Creating toughness and want to ?

it is a secret............


called

WEIGHT ROOM



or you can buy my DVD series and make yourself feel better.
If you think you can create THIS any other way than the weight room, you are only fooling yourself

Define tough?

Want to?

I think I know what you are getting at, but don't want to assume to much...

But besides the "weight room" philosophy...

Psychological studies have shown... via maslows hierarchy of needs, and Pavlov's classical conditioning... that depravity creates toughness...

However, such depravity is usually without alternative... deprave your players... and I think the only result is that you'll have less players... but they'd be tough... depending on how tough is defined...

We had (and to some degree still have) problems with weight room participation. We did a couple of things that seemed to have worked:

1) We completely sold out on the BFS program. I know that we can debate the effectiveness of BFS with the many other programs out there but BFS advertises like no other. It fit our needs because we needed to "advertise" the benefits and successes associated with weight training. Our program has struggled for many years (one winning season in 22 years as a co-op) so the success articles in the BFS magazine fit our situation every issue. We posted these articles everywhere--the locker room, on each player's locker, on the coaches's office door, in each coach's classroom, in the weight room, and in our bi-monthly newsletter.

2) Educate the parents. We included numerous points in the bi-monthly newsletter that discussed safe nutrition, safety, disspelling myths, health benefits, and successes. This letter (sent electronically) goes to the parents and players in our youth program (hit them early), junior high, and varsity.

3) Have an attendance chart that is visible the entire time. We had an attendance book that had been used long before I arrived. It was a three-ringed binder that one would flip the page with every day. Therefore, if a player was absent, few would know because it was only visible for one day. We took a piece of tagboard (with a pre-made grid) and listed every training day for the summer along with camps along the top. We then listed every player along the left side. If a player became a chronic skipper, it was seen by everyone everyday. It got to a point where the players were policing each other over this.

4) Establish a competition for top attendance. Keeping along the same lines as #3, we divided the players into teams. We have three coaches on our varsity staff. We held a draft prior to the summer lift. Each coach is responsible for the attendance of players in his group. This way the responsibility of keeping track and contacting players does not fall solely on the head coach (even though I still contacted players from other teams who skipped but at least the assistant did the same thing). Players were given 10 points for each camp or weight lifting session. They had one point deducted for each minute they were late. We also incorporated a team bowling night during the summer and several softball games. The winners of each of these received additional points for their team. The winning team was excluded from picking up equipment after practice, cleaning the locker room, and cleaning up after team meals.

5) Establish individual competitions. This was two-fold for us. First, we wanted better attendance. We did alot of the same things most other people do. If a player received 85% of their points, they got first choice of equipment and a T-shirt. Players who received 70% of their points got second choice of equipment. After that, I hope they get the oldest piece of crap in the equipment room. Second, we set up daily competitions. We called them "Gatorade Challenge" because the winners each received a Gatorade during the next workout. Some competitions included highest combined squat (or bench or dead lift or clean) by body weight, best time in one of the agility drills by position group, or something similar by grade level. We had the players submit their times/weights in a coffee can. Try to change it up so you have different winners (even though you may have the someone most of the time)--make it so players feel they have the opportunity to win once in a while. If a player wins a Gatorade but is not there to claim it the next session, they don't get it. Post the winners on the bulletin board.

6) Recognize the efforts of everyone (good or bad). We will post the attendance points in the August newsletter. These are listed from perfect scores (possible of 320 points last summer) all the way down to the very last player (had one score 8 points last summer--and he was a senior!). The players did not know this was going to happen last summer (our first summer of doing this) but they definitely know that it will happen this August. It is amazing the leverage one can have on playing time when it is in black and white for everyone to see.

7) Make the weight room accessible at many times during the day. We have three supervised weightroom sessions: 7:00 am to 9:00 am, 9:00 am to 11:00 am, and 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. We put a different coach in charge of each session just in case a session goes longer than planned. Players can choose any of the three sessions on a day to day basis. Their schedules are usually sporadic (work, family, etc.) so we accomodate this.

Our participation increased drastically due to accountability and competition (which made it fun). We had many players in later sessions that wanted to know who the top weight/time was for the Gatorade challenge and strive to beat it. If they did beat the top player for the day, they were on their cell phone immediately after the session to rub it in. Players were giving younger members of their group (from the draft) rides so they could get the points for their team. Great things develop from accountability and competition. Hope this helps.

Outstanding!!!

This is where I am at, as well.

t-shirts, food, helmet stickers...sure all of those things will get kids into the weightroom BUT, will those kids who are motivated to show up for those things work hard once they get in there? The answer, typically, is NO.

I would rather have a small group of 10-15 kids who are internally motivated to work hard than a weight room filled with 40 kids, 25 of whom really don't want to be there and have to be watched like hawks to make sure they are doing all of the exercises, reps, and sets completely and correctly and aren't trying to sneak out the door whenever they think you aren't looking.

Simply put, the greatest "motivator" in the weightroom is success. Once kids start getting swoll and strong, the word will spread and your attendance will grow.

Great question... Quantity vs Quality...

I initially would have whole heartedly said quantity... first get them in... then get them focused...

However, as "Good 2 Great" so eloquently points out... the first task to taking a program from good to great, is not worry about the direction, but to get the "right people on the bus", and the "wrong people off the bus!"

Quantity, still has you working with the wrong kids... kids coming to be social, going through the motions, waiting to later sabotage the program.

Or, are they the right kids, that missing link, that if you get them to turn the corner... they're already somewhat willing... I mean they are in the weight room... you get them on the bus... does the bus crash... or do you now have the team you need?

Quantity vs Quality...

I really don't know.

WHY should the kids come? Because you said so?
What are other motivators?

one other point I forgot, was as an element of "leadership training" Seniors and Juniors are responsible for the Sophs & Freshmen.

Leadership training is broken into groups. Seniors reverse draft the entire pool of football players.
Freshmen, then sophs, then Juniors......
So you should have 10 - 14 "groups" with 2-4 kids in each class.
That "leader" is responsible for the attendance of his group.
That leader has to call the freshmen/sophs to make sure they have rides and are making the sessions.

Highest attendance group gets a pizza party during the preseason camp. Lowest attendance group serves that group.

Think about it, if you do "spirit cards" or some other fundraisers, you probably are already doing this......just not for the weight room.