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Post by coachjm on Jul 27, 2017 10:44:53 GMT -6
Fascinating..... There is much to be learned about the brain and CTE.... I think the big thing with this information and articles is to remember: Brain trauma is bad, as a coach of a collision sport there is a greater risk of head trauma so we must minamize the risk of this. We can do this with equipment, instruction, and our frequency of collision... This will limit the risk of brain trauma and in turn limit the number of injuries our athletes have. We have altered: How we block How we tackle How often we hit How we return kicks How we attack defenseless players How long we practice How we instruct without pads and with pads The equipment we have purchased How we have trained our lower level coaches All due to this research, I can state with full confidence we are better in all of those area's of instruction many times due to necessary changes and the goal to prevent head trauma. The goal for coaches (on my staff at least) is to keep researching keep learning, keep making the game better, safer and our instruction safer....
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Post by coachjm on Jul 19, 2017 6:12:10 GMT -6
Being at a school similar in size I have to ask if a depth chart is really necessary? We have on average maybe 14 guys who actually should be on the field at any given time. We have second teamers and then we have the guys who are the real back ups. Maybe at a place with 70-80 plus a depth chart might be good but at small schools the pecking order is pretty clear to everyone. I'm starting to think same way and maybe just post special teams once regular season starts. We too project to have 14 playing the 22 o/d positions with possibly two others we could plug in if we had too. If I posted a two deep it wouldn't be accurate as my backup safety is a starting corner not Jimmy in 9th grade who shows up on 2 deep. The same goes for multiple positions. We also are at a small school and we don't even define who the starters are. Tell all the kids to get reps early in the season, let them figure it out, about a week in I have conversations with some kids that they are only going to take reps on one side of the ball as they aren't going to be in the mix on the other side and I feel it helps our team for them to focus on the one position. Ultimately, we feel it has been a good thing as it creates some competition despite us having a smaller roster. With that stated we always have a depth chart for special teams in order to ensure us being efficient moving kids in an out on that unit, however, not all of our kids are in our special teams groups so typically we only have 15 or so kids that involves.
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Post by coachjm on Jun 27, 2017 20:02:42 GMT -6
Interesting topic:
I'm a big, loud, aggressive man by nature. I have found that softening my approach with most things I have better results but this might be because of my general demeanor can be viewed more aggressive then I even intend it to.
As an AD, I tell every Coach on our staff if they swear I can not defend them, ultimately, they know as does my staff that if you swear at a kid there is no way I can justify to that parent or that kid that is ok. Ultimately, some kids and some parents don't care at all and some coaches have great relationships with kids and can speak more directly then others.
With that stated, I also believe that confidence is developed through success, more specifically success in accomplishments that one finds difficult, and I also believe that there are two types of toughness, one in which a person will persevere because they believe the outcome will be successful (which stems from there confidence), the other is withstanding physical pain which stems from a greater level of tolerance that comes from an exposure to levels of phsyical pain.
I believe our greatest asset as a program has to be the level of toughness that we create, I don't think the yelling or screaming of any coach develops this, although I do believe it is a tactic that can be used I do think there are superior methods. With that stated the importance of providing immediate feedback (encouragement or instruction) verbally, and having a sense of urgency (energy) during this feedback is critical in the process of developing toughness as it enhances pace.
In the end if you are inspiring a greater number of kids to play greater your method is magical and don't change a thing, however if you are inspiring a lower number of kids or a not inspiring a greater level of play you need to analyze your methods.
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Post by coachjm on Jun 17, 2017 6:17:41 GMT -6
Not that I'm an expert on anything but I have had a handful of guys ask me what my favorite beer was and brought a 6/12 pack of that, some friends in Kentucky bring me some moonshine each time they see me. Ultimately, the times I have had the pleasure to meet with other staffs either as the learner or as the teacher I have gotten as much out of the relationship through time as I did learning that day. I really enjoy the time, discussion, and questions as well as learning about the other school their situation, their challenges, and how they have overcome those. Side note if you are meeting at a school don't take the beer in the school!
