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Post by airman on Jul 21, 2008 16:23:17 GMT -6
I am curious as to how every one rallys their team around adverse game situations.
I have a sign which says "NO REPLAYS IN THE REAL WORLD" in the locker room. I find some boys today do not want to really compete unless they can get a easy victory. If they cannot win easy they have a video game mentality which you can just stop and hit the replay button on the video game system, start all over again. some it is mprotant to look like a football player but not really be one.
I remember 22 years ago my coach could get us easy buy challenging our manhood, our pride. I am not sure that works so well with todays kids. I say this because my coach could be brutal but what was worse was not being on the football team. In my town it was a big honor to be on the football team so it buckup and suck it up if you wanted to play.
fast forward 22 years and my school the football team is on its death bed so to speak. After my head coach retired 10 years ago the slow painful decline of my HS football program started.
The coaches seemed unable to rally the troops so to speak. the teams would start off good beathing up on smaller school and then the confrence schedule would come and teh team would spin out of control. one loss would lead to an eve worse loss the next week and so on.
so how do coaches rally the troops in the face of adversity?
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MaineManiac
Junior Member
What you see depends on what you're looking for.
Posts: 311
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Post by MaineManiac on Jul 21, 2008 17:50:05 GMT -6
You really pose a much larger question than how do you handle adversity. Of course I could give a couple of quick answers like never allow your players to see you defeated. You complain and they'll complain. And so on.
Yet I believe that the one principle that is most important is to commit to teaching the fundamentals of football first. If all you do is spend your time on X's and O's then what happens when they don't work? We make the largest commitment of time to the individual, group, and off-season program. Sure you have to run team and sure the kids need reps, but if they lack the skill to perform the task your X and O are asking them to perform the time spent is useless.
My roundabout answer would be to reform the priorities of the program, commit to developing fundamentals, and to making the kids feel like they can be a success.
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burn
Sophomore Member
Posts: 181
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Post by burn on Jul 21, 2008 22:37:40 GMT -6
Coach,
You have one question but two problems. The first being the kids have lost that swagger and second how do we deal with the adversity of losing a game. I am sure there are still kids on your team that will suck it up when asked. Take those few and start to build with them. That core group will grow as you work with these kids. It may take months and in some places years to grow that core but once you start and stick around the kids will gravitate towards it and you will take care of your question and both problems.
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Post by touchdowng on Jul 21, 2008 23:12:50 GMT -6
If you're talking about adversity within a game I think the best way to handle it (come back from a lopsided score) is to do it in small chunks.
Find a way to score small victories and use these as a way to build momentum.
We came back last year in a game from 21 down (21 to 42) with 7:05 left to play and won the game in overtime 48 to 42.
We never talked about a great comeback, we talked about doing the little things right and to put your best effort into it. As the momentum changed, everybody believed we could win the game if we had enough time to do it. We didn't have to talk about winning as the kids saw it happen play by play.
On a bigger scope, if the season is in a tailspin it would be best to just be honest about it with the players and set up a plan and work it. If the focus is winning, the focus needs to change (at least for the short time) as winning is not specific enough when it comes to carrying out jobs and practicing hard.
As far as adversity within a program such as a bad injury or poor decisions made by players or a death. You have to be upfront about it and call it what it is. That's the teachable moment.
What really matters is how the plan is mapped out to overcome this type of adversity. Make sure the staff (and key players) are speaking with the same voice. This is your only chance to make it happen.
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Post by wonderingcoach on Jul 23, 2008 2:06:35 GMT -6
Coach may I say that as a Coach that has been in a few programs, you are not in a boat alone. The generation has gotten softer, but its not too far gone. It is just not like it was. That is our first challenge. We want what worked on us to work on them. It doesn't work that way. We have to constantly adjust to the rapidly changing world our kids live in and how they see that world. I am not saying change your standards.. DO NOT accept less. But do re-evaluate your message. May I be so bold as to suggest this. You must be constant in identifying players that embody what you want. Support those kids with your time, praise, and positions (capt etc.) Find ways to build around those kids. Now I personally like to find practice teaching moments, such as in an Oklahoma, pitting 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 or some ridiculous match up. Pick a kid with heart and 2 or 3 Marys and when that kid succeeds, exemplify him. If he loses but goes down swinging, highlight that... I am also big on Mantras. Sayings that are easily repeatable, but easy to remember so that kids can remember in this cell-phone age. In this instance: Its not the destination, its the journey.
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