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Post by coachvann on Jul 29, 2015 8:32:15 GMT -6
What would you do?
Small roster with 3 seniors and 7 juniors and the rest being fresh/sophomore...total is at 25.
Talented senior linebacker and 2 juniors skilled guys don't show up 1 day to volunteer work puts over the summer.
We do not have anybody who matched with them skill set wise and it is a huge drop in talent after them.
They are not on depth chart but they will work for their spot...but in their mind I'm sure they know they will end up starting due to low numbers at their position.
What do you do?
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Post by blb on Jul 29, 2015 8:35:33 GMT -6
The best you can.
Have walked in your shoes, coach.
You can always hope your opponents have similar problems or less talent.
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mhs99
Junior Member
Posts: 250
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Post by mhs99 on Jul 29, 2015 10:02:42 GMT -6
Was in that position when we started out. You will have people on this board that say" Cut them loose, set the example".......That is the worst thing you can do. Reality is if you let them go a couple things are going to happen: 1. You are going to put younger kids in who are not physically ready and may get hurt, not good for the program, and those kids may not be willing to play the following year. 2. Your 3 best kids in a small program get jettisoned and you will get you azz kicked and program morale goes in the gutter. 3. The juniors have 2 years may turn around with success, and get two solid seasons from them; get rid of them and that will be a 2 year decision. 4. Other talented kids who are hoop guys first or lax kids, etc. see that you get rid kids like this and they will never step into your program. Use those kids who are marginally invested and get out of them what you can. Let the other kids know without telling them that you have more respect for those that work by doing the following things: 1. Never let the kids that didn't show up represent your program as captains or game captains 2. Get gear only for the kids that worked. 3. Workers get grist choice of helmets and shoulder pads. 4. Week 1 tell the kids at the end of practice that they have 15 sprints and then give the kids that worked out less sprints, a lot less, stagger it by how often they worked out. The younger kids get the message real quick about summer workouts when the non-workers run all 15 the 1st week.
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Post by coachdubyah on Jul 29, 2015 10:07:43 GMT -6
I think your bottom 4 are exactly how I would approach it. You do what's best and what is right until the kid says "I quit". I used to not think that. I used to say cut them loose.
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Post by blb on Jul 29, 2015 10:26:41 GMT -6
We gave a special "Commitment" T-shirt to kids who showed up to every Summer workout.
We gave out equipment in order of number of workouts attended, including choice of jersey numbers.
Kids did not vote those whose commitment level was bad captains, but if they had I'd have used my veto power.
Started kids off lower on depth chart that had poor attendance. Last year we brought up two Sophomores in July to replace two Seniors who hadn't shown up in June or hardly the year before either. Didn't wait until practice started.
But with your numbers (we started with 21 last fall, finished with 19) there's only so much you can do.
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Post by wingtol on Jul 29, 2015 11:52:22 GMT -6
I know people go on and on about this subject but in reality what choice do you have but to let them play and compete once OFFICAL practice starts. No where I know of that is able to make summer mandatory. Of course you need to reward kids who have been there and working with privelages that these kids who didn't show up don't get. I have coached at small schools for a while now and unfortunately the guys who are just flat out better know it real quick and can hold you hostage because if they show up for the mandatory stuff and aren't cancers and earn those positions what can you really do about it. Talent drops off real fast at small schools, you try and make a point by playing young kids who where there all summer it's gonna get ugly real quick sometimes, as others pointed out, to the point where those kids don't want to play side they got their asses kicked and now you have no team.
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orion320
Sophomore Member
"Don't tell me about the labor just show me the baby!"
Posts: 211
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Post by orion320 on Jul 29, 2015 12:02:30 GMT -6
We are currently facing a similar issue with a handful of kids in our program. Camp is 'optional' but as most kids know 'optional' means mandatory but if they miss for whatever reason then there is nothing we can really do about it. We do however buy dinner for those kids who did not miss a day of camp excused or unexcused.
If a kid shows up in August for the first practice and he wasn't at camp we accept them to join our team. Our program is not in place where we can turn kids away and it sounds like your program is the same.
