Troubled Coach

I dont want to forget this - you must make your expectations loud and clear.

player meeting, team meeting, parent meeting, mailers and contracts.

Tighten the screws slowly, but tighten the screws.

Expect things to get worse before they get better, this is called "growing pains"

Even a turtle has to stick his neck out to move forward.

Be positive, but expect your players, parents, etc. to rise to your expectations. A screaming, negative coach will not get folks to follow you, and you need numbers. Go out of your way to celebrate every success, no matter how small. The greatest coach I ever had (college O Line) would run the film back and forth just to tell us how well we lined up! 2 years later we only gave up 9 sacks all year. His standards didn't change, just where the celebrations started.
A great example of this is how they train killer whales to jump high in the air at Seaworld. Google it. Basically, they start with positive reinforcemtent when the whale swims over the rope under the water, and it ends over the rope 20 feet in the air. You have to be dedicated to the process, and celebrate the steps in the journey, all the while expecting success to your standards.
So meet them where they are, and bring them up to where they need to be!
And don't forget - kids, whether they realize it or not, want and need boundaries to push against and succeed within. Once you establish positively based accountability and discipline, most of your players will get it. Many of them probably have never been told that someone believes in them, "loves" them and holds them to a standard in a positive manner. I have found that almost all kids want to succeed, want to be part of the tribe - with all its rules, admoshiments and celebrations, they just don't know how to be a part of it. So they make up their own tribe - on line, in the neighborhood, wherever. To build the program, you need to be the "man", and provide them with a path to be a part of your tribe.
Good Luck

All great posts...Just recommend that you choose the things at first that will be non-negotiable - only a few things, and handle the rest on a stepped basis. Then communicate positive reinforcement when they do anything well. Make them want to be great for this team. Some will rebel no matter what, and you need to show them the door - swiftly. But, in the end you may only have 20 kids, but those 20 will walk on broken glass and hot tar for you.

Easy to talk about here, tough to walk it out where you are. I wish you the best.

I agree you have to do it your way. What gets tough is when your gut tells you that maybe your AD or your Principal might not be right there with you on some decisions. This is where the "loose lips sinks ships" concept comes into play. You get paid to make those difficult decisions.

I had a decision to make last year that could either turn the tide in my favor or just sink the ship and me with it. I bounced my ideas off a few whod listen but in the end I did it my way and thankfully, sticking to my guns paid off. From that point on I think things have been 200% easier.

Coach, here is a copy of posts made by other users on this site and other sites on rebuilding a program, hope it helps! and sorry for the super long post!
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don't think there is a magic bullet here. But of the 3 programs I've been in, we've had to turn around. The #1 thing we had to install was discipline. Even today, 3 years later at this gig, discipline is still the #1 thing we have to work on.

I agree with making yourself available. Odds are the kids are in need of some consistency. So be there, always be there. You're the HC, so anytime anything football related is going on you should be there and find a couple of assistants who are the same way. I think it commitment bleeds through from the coaches to the kids.

Also, something I've found helpful especially with weights...if they are absent call them, speak to them and find out why. If you can't reach them by phone stop by their house. If they need a ride, go get them...if you can remove all their excuses, then it boils down to "want to" and that makes your decisions much easier later.
1. Assess the situation.
2 Determine what needs should be met and when.
3. Make a plan to accomplish your goals.
4. Start immediately to build relationships with the players, starting with the oldest first.
5. Sell your vision- get them looking forward instead of backward. Sell your expectations.
6. Instill pride through discipline and hard work.
7. Recruit the hallways.
8. Don't compromise your principles, even if it means going 0-10.
9. Change attitudes and make a difference in your players' lives.
10. Work hard and have faith in yourself - It may take years.
Turning a program around is all about psychology and changing the attitudes people have. The raw demographics of schools in a given geographic area are usually more or less the same. It's how you handle them that determines who comes out, who works hard, and who becomes good.

As dcohio said, what's frequently at the heart of this is a lack of discipline, and that's from both the coaching staff and the players. Usually, programs with no tradition are very poorly organized, as you're discovering, and their execution sucks on the field because their fundamentals suck because their discipline sucks. Losing breeds a losing attitude from the players. They see football as mostly just a club and a hobby. They're used to settling for less--they think that's all they can ever have "just because"--so they simply don't care as much as you need them to.

That's the mindset you've got to change. You've got to get them optimistic, confident, and enthusiastic. Make it clear now that a new era is dawning. That will help spark the work ethic. When they see themselves getting bigger, stronger, and faster they'll be sold. But discipline has to be instilled--ideally from self-policing senior leadership--before you'll ever have a team instead of a group of self-interested athletes.

