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Post by flexspread on Apr 21, 2008 8:26:10 GMT -6
I've been doing some hard core recruiting from my 8th grade (I have 26 kids signed up for football from that class which has 80 total kids in it). I think I will probably get 10-15 of them. There are some really good athletes in this class, who play basketball and run track and I convinced them to sign up for football but as other kids talk to them (I make the upperclassmen help me build some excitement) some of the best athletes are on the fence if they will actually play or not. The main reason for this is they don't want to get hurt. I was wondering what most of you think/do in this case?
Do you just accept that football is in the blood, some people love it and some people don't. If these good athletes don't want to play then don't worry about them?
Keep trying to convince them and hope that they come out and enjoy it?
Something else?
When I played I was motivated by myself. I enjoyed playing the game. I never worried about getting hurt, and never had a problem committing to the team. It is hard for me to understand this type of athlete that has unbelievable talent, one would be an excellent QB by his Junior year if not earlier, who just is not sure if they want to play. I've had kids before who chose to play out of the love of the game, or chose to play to be a part of a successful program, or just wanted to be a part of the team. These kids don't have the love of the game (yet), and don't seem to feel a need of being part of the team. The program I am taking over has not had success (1 winning season in the past 20 years) but these kids only lost 1 game in JH. Any help would be very much appreciated.
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Post by superpower on Apr 21, 2008 8:31:05 GMT -6
I recruit them once. I encourage our upperclassmen to recruit them. After that I don't chase them down and beg them.
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Post by tothehouse on Apr 21, 2008 8:51:43 GMT -6
If you win, they will come.
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Post by fatkicker on Apr 21, 2008 8:54:05 GMT -6
and if you find another coach telling them to not play football, go stick an ice pick in his ear.........
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kr7263
Sophomore Member
Posts: 228
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Post by kr7263 on Apr 21, 2008 9:07:57 GMT -6
Unless you are a well established coach/program you must recruit within the district. We try to use the same formulas as big time DI programs.
get the names & addresses of kids through your youth programs / ms coaches / elm PE teachers / park district etc - send out mailers once or twice a year (can be as simple as a folded piece of paper) I have Saturday school kids address labels (choose these kids carefully and wisely but most of them want to get out of sitting in study hall for 4 hrs.
Visit practices or games - if you or your staff cant make it during fb season go to the bb or track or little league or whatever. Make sure they know who you are. If you can bring some varsity players with, in game jersey or team t-shirt.
Have a summer or spring camp - make it FUN - give out prizes / awards / recognition. Get the local paper to get pictures in the paper.
Make your program THE BIG TIME. I have never asked or begged. But, I promote the program so its always an option for those that are interested. Athletes will gravitate to a positive atmosphere - caring / concerned coaches & what they perceive as "the big time".
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Post by davecisar on Apr 21, 2008 10:54:57 GMT -6
I've been doing some hard core recruiting from my 8th grade (I have 26 kids signed up for football from that class which has 80 total kids in it). I think I will probably get 10-15 of them. There are some really good athletes in this class, who play basketball and run track and I convinced them to sign up for football but as other kids talk to them (I make the upperclassmen help me build some excitement) some of the best athletes are on the fence if they will actually play or not. The main reason for this is they don't want to get hurt. I was wondering what most of you think/do in this case? Do you just accept that football is in the blood, some people love it and some people don't. If these good athletes don't want to play then don't worry about them? Keep trying to convince them and hope that they come out and enjoy it? Something else? When I played I was motivated by myself. I enjoyed playing the game. I never worried about getting hurt, and never had a problem committing to the team. It is hard for me to understand this type of athlete that has unbelievable talent, one would be an excellent QB by his Junior year if not earlier, who just is not sure if they want to play. I've had kids before who chose to play out of the love of the game, or chose to play to be a part of a successful program, or just wanted to be a part of the team. These kids don't have the love of the game (yet), and don't seem to feel a need of being part of the team. The program I am taking over has not had success (1 winning season in the past 20 years) but these kids only lost 1 game in JH. Any help would be very much appreciated. Part of it IMHO is "in the blood". However as a Michigan State Study revealed 70% of youth football players dont end up playing HS ball. Why do you have lots of good looking athletes running the halls and not playing? Ask thm if they played before. Many will say , "Yes But I just didnt like it". Well why not? We did exit interviews of the kids that quit and didnt continue in our youth program, the top 3 reasons the kids didnt continue: 1) Poor Coaching 2) Team not competitive 3) Lack of playing time. As a youth coach, my job is to instill a love and appreciation of the game in every player so they would never dream of NOT playing. It is our opinion that there are valuable life lessons the game teaches like no other. We do this by addressing the 3 main reasons kids quit playing youth football. IMHO if a youth coach isnt retaining over 90% of his players from season to season, he isnt a very effective coach of all the players. It's a shame, you never know how a kids is going to turn out. You can have fun at every practice, teach great fundamentals and great sportsmanship, play everyone AND win, these arent mutually exclusive goals like some think. BTW what Kr is saying about recruiting does work, add in having the youth kids be your ball boys and free admission to games. Omaha Central did that the last few years in Omaha with some of our kids. They won a State Class A Title this year  DC |
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Post by gschwender on Apr 21, 2008 11:04:46 GMT -6
I recruit them once but if they or a parent says they are not going to play b/c they will get hurt I ask them if they are going to drive when they turn 16. The stats are rediculous when comparing the injuries in each
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Post by brophy on Apr 21, 2008 11:29:06 GMT -6
Think it from an young kid's perspective (not from a coach's).
1) What's in it for them?
2) Why should they play?
If you don't approach the kids, they will assume they are not wanted. If you approach every kid, they will entertain the thought of being wanted / acknowledged (the number #1 motivation of any young adult) in a peer environment. If they aren't great, who cares? Get the bodies (and buddies) out there.
Many "top dog" athletes at early ages are actually intimidated by new challenges (because everything has come easy to them up to this point). The young, super fast kids and basketball studs have experienced dominating without mashing it up physically. How are you going to influence them to take a leap of faith (and pride) to mix it up with kids who CAN take them physically (but can't in those other areas)?
PLATOON - committ to playing as many kids as possible. There is nothing more pointless or self-defeating like going out for a sport that you have NO CHANCE to contribute to. If you are going to suffer through practices, there has to be a payoff somewhere. Resist the temptation to rely on Johnny Studdly to play all the positions in every unit. That doesn't mean just hand out starting positions, just find a role each kid can fulfill and contribute to (don't ignore the players).
Be about more than just Wins & Losses - playing football is bigger than just what the scoreboard says. Teach fundamentals, build skills, and create a family atmosphere. The more people involved and contributing to the program ( more eyes on the kids ), the more the kids will benefit and enjoy the experience.
If you are going to be successful, you can NEVER stop recruiting.
Being a Head Coach has about 5% to do with actual X's & O's stuff and mostly to do with administrative and managerial (recruiting / PR) duties.
Most of my friends growing up joined MS football because that was just the thing to do ("john is my friend, and HE'S going out for football....so I might as well play football, too")
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Post by fbdoc on Apr 21, 2008 11:44:45 GMT -6
The LOVE of the game is harder to find these days simply because kids have so many other options than we had growing up. As far as getting the kids out, Brophy and tothehouse hit it on the head. I've been involved with 2 start ups and you simply have to go after the kids. Getting 2-3 "key" players that the rest of the pack will follow always helps but get the kids out and then coach em up! Those who hang back and say they don't want to play because the team is going to suck will come around when they see that you are organized, that they will get "coached", and that they will have a chance to play. And of course, winning also helps! Building the program is tough, but the rewards are many
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Post by coachwoodall on Apr 21, 2008 12:26:33 GMT -6
one thing our HC is implementing with our middle school program is to have the day after the game be strictly a fundamental teaching session with non starters only.
7th game on Wed, Thursday is an off day for those that start
8th game on Thursday, Friday is for non-starters and the 8th grade starters meet at the high school and lift with the strength coach.