MHS99 said it best with his bottom 4 reasons. Punish them without punishing the team but still sending a message to the kids who were present every day.
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Post by coachcb on Jul 29, 2015 12:04:29 GMT -6
In my HC tenures, the kids got a contract stating that they understood they needed to make 75% of workouts during the year and 75% during the summer if they wanted to be captains, letter or be up for post-season honors. So, none of these guys would be eligible to be a captain, no letter and no all-conference or all-state accolades.
As other coaches have stated, these kids would be planted on the bottom of the depth chart and have to earn their way to the top. I've always liked blb's conditioning clause too; they get to do the conditioning during two a days because they didn't do it during the summer.
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Post by dubber on Jul 29, 2015 13:12:51 GMT -6
Let them compete to play, and continue to try and build your culture.
You are better off getting kids excited to white wash a fence than drawing a line in the sand.
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Post by fballcoachg on Jul 29, 2015 18:57:01 GMT -6
In my HC tenures, the kids got a contract stating that they understood they needed to make 75% of workouts during the year and 75% during the summer if they wanted to be captains, letter or be up for post-season honors. So, none of these guys would be eligible to be a captain, no letter and no all-conference or all-state accolades. As other coaches have stated, these kids would be planted on the bottom of the depth chart and have to earn their way to the top. I've always liked blb's conditioning clause too; they get to do the conditioning during two a days because they didn't do it during the summer. I get the captain eligibility. I do not understand nor do I see how you have a leg to stand on with the lettering or post season honors such all conference or all state. Those awards are about in season performance, how can you justify holding the best player in the conference off of the team because he only made 70% of workouts and even moreso, how are you going to get an administration to side with you when their contribution to the team was clearly above others (as it typically is with all state and all conference opponents)? With that you are sending the message that, you are valuable enough for me to feed the rock to but not valuable enough to get credit for your contribution.
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Post by 90rocket on Jul 29, 2015 20:55:32 GMT -6
In my HC tenures, the kids got a contract stating that they understood they needed to make 75% of workouts during the year and 75% during the summer if they wanted to be captains, letter or be up for post-season honors. So, none of these guys would be eligible to be a captain, no letter and no all-conference or all-state accolades. As other coaches have stated, these kids would be planted on the bottom of the depth chart and have to earn their way to the top. I've always liked blb's conditioning clause too; they get to do the conditioning during two a days because they didn't do it during the summer. I get the captain eligibility. I do not understand nor do I see how you have a leg to stand on with the lettering or post season honors such all conference or all state. Â Those awards are about in season performance, how can you justify holding the best player in the conference off of the team because he only made 70% of workouts and even moreso, how are you going to get an administration to side with you when their contribution to the team was clearly above others (as it typically is with all state and all conference opponents)? Â With that you are sending the message that, you are valuable enough for me to feed the rock to but not valuable enough to get credit for your contribution. Here's what I do in regards to that...In our league the coaches choose who gets in the All Star team. Unless that kid is an absolute stud, I am not going to put him on an all star team if he doesn't make many off season workouts. I'll try to get as many kids on the all star team who do attend and I make sure to remind the other kids that it is the kids who ARE making the workouts that are all stars. It helps that the kids think the other coaches pick our All Stars.
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Post by hback41 on Jul 30, 2015 0:27:38 GMT -6
Our best player moved out of town to work for the summer. He didn't take summer school and will miss 2 games. He is a D1 or 1AA talent. Dude is going to play. We wish his situation was different, but he will still be the best player on the field in most games this year. At camp, it allowed other guys to shine.
We are making the best of the situation.
Sent from my SM-G900V using proboards
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Post by groundchuck on Jul 30, 2015 3:58:35 GMT -6
We have that happen too. I think most schools do. We try not to cut off our nose to spite our face.