There are some things you can do that are fairly easy and can be done right now: meet with your rising seniors to encourage senior leadership and responsibility. Make sure you have a booster club set up to raise money to improve the facilities. Then paint the locker room, weightroom, etc, and make a team building exercise of it. A few cans of paint are cheap, while a spiffed up locker room and weightroom will really help send the message that the program is now in a state of renewal.

You've also got to establish the right relationship with your players early on. Be optimistic and show that you care about them as people outside of football--go to basketball and baseball games, recruit the halls, etc., but also make sure that you conduct yourself as an authority figure. Obviously your own personality comes into play here, but that's the basics of it.

Do you get spring ball there in FL? If you do, make sure to have spring practice. If admin will allow it, cap it off with an intra-squad exhibition game during school hours so the kids get to play in front of their classmates. Have the students pay $3 or so to get ouf class and watch the game in the afternoon. In addition to being a good fundraiser, this really does help to get people excited about football and talking about it during the summer.

It also gives you a golden opportunity to evaluate talent. A tip I got from an article by Bo Schembechler is to meet with each of your kids privately after spring ball and tell each one of them where they stand now and what you expect from them over the summer. That's when you really sell the summer strength and speed stuff.
1. Cut the cancers - players and coaches.

2. Set the bar as high as you are willing to go.

3. Lift, lift, lift - it is the only thing that really matters in your first two years.

4. Recruit a staff that will be loyal - you may even ask the admin. to open every position and have them all re-apply. It won't do any damage because they are already unsure about you, your philosophy, and don't trust you - believe me, and these other head coaches will tell you the same thing.

5. Work real hard getting to know the current 7th and 8th grade kids because that is really your first team - hold a youth camp in the summer and an intro. to lifting camp in the winter.

6. Don't be afraid to walk away from it if the administration won't let you hire your staff, lift year-round, and place demands on kids and coaches.

7. Recruiting the halls? I personally don't think it works and, in fact, in fifteen years of coaching, I have never had a kid stay with it who didn't do it on their own. They know were you are if they want to be a part of it.

8. Have total control over the fund raising so that all money goes directly into your account - not a parent group that you have to ask for it.

9. Look for retired successful former head coaches to join your staff - go seek them out and they will love the opportunity.

10. Remember, you don't win with great athletes, only the right kind of kids and coaches, so don't be afraid to make hard decisions regarding the people and stick to it.

Also, in our second year, we instituted varsity team dinners on Thursday after 'walk thru' practice. We have a local restaurant donate a nice pasta dinner and a local bakery donates a large sheet cake for dessert. We have the use of the school cafeteria, my wife organizes the dinners and she 'recruits' selected mothers of players to volunteer and help every year. This has been a great bonding scenario and it makes our varsity players feel special.
We are old school and we get after it pretty good in practice -- sell your players on the fact that nobody is working harder than they are. Our motto is "we want to be the most physical team on our schedule." If we can get to that level, we believe we can compete with the more talented teams we play. We believe team chants, etc. do no good once somebody busts you in the mouth, so we believe the best bonding occurs on the practice field, in the weight room, etc. where mutual sweat and blood brings us together.
By the way, our program has gone from the laughingstock of our area to the most wins in a 4 year period in school history (built in 1923), back-to-back conference championships and playoff berths. It can be done -- be passionate and be willing to work your tail off. There is a quote I have on my mirror that I took from a coaching article where a coach (can't remember who) asks himself, "Did I do everything I could today to make my football program better?" I try to live by this.

By: Bill Collar, Head Football Coach, Seymour High School WI

Post Plays - Use large pieces of tagboard to post plays on the wall in the locker room. This way the players can look over assignments before they go out to practice.

Word of the Day - Have players pick a word of the day at the end of practice. This will be one of the areas of major emphasis for the next day's practice.

Senior Captain - Give all seniors the opportunity to lead flexibility exercises for the week. Those players will also be captains for the game that week.

Never Practice Pre-Game Drills - Don't waste time with a complicated pre-game warm-up. Stretch out and loosen up but don't wear the team down with a great deal of running and chanting. Never worry about winning the pre-game.

Charts and Goals - Much has been said at past clinics about team goals and motivational charts. These, along with inspirational sayings, can be very motivational. Many players also like helmet decals that go along with the team goals.

