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Post by coachmonkey on Apr 11, 2017 7:41:08 GMT -6
We literally have a session we call "family time." It is a 10 minute period every Wednesday to start practice. Each week our team has themes (love, courage, respect, etc.) and during this 10 minute time we have the team broken up into groups of like 8-10. One coach is assigned to each group and we have discussion questions which usually pertain to how this topic relates to you on the team, in school, and life. A lot of our players love this time as they get to know coaches on a different level.
We also have a put-up or shutup rule. If you say anything to a teammate it better be positive (putup) or shutup. It's ingrained in our team to the point that when other teams players and coaches say anything negative our kids are like "You hear that they are falling apart."
Junior Leadership meetings - our Head coach holds a junior leadership meeting one day per to build leadership in every junior football player.
We do more, but those are the big 3. Yes, we take time out of practice time (State limits how long we can be on the field) because we all feel it is that important.
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Post by coachmonkey on Mar 30, 2017 14:02:20 GMT -6
not to move in a whole other direction, but I think us defensive guys could probably narrow down our breakdowns a bit. I don't mean to sound like a sour grapes guy, but I once worked under a DC whose philosophy was that "if hudl created a column for it..we are breaking it down"....nobody ever told him you could make our own columns or lord knows how long those saturdays might have been I mean how specific do you need to get in order to get the information that helps you call good defenses on Friday night? I think you could be fairly effective against most teams with a much more basic breakdown down and distance tendencies formations- but only put the formations into broad categories (ie open/closed/) personnel I think you could get actionable data on those three categories, and save yourself a ton of time......I mean does it really help to know that when they go gun R twix left B on the right hash...they are 60% pass.... is that going to impact how you call it? The problem I have is a lot of times tendencies don't matter. Teams always try to attack us differently with the exception of 1 or 2 teams. It's more like throw a lot at the wall and see what sticks. I've already cut out a lot to answer the original question. We cut out tackling circuit. Got rid of blocking circuit. Got right of agility stations. We cut out conditioning (and just practice at a high tempo). Take practice time to go over printouts of what an opponent will do rather than asking kids to watch film (they are students and need time for homework, family, and work). I personally don't feel players need a ton of film time. If they execute properly, we will be just fine. So I work on execution. We will know how to react to anything an opponent throws at us and adjust accordingly.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 6, 2017 12:49:20 GMT -6
Having DL cover a skill guy. I'm never going to have a guy that can drop from the line and cover a WR. Listened to Kevin Gilbride at a clinic and basically watched film of Eli Manning doing things I've never seen a HS kid do. Having a QB read more than 3 routes, or actually being able to protect that long. Running any kind of play that requires a "NFL throw" like a deep out from the opposite hash. A lot of times it's just the coach saying something along the lines of... "well the play is designed like this, but AJ Green actually did this and it worked" My kid is not 6'4", running a 4.5, with a 35+ vertical, 12" hands, and etc I don't think anybody at any level has a DL that can cover a skill guy. In the NFL they consider a LB on an RB a mismatch let alone a DL.
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Post by coachmonkey on Jan 20, 2017 13:49:21 GMT -6
I sometimes (more like all the time) get into these philosophical thinking about life in general. I am curious why do you share your knowledge of football, life, (insert whatever here) on a forum or any place. I am 99.99% sure everything I know I have learned from someone else. The only reason I don't put 100% is because maybe, just maybe there is a 0.01% chance that I picked up something on my own lol. So, 3-part question: - Why do you share your knowledge of football?
- I share my knowledge of football because I am passionate about it. I could give you everything we do on defense, but at some point it comes down to something other than my playbook. We do a new wrinkle here and there. My players are different than your players. I do what I do because of the players I have. If I had different players I may do some things a little different.
- Do you not fear that the sharing of your knowledge whether it be scheme, technique, film, etc. will be used against you and potentially defeat you?
- No. They may, but I like to think we are creative enough to compensate for this. You may know what I do, but not necessarily the why. I also coach the psychology of my players and their football intelligence. There are variables other than x's and o's and film, and technique that are a difference maker.
- When do you determine that you have enough knowledge to; Write a book, speak at a clinic, present on a webinar (like coach smith is currently doing)?
- Just start putting your thoughts down and see what you have. I think most guys on here have enough to write a book, but what makes yours different or unique?