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go42
Sophomore Member
Posts: 147
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Post by go42 on Jul 30, 2015 5:02:21 GMT -6
At the end of the day, if those kids will help the kids who have made the commitment and have been dedicated to being the best they can possibly be, they will probably see the field. We will promote the heck outta the kids who put in the time. We reward all kids who reach a certain level of summer participation with a large award decal for their helmet so everyone can see they were dedicated. We also excuse the kids who worked the hardest in the offseason from two sessions of conditioning during camp. Those guys get to sit on dummies and watch the others complete the conditioning sessions. One other reward for the top kids is allowing them to select their equipment early. These are all ways to reward the kids who work the hardest and not "punishing" those who do nothing. You need those kids to play and give your dedicated kids the best chance to be successful.
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Post by dubber on Jul 30, 2015 7:47:08 GMT -6
In my mind, the hill I will die on is IN SEASON attendance.
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Post by coachcb on Jul 30, 2015 9:38:23 GMT -6
In my HC tenures, the kids got a contract stating that they understood they needed to make 75% of workouts during the year and 75% during the summer if they wanted to be captains, letter or be up for post-season honors. So, none of these guys would be eligible to be a captain, no letter and no all-conference or all-state accolades. As other coaches have stated, these kids would be planted on the bottom of the depth chart and have to earn their way to the top. I've always liked blb's conditioning clause too; they get to do the conditioning during two a days because they didn't do it during the summer. I get the captain eligibility. I do not understand nor do I see how you have a leg to stand on with the lettering or post season honors such all conference or all state. Those awards are about in season performance, how can you justify holding the best player in the conference off of the team because he only made 70% of workouts and even moreso, how are you going to get an administration to side with you when their contribution to the team was clearly above others (as it typically is with all state and all conference opponents)? With that you are sending the message that, you are valuable enough for me to feed the rock to but not valuable enough to get credit for your contribution. 1. We tell the kids that lettering means more than just being on the team; it means contributing to the team and that includes the off-season. We continually tell the kids that winning is accomplished in the off-season so we tie that into lettering. With that being said that 75% mark is, for lack of a better term, "quietly relative". We do make exceptions for certain situations, such as the 70% you described above. We most assuredly did not paint ourselves into a corner and made allowances for a lot of stuff, especially in the summer. One school was very committed to basketball so I used it to my advantage and hounded the kids to get to basketball open gyms in the off-season. I dragged them into the weight room after, had them do a few sets of squats, bench or power clean and called it a workout. Any practice or game for another sport or a period of weight training was also considered a workout. 2. Post season accolades are a part of the process because I view them as an extension of the team and the program. Yes, the athlete may have had a very good season and produced but it wasn't all on them; it was a team effort. They weren't successful on their own; they were successful because the kids around them did their job. So, again, it gets back to making a commitment to the the team. We had a very good guard/DE who was nominated by every coach in the conference for all-conference. I shot it down because the kid didn't attend a single off-season workout and was a dominating force because of his genetics and because everyone around him hit the weights and did their job. Mom and dad were furious and came up with a multitude of excuses for their baby boy but they also signed the contract stating that they understood the rules. Now, most coaches will say that this is draconian and over-reaching. But, both of the programs I have taken over have been the absolute sh-ts for years. We had many positive reinforcements in place such as poundage clubs, powerlifting competitions, team breakfasts after workouts, etc..etc.. And, I'm also a positive, up-beat coach who treats everyone in the program with respect. But, all of those things only go so far when you're dealing with a community and school that has very little commitment to anything. I feel that there needs to be negative stimuli as well as the positive. Unfortunately, both of these communities took the positive reinforcement for granted and it took mixing in the negative to get the kids take some accountability in the off-season. One team was in the toughest conference in the state and we had to hit the ground running if we were going to compete. The other team was in a dismal conference but mediocrity was ingrained into the community; the kids and the parents didn't care about ANYTHING. All of the kids participated in sports (very small school) but they were perfectly content to get their butts handed to them every week. They hadn't won a game in six years and it was barely acknowledged when we finally did get one. That place is a dismal little black hole and I will never set foot there again.
