|
Post by Coach Huey on Dec 16, 2008 21:27:30 GMT -6
why are they fighting? ... because one guy blocked the other one? because one guy tackled him too hard? because one guy didn't stop on the whistle? yet to see a valid reason for physically having an actual fight on a football field...
hey, some times my running back plays with a "rage" and "intensity" and gets "pissed off" ... and slamming that ball down as hard as he can on the ground just his was of showing that "rage". same thing when the qb throws a bad ball in practice -- he should slam his helmet down to liven up the place with his intensity...
again, explain to me how fighting really serves much purpose? when is it good to "condone" it? what's the point again?
stuff happens, no doubt, but nip it safely/quickly as you can, address it, and move on to PRACTICING ...
|
|
|
Post by jhanawa on Dec 16, 2008 21:54:26 GMT -6
Heck, I remember in college when the RB and LB coaches had to be seperated....LOL Seriously though, whenever we have a few kids get chippy, we usually will line the two up in a 1-1 drill and drive block each other several times while the entire team goes nuts. This is our way of telling them, talks cheap, settle it with the pads...gets everybody jacked up too.... its a good, practical way to "fight" and get some productive work out of it at the same time. After they're done and can't walk or breath, we'll rip their butts about being selfish and hurting the team, threaten them with a couple thousand yards of updowns and have them kiss and make up....works for us....
|
|
|
Post by nickknx865 on Dec 16, 2008 23:55:36 GMT -6
Personally, I've never actually scrapped on the practice field. I've been angry enough to sometimes, but I have a fair amount of self control in not letting that happen. Instead, I'd usually just hit the drills with a lot of intensity and anger.
Not to mention, I can't fight worth a lick.
|
|
|
Post by touchdowng on Dec 17, 2008 9:22:51 GMT -6
Anyone who is employed by a school has the responsibility to put a stop to the fight. Period. It is a school event, school grounds, student athletes. You can get yourself fired allowing a fight to go on. One soccer moms letter to the Newspaper or supers office and youre going to be coaching girls volleyball.
Our supe came to one of our practices and said he wished our district rivals had the same intensity at their practice so we'd at least have a game instead of the annual blowout. He stood there and witnessed a quick fight between an OL and DL that was broke up as soon as it started. We love our supe!
I disagree with having kids start fights to just get the intensity up. That could get your a$$ in a sling but when something authentic happens, you just deal with it and smile after you break it up.
If somebody can tell me how to use quotes from other posts I won't have to fight you.
|
|
|
Post by tog on Dec 17, 2008 9:46:28 GMT -6
hey, some times my running back plays with a "rage" and "intensity" and gets "pissed off" ... and slamming that ball down as hard as he can on the ground just his was of showing that "rage". same thing when the qb throws a bad ball in practice -- he should slam his helmet down to liven up the place with his intensity... those aren't intensity or playing close to a rage issues those are "i am fwustwated and want everwewone to see it" issues man vs man stuff that gets out of hand once in a while is a good thing--not the pretty boy hiphop attitude crap like you mentioned stuff happens, no doubt, but nip it safely/quickly as you can, address it, and move on to PRACTICING ... agree
|
|
|
Post by los on Dec 17, 2008 21:54:18 GMT -6
I only saw one fight at practice, in my 4 seasons at the HS level, lots of kid fights in youth ball(although most never made it past the posturing stage, lol)......At the HS practice......our sophmore QB(who was pretty good, but not as good as "he" thought) got angry, after one of the linemen missed a block, and he got hit pretty good while being sacked, during a team scimmage.....QB kid jumps up....spikes the offending lineman in the back of the helmet with the football(another underclassman by the way)........senior guard(who already doesn't like the QB too terrible much)......throws his helmet off, tackles the QB to the ground, rips his helmet off, and proceeds to beat the crap out of him... ..all us asst. coaches start to run and break it up.....head coach says....."no....don't stop them, let him learn a lesson"......QB finally begs "ok, I quit".....so the senior lets him up and they're cool after that.....no more problems.....and this was a small private school......bunch of well off country kids, lol.......pretty awesome actually!.....I almost hollered out....."rich kid fight....yeah....alright," lol
|
|
|
Post by touchdownmaker on Dec 18, 2008 6:02:20 GMT -6
I always found fights to be distracting and to interrupt teaching and coaching. The best players I have coached rarely if ever has issues with fights and instead made their statements with their play.
I sometimes wonder if too many coaches just get bored and enjoy the entertainment of a good fight.
I cant judge anyone else on it but I just do not allow it. I want my players to love each other.
|
|
|
Post by NC1974 on Dec 18, 2008 10:11:42 GMT -6
Intensity does not have to equal fighting. There are a million ways to be intense but still have the discipline needed to avoid fighting. I was a bit shocked to read that some coaches instigate fights. Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong, but if you instigate fights in practice, how do you deal with a kid who gets a personal foul or who gets tossed out of a game for fighting? Now of course fights will happen, and I don't think it's a huge travesty or anything. But to condone or encourage it is to me the opposite of what football is about. I personally believe that toughness starts with mental toughness, and that means being able to control yourself, and putting the needs of your team before your impulses. I always fall back on you practice the way you want to play. If you can't do it on Friday night in front of the refs, then don't do it in practice.