I went back and looked at the middle school numbers from a couple of years ago, and we are less than 35% in retaining players. And that is coming from a program that has won 5 St. Championships in the last 6 years.
For future reference, what do you think would be adequate retention numbers 50%-60%? Obviously not everyone is going stay in the area, some will move on to the band, etc.....
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Post by davecisar on Apr 21, 2008 12:37:30 GMT -6
I had a program with 8th and light 9th graders for 8 years.
The retention numbers for well coached teams based on those 8 years:
8th-9th: 75 % It is always the lowest number, more physical game, more distractions (girls, jobs)
6th-7th: 85%
4th-5th : 90%
3rd and under: 95%
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wccoach
Sophomore Member
Posts: 159
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Post by wccoach on Apr 21, 2008 20:11:21 GMT -6
I would say that most kids that play football have a certain type of personality trait that makes the game attractive to them. Although most other team sports have many of the same attributes that football provides, the primary difference is the aspect of physical violence that is prevalent in football. The level of violence required to excel at football is not something many kids are able to tolerate, much less embrace. It is not a game that is suited for everybody and it takes a special young man to perform at a high level. The ability to tolerate the mental and physical stress and really enjoy that challenge is a trait that I have not yet learned to teach, but it can be cultivated to a high level if a player has that personality trait.
You know that you have a football player when he really gets plastered for the first time and he does not let the experience effect the way he plays. How many times have we seen a talented receiver become below average after he gets hammered for the first time? Probably more times than we want to recount! But sometimes you will find that special player that gets up after that big hit and plays even harder. So, yes, I think there is a certain level of "football in the blood" for most players.
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Post by coach4life on Apr 21, 2008 21:37:12 GMT -6
To me it's very simple and the message I give to kids and parents alike:
You have to want to be there. It's too hard and too tough of a game if you cannot commit yourself completely to do what it takes to get better every day. For those that do, the benefits they will receive are immeasurable and will be with them for a lifetime. It is without a doubt the greatest game in the world for the adolescent male. Having said that, it's not for everybody, and if it's not for you (or your son), that's okay and perhaps there is another sport that will be a better fit.
Coaching at the middle school level, it's often apparent who will and who will not play HS football. I encourage them all to go for it, but some kids just aren't every going to be able to hit and play with the intensity it requires, or will just be too small in what has become a game of large bodies (depending on where you live, of course). Just like every level, some kids just aren't going to have what it takes to move up. Having said that I think it's vital that we provide them with the proper fundamentals and safe instruction ("See what you hit!") for each and every kid. For those who are moving up it will prepare them well, for those that aren't they will have had a positive football experience.
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 21, 2008 22:31:08 GMT -6
one thing our HC is implementing with our middle school program is to have the day after the game be strictly a fundamental teaching session with non starters only. 7th game on Wed, Thursday is an off day for those that start 8th game on Thursday, Friday is for non-starters and the 8th grade starters meet at the high school and lift with the strength coach. I went back and looked at the middle school numbers from a couple of years ago, and we are less than 35% in retaining players. And that is coming from a program that has won 5 St. Championships in the last 6 years. For future reference, what do you think would be adequate retention numbers 50%-60%? Obviously not everyone is going stay in the area, some will move on to the band, etc..... Hmm..my initial thoughts are that this would appear to the KID as a negative thing. I don't start AND I don't get a day off....Why bother. Just wondering if you guys have had any difficulties with that aspect. |
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Post by tog on Apr 22, 2008 6:17:11 GMT -6
I liked knocking people over and contact.
I realize that there are some people that don't. Maybe their pain threshold wasn't like mine, or maybe they were just sane or whatever.
I just ask them about it once early. If they say no, then I tell them I won't bother them with it again and still do my best to get to know the kid and treat them with respect. (this really helps when I work with other kids in the wtroom that are not in football and they see that I am still pushing them to do their best and coaching them how to do so) Then if the subject ever comes up again, I will talk with them about it.
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