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Post by fantom on Jul 30, 2015 10:00:36 GMT -6
I get the captain eligibility. I do not understand nor do I see how you have a leg to stand on with the lettering or post season honors such all conference or all state. Those awards are about in season performance, how can you justify holding the best player in the conference off of the team because he only made 70% of workouts and even moreso, how are you going to get an administration to side with you when their contribution to the team was clearly above others (as it typically is with all state and all conference opponents)? With that you are sending the message that, you are valuable enough for me to feed the rock to but not valuable enough to get credit for your contribution. 1. We tell the kids that lettering means more than just being on the team; it means contributing to the team and that includes the off-season. We continually tell the kids that winning is accomplished in the off-season so we tie that into lettering. With that being said that 75% mark is, for lack of a better term, "quietly relative". We do make exceptions for certain situations, such as the 70% you described above. We most assuredly did not paint ourselves into a corner and made allowances for a lot of stuff, especially in the summer. One school was very committed to basketball so I used it to my advantage and hounded the kids to get to basketball open gyms in the off-season. I dragged them into the weight room after, had them do a few sets of squats, bench or power clean and called it a workout. Any practice or game for another sport or a period of weight training was also considered a workout. 2. Post season accolades are a part of the process because I view them as an extension of the team and the program. Yes, the athlete may have had a very good season and produced but it wasn't all on them; it was a team effort. They weren't successful on their own; they were successful because the kids around them did their job. So, again, it gets back to making a commitment to the the team. We had a very good guard/DE who was nominated by every coach in the conference for all-conference. I shot it down because the kid didn't attend a single off-season workout and was a dominating force because of his genetics and because everyone around him hit the weights and did their job. Mom and dad were furious and came up with a multitude of excuses for their baby boy but they also signed the contract stating that they understood the rules. Now, most coaches will say that this is draconian and over-reaching. But, both of the programs I have taken over have been the absolute sh-ts for years. We had many positive reinforcements in place such as poundage clubs, powerlifting competitions, team breakfasts after workouts, etc..etc.. And, I'm also a positive, up-beat coach who treats everyone in the program with respect. But, all of those things only go so far when you're dealing with a community and school that has very little commitment to anything. I feel that there needs to be negative stimuli as well as the positive. Unfortunately, both of these communities took the positive reinforcement for granted and it took mixing in the negative to get the kids take some accountability in the off-season. One team was in the toughest conference in the state and we had to hit the ground running if we were going to compete. The other team was in a dismal conference but mediocrity was ingrained into the community; the kids and the parents didn't care about ANYTHING. All of the kids participated in sports (very small school) but they were perfectly content to get their butts handed to them every week. They hadn't won a game in six years and it was barely acknowledged when we finally did get one. That place is a dismal little black hole and I will never set foot there again. Might I suggest that if something hasn't worked maybe you should consider modifying your approach?
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Post by blb on Jul 30, 2015 10:20:08 GMT -6
I don't think I've ever worked for an administration that would support me if I withheld a kid's letter because of what he didn't do in the Off-Season.
Not that I would do it because I don't believe it's right.
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Post by fantom on Jul 30, 2015 10:48:47 GMT -6
A few years ago during the coaches' meeting to vote for the all star team one coach sat there and didn't participate. He read the paper until the running back vote came up. Then he put the paper down and made an impassioned plea for one of his players. He said that he'd waited until that point because he believed in the kid so much. He described the kid as one of the hardest working, highest character kids that he'd ever coached ans begged us to consider that.
The kid didn't make it. He wasn't voted onto 1st or 2nd team nor should he have been. The fact is that he wasn't one of the top four RB's in the league. In fact, I didn't think that he was the best RB on his team. Maybe he was on the Honor Roll and a great kid who tutored little kids, coordinated the food drive, helped old ladies across the street, and rescued cats but that's not what we were voting for. Sure, those other things are really more important but we were there to pick the best players and he wasn't one of them.
If you don't want to nominate a kid, I understand that. If other coaches nominate him and you vote against him, that's up to you. I don't get arguing against one of ours, though. If I did that and word got out-and nothing is secret anymore- I don't that I'd be in a tenable situation ass far as keeping my job.
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Post by Cody Gardner on Jul 30, 2015 11:35:36 GMT -6
Bad spot, but the best 11 play. I'd focus more on how not to be in this spot again next year.
