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Post by raider92 on Feb 4, 2023 10:51:07 GMT -6
Best advice I've ever heard is to "stop sucking" which sounds flippant but is actually a great way to look at things. What does the program do currently that is associated with teams that suck? Are there daddy ball problems that can pop up in bad programs when it's all off campus coaches? Are practices unplanned or disorganized? Weight room not managed well? Playbook as thick as the bible? Stop all that stuff. Nothing fancy is needed. The US military wants full spectrum dominance, to be the absolute best in every area. You might want that eventually but right now you need full spectrum competence. Run solid practices, maintain rules and discipline, get the weight room rolling and being done properly, have a sound scheme on both sides that is simple enough to play fast, etc. Just dont do the things that teams who suck do. Maybe you wont find that very profound or helpful but it certainly helped me look at things differently when I took over my positions. I wanted the world but that's not realistic in a program that's been down Good one Coach!! You have obiously read the book "Break Free From Suckville"... I have not read it. Just learned that there is such a book...and just ordered it from Amazon. I've actually never heard of it. It's just what my old HS coach told me he did when he took over at the school I went to
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Post by raider92 on Feb 3, 2023 20:57:14 GMT -6
Best advice I've ever heard is to "stop sucking" which sounds flippant but is actually a great way to look at things. What does the program do currently that is associated with teams that suck? Are there daddy ball problems that can pop up in bad programs when it's all off campus coaches? Are practices unplanned or disorganized? Weight room not managed well? Playbook as thick as the bible? Stop all that stuff. Nothing fancy is needed. The US military wants full spectrum dominance, to be the absolute best in every area. You might want that eventually but right now you need full spectrum competence. Run solid practices, maintain rules and discipline, get the weight room rolling and being done properly, have a sound scheme on both sides that is simple enough to play fast, etc. Just dont do the things that teams who suck do. Maybe you wont find that very profound or helpful but it certainly helped me look at things differently when I took over my positions. I wanted the world but that's not realistic in a program that's been down Not that easy sometimes...my last job, we sucked. Why? We could line 11 guys up in c gap and still could not stop off tackle runs. Certainly not easy, it's not a guarantee that you wont suck. If your guys cant do it they cant do it but the idea is to run the program in a way that gives them the best chance they can get. Their best might still be terrible though. I've been there, 0-9 my 1st year as an assistant.
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Post by raider92 on Feb 3, 2023 7:02:45 GMT -6
Best advice I've ever heard is to "stop sucking" which sounds flippant but is actually a great way to look at things. What does the program do currently that is associated with teams that suck? Are there daddy ball problems that can pop up in bad programs when it's all off campus coaches? Are practices unplanned or disorganized? Weight room not managed well? Playbook as thick as the bible?
Stop all that stuff. Nothing fancy is needed. The US military wants full spectrum dominance, to be the absolute best in every area. You might want that eventually but right now you need full spectrum competence. Run solid practices, maintain rules and discipline, get the weight room rolling and being done properly, have a sound scheme on both sides that is simple enough to play fast, etc.
Just dont do the things that teams who suck do. Maybe you wont find that very profound or helpful but it certainly helped me look at things differently when I took over my positions. I wanted the world but that's not realistic in a program that's been down
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Post by raider92 on Jan 20, 2023 15:58:50 GMT -6
Absolutely. Winning programs lead to fans expecting to win all the time/being unhappy that you aren't winning even more. Losing programs that have always been losers by contrast come with a lot less criticism because no one really cares that much in my experience.
There's some interesting stuff that comes out of the stands when you're losing consistently as well. And, it's usually pretty telling.
We were struggling through a rough season and the last game of the year was a must-win if we wanted to make the playoffs. We were getting throttled by the #1 team in the division (#3 in the state) in our second-to-last game. We were down by like four scores early in the third and there was no coming back. It was too early to sub in the 2nd team but we started running the ball and chewing up the clock. We couldn't afford any injuries and were trying to shorten up the game. The comments out of the stands were as such:
"Throw the ball!! You're just quitting!" "Get more WRs out on the field!!" "The T is trash!!"
