea of if we do our job and do what we can to 100% effort and do it the right way that the end result will take care of itself.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Jul 13, 2023 8:04:58 GMT -6
Needs to be updated a bit. I hopped on just to look at the old D3 conference I played in and it’s missing a few schools and still has one that has since bumped to D2. Probably primarily up to date though
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Jun 24, 2023 9:41:45 GMT -6
I remember coming up as a coach everyone generally doing 2 hours a day 3 days a week. I thought when I got a head coaching job back 7 years ago I’d be a little revolutionary and add a fourth day just for skill work and competition. Now as an assistant again it feels like everyone is going 4 days a week for 2.5-3 hours. You guys seeing the same? Heck I’d love to knock it out in mornings but we’d never get enough rides for kids so 5-7:30 is our deal which usually leads to me getting home close to 9
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on May 15, 2023 7:40:13 GMT -6
Learned as I got older, less was more. First program I used to coach at we would work 900 to 300 or 400 on Sundays. I used to joke that the better the opponent the later we finished, and if we were wrapping up prior to 3:00 on a Sunday it felt like we weren't respecting an opponent enough. Nothing on Saturdays though. I tried instilling the same schedule when I got my first head coaching gig, and it went over like a lead balloon. By the end there I learned less was more and started just texting my coordinators and major position coaches over the weekend to work together on a gameplan, then met Sunday night for about an hour or two to finalize it. I would come in a little earlier to finish laundry. Then, I promptly got in with a coach who did longer Sunday afternoon meetings. I think all methods can work its just what is time versus quality of time in terms of work.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Apr 25, 2023 6:15:24 GMT -6
Had my first ever head coaching interview with kids in it last week. Was an odd experience to say the least lol. It was about a panel of 10-12 including the two players. One funny joke, I got up there before they introduced themselves and did a 15 minute presentation about what the program would like with me in charge. I sold air raid scheme as part of what I was bringing. Then everyone introduced themselves. The kids introduced themselves as the Quarterback and the Wide Receiver. Glad I wasn't selling Power I and Wing T I guess.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 9, 2023 13:07:49 GMT -6
Had this discussion with a coaching buddy and figured I’d get a few opinions on it. Is the idea of a coach staying one place for 20-30 years about to be a thing of the past once this older generation retires? I had the opportunity to coach and play for a guy who was a head coach at the school for 20 years. Prior to that he had done 19 years as an assistant and head coach at a previous school with one year of pg ball in between. That’s what I grew up knowing but looking back at my coaching career and seeing older fellas hang it up while younger guys seemingly come and go in certain places. The area I moved to 7 years ago has 4 schools in the county, and in a decade the four schools have combined to now have 13 coaches for example. And this is in a small rural area where imo expectations aren’t as high in 3/4 schools. So my question I guess is how it looks in your area? You got a bunch of seasoned vets roaming the sideline or is it seemingly every 4-5 years boom a new coach is in? Was it ever really THAT common? I ask because from what I've seen we remember those 20 year guys but when you look at the rest of the teams in their league they change coaches a lot and always have. Maybe I was in an odd area. Had my coach who I worked for coach 20 years at one school. Another area coach pull, if I remember correctly 10-11, another one pull 16-17 before becoming the AD at said school. Another area coach retired after 30+ years and was then followed up by a guy who’s put in 15 currently. That’s one district with 4 long coaching runs but I understand what you’re saying bc I have seen even successful schools rotate through head coaches quickly while winning titles
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 9, 2023 10:28:41 GMT -6
When I was a varsity hc I left the JV staff run what they felt comfortable with my first few years. Mistake on my part as my JV coach the first few years was always older and less adept to what we were doing. My last year my JV coach was fantastic and ran our system but with his tweaks and to his personnel. That’s how we tried to do it when I was a JV coach. Use the same terminology but if certain formations and schemes fit your personnel better as the focal point on JV I say run it. On varsity you might be a quick strike passing attack but you’ll certainly still have your base run game in. I don’t feel like it’s that much of a stretch for your varsity to be base gap scheme with zone concepts installed, and for JV to be the reverse. Just be on the same page with coaches
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 9, 2023 6:05:46 GMT -6