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Post by coachcb on Jul 30, 2015 12:16:47 GMT -6
1. We tell the kids that lettering means more than just being on the team; it means contributing to the team and that includes the off-season. We continually tell the kids that winning is accomplished in the off-season so we tie that into lettering. With that being said that 75% mark is, for lack of a better term, "quietly relative". We do make exceptions for certain situations, such as the 70% you described above. We most assuredly did not paint ourselves into a corner and made allowances for a lot of stuff, especially in the summer. One school was very committed to basketball so I used it to my advantage and hounded the kids to get to basketball open gyms in the off-season. I dragged them into the weight room after, had them do a few sets of squats, bench or power clean and called it a workout. Any practice or game for another sport or a period of weight training was also considered a workout. 2. Post season accolades are a part of the process because I view them as an extension of the team and the program. Yes, the athlete may have had a very good season and produced but it wasn't all on them; it was a team effort. They weren't successful on their own; they were successful because the kids around them did their job. So, again, it gets back to making a commitment to the the team. We had a very good guard/DE who was nominated by every coach in the conference for all-conference. I shot it down because the kid didn't attend a single off-season workout and was a dominating force because of his genetics and because everyone around him hit the weights and did their job. Mom and dad were furious and came up with a multitude of excuses for their baby boy but they also signed the contract stating that they understood the rules. Now, most coaches will say that this is draconian and over-reaching. But, both of the programs I have taken over have been the absolute sh-ts for years. We had many positive reinforcements in place such as poundage clubs, powerlifting competitions, team breakfasts after workouts, etc..etc.. And, I'm also a positive, up-beat coach who treats everyone in the program with respect. But, all of those things only go so far when you're dealing with a community and school that has very little commitment to anything. I feel that there needs to be negative stimuli as well as the positive. Unfortunately, both of these communities took the positive reinforcement for granted and it took mixing in the negative to get the kids take some accountability in the off-season. One team was in the toughest conference in the state and we had to hit the ground running if we were going to compete. The other team was in a dismal conference but mediocrity was ingrained into the community; the kids and the parents didn't care about ANYTHING. All of the kids participated in sports (very small school) but they were perfectly content to get their butts handed to them every week. They hadn't won a game in six years and it was barely acknowledged when we finally did get one. That place is a dismal little black hole and I will never set foot there again. Might I suggest that if something hasn't worked maybe you should consider modifying your approach? That's thee thing coach; it did work in my first HC position. The program hadn't won a single game since they school started they own 8-man program and stopped co-opping with another school. They had lost nearly forty games in a row and we got managed to get one win my first year and three my second. I left the program because my wife got a better job in a different city and I moved to be with her. Several things happened while I was there though: 1. The kids all signed up for the PE weight training class which covered their workouts for the school year. About half of them showed up for the after school training I had set up consistently. They also played basketball from November through most of the summer. Again, I took advantage of basketball open gyms to get them weight room reps. Only three kids didn't hit the 75% mark for summer workouts and one of them was gone all summer and we obviously didn't hold it against them. The other two were just no-shows. Both worked as life-guards at the school pool which was adjacent to the weight room but they couldn't be bothered. One didn't care that he didn't letter and wouldn't have been up for post season honors. The second was the stud guard I described. 2. By pressing home the idea that lettering and post-season honors were connected to team commitment and success, we got more out of the kids. The overall mantra to our program was family, family, family. Play as a family, take care of your teammates as if they were family and work hard to not let them down. So, we did start to turn the culture around in the school. We would have made a play-off run if I was there for a third year as we had our starters back and the rest of the teams in the conference did not. It would have been a short run but a run, nonetheless.