Bear in mind that I think we completed 3 passes in the first half.
For sure, my sister came and watched a game about mid-way through my first year as a HC (at a school that had sucked for quite awhile) and reported back to me on the peanut gallery's assessment of me. The group of folks sitting to her right thought I was the best coach they'd had in 20 years (we had a winning record for once), and the group to her left loudly let everyone know I was a "f*cking idiot". I highly recommend sitting in the stands at games during the playoffs or on bye weeks, it'll be a HUGE eye opener for you guys who may not do it real often. You can tell a toxic situation/community very quickly. It's also shocking to hear some of the comments that are directed at state championship level coaches and teams. I hate to judge whole communities based on a few doorknobs but it really does seem like some communities are just toxic/negative and genuinely aren't able to produce successful programs because those things get so ingrained. Conversely, great communities produce great programs and those great programs sustain great communities. It's like anything in life, winners keep on winning and losers keep on losing. Momentum is tough to break
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Post by raider92 on Jan 20, 2023 11:56:47 GMT -6
I grew up playing for a HOF hs coach who was around forever. Almost every adult Male in the 3 towns that share the program played for him. They all got the same life lessons, they all remember the same mantras and sayings that he used, etc.
Now some of those guys received those lessons but didn't actually LEARN them but a whole lot did. The entire community's philosophy, attitude, mindset, work ethic, etc., was impacted by one coach. They'll raise their kids with those lessons. It's totally incalculable the level of impact the program had and overwhelming to think about; especially the ways it will continue to impact people.
If the program hadn't won games he wouldn't have been around for 35 years, so while he wouldve been a great guy either way, winning allowed him to impact a whole lot more people.
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Post by raider92 on Jan 20, 2023 10:33:08 GMT -6
One would think that would be true... but I have been in the stands enough to know it just isn't so. Have heard many complaints and criticisms watching double digit state championship game wins.
Yessir... I've experienced more criticism in a highly successful program than a mediocre one. Things do get rough when you're in a struggling program. But... The type of b-tching you get typically tells you why the program is struggling.
Absolutely. Winning programs lead to fans expecting to win all the time/being unhappy that you aren't winning even more. Losing programs that have always been losers by contrast come with a lot less criticism because no one really cares that much in my experience.
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Post by raider92 on Jan 12, 2023 15:18:33 GMT -6
My 2 cents; two things can be true at once. 1. Doing this as a punishment is dumb. One kid getting rhabdo or a heat stroke likely ends your career (unless you're the HC at Maryland). Even if 99.9% of the time it works out fine that little risk isn't worth it to do stuff like this. You can punish guys, get them well conditioned, etc., without doing risky bs 2. IMO, and maybe I'm wrong but, 10 kids don't get rhabdo from doing pushups. You'll be unable to do another rep long before you get rhabdo. Now maybe something else happened but these kids have to have been pounding down obscene amounts of creatine for this to happen. There was a kid in my area who nearly died a few years ago because he thought some creatine=strong so more creatine must=stronger. Good reminder to teach kids about this stuff. Another good reminder; those moms who smile and make meals for you will turn on you at a moment if you're doing some dumb $hit that makes little Timmy uncomfortable and if he suffers a medical incident as a result you're not coming back from it This is something that I still have a question about...is 400 push ups in an hour enough to cause rhabdo in and of itself? I think it is possible for a couple of reaasons: 1. There was likely a wide range of relative fitness in that room. Probably some skill guys with lean bodies that could do push ups for days. But there were probably other guys who weren't as fit but tried to guy it out 2. I believe that rhabdo becomes more probable when there is a focus put on eccentric stressing of the muscles....so when that kid can't do any more push ups, coach says do negatives...and that might accelerate the problem I'm interested to hear more about the possible abuse of creatine, but I don't think that absolves the coach. I don't understand why more people don't just stick to the tried and true progressive periodization and avoid these kind of sessions entirely. Oh absolutely, definitely doesn't absolve the coach at all. You've got to read the room as a coach and know when you've pushed too far.