Had this discussion with a coaching buddy and figured I’d get a few opinions on it. Is the idea of a coach staying one place for 20-30 years about to be a thing of the past once this older generation retires? I had the opportunity to coach and play for a guy who was a head coach at the school for 20 years. Prior to that he had done 19 years as an assistant and head coach at a previous school with one year of pg ball in between. That’s what I grew up knowing but looking back at my coaching career and seeing older fellas hang it up while younger guys seemingly come and go in certain places. The area I moved to 7 years ago has 4 schools in the county, and in a decade the four schools have combined to now have 13 coaches for example. And this is in a small rural area where imo expectations aren’t as high in 3/4 schools. So my question I guess is how it looks in your area? You got a bunch of seasoned vets roaming the sideline or is it seemingly every 4-5 years boom a new coach is in? Possibly. Say you win for a while but hit a losing skid all of a sudden. Parents won’t blame their kids they’ll blame you and want a fresh face for the program I’ve seen that before for sure. I think we mentioned it in the bad admin thread too, but admin are also more geared to listen to the parents now in those situations. Every coach I talk to says find good admin. Conversely, I found a former superintendent of the coach i mentioned above. He mentioned early on in the coach’s tenure, the AD was trying everything he could to can the coach. Wouldn’t buy him anything, would blame him for everything and dug up dirt to try and smear the coach’s name. The super said “So here I was brand new to the area…..so I fired the AD who was stirring crap up and gave the coach one who would help”. The coach was there another 16 years after that episode. Gotta have admin that got your back otherwise stories change
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 9, 2023 5:13:37 GMT -6
Had this discussion with a coaching buddy and figured I’d get a few opinions on it. Is the idea of a coach staying one place for 20-30 years about to be a thing of the past once this older generation retires? I had the opportunity to coach and play for a guy who was a head coach at the school for 20 years. Prior to that he had done 19 years as an assistant and head coach at a previous school with one year of pg ball in between. That’s what I grew up knowing but looking back at my coaching career and seeing older fellas hang it up while younger guys seemingly come and go in certain places. The area I moved to 7 years ago has 4 schools in the county, and in a decade the four schools have combined to now have 13 coaches for example. And this is in a small rural area where imo expectations aren’t as high in 3/4 schools. So my question I guess is how it looks in your area? You got a bunch of seasoned vets roaming the sideline or is it seemingly every 4-5 years boom a new coach is in?
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 7, 2023 13:04:57 GMT -6
I un-retired to coach our MS team bc the guy quit a week before the season. I re-retired afterwards. 0% interest in going back to coach football. Private S&C has been going well. You still teaching with the private S&C gig? Also, if you're out of the game how long before you become someone who sits in the stands on Friday yelling "Block Somebody!!!" at the top of your lungs?
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 7, 2023 6:15:36 GMT -6
Great topic to see go back up the charts! I just wrapped my admin certification last summer so that’s the only thing that takes me out for an extended period of time I think. In Virginia, I probably have 27 more years in education before I can retire and get the VRS plop; so we got a while. (Yeesh I’m on year 11 and just realized I got 27 more to go likely)
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 6, 2023 12:40:36 GMT -6
8k. City School in kinda sorta SWVA. @bullodogsdc ? Which city? I am kinda interested in what's SWVA in your definition as I have had this debate everywhere I coach.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Mar 5, 2023 15:17:11 GMT -6
For the $5k+ coaches…..where you coaching at? One county I was in, the head coach stipends were 3100!
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 28, 2023 17:41:11 GMT -6
Question here since people are talking pay, in other states is there a major difference district to district? First district I coached in it was $2700 to be a JV assistant. Then transfer districts and I was at $3100 to be a head varsity coach (11 month contract though)….district I’m currently at is based on percentages. Assistant is roughly 7% of your teaching pay. Head coach I think is 15% plus 11 month contract plus 3% lifting stipend
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 28, 2023 15:30:12 GMT -6
If Florida would pay its Coaches the answer would be a no brainer. I got paid 2100.00 to be a Varsity DC at a 4a school in 2017. Florida is going to keep losing top coaches like that. When Darlington left Apopka that’s when it really sunk in for me that Florida was behind.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 28, 2023 12:33:37 GMT -6
Best HC I ever worked for was also my HC as a player. Started out as a young kid who played a year of college ball and he let me help out periodically with JV OL/DL. Being a guy who wanted to get into coaching and learn it was great. I kept wanting to speed up things for more responsibility and he allowed me to a certain extent. By the end of my time there I had a chance to coordinate stuff with our varsity road trips, plan team meals, help do all the extra off the field stuff that came with being a head coach. I leaned on that heavy when I got my first job.