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Post by coachjm on May 30, 2017 16:27:01 GMT -6
We go away for a 3 day weekend of meetings in March and then once a week in season. Staff has all been together for a long time now (10 years) and we are pretty much all on the same page staff will meet individually with me periodically over specifics of what they Coach. Since each has a different role rarely is that time useful for anyone else although others are typically invited.
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Post by coachjm on Apr 29, 2017 15:43:13 GMT -6
Wow, to get all that into a motto that was memorable and able to be regurgitated (by kids) easily would take something mnemonic or alliterative. How 'bout: NEW YEAR NEW TEAM NEW LEADERS NEW CHALLENGES That is what I do overanalyze simple stuff.... I appreciate the input though the term "New" certainly fits the concept of the challenges we will face this fall. As a guy who has always enjoyed walking into underdog situations potentially being a favorite is a new ground for me that I'm not all that comfortable with yet. I look at our weaknesses and don't yet see that boy who will take the bull by the horns and demand excellence... Bruce I always value your input as I know your a guy who has actually walked in my shoes already! Or I walked in yours, semantics!
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Post by coachjm on Apr 29, 2017 7:37:11 GMT -6
We are a team coming a pretty solid year with quite a bit returning, I am having a hard time (for the first time coming up with a theme for this coming season) as I don't want it to have any tie to past years (ie tradition continues, or brick by brick, ect.) I believe every year is a new experience with new challenges and I really want our focus this year to be built around our leadership. Our group back is a bunch of really high character kids that tend to be a bit hesistant to put themselves out there amongst their peers. My Seniors we just graduated were similar but ultimately developed that skill likely due to some heavy adversity we faced early in the season. I would like to develop a motto around the following themes please share if you have a good one you have used or think of.
1. Leadership or developing leadership 2. This is a new experience a new team a new challenge (we have won some games so this isn't a goal to change our pathway) 3. Selflessness and the thought of servant leadership. 4. The concept of developing younger players or being inclusive to those who may not possess as much talent.
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Post by coachjm on Feb 7, 2017 5:33:24 GMT -6
I'm curious with those who have purchased and utilized a Sublimated Jersey how did they hold up through a course of 1 or multiple years. We are looking for a new Jersey product for this season and this is a product that nearly every company we have met with has brought up however I question the following things, year to year durability, ghosting, and fading. This is for the HS level as I know with our MS we may go this route as we play a lot less games and time.
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Post by coachjm on Feb 5, 2017 8:31:57 GMT -6
Millions of kids have played football for a 100 years with the vast majority having no issue. Creating legislation to dictate on what activities is crazy in my mind. The awareness and changes in our instruction due to the concussion concerns in my mind are a great thing. I know I'm a better and safer instructor of the game now then I was 10 years ago due to this.
With regards to youth football I have never been a huge proponent of it, however, my 9 year old played this year. He wanted to, I felt the league he was in did a good job of protecting and instructing kids and the overall contact level and head to head contact was nearly non existent. I may feel differently in a year or two but his first experience with the game was a positive one in which I was never worried about his safety or any other kids safety it was a long way from the stuff you see on TV.
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Post by coachjm on Jan 16, 2017 7:42:33 GMT -6
Historically our programs have always grown in numbers and there are several reasons I believe have ensured this that have nothing to do with results.
- Humans are pack animals, we are all looking for a group and there is always a leader of the pack, get the leaders of the pack and others will follow. - Focus on making football fun, players can have independence and freedom to do things that may not be your preference (assuming they are ethical) don't try to control their lives or experiences. When you take authority and create high expectations ensure it is something that matters.... For example, you can dictate what is on the weight room music (assuming clean) or how perfect warm-ups look but in my mind those are things the kids can choose however, if execution of our blocking fundamentals isn't adequate we have zero tolerence. Some call this picking your battles I veiw it more as points of emphasis. -Get kids on the field, if kids aren't having meaningful playing time they are not likely to have fun. -Change up the routine while keeping things the same, it is amazing the little changes you can make that kids believe is new and engaging and it is simply a small twist to what you were already doing... -Most importantly, invest in their lives, care about them more as people then as football players, attend their other events, support them when they are going through rough periods, stay connected after they leave. If you truly care about them as people more then you do as a Football player your connection makes the experience and time more meaningful for both of you and the commitment is greater for both of you.