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Post by raider92 on Jan 12, 2023 12:40:41 GMT -6
My 2 cents; two things can be true at once.
1. Doing this as a punishment is dumb. One kid getting rhabdo or a heat stroke likely ends your career (unless you're the HC at Maryland). Even if 99.9% of the time it works out fine that little risk isn't worth it to do stuff like this. You can punish guys, get them well conditioned, etc., without doing risky bs
2. IMO, and maybe I'm wrong but, 10 kids don't get rhabdo from doing pushups. You'll be unable to do another rep long before you get rhabdo. Now maybe something else happened but these kids have to have been pounding down obscene amounts of creatine for this to happen. There was a kid in my area who nearly died a few years ago because he thought some creatine=strong so more creatine must=stronger. Good reminder to teach kids about this stuff.
Another good reminder; those moms who smile and make meals for you will turn on you at a moment if you're doing some dumb $hit that makes little Timmy uncomfortable and if he suffers a medical incident as a result you're not coming back from it
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Post by raider92 on Dec 20, 2022 11:34:04 GMT -6
On the topic of kids saying/doing dumb stuff; I hate to be a downer but teaching genuinely made me very pessimistic about the future. The total inability for kids to do seemingly anything is horrifying.
After teaching 90 freshman in a health class I would guess that maybe 30% of them could competently put sentences into straight lines with a capital letter and a period. Even more concerning is of those 30% almost all of them were girls.
No standards, no accountability, inmates run the asylum behaviorally.
Far and away my biggest pet peeve in teaching was the general mindset from so many of them that holding kids accountable or giving them consequences was "mean" or "unfair". That's not helping those kids at all.
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Post by raider92 on Dec 8, 2022 7:19:06 GMT -6
If you're planning on running X number of plays in Y number of minutes then just adjust the time or # of plays so that you've got a couple minutes of buffer. Use that time to correct on the fly and if you dont use that time then you can get a few bonus reps in at the end.
I very firmly believe in correcting on the field. If a kid was doing a math problem wrong I wouldnt have him do it 3 more times really fast and then show him film of him doing it wrong after the fact. I really believe in correcting things as they happen. Obviously you'll miss things here and there that are great to catch on film but most of it is corrected on the field for us. Wing-T guys are familiar with "birddog" reps. They'd help anyone in any offense
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Post by raider92 on Dec 7, 2022 11:42:18 GMT -6
I absolutely agree it seems to be a bigger issue in girls sports. Let's just be honest, theres a ton of cattiness that goes hand in hand with being a 15-18 year old girl. I don't know if you've noticed, but your average HS boy is every bit as catty as a HS girl these days. Oh absolutely. I just don't see it spilling over into sports in the same ways that it does in girls sports. I coach both. Love both. They're different though
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Post by raider92 on Dec 7, 2022 10:48:16 GMT -6
Instead of just ranting like my last post here's my actual response to your question.
Theres a ton of politics here but they come from OUTSIDE the program not INSIDE it. School board members, principals, superintendents, boosters, band people, cheerleading people, etc., all want to get their fingers in the pie. When I first arrived here I had people coming out of the woodwork wanting to help support the program. It all comes with a price though.
All that "support" is surface level stuff for them to try and gain some influence. When it comes to support that actually matters i.e. facilities, money, S&C, holding kids accountable, etc., those folks seem to disappear.
If you give an inch they'll take a mile and you'll be the bad guy for trying to take it back. Let people get involved in the non essential stuff but never ever compromise on the practice field or game field
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Post by raider92 on Dec 7, 2022 10:34:54 GMT -6
The "not having the right last name" thing should be in the biggest pet peeves thread for me. I had a parent pull that on me once and I told him its BS, I'm not from around here so the names mean nothing to me.
I've never once heard someone using that excuse where it wasnt just that, an excuse. Coaches want to win. I'm sure its happened here or there but the way every small town has crap like this is ridiculous. It's usually people who have had less success throwing stones at folks who have achieved success.
I absolutely agree it seems to be a bigger issue in girls sports. Let's just be honest, theres a ton of cattiness that goes hand in hand with being a 15-18 year old girl.
