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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 26, 2007 20:09:11 GMT -6
We go 6-8am, M,T,Th. About 60 kids but our weight room can only accomodate about 30 at a time so we rotate two groups. The other hour they condition. I'm the strength coach and I don't trust anyone else, even the head coach, to run it other than the two guys that are always there with me in the morning (both good, hard working volunteers). Sure the kids know what to do, but its like having the DB coach yell at your receivers - he may not be wrong but its too many different hands. All coaches who are available are there.
Kids understand if a coach has a situation and can't be there. As long as they do their job durin the season. I'm there every day, I want to be and I don't care that other coaches have other things going on. Now, if a guy was unseen from November to July, and come August got promoted over me, we have a problem!
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Post by CoachDaniel on Mar 10, 2008 10:54:03 GMT -6
Other - VA
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Post by CoachDaniel on Mar 10, 2008 10:51:37 GMT -6
DC in Virginia, teach 5 classes of World History II out of 7 blocks total, one planning and one duty. Same as everyone else in the building. I take that back, the AP teachers, the Choir teacher, the band teacher, and the SGA sponsor all get two planning and no duty.
And many of the afternoon planning blocks go to people who leave at the final bell and don't sponsor/coach anything... only part that frustrates me really
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jun 15, 2007 20:07:27 GMT -6
My playing days were not that successful. We were 4-16 in my two years on varsity. No one on our staff has a ring to my knowledge, but everyone had a coach that inspired them, that they still talk about. I think, regardless of success in terms of wins and losses, the coaches I know played for someone who taught them more than football - which is ultimately our job.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 22, 2007 16:57:50 GMT -6
I've never understood it. We've taken our share of beatings, a few have run it up, and we always say, "When we get the chance!" But in reality, when the game is decided win or lose, I want to get the kids who work as hard as anyone else all week in the game. You never know when you'll need them.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 26, 2007 21:04:00 GMT -6
An interesting point was made to me last night on this. Our QB is one of the best defensive players we have, and we don't have loads of talent. Thought about OLB (we're a 3-5 so this is the spur/bandit) and the point was made that teams would just crack him to death...
He could play FS too but I'd rather have him at the weak OLB. He's tough, and at FS he'd be heavily involved in the run game too, maybe more. Any thoughts? Are these legit concerns?
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 30, 2007 19:04:12 GMT -6
Our weight program has become a real cornerstone of the program. MAYBE 3 starters on either side of the ball have not been heavily involved. Most injuries have been players who were not involved. No one other than one FS/WR that starts has a squat under 300lbs.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 26, 2007 20:38:14 GMT -6
I would always want to shake the opposing player's hands, let the studs know they impressed you... and remember that players are a reflection of their coach. They didn't call the bomb at the end of the 4th quarter, and if their coach has made them feel it is okay to throw a punch, they'll do it. Otherwise, the coach would find you and explain what happened.
After a game against a coach that is not well liked around here, our now-retired head coach (before I arrived) tracked him across the field after a particularly heated game and 'forced' him to shake his hand. (there were some choice words... but the kids don't have to know that)
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Post by CoachDaniel on Oct 13, 2007 22:07:43 GMT -6
Someone on here said it right a long time ago... don't remember who so I can't give them credit but: You don't know what their family situation is at home.
Drives me nuts, even with our own coaching staff. We had a parent's meeting at the beginning of the year, laying out some rules: 1. Excused misses for practice include death in the family. 2. We will practice labor.
Three players had family members mysteriously die just before the labor day weekend. Coaching staff went nuts, head coach announced that no one else could die and everyone was expected to be there.
