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Post by Coach.A on May 4, 2022 8:45:44 GMT -6
Coaches,
In the past we used The Graphic Edge to order most of our team apparel. The company was great.
Now I'm told that The Graphic Edge has amalgamated with several other companies to become a new company names "Game One".
Has anybody used this new "Game One" company? I'm in the process of trying to order from them now, and so far it's been nothing but trouble and near impossible to get anybody on the phone. They don't even have a phone number listed on their website.
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Post by Coach.A on Mar 13, 2022 8:22:37 GMT -6
The Coach & Coordinator podcast (Keith Graboski) is still my go to. They have great guests and they pump out the most content. You get multiple new episodes every week.
Inside The Headset occasionally has some really good content - The best episodes are when they replay a good clinic talk from the AFCA.
The Coaches Collective (Dan Casey) has some really good content, but unfortunately episodes are few and far between.
I really enjoyed the Focus 3 Podcasts when Urban Meyer was the co-host, but those stopped over a year ago.
I listen to these podcasts everyday during my commute to and from school. Not sure why, but the amount of content being produced has really slowed the past couple months.
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Post by Coach.A on Feb 16, 2022 23:37:39 GMT -6
Like most careers, if you're doing your job properly it's work.
I only jumped in this thread because somebody implied that teaching strength training was somehow less work than teaching other subjects. The opposite is true from my experience. That said, it is work that I enjoy.
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Post by Coach.A on Feb 16, 2022 17:13:51 GMT -6
Just saying, I've taught many subjects, but "weight class" required significantly more time and energy than the traditional classroom subjects. How so? Mostly in that I never stop teaching in the weight room. In a traditional classroom, there are periods where kids are doing worksheets, tests, projects, group work, etc. There is no down time in the strength training class. I'm constantly demonstrating and/or working with somebody. You never sit. There are also significantly more safety risks in a weight room compared to a traditional classroom. For that reason, you need to be alert at all times. You also need to make sure that kids are progressing properly because a mistake could result in an injury. I understand that you could make an argument for planning and prepping for every subject, but I find managing the weight room more tedious. Repairing and replacing equipment, ordering new equipment, setting up & putting away equipment for workouts, inputting and tracking fitness testing data in to spreadsheets, creating strength club boards and updating them after each round of testing, creating and reviewing workout tracking sheets, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching strength training, but it requires way more time & energy than the classroom subjects I teach.
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Post by Coach.A on Feb 16, 2022 11:55:04 GMT -6
I wonder how many of the people saying they need to get over themselves are teaching P.E. or credit recovery or weight class.. really know what all these "pity seekers" do in a day. Just saying, I've taught many subjects, but "weight class" required significantly more time and energy than the traditional classroom subjects.
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Post by Coach.A on Feb 14, 2022 18:27:11 GMT -6
I just watched some of McDaniel's press conference.
When speaking, he is a bit awkward. I did find him funny. But most importantly, you can tell he's genuine. I thought all of his responses to questions were excellent.
Like others have alluded to, he made it very clear in his press conference that he is there to work for the players. The traditional mindset of "the players work for me", has become less and less effective.
I think a big part why some of these younger guys are having success is that they are better able to utilize new technology to drive progress, and they have a better understanding of how to teach the younger generation.
I found this response interesting:
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 11, 2022 11:04:24 GMT -6
- Shoulder blocking teaching progression and accompanying drills
- Wing-T OL Drills
- Single Wing Spin Series (plays, drills, timing, ball deception)
- Coaching your Coaches
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 10, 2022 12:33:33 GMT -6
We do many of the things mentioned already (position group name, t-shirts, etc.).
I'm the head coach but also work with the OL and I run our Strength Training Program. I believe that this trifecta has really facilitated my ability to help build our Program.
If you are the head coach and work with a different position group, I think that it's important you venture over to the OL group as often as possible. If you are the head coach and you don't run your S & C program, I think you need to be present at workouts as often as possible.
Hopefully your linemen are among your strongest players. The off-season strength program is a great opportunity to give your OL more attention and recognition for progress in the weight room. I think one of the biggest mistakes coaches make is use "pound for pound strongest player" formulas in their programs. To me, it seems like a direct insult to the big men.