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Post by raider92 on Dec 1, 2022 13:13:33 GMT -6
Speaking of weird offside stuff; my first year coaching hs football we had a kid lined up at TE who realized he had lined up on the wrong side. Instead of running behind the OL and QB to the other side he, for whatever reason, runs down the LOS between the OL and DL, hops over the football in the outstretched hand of the C, and then lines up in his spot. Obviously ref flags him for false start/offside. I asked him about it later and he just shrugged. This is a 4.0 student who walked on to play TE in the big ten
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Post by raider92 on Nov 30, 2022 8:27:29 GMT -6
I don’t think the actual vertical integration is that big of a needle mover, but communities that support and make it work generally care and actually want to see sports succeed. Having that kind of commitment and culture is a huge edge in building a successful program These are my thoughts as well. Being vertically integrated as a program is not nearly as significant as a program in an environment where football is important enough to take the steps to vertically integrate. Absolutely. The actual benefits of integration aren't that big of a deal. What is a big deal is a school district/community having its stuff together and knowing what it takes to win. Our program is vertically aligned all the way down, I hire all the coaches, tell them what to run, clinic them up, help them plan practices etc. The on-field stuff is a nice benefit but by far the biggest advantage is being able to hire the coaches. One dip$hit at the MS level can really hurt your numbers in HS. I go out of my way to give those guys a lot of freedom. It has to be fun for them to coach or why would they bother? If they're teaching fundamentals, having fun, and keeping kids out then they're doing the job.
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Grading
Nov 12, 2022 12:44:49 GMT -6
via mobile
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Post by raider92 on Nov 12, 2022 12:44:49 GMT -6
Agree with what's been said above, if you cant replace a guy theres no reason to grade in season imo. We grade at the end of the season and tie it into our end of year evaluations to discuss what a guy needs to improve on and what we are thinking for him for next season.
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Post by raider92 on Nov 11, 2022 19:18:30 GMT -6
No help is better than bad help. As long as kids are giving great effort and attitudes are staying positive,the season is not near as rough when wins are not there. Amen to that. I will be VERY particular about coaches I bring in, if I am in the position to do so. I have been called a dictator before, so be it. When its my job/kids food on the line I'm gonna be very certain that the people I allow to be a part of the program are gonna do what I tell them to do Absolutely. The biggest mistakes I've ever made staff-wise were bringing in guys just because we had an opening. You're better off having one less coach thing bringing in the wrong guy. When I first took the HC position here I kept all 7 assistants from the previous staff. 5 of them were awesome guys and 4 of the 5 are still here with me. The other 2 were douchebags who were a constant drag on the program until I fired them in week 2 and week 9 of year 1 respectively. They said the right things to get retained and had me fooled. I was 23 years old at the time and these guys were locals who had played and coached at the school, in retrospect it was a really risky move to fire them but I was young and dumb enough not to know it. Never compromise on staff. Ever
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Post by raider92 on Nov 11, 2022 8:07:31 GMT -6
We watch film as a team on Mondays before or after a quick walk thru. We almost exclusively watch our previous game. Very little film time spent on upcoming opponent unless they do something unique that we want the guys to see.
Usually goes 45ish minutes. Probably need to cut it off at like 20 minutes as guys just cant get much out of it past that point.
After we are done we send the guys off to watch the JV game. I think next year we will make it a fast walk thru in the gym, lift, film, go watch JV game. Try to be done in an hour and fifteen minutes or so
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Post by raider92 on Nov 9, 2022 19:52:17 GMT -6
This is actually a pretty big deal for us as a Wing T team. Its a great system but is rep intensive because we really have to carry the whole package in order for us to have all the answers we need. We usually carry;
Bucksweep, buck trap, down, wedge, power, counter, belly, belly sweep, belly tackle trap, jet sweep, waggle, power pass, buck pass, and a sprintout package. We also run some outside veer but dont read it. Its a lot of recycled techniques and we flip the OL so it cuts things in half but it's still a lot to get ripped. we have had to be very cognizant of ensuring our reps in practice are proportional to what we actually call.