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Post by fantom on Jul 30, 2015 12:28:41 GMT -6
Might I suggest that if something hasn't worked maybe you should consider modifying your approach? That's thee thing coach; it did work in my first HC position. The program hadn't won a single game since they school started they own 8-man program and stopped co-opping with another school. They had lost nearly forty games in a row and we got managed to get one win my first year and three my second. I left the program because my wife got a better job in a different city and I moved to be with her. Several things happened while I was there though: 1. The kids all signed up for the PE weight training class which covered their workouts for the school year. About half of them showed up for the after school training I had set up consistently. They also played basketball from November through most of the summer. Again, I took advantage of basketball open gyms to get them weight room reps. Only three kids didn't hit the 75% mark for summer workouts and one of them was gone all summer and we obviously didn't hold it against them. The other two were just no-shows. Both worked as life-guards at the school pool which was adjacent to the weight room but they couldn't be bothered. One didn't care that he didn't letter and wouldn't have been up for post season honors. The second was the stud guard I described. 2. By pressing home the idea that lettering and post-season honors were connected to team commitment and success, we got more out of the kids. The overall mantra to our program was family, family, family. Play as a family, take care of your teammates as if they were family and work hard to not let them down. So, we did start to turn the culture around in the school. We would have made a play-off run if I was there for a third year as we had our starters back and the rest of the teams in the conference did not. It would have been a short run but a run, nonetheless. Not everything works everywhere.
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Post by coachcb on Jul 30, 2015 12:50:29 GMT -6
That's thee thing coach; it did work in my first HC position. The program hadn't won a single game since they school started they own 8-man program and stopped co-opping with another school. They had lost nearly forty games in a row and we got managed to get one win my first year and three my second. I left the program because my wife got a better job in a different city and I moved to be with her. Several things happened while I was there though: 1. The kids all signed up for the PE weight training class which covered their workouts for the school year. About half of them showed up for the after school training I had set up consistently. They also played basketball from November through most of the summer. Again, I took advantage of basketball open gyms to get them weight room reps. Only three kids didn't hit the 75% mark for summer workouts and one of them was gone all summer and we obviously didn't hold it against them. The other two were just no-shows. Both worked as life-guards at the school pool which was adjacent to the weight room but they couldn't be bothered. One didn't care that he didn't letter and wouldn't have been up for post season honors. The second was the stud guard I described. 2. By pressing home the idea that lettering and post-season honors were connected to team commitment and success, we got more out of the kids. The overall mantra to our program was family, family, family. Play as a family, take care of your teammates as if they were family and work hard to not let them down. So, we did start to turn the culture around in the school. We would have made a play-off run if I was there for a third year as we had our starters back and the rest of the teams in the conference did not. It would have been a short run but a run, nonetheless. Not everything works everywhere. Nope, it does not. I was going to delve into that the last post but my computer restarted. My second round as an HC was a nightmare. We were co-oping with another school and the decision to do so was not popular with the other community. I didn't intend to coach for the school (long story) but the HC moved and they asked me to take over and I did. I thought that I could improve the popularity of the co-op by winning a few games in football and ingraining myself into the community. The previous HC had similar lettering requirements (the kids had to show up for the two camps offered) so I figured my policies would be alright. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was already an unpopular figure for championing the co-op in the first place and bringing in strict policies was a bad idea. I realize now that I didn't need to lead with the hammer in this situation and we would have been more successful. I had a good relationship with the players but the community was a different story. When coaching in small towns (<500 people in community), you're generally either going to get complete buy-in or none at all. The successful small-town coaches create dynasties within a year or two while the rest have a different coach every two years. Right now, I'm pseudo-retired from coaching football. I'm in a new school and town (much bigger) and I'll help them out as a volunteer but I won't be taking on any major roles. I am keeping my eyes open for another small town HC position as I love 8-man football.
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Post by coach2013 on Jul 30, 2015 13:39:51 GMT -6
What would you do? Small roster with 3 seniors and 7 juniors and the rest being fresh/sophomore...total is at 25. Talented senior linebacker and 2 juniors skilled guys don't show up 1 day to volunteer work puts over the summer. We do not have anybody who matched with them skill set wise and it is a huge drop in talent after them. They are not on depth chart but they will work for their spot...but in their mind I'm sure they know they will end up starting due to low numbers at their position. What do you do? When I was a young coach, Id have made an example out of those kinds of kids. Now, if they can play, they can play. I might not like them, but liking them has nothing to do with it. Coming to weights doesn't mean you start, it doesn't mean you are a winner, it simply helps you get there. If you still aren't better than a kid who doesn't show , so be it. Ill tell you this though, once a game is decided...the real winners are out there having fun and playing. The selfish kids, they get to watch.