P.M.A. - Always promote a positive mental attitude. There is no place for negative thinking or lack of confidence in football. Encourage an "I Believe" attitude. Remember, the other team consists of eleven players. Attempt to separate any tradition or past experience from an opponent who normally is really tough. Do not accept "I'll try" as an answer -- "Do It!"

Make Good Use of Video - Use the video session as a positive learning experience. Don't allow it to deteriorate into a "bitch" session. Have players pick out "big hits" and outstanding blocks. This is the time to give the offensive line the credit it deserves.

Assistant Coaches - Make good use of the assistant coaches. Take advantage of their strengths and be able to delegate responsibility. Avoid unnecessary meetings and long video sessions. Keep in mind their family life and lack of substantial pay. Be sure to give them credit and a pat on the back occasionally.

Work Vs. Time - Be sure to realize the difference between work (activity directed to some purpose or end) and putting in time but not accomplishing anything constructive. Grading video can sometimes fall in this category.

Team Togetherness - Consider getting the team together on Thursday evenings at a player's parent's house for a meal and possible film session. The coach can kick this off by hosting the first outing. Evaluate getting together at a church prior to the season and explain to the players how you feel about them, the team, training rules and the coming season.

Optional Video Night - Pick a night during the week (we used Sunday) when the game film will be shown and snacks will be served at the head coach's house. Players are welcome to stop by for individual video review and learning session.

Unique Event - Each season plan at least one unique event to help fire up the school and community. This may range from having motivational buttons printed to having fireworks during the football game.

Shirts and Hats, etc - Many of us help promote school caps, bumper stickers, shirts, trunks and other methods to put football on display. At times it gets to be a big hassle but it sure is good to see more football shirts around school. Give players the opportunity to purchase their game jersey.

"Bitch" Session - Periodically at practice schedule a "bitch" session where anyone can speak up and bring an issue before the group. The team will decide whether it is a legitimate complaint.

Support School Activities - The football coach should back all school activities. Make it a point to attend plays, band concerts, sporting events and as many extracurricular activities as possible.

Team Improvement - The key to improving the quality of the team is to take the below average and average players and move them up to average and above average. The exceptional players will always be good and don't have the improvement potential of the poorer players.

Identify Quarterbacks Early - Meet with junior high physical education teachers to identify top quarterback prospects early. Work to get the most skilled student leaders at this key position.

Locker Room Quality - Provide music, school colors, slogans, name plates, goal charts and pictures to brighten up the locker room area.

Exchange Ideas With Other Coaches - Meet with area coaches in mini-clinics to exchange ideas. Have X and O sessions to determine strengths and weaknesses of offense and defense.

The Perfect Play - Emphasize to the team that four perfect plays will win the game. When you have a perfect play run it over and over again on film and stress that everyone accomplished his assignment.

Rule Session - Make transparencies from the illustrated rule book and go over these with the players. Be sure they understand all the rules that apply to their position.

Agility Stations - Scheduling four five-minute agility stations early in the practice is an excellent way to work on movement and conditioning. Include one with little movement to provide a breather.

Cadence Drill - Use the quarterback to start drills as much as possible. Work on getting off the ball together daily. This can be done by clapping in unison on the correct count.

"NEVER" practice on Sunday, have a mouthgard penalty, wait for anyone, having many players standing around, leave the field with hard feelings, chew the team out after a tough game, or criticize other coaches.

Give Credit to the Opponent - We can help one another after a tough game by giving credit to the opposing team and the coach. Too often a quick comment after the game comes out sounding wrong in the paper the next day.

Bench Conduct - Be sure to go over proper bench behavior before the first game. Explain what a player should do when you call his name and how he should go about entering the game.

Night Off - Later in the season consider giving the team a night off practice. Use the time to go over video or lift weights. This break in routine will often help pep up future practices. This can be a good move after a really tough loss.

Stay Loose On Game Day - If the coach is all up tight the players are more likely to be too tight. Attempt to keep every game of equal importance to avoid up and down play.

Recognize the Individual At Practice - When a player makes an outstanding block or tackle or some other great play in practice, give him immediate recognition through a big clap or some other method.

Signal Drill - Instead of running team sprints, run signal drill sprints. This makes conditioning a reinforcing experience. The team can work on proper alignments, spacing, stance, starts, cadence, sprints and ball handling.

Keep Drills Short - Most learning takes place early in the drill. Encourage players to do it right rather than just doing it. Select drills that have actual carryover value to the game situation.

Practice Schedule - Have an organized practice schedule, get it to the assistant coaches early in the day and follow it.