We find that when we win our play calls are usually 80+% bucksweep, trap, waggle, power, counter, and wedge. Against tougher opponents we end up having to get into our red/blue stuff and run more jet sweep, sprintout and also run more belly series stuff from 100/900. We've tried to be more conscious about actually rapping that stuff in the appropriate proportion.
For a team with fewer schemes to rep it may not be a big deal but for us it is really important.
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Post by raider92 on Nov 9, 2022 14:22:37 GMT -6
We're a wing t team and carry everything into every game. We do however look at how much we call certain plays and try to ensure our reps reflect that.
For example, we often call bucksweep 25+ times in a game but will only run belly sweep 2-3x. We shouldnt practice them equally.
If I weren't carrying every concept into every game I'd probably just go for it and only practice the stuff we are going to run. If it's that important that you re-install it later in the year then itll be worth the time to refresh the kids memories and if it's not worth that time investment then it probably isnt worth running
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Post by raider92 on Nov 7, 2022 15:06:39 GMT -6
I’ve only been at one place who used it and it didn’t show a coach anything you couldn’t get from a 5 second conversation with a spotter up top. It also didn’t even work half of the time due to Wi-Fi issues and other glitches. This isn’t the NFL. Totally agree 100%! Amen. For all the hassle it takes it's not very useful. A good spotter can give you the vast majority of what you need. There are times as a playcaller that i like to be able to take a look at things but as HC theres too much going on. If I was solely an OC and was up in the box I'd get more use out of it but right now i find myself going several games in a row without even touching it sometimes
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Parents
Nov 7, 2022 14:37:43 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by raider92 on Nov 7, 2022 14:37:43 GMT -6
As hard is it can be to resist, dont take it out on the kid. I'd also be wary of getting too involved in either direction. If dad is telling him not help clean up then IMO dont go out of your way to try and make him help clean up for example. While the kid would be better for it, it is still dads right to parent even if think he's doing a $hitty job. I've had learn this the hard way. At the end of the day the parent is still the parent even if they're useless. It sucks but it's part of the deal. That's also why I just coach and no longer teach special ed. Just saw too many garbage people It’s a slippery slope if you don’t make that kid clean up. We have a rotating clean up duty schedule. Everyone contributes. I just can’t see how letting a kid skip that because his dad’s an assshole doesn’t lead to further issues with that family or others. What happens when the dad tells him he doesn’t have to condition or doesn’t have to play scout team or doesn’t have to do anything? Or what’s to keep another dad from finding out first dad got his kid out of cleaning up so now he wants his kid to not clean up. I say don’t punish the kid for things he can’t control but also don’t make someone else’s day harder because some idiot is trying to prove a point and a bad one. My message to the dad would be everyone helps and contributes. If your kid can’t do that then you need to remove him from the team. You do not get to decide how we run our program. Agreed, you've got to have standards. I'm just saying not to go out of the way to try and get into a power struggle over it as parents are always parents. In your example I'd absolutely make him do clean up work if it's something that is scheduled and part of being on the team. I was envisioning something more like a kid voluntarily helping clean up after practice and dad telling him not to. He still has to meet all the standards that everyone else does
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Post by raider92 on Nov 7, 2022 10:04:02 GMT -6
As hard is it can be to resist, dont take it out on the kid. I'd also be wary of getting too involved in either direction.
If dad is telling him not help clean up then IMO dont go out of your way to try and make him help clean up for example. While the kid would be better for it, it is still dads right to parent even if think he's doing a $hitty job.
I've had learn this the hard way. At the end of the day the parent is still the parent even if they're useless. It sucks but it's part of the deal. That's also why I just coach and no longer teach special ed. Just saw too many garbage people
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Post by raider92 on Nov 1, 2022 13:22:52 GMT -6
If you think of it as just a childrens game then you’re missing the point Yep, the game is for the kids. Pep Rallies, Homecoming activities, et al may be a pain the azz to coaches because it doesn't help us win. And in case of Picture Day, Parents' Meetings, Banquets - may mean more work for us. But - this isn't the SEC or NFL. I've come down in the middle on this stuff. As a coach I hate picture day, pep rallies, homecoming, etc., because people have a tenancy to make them more important than the game itself which is kind of the point. However, it is a big part of the experience and I want our guys to enjoy it so I figure I can either be grouchy and miserable or we can just lean into it and have fun. I've also changed when it comes to rankings, all district awards, hypothetical playoff matchups, etc. Kids only get to be in high school once, let them have fun and enjoy success as long as they keep doing what they need to do it shouldnt affect you on the field.