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Post by coachmonkey on Dec 2, 2016 9:47:39 GMT -6
Have any coaches had issues with teaching kids the rules of the game, specifically "in-depth" rules? We used classroom time after and before practice but didn't know if anyone used a more efficient way? We work them into practice. I think kids learn it better on the fly than in a classroom where most are probably not paying attention what I am saying anyway.
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Post by coachmonkey on Dec 2, 2016 9:45:59 GMT -6
It was hard to take time out to teach the basics of what they should have learned at Jr High/JV level ball. It's my fault because I assumed too much about their knowledge of the game. They had never even had position specific individual period during practice (under their old HC). They just came to football an scrimmaged the whole time (team). This spring I am going to focus on going back to basic football (hand placement, first step, eyes). I had a 2 year starter at DE this year, All-Conference player. I asked him one day to play DE on the right side instead of the left. So he did, after the first play his question (he as dead serious) was, "Coach, on the left side I have C-Gap, is it still called the same thing on the right or do I do something different?" Now, it's not that we hadn't gone over the gap lettering before, and our entire defensive structure, we do that every year. It floored me, but at the same time I thought it was hilarious because you just never can under estimate what they know! He had been playing since youth football btw.
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Post by coachmonkey on Nov 4, 2016 11:11:36 GMT -6
What the coach did was wrong. I am pretty sure most states also have laws about using a recording device in the locker room. When this is done, the kid doing the filming may be in trouble.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 28, 2016 11:40:03 GMT -6
You guys are all at the high school level? And watching that much practice film?? Wow.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 7, 2016 9:45:36 GMT -6
Be hard for kids to stay in that division when they want to play college ball as their goals and have no stats or film to show. I agree that if it were to actually happen on a large scale it would probably force the private school to find a better situation to play in. But in the process it would screw over a bunch of kids at the private school that aren't really at fault for the situation. I hope this doesnt catch on, sports are about measuring yourself against the best not hiding because the other guy is too good.Wouldn't this mean you should stay at you public school and not try and go to stacked a team? This reminds me of when they asked Michael Jordan about LeBron leaving Cleveland to go to Miami and if he would have done something like that. He said no, "I wanted to beat the best."
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 7, 2016 7:02:45 GMT -6
I think (pure speculation) that the publics are trying to force the private to opt out of their league. The school of thought is that if you forfeit ahead of time the private will find another game, but if you forfeit on short notice they won't have time to schedule a new opponent. So from the private schools perspective they are better off leaving that league so they will at least be able to play a full schedule. That's the idea that gets floated around by the "coments section crowd" in my state at least. Be hard for kids to stay in that division when they want to play college ball as their goals and have no stats or film to show.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 7, 2016 6:57:33 GMT -6
While I agree, I also think that private schools and public schools shouldn't play in the same divisions/leagues because the private schools can recruit (even if it isn't technically recruiting, they have ways to bend rules and such to get more kids to play there). It's an advantage any way you look at it. If you don't think you can compete, don't put them on the schedule. They stated flat out in the article they are allowed to recruit and sending buses out to a 50 mile radius to pick up those kids.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 6, 2016 9:46:24 GMT -6
I wouldn't let it get to you, this was a singular example of a player from your c-team. Believe it or not, there are quite a few boys who come out for football (usually their freshman year) who don't really want to play football. Of that group, there is a small percentage who will not hit, and are deathly afraid of contact. I had a kid one year whose parents made him come out for the team and was deathly afraid to tackle; he'd sit out scout team corner, back pedal 20 yards on run plays and intentionally miss getting close to the play; if an win the play came to him he'd run out of bounds. Now we worked with him in individual drills, coached him up on the proper techniques, showed him how safe he was, heck we had times where we would explain exactly what was going to happen down to the smallest movement (so he had nothing to fear) but he was still afraid. Now, I'm sure many will tell you a lot of good things about coaching them up and giving them confidence, and in 99% of cases this is correct, but you have to understand their are some outliers. There are some kids out there whose brains are fried from drug use, the best teacher utilizing the best lesson couldn't get them to learn. There are some kids out there who have physical limitations and disabilities, and regardless of the strength program and diet will never squat 225. Ditto with contact. The point is, if it is just this one kid then I wouldn't let it get to you. Coach him up the best you can, give him everything you would everyone else; but understand he may be an outlier in this regards and don't let it detour you from doing a good job with everyone else. It's not getting to me. We are a very physical defense on varsity, but the irony in this case was humorous to me.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 6, 2016 9:44:45 GMT -6