On a related note, I know there has been alot of talk about Pete Carroll on 60 minutes. Did anyone notice the way he dealt with a kid who got in a fight in practice? Granted it's just a sound byte but it was intersting.
|
|
|
Post by PSS on Dec 18, 2008 10:45:11 GMT -6
Don't know about the rest of you but our practices our very physically and mentally demanding. There is a lot of 1's vs 1's in drill and even team and run shell. We get after each other Monday through Wednesday!
It will get very heated when you begin to put the pressure on. Players don't want to get shown up. They want to execute perfectly. Early in the week there will be some pushing, mouthing, and a squabble or two. If not then that kid just doesn't want to compete, something is wrong with him. In both cases it handle by the coaches. Either correcting technique or sometimes a little extra motivation!
Rarely does it get out of hand. Why? Because the team is a family and they take care of each other.
|
|
|
Post by mariner42 on Dec 18, 2008 14:52:04 GMT -6
Playing in high school, we never had anyone come to blows. Shouting, getting into each others faces, being restrained/pulled apart, all of that stuff would happen about once a week or so. And we won.
Playing in college, same deal. And we won.
Coaching for a run-down high school team in Oregon with a losing tradition, not once. And we lost. A LOT.
Coaching for my alma mater, which has slowly become more upper-middle class and 'non-ethnic' since I graduated, hasn't happened yet. And we're losing more than we win.
I do believe there's something to be said for the kind of kids who won't back down, aren't afraid to say what they think, and will always come together at the end of it. It's impressive to see a 175 lb WLB/HB step up to a 350 lb NT because he thinks the NT didn't get good enough friction on the center. It's equally impressive to see them laughing and slapping five on Friday night when we were up 3-4 scores and that NT was getting great friction. I think that players with the intensity, accountability, and passion to ride that fine line will always be the kind of players you win with.
That said, if you have players coming to blows, then you either have prima donna athletes who need some self-control (That was a cheap shot! GRRR LET'S FIGHT) or people are missing the signs of something brewing. I know that some of the arguments, etc that I've seen and been a part of needed someone interjecting themselves before they got physical, but whether it was a coach or a teammate, there was always someone who knew better. Fighting on the game field is unacceptable, physically fighting with your teammates should never happen.
|
|
chuff
Sophomore Member
Posts: 136
|
Post by chuff on Dec 18, 2008 23:15:35 GMT -6
I'll be honest: sometimes at school if two kids are b/tching at each other and running their mouths, I take my time to break it up. If they only swear and push each other, they're out of school for one day. If punches are thrown, they are out for 10 days. In my experience, the mouthing off goes on and on, from class to class, day to day, until the whole school is involved and it is a huge distraction to everyone. But when there is a fight, a winner and a loser, when the emotions have physically been drawn out, the issue subsides much faster.
I'm not saying that I encourage fighting, but rather that sometimes an actually fight has an overall more positive result than bickering. Besides, it lets people know where they stand in the world. Don't we all know some cocky SOB whose arogance is routed in the fact that nobody ever kicked their a** in high school? Those kids grow up to be "that guy"
|
|
chuff
Sophomore Member
Posts: 136
|
Post by chuff on Dec 18, 2008 23:30:33 GMT -6
One more thing: I think there are different kinds/reasons for fights. The juvenile, he did this/so I did that of course has no place on the field. The kids who get into that kind of brawl in practice also do so in the hallways- a maturity problem. But the "I care so much about this team and its success that I am going to take matters into my own hands and keep you accountable for blocking/tackling/giving forth a great effort" fight is sometimes necessary. I bet that is the type of fight Mariner42 is talking about. Kids keeping kids accountable.
|
|
sbv
Sophomore Member
Posts: 171
|
Post by sbv on Dec 19, 2008 10:50:01 GMT -6
DC, I completely agree with the kids not wanting to fight. They'll talk tough to try and get their bluff in but if push comes to shove they don't want any part of an actual fight. While I wouldn't recommend asking if the two were going to fight, I am of the same opinion that I would not break one up real quick. Usually a mouthy kid only learns to keep his trap shut after he gets punched real good a few times. If asked why I did not break up a fight I would say, "I did all that I could do without putting myself in harms way to break up the fight, and then restrained _______ as soon as the opportunity arose". I'm 6'3", 300 lbs and use to be a pretty good boxer. Fights don't happen around me at school, probably because 1. They know it will last a while and 2. They don't want me "restraining" them. In practice I like it every now and then. I had my 119 lb QB and a 175 lb Safety start mouthing in practice. I stopped it, set up the Circle of Life, and gave them 5 minutes. My QB dominated. After the 5 minutes or pushing and shoving and wrestling, it was over and never had any problems. When I played college ball we had fights all of the time at the beginning of the season. As an OL I hated the DL because the only time I saw them was during the competition. I really don't see anything wrong with this. I've never been in a non sanctioned fight or one outside of a sport and I don't consider myself a thug. I think as long as you have the mental capacity to understand there is a time and place for this type of behavior it is fine.
|
|