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Post by raider92 on Oct 31, 2022 20:11:53 GMT -6
Coaching a guy up and he says "I know". No don't f'kn know or you would have done it right. actually this one ive relaxed on abit. you can absolutely know something and still F0ck it up For sure, it's more the tone that gets me. You know the kind of kid I'm talking about
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Post by raider92 on Oct 31, 2022 19:03:36 GMT -6
Coaching a guy up and he says "I know". No don't f'kn know or you would have done it right.
It's to the point where all the kids get quiet and their heads turn to see what I'm going to do when they hear someone say it.
The other big one is coaches not having their drills set up for indy time. I'm an easy guy to work for but that one is a guaranteed a$$ chewing behind closed doors (may not be directed at the individual but everyone will know who did it) and if it continues it may be an a$$ chewing on the field if that's what it takes. Take it seriously, be prepared, or you don't have any credibility in asking kids to do those things.
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Post by raider92 on Sept 27, 2022 7:48:45 GMT -6
It's an ugly business. Theres a coach in my area that is a 30 year veteran, won a couple state titles, great guy, and his "fans" have organized multiple community meetings and inundated school board members to try and get him fired this year after a first round playoff loss last season and 0-3 start to this year. 0-3 against 3 state title contenders I might add.
They run an old school I formation and 4-3 over cover 2 defense. Fans are convinced he's behind the times and holding them back. I hope he walks out and they never win another game. They'd deserve it.
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Post by raider92 on Sept 19, 2022 12:02:48 GMT -6
As long as the cursing doesnt become casual/conversational I dont get too worked up. A kid saying "f--k" because hes frustrated after giving up a big play is way different than just casually swearing for no reason.
Coaches are the same, as long as it's not habitual/casual swearing just to swear I dont get too worked up. Some of the guys who are teachers are more careful about it and guys who work outside of education let more of it go. It all evens out.
I'll admit when I get real hot over lack of effort or something an F bomb is probably coming. If you're using it rarely it should have it's intended effect.
Depends on kid too, a 1 on 1 discussion with a very mature senior who's committed and bought into the program is a lot different than just casually slinging expletives towards a group of slappy freshman who are gonna go tell their mom.
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Post by raider92 on Sept 19, 2022 10:57:29 GMT -6
If kids can't block and tackle after the first 3 weeks, they aren't going to learn in the last 6. I disagree. Baseball players take batting practice every day. Basketball players shoot every day. They need to to keep their skills sharp. The skills that our game requires, many of which are completely unnatural, need to stay sharp as well. Agreed. We shorten up practice as the season goes but I tell everyone that it is NOT because we cut reps. we cut down the total practice time by getting faster and more efficient at getting thru our schedule. We still get thru all our indy work and we run team O at a no huddle pace, cut down conditioning a bit when we know weve got a well conditioned team, etc. That's how we shorten up, never by neglecting skill development
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Post by raider92 on Sept 19, 2022 8:33:15 GMT -6
We deal with this. Program has improved leaps and bounds since we started here. Occassionally kids complain about practices always being the same.
We remind them practice used to be "fun" and they always lost.
Unfortunately none of the kids who remember that are around anymore. If you're showing up actively working to get better then it shouldn't be a concern for players or coaches. We do shorten up the practices by around week 6 or 7 but we didnt the first few years because we still needed the reps. I just tell kids who complain to kick rocks, you can be good or you can take shortcuts.
With all that said, there are lots of little things that can be injected into practice to keep it fun. Competitions, rewards, music, just silly dumb fun stuff that high school kids like, etc.
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