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Post by CS on Jul 30, 2015 14:25:33 GMT -6
Why not have them make up the days missed. We have workouts 3 days a week all summer but 2 weeks of dead period. We take attendance and if you miss you make it up with extra running when they get back. If they aren't any good they will probably just get cut.
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Post by fantom on Jul 30, 2015 14:40:35 GMT -6
Not everything works everywhere. Nope, it does not. I was going to delve into that the last post but my computer restarted. My second round as an HC was a nightmare. We were co-oping with another school and the decision to do so was not popular with the other community. I didn't intend to coach for the school (long story) but the HC moved and they asked me to take over and I did. I thought that I could improve the popularity of the co-op by winning a few games in football and ingraining myself into the community. The previous HC had similar lettering requirements (the kids had to show up for the two camps offered) so I figured my policies would be alright. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was already an unpopular figure for championing the co-op in the first place and bringing in strict policies was a bad idea. I realize now that I didn't need to lead with the hammer in this situation and we would have been more successful. I had a good relationship with the players but the community was a different story. Hey, I get it.I'd never even heard of a coop until I got on this board but before my soph year my HS was a part of a jointure. Three neighboring town consolidated their small schools, all athletic rivals, into one. My experience was similar to yours: kids got along fine; adults, not so much. Hell, that was 1969 and some of them are still bickering. Fortunately we had immediate success but, if not, things could have gone bad. In fact, another neighboring jointure was created at the same time and they have't had success yet. Tough situation.
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Post by coachwoodall on Jul 31, 2015 5:43:17 GMT -6
Isn't this what JV is for?
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Post by coachcb on Jul 31, 2015 8:51:52 GMT -6
Nope, it does not. I was going to delve into that the last post but my computer restarted. My second round as an HC was a nightmare. We were co-oping with another school and the decision to do so was not popular with the other community. I didn't intend to coach for the school (long story) but the HC moved and they asked me to take over and I did. I thought that I could improve the popularity of the co-op by winning a few games in football and ingraining myself into the community. The previous HC had similar lettering requirements (the kids had to show up for the two camps offered) so I figured my policies would be alright. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was already an unpopular figure for championing the co-op in the first place and bringing in strict policies was a bad idea. I realize now that I didn't need to lead with the hammer in this situation and we would have been more successful. I had a good relationship with the players but the community was a different story. Hey, I get it.I'd never even heard of a coop until I got on this board but before my soph year my HS was a part of a jointure. Three neighboring town consolidated their small schools, all athletic rivals, into one. My experience was similar to yours: kids got along fine; adults, not so much. Hell, that was 1969 and some of them are still bickering. Fortunately we had immediate success but, if not, things could have gone bad. In fact, another neighboring jointure was created at the same time and they have't had success yet. Tough situation. I'm not over-exaggerating when I say that I've never seen the level of childish and unprofessional behavior I was exposed to in the co-op. The kids were perfectly content and easy to work with but we had parents and board members from the other community literally storm out of meetings, crying their eyes out, because we were (GASP) going to chance to a neutral mascot with neutral colors. One kid put it to me perfectly (albeit very cynically), "We can get our butts kicked as the Eagles or as the Rebels so who cares?" The worst thing is that the blue-print for a successful co-op is simple and evident all over the state: the adults need to play nice, compromise, and make sure that the kids and their well-being is the first consideration in any matter. But, this is a lesson we can all learn before we take over a program. Pay very close attention to the environment you're coaching in before you develop policy.
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Post by funkfriss on Jul 31, 2015 9:23:39 GMT -6
Sounds like a tough spot and from my experience I predict a tough season as well.
Focus on the future and getting the younger kids doing the right things. Build the commitments from a young age and they will become habits by the time they are older.
For this season, you play them if they are the best on the field.
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Post by holmesbend on Aug 1, 2015 22:37:21 GMT -6
It sucks, and I can't add to what anybody else has said.
But, if these kids are your best players and they are coachable, good kids (not showing up over the summer doesn't make them any less of this), committed during the season and they make plays. You play them.
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