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Post by coachjm on Jan 7, 2017 6:29:58 GMT -6
I have always had the most success with well rounded topics that are cover most schemes but I can really dig into. Examples: Offensive Line Blocking progression for hands or shoulder blocking Power Play instruction from multiple formations Passing game for wing based offenses
We are a double wing team that runs multiple formations, I have spent many years as a line coach teaching both shoulder and hand blocking and we work really hard on our pass game so ultimately all of these items listed above are things that I know we do with pretty good detail and the topics are broad enough to draw in folks (and hopefully give them a nugget of info) but yet it is something we can talk about intelligently with good detail..
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Post by coachjm on Jan 7, 2017 6:21:04 GMT -6
Our state does not and if they did not sure we would ever be compliant with our budget and location of our facility and some other logistics. With that stated my previous school had them and the reason we did was we built a new stadium with turf and they ended up going in just in case they were ever required. Even after we got them we never used them.
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Post by coachjm on Jun 4, 2016 18:30:21 GMT -6
As someone who works in administration with a wife in it as well and sees things from a different lens (then most) due to this, I find many posts very short sighted.
Sometimes, You don't know what you don't know!
A mentor of mine once said to me be careful if you go into administration to not change as it changes everyone. After a few months it was obvious the root cause of this is because you are making decisions for the best of a different subgroup. When you are a teacher you make decisions that are best for the masses of the students you are instructing inevitably there are some students who don't like your structures or your management style or the pace of your instruction. Administratively it is no different except rather then working with students you are working with a group of teachers. Ultimately, all you can do is lead the best way you know how to and work to support and serve your staff with the recognition that some won't like you, trust you, or buy into your philosophy simply because of your title....
I am a teacher by nature and will always be one! I never had a desire to be in administration nor did my wife however, sometimes life happens and things don't go as planned. I do know every day we both wake up with 1 goal in mind and that is to make a difference in others peoples lives, the circumstances and situations that we currently deal with have flaws as have every job prior however focusing on those flaws only takes away from our mission and goal of creating a positive effect on others. We are imperfect like all others but the fact is rather then focusing on the negatives in our current jobs we try to focus on how we are going to create infrastructure to overcome those challenges thus breeds optimism and hope and create change for our school and program and ultimately make a difference in the lives that you come in contact with.
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Post by coachjm on May 17, 2016 18:01:09 GMT -6
I took the HC job at my hometown, they were coming off of two 1-8 seasons and a long history of changing coaches (in all sports) often, told my wife before we took the job it would probably end ugly. Our first year we caught magic won 6 games qualified for the playoffs and beat three schools we had no business being on the field with (all had double our enrollment and much more depth). 3 years later and a couple admin changes I was fired on the brink of my best team coming up, it hurt, it hurt bad!!! My wife was named assistant principal the same year this wouldn't have happened if I was the HC still and she is still in that position, this year they have their 3rd coach in 3 years (all have been good guys and respected coaches) and we still live in town. It wasn't a good move for my coaching career but my kids have a great relationship with their grandparents, we have a good circle of friends and support systems, a nice home in a quiet community. I'm still Coaching (local school) and have moved on from a career standpoint although our situation is far from perfect there are more important things then coaching football and most of those things have benefitted since we have come back home. I'm not sure I would do it again but don't regret it either, one life to live full speed ahead!
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Post by coachjm on Apr 24, 2016 14:13:35 GMT -6
I have done it differently at different programs based on our staffs experience and what I needed to do to draw good coaches into our staff.
My current situation, I have an offensive coordinator, a Pass game coordinator, a Defensive Coordinator, a call many of the offensive plays on game night with my OC on the phones with me, however, he is empowered in his position coordinates many of our pieces in game planning. He generally calls a play it is just a matter of me listening to him, lol.... I actually really appreciate the collaboration of how we have it set up.
With that said our schemes offensive, defensive, and special teams are all set by me, I feel it is my job to set the vision for the program. Several times in my career when I have hired others to run their schemes on offense and/or defense we have always gotten worse. So at this point although we evolve each year our core schemes and vision for our schemes are gonna be consistent.