You can't control the parents, whether they want to be honest and say they are going on vacation, or lie and say Aunt Matilda died. I've told our kids that family comes before football -- if their family are a bunch of liars who don't consider football important, then that sucks for football, and for the kid. Don't punish the kid.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 26, 2007 20:41:45 GMT -6
August 13th in VA... some play their first game "Zero Week" instead of week one, they start a week ealier First game in IL must be really sloppy
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Post by CoachDaniel on Aug 11, 2007 13:18:58 GMT -6
I'm doing it this season on defense. I didn't know it happened, but oh well... I wrote the playbook, practice schedules, all of the other 'coordinating,' just not the playcalling. I'll be up top on the headset and I'll have plenty of input. But the HC gets what he wants, we'll see how it goes.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 8, 2007 21:28:41 GMT -6
There's a case by case basis to be considered.
Two years ago, we had a kid come to the head coach on the first day of school, the monday before game 1. He had played as a sophomore, incredible LB. Also a great baseball player. Baseball got their hooks in, convinced him he was going to get drafted in the first 3 rounds IF he didn't get hurt in football, played fall ball, etc (we've all heard this story). Junior year, he doesn't play. Senior year, he realizes he misses football. We let the players vote, they voted for him. He came out, and after two weeks of practice was allowed to play (offense only, for the first game - played both ways the last 6 weeks).
That kid sat through 40 rounds of the baseball draft without a phone call. He is now a redshirt freshman at UVA, and contributing on the defensive side of the ball. As football coaches, we knew what this kid could get out of football - especially if baseball didn't happen, and that was an education and an opportunity. He is a great young man, and I have no doubt we made the right decision. Character counts when you make these decisions. If you don't know him, I'd have to say no, he should have been out. If you know his character, and know his situation, and the kids are in favor, you have to make the decision.
If the PLAYERS are againt it, there is no way you could let him come out.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 9, 2007 21:14:09 GMT -6
Coaches, we are working on our defensive goals chart for this season. In the past we did not keep up with it but I am more involved in the varsity defense this year and really enjoyed it as a player. First, what are your defensive goals? I'm looking more for specifics... here are what I have so far:
1) Force 3 Turnovers 2) Score 3) Under 4 yards per carry 4) Completion Percentage under 50% 5) No Offsides Penalties (thought about going with a penalty yardage goal - but we really want the secondary to be more aggressive and we'll take a PI call here and there for it) 6) No Big Plays (over 20 yards) 7) Less than 14 Points 8) WIN
Are any of these too much/not enough for high school? We were trying to adapt from a college program's goal list that we liked.
Also, I'm looking for some 'nicknames' for a few other individual accomplishments. May be for pride stickers...
1) Sack - lots of ideas, nothing great... 2) Big Hit - Hit Stick (like PS2) is the best idea so far 3) Game changer (biggest play...got nothing here) 4) Interception (Ball Hawk)
I want something that is going to stick with the kids, that they'll get excited about not just after the game but in practice, etc.
Any help is appreciated, decided to post on the general board so maybe all those creative offensive guys can take a break from drawing trick plays on napkins and offer some ideas too
Sorry for the long post, thanks if you made it this far!
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 9, 2007 20:33:58 GMT -6
I believe, in the great state of Virginia, that the person who is responsible for reporting illegal practices would be the AD. And since most of the ADs around here are basketball coaches, they don't have time to report violations during the summer because they've got practice.
All you can do is run a clean program, you can't change what other people do. You're preaching character and developing men to your kids, then you're cheating. Not the way I'd do it.
Congratulations on winning the wife lottery, gamedog
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Post by CoachDaniel on Mar 11, 2008 10:57:54 GMT -6
If it is football I will watch it just about. Ugh, I have tried and tried. There's nothing I haven't given more of a chance, because the idea of exciting football in the spring sounds great. But no, can't stand the stuff. I'll keep on trying though, because there's no alternative til the FSN channels start showing their re-runs of state championship games all summer.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Mar 7, 2008 21:00:25 GMT -6
I don't know what your schools are like, but the stress on GPA already leads many students who are capable of doing B-C level work in an honors course to take regular level classes where they get an A. Senator is right, it should be about the process. I have a 2.99, I'm dropping that honors class. By the way, I took all honors classes and got a solid 2.77, but I excelled in college once I matured.