What made Coach one of the best was he led by example in establishing a relationship with his players and showing love through an old school approach. I knew as a player that I might get hollered at in practice, but just as quickly he would be there to pick me up after practice with some support or even just a b.s. joke to break the tension and show me that tomorrow would be better. Along the way I learned football, but more so I learned how to lead young men and be an example. I saw that fella fight cancer 3 times during my 6 years coaching and I have never seen a team or a community rally around someone like they did him. Wonderful human being and coach to work for, and I think that's why our staff had so much consistency. In my final 3 years coaching there we never had one coach leave. Of that group of 6 assistants we had 2 guys become head varsity football coaches, 2 guys become varsity coordinators, and another coach become a head varsity coach of another sport. I think his influence and allowing us to take ownership in our own niches of the program really played a big part in that.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 27, 2023 7:04:53 GMT -6
Like many people have said investment in it goes a long way. In Virginia, I would argue there is not an investment to match the talent that gets produced a lot of the time. You have pockets of investment and I think that is where your consistently good programs come from. I am intrigued to see some of the more southern states and Texas and see what football, facilities, yearly calendar, etc is like.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 3, 2023 4:18:39 GMT -6
Lot of things on here are fantastic! One big thing I’d say is find a key non X’s and O’s deficiency and attempt to fix that. That may take a year or two. Sometimes you adjust in different ways. For me when I took over a down program I was a power run game guy. Discovered 2 years in that wasn’t going to help us compete against stronger, more physical teams. So we had to play a bit differently. We weren’t as strong as our opponents but we got stronger. Where we really targeted was our overall team competitiveness. We’d compete compete compete in the off-season in all sorts of ways and kids got more confident in competing and being in uncomfortable situations and our staff was able to find our real leaders through it
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 16, 2022 8:31:57 GMT -6
Very small combined school, so we share a lot of our athletes. During our off-season the majority of our athletes are in other sports. What would be a good winter/spring fundraiser or what have you small school guys done in the past? We did a Lift-a-Thon last summer at the end of our cycle that went well, as well as a card fundraiser every year, but what have small school people done in the off-season to help alleviate that fundraiser need in the spring and winter? How many times a year can you send your kids around to local businesses-citizenry with their hands out, especially in a small community? Don't other sports-activities do fund raisers too? They do, that's why it's hard to get but so many kids involved in the off-season. We tend to try to not go for the selling of crap (i.e. candy bars, cinnamon rolls, etc) We do our fundraiser card and that is probably the most peddling we do, but finding there is a gap there between being able to do 1-2 solid fundraisers and being able to meet all the needs that administration cannot cover. So I was looking for some simple ideas that people had done in the past. We will do the lift-a-thon and the card fundraiser again next fall, but didn't know if anyone had any specific ideas they had done in the winter or spring months
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 16, 2022 8:05:03 GMT -6
Very small combined school, so we share a lot of our athletes. During our off-season the majority of our athletes are in other sports. What would be a good winter/spring fundraiser or what have you small school guys done in the past? We did a Lift-a-Thon last summer at the end of our cycle that went well, as well as a card fundraiser every year, but what have small school people done in the off-season to help alleviate that fundraiser need in the spring and winter?
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 3, 2022 6:21:35 GMT -6
All district center and 2 year starter even played at D3 level. It’s amazing the more I coach and the further I get from playing career the less good I imagine I was haha🤣🤣🤣🤣. I think this opposite of most small town adults who romanticize their athletic careers
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 4, 2022 8:50:00 GMT -6
It really seems like up until around a year or so ago that twitter was a great resource for football information and most of the ego's were set aside etc. Now it seems like sooooo many coaches are chasing clout and trying to sell "systems" that are made up of things everyone has been doing for decades! I guess, to me, it use to feel more laid back and more coaches banding together to share info. Just doesn't feel that way anymore. Twitter is a lot like media. People put out quotes or divisive stuff for takes or try to sell their face melter. Clout is a crazy thing
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 8, 2021 7:02:31 GMT -6
Coaches,
I know several schools that have been able to get chocolate milk deals and fridges for their off-season workouts for player development? Any advice in that area? Also any advice on just getting the calories up for kids?
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Feb 3, 2020 12:55:24 GMT -6
Best branding job I have ever seen done. Staunton River High School in Moneta, VA. They ran the single wing and racked up points in bunches. Marketed "Fear the Wing" over and over on t-shirts, signs, etc. Social media presence was great and their OC and HC sold it well. I remember specifically seeing a middle school pep rally with hundreds of fear the wing shirts and the kids chanting "Fear the Wing". It was wild they built up a blue collar program around those 3 words I like finding what you do that is different than other guys and branding it. At my old school we loved to pound the rock and run power so we branded our program as being TOUGH and the kids grades K-12 bought into that.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Jan 27, 2020 13:28:19 GMT -6
Well I would love some more input from other guys for ideas but we are very active on Facebook and Twitter do stuff like "Beast of Week" for workouts on twitter and facebook. List and honor good grades award winners etc on social media. Establish a theme for each year etc. We also try to get our brand out there in gear and other items.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Jan 21, 2020 13:03:35 GMT -6
Got invited to speak at a clinic for first time ever. Have been to a ton of these so I have a few of my own opinions, but wanted to get advice from the masses. What makes a good clinic talk not necessarily on subject but what made ones you went to better than others?