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Post by coachjm on Apr 7, 2016 16:49:57 GMT -6
Coaches I would love have a discussion about youth football camps that you set up and run: 1. When do you try to do them? 2. How many days/How long are you going? 3. Do you invite the Youth coaches? 4. What do you charge if anything? 5. Do you have your players get involved? 6. Are you teaching all positions to all kids at the camps? 7. Do you specialize and put on different camps for different groups? I am sure there are a million more things that I am missing 1. We run a K-6, 7-8, and 9-12 camp the last week of July two weeks prior to the start of our Varsity practices 2. Our K-6 camp runs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 3. HS staff runs it but Youth guys are all welcome if you coach your kids get in for free the more the merrier... 4. 25 dollars a kid, all kids get a t-shirt and we have popsickles after every day and at the end of camp our tournament champions get 5 dollar gift cards to Mcdonalds 5. Yep encourage all the HS kids to come help the more the merrier, they each have teams they coach at the camp. 6. We run stations for the first hour of the camp we break the kids up by age group and each station teaches a different skill, Blocking, tackling, passing, route running/catching, pull drills, break drills, kicking, punting, snapping, and running are the skills we teach. 7. The older kids become more specialized... We end each day by breaking the kids in teams and play touch football, we organize a league that is played throughout the week, each varsity player has a team they come up with a nickname and play games that are all 6-8 minutes in length we then seed the teams in a tournament for the last day winner gets the McDonalds gift cards. The popsicles at the end of each workout is a crowd favorite! We generally have 110-120 boys at the camp and there is only about 150 boys in the district in those grades.
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Post by coachjm on Apr 6, 2016 18:37:04 GMT -6
In the last 5 years we have really sized down on things: - Our offseason lifting is 2 days a week we coach up those who are there and give them some incentives and don't worry about those who aren't (still encourage them to play) - Summer we go to three days and are always done in an hour and a half - Cut back on camp dates and 7 on 7's - Nothing on the weekends in or out of season - No practice on labor day - No two a day practices - We no longer condition at the end of practice - We no longer run formal structured stretching periods at the start of practice - We don't hit much in practice - We practice much less time per day then we used too.. Really the only thing that has increased is our use of film but much of this has to do with the availability to film due to Hudl... Our results on the field is a variable that is tough to judge because there are many factors that go into it (we have won more games) my view is our programs have benefitted because our kids are fresher, always seemingly wanting more football and are choosing to find ways to get extra work rather then dreading the fact that their coach is making them do something. The switch in culture due us REQUIRING less has led to our kids having more fun, our parents being happier with our staff and more approachable, and most importantly me happier as I'm not stressed about many of the things I was trying to control that I really had no control over... How is the lifting only two days a week going? Serious question. Reason is because I got back into lifting last September for the first time in 12 years since my last week of my senior college season. The program I started is by a guy named Jim Wendler and his "5 3 1" program (best thing I've ever done or come across by the way and will definitely be doing it if/when I get another chance a HC), but there have been many weeks where I've only been able to get in two good workouts a week (couple hours long, doubling up Push Press/Dead Lift one day then Squat/Bench the other) and I never missed a beat...continued gains...more than ever (even during hs and college playing days). So, I've thought that if my 34 year old out of shape, has been a$$ can make big time strength gains....surely 14-18 year would be an automatic and then some. That really came about due to logistics, originally we had the weight room open in the morning and after school, I work, live and coach 100 miles apart so 2 days a week was really all I could do in the offseason on top of going to other school functions. Other coaches picked up the rest, my guys who ran some of the others retired or moved on and rather then having someone else pick it up last year we went to two days a week. This winter we had the best gains I have ever had... With that said my preference is 4 days a week so really that is identical to 2 days just longer lifting sessions. Our attendance is fantastic near 100% with us only giving incentives and placing no pressure on the kids to attend. I do think there is a benefit that way. When we started at our school zero kids could squat 300 lbs last fall we had 15 and we are up to 22 right now and likely will be near 25 or more come fall that is out around 30 varsity football players. This is due to the consistentcy of their attendance and the intensity in the room. It is a lot easier to get fired up for two days a week and get after it.