I will also add that running the Wing-T Offense has made it much easier to get kids excited about playing OL. Our last 5 Team MVPs played Guard for us. 3 of our last 5 League MVPs played Guard for us. All our Players know that Guard is the PREMIERE position in our offense! I think running an Air Raid offense and having guys pass block 80% of the time makes it a much tougher sell.
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Dodge
Dec 20, 2021 16:12:58 GMT -6
Post by Coach.A on Dec 20, 2021 16:12:58 GMT -6
It's hard to win anywhere! That said, I think you could make an argument that it's harder to win if you're competing against more schools. I realize there are plenty of other factors, but generally your odds of winning decrease as you increase the number of competitors. For example, 25 teams competing for 1 state championship title, vs. 250 teams competing for 1 state championship title. I'm not from Texas, so I could be way off here, but isn't the Texas 6A classification the largest (i.e. has the most teams competing for 1 state championship)? I guess it is a matter of perspective. I would argue it is significantly harder to win a Superbowl than it is a CFP national championship--but there are only 32 teams (currently) in the NFL and there are 130 FBS teams. However, if you are at OSU, BAMA, OKLAHOMA, etc. is it "that" hard? There are spots where it is significantly easier in college (and definitely in HS). If I offered you a bet where you could select 4 teams pre season that would win the championship, you would probably feel good about your chances picking HS or FBS even though those entities have many more teams competing. In fact, if we equalized the difference in number of participants by saying you could choose 10% of the teams and if one of them won the championship you win, I believe you would feel VERY good about your chances at the HS (Tex 6A would get to pick 25 schools) or college level (FBS would get to pick 13 teams pre season) but only 3 teams in the NFL. I agree with everything in your post. Parity is a huge factor when trying to win a championship. A level playing field facilitated by salary caps, roster sizes, and a draft help improve parity at the NFL level. At the college level, recruiting, massive variations in budgets, rich alumni donors, and now NILs decrease parity. For that reason, I think identifying the upper echelon in college football is probably the easiest. There are definitely less than 32 teams in the NCAA that have the potential to win a National Championship in a given year. At the high school level though, I think the answer lies somewhere in between. In most regions/divisions, recruiting is "illegal". Usually schools are funded relatively equally according to classification, but I know that varies from state to state. I would guess that in most states you could find 32+ teams that at least have the potential to be playing on a relatively even playing field. What I mean by "potential to be playing on a level playing field" --> Some schools chose to devote more time, energy and budget dollars to football, while other schools use it in other ways. Instead of using the "top 10% of teams" example.....Would it be easier to pick the Superbowl winner in a given year, or pick the Georgia 2A class state champions from the top 32 ranked teams in the 2A class? I ask this question based on the assumption that not all schools choose to prioritize support/funding their football. Personally, I think the people in leadership positions might be the biggest determining factor at the high school level. If you have a supportive administration and a quality/experienced coaching staff, that puts you way ahead of the opponents that don't have these people in place.
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Post by Coach.A on Dec 19, 2021 15:53:22 GMT -6
Why not? I'm curious about the guys that are full of **** and where that narrative comes from. I know Jackson had the hair thing and the "cover up". Kenny Simpson is full of sh!t also. Just to put that out there We have found significant value in all these resources (Randy Jackson, Kenny Simpson, Tim and Brian Kight, etc.). Obviously I don't follow everything they do and say as gospel, but I think you're short changing yourself if you don't review their resources with an open mind.
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Post by Coach.A on Dec 19, 2021 10:08:04 GMT -6
It's hard to win anywhere!
That said, I think you could make an argument that it's harder to win if you're competing against more schools. I realize there are plenty of other factors, but generally your odds of winning decrease as you increase the number of competitors.
For example, 25 teams competing for 1 state championship title, vs. 250 teams competing for 1 state championship title.
I'm not from Texas, so I could be way off here, but isn't the Texas 6A classification the largest (i.e. has the most teams competing for 1 state championship)?