A couple of starters for me
Ones I have loved well put together presentation had rhyme and reason applicable to all talent levels
Ones I hated Either focused on basic fundamentals for an hour (I have sat in a DL clinic before that did nothing but show drill tape of the first step and hands) Do not get half way done bc of time Not applicable to all talent levels (Don't you love the big schools that have 9 D1 kids on a 2 platoon team talking how simple the game really is? Or how bout the coach who talks how undersized his OL is and they all are 260+?)
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 13, 2019 9:38:36 GMT -6
The program talent pool thing has been a point of contention with our staff.....we are perhaps the least flashiest team in our league in terms of athletes. Yet we went 6-4, made the postseason for just the 4th time in 69 years and just the 14th winning season in 69 years. Got back from all league voting yesterday and we got more first teamers last year with a 1-9 record which is funny, but sort of defines our league. Got a great QB, over 2200 total yards, but our league champ has a kid offered FBS. Got some good defensive kids but the league champ has another FBS guy, and the league runner up has a couple of D2 kids. I get a kick out of it, but we recruit the heck out of our building and do the best we can. Just hoping to take advantage of the momentum.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 6, 2019 20:49:46 GMT -6
On the numbers thing. I am slightly worried. Coming off 1-9 last year we actually have had our strongest numbers ever. Started the season pushing 80 for JV and Varsity (the previous 3 years 50 was our magic number). We are going wrap up the regular season in mid sixties from attrition, primarily on JV level; however, we graduate 17 seniors so there comes a recruiting need.
I guess the next step would be consistent success. We play in one of toughest districts in the state, and we have seen a state finalist in our district something like 15 of the last 17 years or something another. We are one of 3 teams in our district without a state football championship, and one of the other 3 currently has 3 NFL players so we are usually a whipping boy in league play.
I debate where the chase should be now. Do I aim at the big dog and attempt to do everything program wise like them (state champs 15-17) or do I go for a more attainable goal like constant playoff participation or winning in the playoffs etc?
I like the 2 pitfalls that were pointed out and relate to them some what. Prior to my time here I coached at a very successful program that constantly made the second round of the playoffs. Aside from one magical run to the state semifinals, we could never break through and I think numbers and recruiting may of had a little affect on that. I wouldn’t say staff wise we got complacent. You’re just more like to be hungry if you e been starved rather than constantly fed dinner. Different kind of hunger.
Finally, I broke up my posts into paragraphs to make it more digestible. I like to think I am fairly intelligent, but don’t write like such on message boards. Shame on me.
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Nov 6, 2019 14:05:46 GMT -6
I have heard it said time and time before that there are stages in rebuilding a program...first you lose big, I have felt that burden in various games throughout my 4 years as a head coach....70-0, 81-8, 50-0, yeah I have lost by all of those margins with our group. Then you learn to lose close, win close, and win big.....this year has been weird. We are probably the least athletic team in the area but we are very coachable. Our school is known as a perennial loser and prior to this year we have made the playoffs just 3 times in a 68 year history and had a winning record just 13 times in that time frame. Now on to 2019, same group of kids largely that went 1-9 last year is sitting at 6-3 currently. Of our 3 losses I truly believe if we were 100% healthy we'd of won two of those ball games but them's the breaks. We have learned to win close. (Twice winning by 1 point and 3 times by a touchdown or less). We have learned to come back (trailing in 4 of our 6 wins and tied in the fourth quarter in another). We have learned to battle through adversity and get the 14th winning season in school history and have a shot to qualify for the postseason for just the fourth time in school history. My question to you all, we graduate a good amount of seniors but bring up a lot of kids from a currently 7-1 JV program (wild bc our JV team my first 3 years won 3 games combined). I think we have finally turned the door to "win close" type of program. How do we keep pushing? Urban Meyer described it as the "chase" when he aimed to be as good as Alabama when he was at Ohio State. Our chase to this point was to get a winning season and to get the school's fourth playoff appearance and our seniors largely ran with that for four years. My question is how do we make the next move?
|
|
|
Post by knightfan64 on Oct 31, 2019 9:56:18 GMT -6
I've had teams gain yardage on incomplete passes and penalties several times this year. Blew my mind several times. Last week we changed quarters after an incomplete pass on first and 10.....when they set up shop to start the next quarter it was 2nd and 7.....had another one where play had to be redone after off-setting penalties on 1st and 10.....well when we went to start again it was 1st and 7.....I argued the whole time and my sideline official told me it was supposed to be 1st and 7 without explaining it to me, and then when I FINALLY was allowed to speak to the white hat a couple plays later the white hat said it had been first and ten and my sideline official agreed with him....contradicting what he had told me 10 mins before. Same white cap before the game told me "I hope you weren't the coach two years ago when these two teams played (I was) because sportsmanship was horrible". Well that game was infamous for the ref flagging our kid for getting run out of bounds an additional 15 yards while being tackled and on to the track where he got hurt....
|
|