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Post by coachjm on Apr 6, 2016 17:59:49 GMT -6
In the last 5 years we have really sized down on things:
- Our offseason lifting is 2 days a week we coach up those who are there and give them some incentives and don't worry about those who aren't (still encourage them to play) - Summer we go to three days and are always done in an hour and a half - Cut back on camp dates and 7 on 7's - Nothing on the weekends in or out of season - No practice on labor day - No two a day practices - We no longer condition at the end of practice - We no longer run formal structured stretching periods at the start of practice - We don't hit much in practice - We practice much less time per day then we used too..
Really the only thing that has increased is our use of film but much of this has to do with the availability to film due to Hudl... Our results on the field is a variable that is tough to judge because there are many factors that go into it (we have won more games) my view is our programs have benefitted because our kids are fresher, always seemingly wanting more football and are choosing to find ways to get extra work rather then dreading the fact that their coach is making them do something. The switch in culture due us REQUIRING less has led to our kids having more fun, our parents being happier with our staff and more approachable, and most importantly me happier as I'm not stressed about many of the things I was trying to control that I really had no control over...
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Post by coachjm on Mar 26, 2016 6:02:26 GMT -6
I'm curious if there have been studies done on the effectiveness of this equipment? Logically, they do seem to restrict movement of the head and neck which in theory would potentially create less movement of the head and brain for certain types of collisions.. Obviously direct contact to the helmet from another helmet would have the same amount of force but I have seen numerous head injuries occur from whiplash type movement of the head when collision has occurred at other parts of the body. With that stated, my guess is due to the restriction of movement and our day and age of lots of spread football and high emphasis on the pass game the head mobility and vision is a critical factor for WR/QB and coverage players, this makes this type of equipment less vogue at all levels of football.
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Post by coachjm on Mar 25, 2016 17:51:04 GMT -6
I posted shared on my facebook as well with this disclaimer...
Although Bruce takes an extreme view on this, the one thing I completely agree with is the benefits greatly outweigh the risks, it saddens me that today we have folks who feel our great sport as too dangerous at the same time I see teens who view any work as excessive. I am a bit old school in lots of ways but I do believe giving our kids a physical outlet is a healthy thing, I believe in challenging and pushing kids past their comfort zone. I believe that my best lessons I learned in school were learned on a playing field from men who were effective teachers, great men, and mentors that cared for my well being. Thanks Raymond Schmidt LiciaandTim Connors Bob Ondrovick and the many others who helped in this venture. I believe that we have to keep pushing our boys to be strong fearless leaders who are willing to sacrifice in many ways for others....
Fact is I agree in principal but need to take a more polished approach at the level I coach at...
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Post by coachjm on Mar 10, 2016 5:52:03 GMT -6
Our assistant coach owns a bar in town. Is it really any different if marijuana is legal in your state? Only difference is the federal law. Likely the bigger difference is the community perspective in your area vs. this community in Washington. if your community was 90% Mormon your assistant coach either wouldn't own the bar or wouldn't be coaching... My point with this is it has less about legality and more about the perception the district wants. Ultimately, most folks coaching contracts can be eliminated very easily...
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Post by coachjm on Mar 9, 2016 20:23:27 GMT -6
People are fired in all walks of life for what they do on their own time if it reflects poorly on their employer. That's just the way it goes. Frankly it happens less often in education because of the union contracts. what about brewing beer reflects poorly on the district though? beer is not some taboo in our culture. 99% of the time nothing...... However, in a highly conservative community with strong religious convictions against the use of alcohol if you open a new pub named Coaches Place, likely it would cause quite a stir that could potentially prevent you from maintaining your position. Also, it would be not advisable to open a pub in a community that has strong convictions against drinking. My first superintendent in 2000 offered me the advice "if I ever see you coming out of the the bar in town don't come back to work here"
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Post by coachjm on Mar 9, 2016 13:31:44 GMT -6
A new female teacher wants to compensate her income by working at a local establishment dancing topless in the evening... I can think of more then a few school districts that would frown on this and remove the teacher from their post doing this legal activity. The legality of the activity has nothing to do with the decision of the district.