Everyone is not going to meet a 3.0 standard. I question a 2.0, to be honest, for many reasons mentioned here. Many of these players don't have the structure at home. Its not that they're incapable but if no one has ever said, "Sit down and do your homework" in your entire life, are you going to start when you're 16 and classes get tougher? If you absolutely love football, maybe. If you like playing football, but hey girls, cars, drinking, drugs, etc. could be just as fun, you're looking at a disaster for a kid. Sports, clubs, etc. don't allow many of the students who actually NEED the structure, mentoring, support (that a coach provides!) in, because they don't meet a minimum requirement in course work that they're never going to need.
And college is a whole different deal. They had to get through high school to be in college.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Nov 13, 2007 23:05:13 GMT -6
Bottom line, kids should wrestle because they want to wrestle, they should throw because they want to throw. Agreed, 'forcing' kids into sports isn't going to help anything. I know with wrestling, if they didn't like it they would just be flopping around on the mat, faking injuries, and end up burned out by the time we really needed them. But I'm the DC and wrestling coach. So there's a few kids every year who didn't KNOW they wanted to be a wrestler until they were told... ;D
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Post by CoachDaniel on Nov 10, 2007 20:20:07 GMT -6
Weight lifting classes are not the norm here. We expect everyone to be doing something year-round. I'm the assistant wrestling coach and our middle school coach is the track coach, and we work our weight program in with these sports. Basketball and baseball guys are lost to us til the season is over.
Wrestlers don't just lose weight. Great sport for competition, balance, etc. as mentioned before. Our head coach knows that the football players wrestle at the weight they are at, no on cuts weight.
Quick question on the weight classes. All of your kids do not have any other classes they want/need to take? They all have one period/block where they can just lift weights, for four years?
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 27, 2007 16:51:45 GMT -6
I don't think playing kids or trying to win are the only two options. To me, the only place where winning is the #1 priority is the Varsity level. That doesn't mean we play everyone on the JV level, the job there is to prepare those that will eventually be Varsity contributors ready to play. There's a dozen guys who, barring a miracle or a disaster, will never play a meaningful down of football. I think you try to play more guys on middle school, but no one has a right to time.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Feb 10, 2008 22:22:20 GMT -6
I could spend money so fast...
1) 3 new olympic bars, and a lot of bumper plates 2) DSV/Apex something to replace Landro 3) about 1 dozen trash cans, this needs to be moved ahead of the video equipment 4) new headsets, though I think we're getting those 5) New jerseys 6) End zone cam 7) 9 more D-1 prospects, 11 total would probably be enough...
Screw the offense, if they want a new sled those fat kids can have a bake sale.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Aug 23, 2007 10:43:30 GMT -6
We have a certified trainer who is also a PE teacher, so he knows the kids. He has also gotten the nickname of "Dr. Doom" because for the past two years most of his initial evaluations have been catastrophic...and completely wrong. Which is good, we know when he says "Broken collarbone," we can expect the kid back tomorrow.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 30, 2007 18:49:06 GMT -6
Speed. Speed has worked wonders for our defense.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Nov 27, 2006 20:42:04 GMT -6
Sitting in the box watching the 8th grade team play a couple of years ago. Our fans are just letting our coach have it, screaming all game and its a close one. The kids have driven the ball down to the 2 yard line in position for the go-ahead score as the clock ticks down, 14 seconds, 13, 12... several dads screaming "RUN A PLAY COACH, YOU GOTTA RUN A PLAY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Just going wild. Horn blows, doesn't get a play off.
So the kids march to the other end of the field and punch it in on the first play of the 4th quarter. There were some quiet dads for the next few minutes (not long enough).