I just wanted to share a story from practice this season: Last night we had our C-Team practicing. I felt we were not physical enough on the whole so I decided we needed to do some things to become more aggressive and physical tacklers. First drill - Hit the one man sled, and do not stop your feet on contact. If your feet stop on contact you owe me 5 pushups. After the drill, a player was crying because he hurt his finger on the one man sled which is completely padded. As far as I can, he probably just jammed it. A little part of my soul died in that moment. How old is this kid? I have no idea what a C team is. To clarify, we are a very physical team at the varsity level, and normally JV too, we just had a bad start to a JV game where the other team broke a few tackles to start the game. So we emphasizing playing physical with the C-Team (Basically most freshman, kids who never played before - its a level below JV). This isn't a first time thing for us, but losing a freshman or any kid in a drill on the one man sled because he hit his pinky finger on the padded part of the bag and jammed it was almost more irony than I could tolerate.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 6, 2016 6:47:14 GMT -6
I just wanted to share a story from practice this season:
Last night we had our C-Team practicing. I felt we were not physical enough on the whole so I decided we needed to do some things to become more aggressive and physical tacklers. First drill - Hit the one man sled, and do not stop your feet on contact. If your feet stop on contact you owe me 5 pushups. After the drill, a player was crying because he hurt his finger on the one man sled which is completely padded. As far as I can, he probably just jammed it. A little part of my soul died in that moment.
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Post by coachmonkey on Oct 4, 2016 8:28:09 GMT -6
Dumb question....if they should be washed before wearing why don't they wash them then ship them from the company? Affects the bottom line.
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Post by coachmonkey on Sept 7, 2016 11:36:12 GMT -6
Tag. Play tag full pads and they get conditioning and fun, and will most likely be laughing and smiling. We break up by grades and then set the box or out of bounds lines so they have room to move, but still going to be challenging.
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Post by coachmonkey on May 26, 2016 11:45:32 GMT -6
In the past, practice would end in season, giving me enough time to get one of my kids and dinner going just in time for my wife to be home with the other child. This year, our practices will be later and my wife will be getting both kids and potentially have to make dinner (if we want to eat at a relatively decent time). She is one that on her menu is generally pasta only, after that, it can get scary. My question: What are your Monday's-Wednesday's like for dinner when you have school aged kids and a wife who works as well? We don't make much money and eating out can be expensive. We also do not eat fast food. Anyone in this situation? Any tricks of the trade? We were thinking about cooking dinner at night to heat up the next day. The wives on our staff have done a meal exchange. Eat person makes like 8 meals, or however many people participate, and then you exchange. So you make 8 meals of your own one recipe, but then you leave the exchange with 8 different meals. You can do this specifically with crock pot recipes, that makes it pretty simple.
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Post by coachmonkey on May 10, 2016 9:06:23 GMT -6
That guy is a genius compared to the LB clinic I sat through put on by Darryl Talley...waste of money and time... Duece I never seem to learn much from the pro guys at clinics. It's funny how football innovation is backwards compared to most other things. A lot of things trickle upwards from HS to College to Pro. You'd think it'd be the other way around. Nothing against the pro guys, they obviously know their stuff, but I can't think of a time I sat in on a NFL guys clinic and had my mind blown. When I heard Bruce Cobleigh speak at a clinic this year I took like 15 pages of notes. Offensively perhaps, but defensively I think works the other way. Jimmy Johnson's 4-3, 4-2-5, Bear defense etc.
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Post by coachmonkey on May 10, 2016 8:28:38 GMT -6
Why does the color matter? Do they play better with black shoes? Maybe, maybe not but the team is better. Love to see that research.
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Post by coachmonkey on May 10, 2016 7:43:32 GMT -6
Different strokes...
To me uniform-appearance is part of promoting Team concept and doing everything in a First Class way, developing pride in all aspects of program.
May not fit other coaches' personalities.
We also want everybody wearing the same color shoes. We don't care about the brand but they do need to be black. Why does the color matter? Do they play better with black shoes?