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Post by coachjm on Feb 27, 2016 9:17:11 GMT -6
We started doing a retreat in 2011 prior to that I would take our staff to a clinic each year. I was noticing at the clinic some of our guys would do a great job of getting to a couple sessions and other guys would not get much out of it outside the social aspects. As time went on we did more and more of our meetings at these clinics and I felt it was a waste of expense to pay for the clinic for everyone when the majority of the staff was getting more out of our meetings. So in 11' in the winter we went to one of the coaches cabins, we arrive Thursday night and cover summer/fall schedule and any offer any changes input that folks have as far as structure and events. Friday we start meeting schemes we spend 5-6 hours cover offense followed by 5-6 hours covering defense with breaks scheduled in for food. Finally on Saturday we spend 2-3 hours on special teams and head home. If guys want to go to clinics we set that up on a individual basis and we try to set up a couple visits each year to pick the brains of HS or college staffs that we have a lot of respect for.
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Post by coachjm on Feb 3, 2016 17:48:29 GMT -6
112 Mile round trip...
I live, work, and coach in three different places takes me about 55 minutes to get to school I work at in the morning, another 40 minutes to the school I coach at, and 30 minutes home it is a big triangle. Not ideal at all and for four years I have been calling it a temporary situation, lol...
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Post by coachjm on Dec 26, 2015 6:18:29 GMT -6
Data matters!!!! What data matters is determined by that individual that is utilizing that information that matters. Every year I pull specific data to from our stats and hudl programs for the purpose of revisiting some of the things we are doing. Most would be amazed by the number of times my experiences and memory don't coincide with the data I have. Typically with further evaluation the data is right it is just an impactful memory that has me questioning specific decisions.... Yes film evaluation of technique and performance matters most but if you aren't analyzing anything beyond that you are missing out on specifics that could help you. I understand the concept of perception of events, vs numerical data of the events BUT.... in all of these situations, the people who the data represents are NOT going to be the people creating the data next year correct? Punt team will be different--so will opponents return team. Kickoff team will be different, as will opponents. That said, I DO think that the THOUGHT process here is solid. Not that coaches need to do such analysis, but I do think it benefits ALL coaches to have an actual PROCESS where you think of situations. To THINK "Hmm..our kicker isn't putting it in the endzone, would we be better doing this another way". You need numbers for that? Yes some of us need a little more.... Maybe I don't have the experience or knowledge of football you have, I don't feel like I'm lacking in those areas but although every day while at pracitice and watching film we are trying to win the battle of inches and we are working pad level, kicking, and tackling ect. and although I agree with your premise that data isn't as important as this tangible, these fundamentals, I do know that for us it is a tool that we have used and has helped our program. There may be things that currently as a relatively young coach (38, 13years as HC) I may not recognize as quick as others with more experience or a higher cognitive ceiling. However, ultimately it is my job to maximize our teams potential regardless of my shortcomings, this is a process in itself that involves hiring staff that offers different strengths and personalities as well as doing quick audits weekly on how we need to improve. These audits are done both statistically and anecdotally, all of it is information that ultimately helps us improve.
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Post by coachjm on Dec 25, 2015 5:47:57 GMT -6
Data matters!!!! What data matters is determined by that individual that is utilizing that information that matters. Every year I pull specific data to from our stats and hudl programs for the purpose of revisiting some of the things we are doing. Most would be amazed by the number of times my experiences and memory don't coincide with the data I have. Typically with further evaluation the data is right it is just an impactful memory that has me questioning specific decisions.... Yes film evaluation of technique and performance matters most but if you aren't analyzing anything beyond that you are missing out on specifics that could help you. 1. Our conversation rate on 4th down by yardage distance altered our formula on going for it a bit the last two years. (two years ago we were conversting at a higher rate last year a lower rate we adjusted accordingly) 2. Looking for average start point from our opponent on kickoffs has had a major impact on our approach to kick-off. 3. Looking at data of punt yardage out out bounds vs. returned punts has led to us altering our approach on this. 4. Looking at opponent punt data of non returned punts vs. rush and not rushing has led us to altering our percentage of return and rushing. 5. Looking at gained yards after initial contact had an influence on our tackling instruction and leverage instruction (this one might be easy to say well you could see it on hudl that you were missing too many tackles but the fact was we didn't we had a very very good defense that gave up a few big plays in the pass game in our mind but when we went back there were a ton of first downs we were giving up do yardage after contact really led to us to focus on battling and winning the game of inches). 6. Looking at completion rates created a different approach to coverage keys and assignments That is a few specifics I don't think we go super deep in the data but I can tell you if we see a trend of something we look deeper into it rather then just reacting too it example from this year: Week 3 we have a terrible game in one of our offensive sets (stack I) vs. a team we were superior too... I stated to our staff that we needed to decide if we were going to dump it or not, my DC said go back and look at the data I don't think it was that bad, I pulled scrimmage and game 1 2, and 3 data (which I thought was gonna be horrible) and it was actually not all that bad and compared closesly with our base set, that game was down a tad but my perception was more based on the time and situation that it was being used in.