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Post by Coach.A on Dec 14, 2021 15:51:24 GMT -6
I'm always reminded though of this one spot where we had a kid that played outside linebacker, would always score way up there on the offseason points, but could never be effective in the game. We all left his Junior year, new staff played everybody both ways, next time we heard about him we laugh "har, har, har"...because he's the starting runningback. So of course he proceeds to be a complete beast that year and is 1st team all-league So let's lay it out there guru's. What's the drill, scenario, cirdumstance etc....that you've found, is a fairly accurate assessment (outside of playing in games) to determine whether or not a kid can play? something like....in all my years..a kid who would do (this drill) well, could play, and kid who sucked at it, could not Seems like it would be a nice little reference library for all of us A couple thoughts... 1) Next to QB, I think LB is one of the most difficult positions to learn. Mostly because it requires more mental processing during a play compared to other positions. If you have a kid who tests great but "isn't a football player", I wouldn't put him at QB or LB. RB is more of an instinctive position in my opinion. Sure RBs still need to be coached, but sometimes when you have a gifted athlete at RB, you can give them more freedom to play instinctively when carrying the ball. I think to be elite at DL, you need great coaching as well, BUT I can put a really powerful and explosive kid at DT at the high school level and he will do some damage. 2) As for testing, I see value in many tests. An unconventional anecdotal observation I've made over the years is that kids who can hop over 4 or 5 hurdles in a fast, explosive manner with body control tend to be our better football players. If you have a bigger kid that can do this, it increases the odds of him being a great football player! I'm talking about hurdles that are about crotch height. Seeing how fast they get off the ground between each jump is a key component of this. I will also have athletes "land quietly" and freeze after the final hurdle. The athletes who have enough body control to do this and freeze tend to be our better players. Basically if you have a high school kid that looks like this going over hurdles, more often than not, he's going to be a really good football player:
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Post by Coach.A on Sept 6, 2021 6:30:44 GMT -6
If your Players have pride in their Program and a sense of ownership, they will care more. If they care about their Program, they will have greater respect the facilities, rules, and people in their Program.
Does having Players that care more result in greater success? 100% YES! It won't guarantee wins, but it will certainly help Teams reach their full potential.
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Post by Coach.A on Jul 12, 2021 11:28:14 GMT -6
Making exceptions for star players is a culture killer. It may provide short term gain, but it will set you back in the long haul.
To be an elite program, I think you need your best players to be among your hardest workers.
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Post by Coach.A on May 7, 2021 9:38:03 GMT -6
We also threw out 95% of our hip and tail pads. I keep a couple in case some kid forgets his girdle on game day and they have to thread them through their belt like we did back in the day.
For some reason, we've had a few kids want to wear cowboy collars again. Our best player wore one a couple years ago, now all of our other LBs want to wear one too.
As for old uniforms, we will always sell these to former players.
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Post by Coach.A on Apr 14, 2021 9:23:47 GMT -6
1. Meet with your Captains / Leadership Council every week to reflect on the previous week and plan for the upcoming week
2. Try to have a 1 on 1 meeting with everybody in your Program during the off-season. We do this in our exit interviews.
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Post by Coach.A on Apr 5, 2021 10:26:14 GMT -6
Thought this was interesting:
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Post by Coach.A on Mar 23, 2021 11:46:31 GMT -6
I learn more from quality instructional videos (although there's a lot of junk out there).
Once you are implementing what you learned from the videos/books/clinics I think it's best to visit other coaches/programs that are doing similar things. That's where you learn the finer coaching points and nuances that can take you to the next level. Watching game film of these teams is part of this learning process.
Bottom line, I think the bulk or base of the learning comes from instructional videos & books. But the finer coaching points come from talking to other coaches and watching their game film.
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 30, 2021 17:57:08 GMT -6
I'm actually talking briefly about tradition in a clinic presentation I'm putting together. I understand how some traditions can feel like a chore, especially when new coaching staffs come in. That said, I think there can be great value in traditions and I think traditions can enhance a program's culture.
Some research led me to these points:
- Tradition contributes a sense of belonging. Traditions can often provide opportunities for non-football players to feel as part of the program.
- Traditions can reinforces core values which are fundamental in a program's culture.
- Traditions can provide a forum to showcase and celebrate success or behaviours that reflect your program's core values / culture.
- Traditions can offer a chance to say “thank you” for the contribution that someone has made to your program.
- Tradition can help us recognize alumni
- Tradition serves as an avenue for creating lasting memories
- Tradition offers an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection
Ultimately, I think traditions help connect your Team to the people outside of the locker room. This in turn can help generate more support for your program. The more support you have, the easier it is to be successful.
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 30, 2021 17:45:21 GMT -6
So is it safe to say culture changes yearly? I would think small school culture is better then large school. I think that's fair to say, but you would hope that there is significant 'culture carryover' from year to year, especially if your program is trending upward.