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Post by coachmonkey on Mar 28, 2016 11:52:15 GMT -6
Curious how many of you do dynamic warm ups as a team or in position groups? We spend 10-15 mins of practice (2-3 practices/week) doing dynamic warm ups as a team and I'm starting to wonder if there isn't a better method that allows players to get warm WHILE working in their positional indy periods so that we're not wasting that 15 mins at the start of practice and can use it more efficiently. Happy to hear thoughts on this. Thx! Our warmups are about 5 minutes.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 22, 2016 9:40:24 GMT -6
I need more wrestlers.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 11, 2016 10:31:17 GMT -6
Our team scrapped conditioning, traditional pursuit drills, blocking circuits and tackling circuits. We are in full pads 4 days a week. What do you do with blocking and tackling instead of circuits? Just teach it during individual? Are you hitting all 4 days? We rep it as needed in Indy. If you feel your group needs to work on it, do it. If not, use the time doing something else. Do you have your entire Return teams working on catching punts and kicks? I would doubt it. To me, its the same concept. Yes, we hit all 4 days. The message we are sending - we believe - you will not get hurt by playing football in full pads and going hard. We have ended up with 2 concussions in the past 5 years from kids hitting on KO/KOR on a Thursday practice who were starters, which sucks, but, the toughness our kids play with, I think our opponents would argue outweighs the negatives of being full pads and hitting all 4 days. It's not live hitting though, we typically run 2 whistles.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 11, 2016 8:02:08 GMT -6
Polyester coaching short shorts I've been looking to find a pair of these. I think these should totally make a comeback.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 11, 2016 7:53:44 GMT -6
Our team scrapped conditioning, traditional pursuit drills, blocking circuits and tackling circuits. We are in full pads 4 days a week.
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Post by coachmonkey on Feb 3, 2016 12:56:42 GMT -6
I am curious for the youth coaches how much you stress playing time. Meaning, do you make sure every kid gets in the game, no exceptions, or do you play your best. If you play all kids, do you make sure they all play in both halves of the game? Do you make sure each kid is in the game at a critical point? I coach Varsity, but also coach at JV games. I ask because on JV I make sure very kid plays in each half for us. Curious what you guys think in this regard.
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Post by coachmonkey on Jan 18, 2016 12:55:56 GMT -6
Every successful team I watch on film is fast to the point of attack with their first two steps. How do you get faster with your first two steps??? Simplify everything so there is no thinking. Then repitition. From there, train their hind ends off.
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Post by coachmonkey on Dec 21, 2015 21:38:14 GMT -6
Too far.
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Post by coachmonkey on Dec 11, 2015 14:34:21 GMT -6
Our state association released data today stating approximately four (4) percent of HS kids who played Football in our state last Fall suffered concussions. www.mhsaa.comHow does this compare to years past?
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Post by coachmonkey on Dec 11, 2015 14:33:57 GMT -6
excellent article. I reserve the right to be absolutely wrong later, but there is a world of difference between the hits a 15 year old takes in a game takes, a 23 year old kid takes in DIII ball, and a career in the NFL. This is really like comparing a prop plane pilot vs a jet pilot vs an astronaut. They all are flyers, but are not subjected to the same stimulus / environment. Just because they advance in the field based on an increasing set of criteria, doesn't mean the parallels remain consistent (a collision with a player of equal size does not produce the same relative force to the body). The mass/force generated by high school athletes is largely within the realm that the human body can adapt itself to. The mass/force and frequency that can be generated in an arena played with (super) humans is easily beyond which the fragile human body can ever account for The problem we are facing has a legion of nuances that it is important to identify, isolate and address or have the whole thing come crashing down on us. The EMOTION of NFL fandom is real to most football fans. That "tangible" emotion is interpreted as TRUTH to people who do not slow things down and examine an issue objectively. "when I think football, I think the HOMETOWN SPARTANS of 'The League'....so naturally, the SPARTANS are football" (I cannot separate the two). The problem with that thinking is that the NFL does not represent the sport of football. The NFL has business interests, and where there is business there is money. Where there is money, there is a legal factor. Where there is a legal factor, there is liability between parties involved.....ad infinitum. The root of the issue is a physical sport played by TEAMS, running, blocking, tackling, kicking and throwing. THAT should be where we focus our energy and look to how we can play this game safely and effectively. Or the use of performance enhancing drugs (HGH in Seau's case which he tested positive for), alcohol, narcotics etc.
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