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Post by coachjm on Dec 24, 2015 21:19:23 GMT -6
Data matters!!!!
What data matters is determined by that individual that is utilizing that information that matters.
Every year I pull specific data to from our stats and hudl programs for the purpose of revisiting some of the things we are doing.
Most would be amazed by the number of times my experiences and memory don't coincide with the data I have. Typically with further evaluation the data is right it is just an impactful memory that has me questioning specific decisions....
Yes film evaluation of technique and performance matters most but if you aren't analyzing anything beyond that you are missing out on specifics that could help you.
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Post by coachjm on Dec 22, 2015 11:40:58 GMT -6
Rather then finding a way to pressure kids to come to the weight room, the key is developing a culture in which kids chose and want to come to the weight room.
1. Create incentives (ours are getting name on jersey and opportunity to be a captain). 2. Have quick intense workouts waste little time and get everyone moving and music pumping. 3. Be thankful to those who are attending don't worry about those who aren't there, all kids want is positive adult attention if you praise and provide this more will come. 4. Have a consistent measuring stick, have a few specific days (we have 4) in which all kids are "expected" to be there to see where they are at, have a fast well organized max out that is highly competitive and fun (a day the kids look forward too) this creates landmarks or dates for kids to set goals to achieve. 5. Give out reward shirts for lb clubs gets kids wearing weight lifting gear throughout school.
Yesterday I had a former player say to me Coach "so in so" used to spend a lot of time making us come to the weight room we hated it and despised him, you don't force anyone and seem you don't even care if we are here but there is 30 more guys here everyday..... The reality is what our program and staff have done is empowered our seniors to lead a culture in which lifting weights is something that is fun and makes you better that is a far better place then the alternative of lifting weights is what I have to do because coach makes me.
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Post by coachjm on Dec 22, 2015 5:01:16 GMT -6
I have two but the best one is this: we had a team that had graduated most of our top players but had a few lineman returning, our top boy got in a bad car accident in the winter and we lost two prior to season for drugs/academic issues. We had some winnable games early in the season and breaking in a new QB (we will refer to as crooked helmet kid) we struggled losing a couple decent games in which CHK (crooked helmet kid) managed to have 43 fumbles in 4 games, naturally we brought CHK in for a quick meeting to let him know we were heading in a new direction he said whew thanks, I only played cause my dad made me... A couple hours later he came down and quit the team (I tried to talk him out of it) DAD was hot for me ruining his self esteem and running him off and spent the rest of the year stirring the pot... The following week the back-up who we moved from RB got hurt in our warm-up of the next game we got stomped and brought up the JV QB who played the following week (not ready and played the eventually state champions) the following Wednesday he gets hurt in practice (pulled muscle) and is out for the year) we find a QB for the next week and at this point there isn't a game we should win, week 8 we go out and beat a playoff team in what might be the most fun win I have been a part of. Ultimately on top of the QB issues we started 6 sophomores in a league in which we were the smallest school and really everyone was playing seniors and top juniors, so on top of that we were a TERRIBLE defensive outfit...
The highlight of the season is we did hold future heisman winner Mark Ingram to 6 carries....
(full disclosure he scored on all 6 and ran for 243)
In the end this is a group of kids I'm still really connected too and for the most part played really really well and hard and in hindsight I'm elated they were able to get a win although I know we could have done a better job coaching...
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