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 22, 2021 12:07:45 GMT -6
Anyway, I got to wondering how I can apply this to off-season football studies. I know we all spend a lot of time watching clinics, watching film, visiting other staffs etc. Sometimes I feel like I spend so much time in the consumption phase of information during the off-season that I don't really do much with it, and lose a lot of that information. I take notes over things but honestly I feel like I go way too overboard with notes in terms of writing down every little thing that is said, not ideal obviously. I'd love to hear any ideas that anyone has on "doing something" with the information that you are gaining over the off-season to make it more meaningful and make it stick. This is one of the main reasons why I try to present at clinics every year. The process of developing and presenting the content makes me that much more confident in teaching it. I've done more clinic presentations this past year than any other year. If you're comfortable enough to speak to a room (or Zoom meeting) full of football coaches about a football topic, you probably have a very strong grasp of the material. At the very least, you'll feel the pressure to learn the material "inside & out" before you present. My suggestion to you is reach out to organizations hosting clinics and offer your services.
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Ethics
Jan 19, 2021 12:04:12 GMT -6
Post by Coach.A on Jan 19, 2021 12:04:12 GMT -6
How is a delay of game penalty breaking the rules? I think it has to do with using the rule in a way it isn’t intended to gain an advantage. There was a strange way the rule worked in the NFL that allowed you to run more clock off I believe. This is one of those things where is knowingly breaking the rules ok. Not many if any coaches would see taking a delay of game penalty as Bush league. It’s an accepted thing just like intentional DPI. I guess "loophole" might be better word to use. Intentionally committing delay of game and a false start penalty to gain an advantage. www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/mike-vrabel-uses-bill-belichicks-own-nfl-rulebook-loophole-against-him-in-titans-win-over-patriots/#:~:text=In%20Saturday's%20game%2C%20the%20Titans,clock%20down%20to%205%3A52
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 19, 2021 8:33:03 GMT -6
Coaches knowingly send OL downfield on RPO's. Coaches intentionally take delay of game penalties, many other examples of intentionally breaking the rules. Stealing your opponents play-call signals is another one that can be considered a grey area.
While I agree that some of the scenarios in this thread are "bush league", I'm not sure who ultimately gets to decide when breaking the rules is considered "good coaching" versus when it's considered "bush league".
What about finding a loophole in the rules? Is it unethical to exploit that loophole? Seems like whenever Belichick does it, he's praised as a genius, but sometimes others are called cheaters.
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 18, 2021 21:11:01 GMT -6
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Post by Coach.A on Jan 14, 2021 16:29:44 GMT -6
Going to dive deeper in the Wing-T. We've been running it for 5 years now and have had unprecedented success, but there is still plenty to learn.
Going to start researching the Single Wing offense as well.
Also, I always enjoy hearing how coaches go about building their programs & culture in smaller schools.
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Post by Coach.A on Dec 22, 2020 12:16:36 GMT -6
The more people you have on your side, the easier it is to build your Program. If you make this an issue, you will likely receive less support in the future.
We were fortunate enough to win a couple titles recently. I am constantly thanking everybody who supported us in any way.
Whether you believe it or not, tell them: "We couldn't have done it without your support"
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Post by Coach.A on Dec 14, 2020 20:05:40 GMT -6
Just to enhance this thread:
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Post by Coach.A on Oct 28, 2020 10:04:22 GMT -6
Ummm, who is the girl celebrating at 2:28? No idea, first giphy that poped up when I searched "excited".
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Post by Coach.A on Oct 27, 2020 13:36:15 GMT -6
We are also the Colts! Brown & Gold!
I hade WAY too much free time during COVID. Made this with Nero Video. I do realize it's over the top ridiculous, but our Players love the effects and jokes and it helps attract people to our Program.
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Post by Coach.A on Oct 21, 2020 11:25:59 GMT -6
Our practices generally get shorter later in the season when the weather worsens. That said, if there are really poor conditions outside our practices get MUCH shorter. Sometimes just 40 minutes long.
When kids are extremely cold and wet they aren't really learning or progressing. Usually there's more value in ending practice early and keeping them fresh.
Another thing we've done is Leadership lessons in a classroom. These have been really good for us. Coach Randy Jackson has some excellent resources for this.
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