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 1, 2007 5:43:05 GMT -6
I think that putting the reserves in qualifies as not trying to run the score up. If you put the 2nd team in and they dominate, put the 3rd in. If they dominate, put the band in. But by pulling your starters you are not running the score up. It would be humiliating to me as a coach if your kid pops through a wide open hole, then falls down. Keep coaching, keep doing what you do, just don't keep doing it with the #1's if the game is done.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Mar 25, 2008 22:44:45 GMT -6
I'm learning to be less stubborn (stupid). I've had players in the past tell me, "___ blitz" isn't working because they have 1.5" splits, we should run "___ blitz." Well you're just going to have to find a way, because on film and paper this should've worked! Not the best response.
I remember a sophomore linebacker we had a few years ago coming to the DC at the time in one game, he said "Coach when the QB does this, I can sack him." He replied, "Um, okay then." We go back out, sure enough QB did 'this' and sack! He came over after that series with, "Coach when the QB does this, I can intercept the ball." "Alright." Why start doubting him now? Boom, pick. He's at UVA now. No one else has been quite that impressive in their play calling, including me.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 2, 2007 19:47:59 GMT -6
Brophy, you mention coaches are lucky if they can influence kids quickly in those respects. From winter until the season (or even June, if its a late hire), how much of an influence can you have on those aspects?
This may be a seperate thread, but how much did the offseason influence/indicate what you see on the field now? When you asked them to do it in the summer, was it done? If so, when you asked them do it on the field, was it done?
Not aiming this at your team, Wildcat, just wondering at this early stage how everyone feels the offseason has translated/does translate to the regular season.
Are there kids who are just not off season performers, but once the pads come on, they are as coachable and full of fire as anyone?
Are those two completely different things - offseason heart; and full pads, friday night, the opponents are studs heart?
Does the fact that no one ever gets "beat" in the weight room make it not translate? Last season I felt we had loads of confidence coming from the off season, but once someone really took it to us, the old mentality (traditionally losing program) set right back in.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Jul 3, 2007 21:48:26 GMT -6
I don't remember this ever happening for a game (I've had a kid tank the first day of a wrestling tournament so he could go hunting the next...can't prove that though). BUT...
1. As long as he's still showing up and being a part of the team, of course not. If he sprained his ankle and took a week to hang out with his girlfriend, yes.
2. don't know about ya'll, we dont have the failure situation - he's either eligible from August til January, or he's not eligible at all here. But I would say no, you shouldn't kick him off because football is the incentive for many to do the school work. Remember what's really important...
3. Parents take him away, you can't punish the player. And it doesn't matter if the parents lied, they made the decision and not the kid.
4. Yes.
We had a freshman on JV that was called up for varsity one week. But the parents had planned a trip that friday since he'd been playing on Wednesday nights all season. Would you really kick a 14 year old off the team for that? No one had died, it was just a trip. But it was mom's decision, she believed a weekend at Grandma's was more important than varsity football. Who am I to say she's wrong and punish her kid for it?
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 1, 2007 22:51:51 GMT -6
but not simply because the redskins did it Come coach in Virginia... every time anyone brings up counter, there's going to be someone to tell you there's only one way.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Sept 12, 2007 19:54:03 GMT -6
I just want to make sure I've got one DL who's read, one ILB, one OLB, a corner and a safety that are ready to go. They rotate with the 1's. I scheduled a block of time for 2's to work team today, but my 6th ILB (3-5 defense) is, in reality, behind a couple JV players.
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Post by CoachDaniel on Feb 10, 2008 22:09:46 GMT -6
When you think about it, being a head coach sucks. You spend all of your time dealing with crap that has nothing to do with football. You may not even coach a position, depending on where you're at. At best, you're a coordinator for one side of the ball plus all of your other head coaching responsibilities, which means you forget your kids names until the season is over. Assuming you're working at it (which several folks have mentioned their HC does not... total exception, I think).
BUT, I don't know about you but my EGO says I want to be a head coach. I want to be in charge. I want to run things my way. Yes, we all work together, but one man has the final say. I work for a great head coach, but there are times when my ideas get shot down. I want to be a head coach, THE MAN, but it will definitely have its drawbacks!
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