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Post by 50slantstrong on Feb 23, 2020 12:20:03 GMT -6
First year as a HC. Probably should’ve done more research on the school and its admin. Should’ve never accepted the job.
Plenty of talent but administration opened its doors to any Tom, Dick or Sally parent or kid that wanted to complain about coaches. Same approach with teachers. Shockingly there was a culture of inmates running the asylum and mass burnout even in younger teachers.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 24, 2019 20:45:37 GMT -6
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 24, 2019 20:43:51 GMT -6
That’s so true. I never even realized.
I applied for a teaching job at a very low-scoring district with turnstile administrators and they made me write 7 different philosophy of education statements (4-5000 words) for a middle school PE job
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 27, 2019 20:58:07 GMT -6
Nothing specific comes to mind in terms of a mind-blowing bad call. But I will say between JV and varsity there has been a mass influx of “I’m not doing my job if I’m not calling every little possible thing” type refereeing. Ticky-tack things both ways, even against very well coached offensive lines and defensive backs. Very frustrating series after series.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Mar 12, 2019 17:07:45 GMT -6
White board with hashes and numbers.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Mar 7, 2019 19:41:14 GMT -6
Sounds like an all star cast.
I must say the Los Angeles glazier was quite excellent this year as well. What made it weird though was that attendance was the lowest I’ve ever seen at the LA glazier.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Mar 5, 2019 23:46:04 GMT -6
If you’re in area where it’s bad there isn’t a lot you can do.
Obviously as coaches we do everything we can to make our program appealing and try to educate and be fair to our parents. Unfortunately the current generation of parents (at least here in Southern California) want instant gratification as much if not more than the current generation of kids. If they think their little Johnny is going to be more of a Star and earn a scholarship at another high school and somehow it won’t happen at yours they’ll leap at it.
The programs that partake in poaching here in Southern California know this and send their low life street agents (usually 7-7 coaches or personal training guru types) to relay the message.
IMO as a coach it’s best just to not get caught up in it. Coach the kids you’ve got and let the loyal ones know they’ve got a special place in your heart.
I really do empathize with coaches that lose kids because of this. I’ve been on the wrong end of it before. To me it takes the fun out of coaching knowing schools just create all star teams and force every one else to eat their dust.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Feb 3, 2019 15:38:20 GMT -6
I like it. I think every young serious coach should have to do it.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Jan 11, 2019 23:37:33 GMT -6
Great contributions so far I would get rid of any adult that doesn’t agree with the statement “he’s the coach. Whether I agree with him or not, it’s in the kid’s best interest just to let him do his job” If adults carried that sentiment about teachers as well, our problems in school would plummet. I guarantee it. Helping my first grader do his homework last night. He wrote an eight on his math paper and then said oh no, my teacher (a friend of our family) said not to make my eights this way but to make 2 circles. I make 8s his way, but I said she is the teacher so do it her way. I try to tell parents all the time that football matters very little, but the type of husband, father, and employee your son becomes matters greatly. Let them struggle now to succeed later. It’s truly all relative. I’ve yet to coach a kid who shows up late frequently and doesn’t take practice seriously that got good grades, kept a job or graduated college. I told parents this last year and they scoffed at me. Of course these were the same parents that didn’t have full time jobs, education, or had served time. One of the most amazing things about coaching and teaching is you can see into the future pretty accurately.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Jan 9, 2019 21:10:55 GMT -6
Great contributions so far
I would get rid of any adult that doesn’t agree with the statement “he’s the coach. Whether I agree with him or not, it’s in the kid’s best interest just to let him do his job”
If adults carried that sentiment about teachers as well, our problems in school would plummet. I guarantee it.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Jan 5, 2019 19:41:39 GMT -6
It really ticks me off when you get an AD and/or a principal who are more like NFL owners and NBA General Managers. I would say more like a DMV supervisor.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 31, 2018 13:15:15 GMT -6
I invite the parents to practice and let them see firsthand if their son is capable of playing as much as he could if he was better. Usually get my point across. I’d be careful with that. Our basketball coach did that with a parent pissed about playing time and he got a 4 paragraph text about how bad the other kids were.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 31, 2018 13:05:13 GMT -6
I’ve always wanted to hear an offensive guy explain scripting the first 10-15 plays and how it varies based on the defenses they see.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 30, 2018 1:05:19 GMT -6
I would definitely dedicate a portion to your talk where you establish your terms and lingo. At least the way my brain works when a speaker gives a cheat sheet or has a segment for that, it makes the talk a lot easier to understand.
I would also share the progression and timetable in which you install something if it’s applicable to the talk you’re giving.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 13, 2018 15:53:36 GMT -6
I think it was Gus Malzahn who said it's easier to get a job in the SEC than in Texas
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 13, 2018 14:58:45 GMT -6
Nice. Never had a season like that. Congrats coach. I've been a part of good seasons though. Savor every minute. Nothing like Friday during the day knowing you've got a strong chance once the lights turn on. It's very relaxing in a way.
I've been a part of three teams that won 10 games. One as a player, two as an assistant coach. They all had a unique grind to them different from other seasons but my generalized takeaway is that Fridays are relaxing
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Post by 50slantstrong on Dec 2, 2018 14:34:32 GMT -6
Unpopular opinion possibly but from my experience the best speakers are your small college speakers.
They’re the hungriest to earn their peers’ respect, have modest at best talent to work with so they have to be unique with their scheme and they want our kids. Two thirds of the P5 and NFL speakers I’ve seen give very generalized presentations that any above average HS coach could give
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 29, 2018 22:22:11 GMT -6
Still have the banquet on Saturday, still doing inventory of equipment, exit interviews, making sure the 6th period class is set for next semester and getting all the keys I've been given are accounted for. I want it to be nicer than when it was when I got here.
"exit interviews" - with who, and why?
All varsity players. What they think they did well, what they’d redo and other general questions. I have a template my old HC has used for years.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 29, 2018 15:53:59 GMT -6
50slantstrong If you're going to resign, why don't you do it now - why wait until "few days before Christmas break"? Still have the banquet on Saturday, still doing inventory of equipment, exit interviews, making sure the 6th period class is set for next semester and getting all the keys I've been given are accounted for. I want it to be nicer than when it was when I got here.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 29, 2018 13:12:22 GMT -6
Matt Logan at Corona Centennial. Probably the best coach in the state's history. It would be very easy for him to blow people off. He will always take time to explain things to other coaches if they ask at a clinic and will stay as long as needed. Allows other coaches to come to his practices during spring and will explain every little thing on the practice plan before or after.
I know there are some other coaches I've come to appreciate the way they handle things now as a first year head coach and do things I consider classy. There were a couple games we took a beating, and shaking hands they told me about how much better we look than previously and more importantly, IMO, how hard our kids played. My predecessor was a volunteer parent and a coach told me after the game "F the score, your kids looked like they want to play. Ain't no daddy ball going on here anymore". I know it's cheesy, but it's so much better than the "good game, coach" and turn around and yell at your kids to grab their stuff and get on the bus...
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 29, 2018 11:41:07 GMT -6
Officially decided I'm going to resign.
I had several discussions with the AD as it pertains to how I'd like to run the program moving forward and he kept saying I should do it differently as it pertains to player attendance, expectations and philosophy of the program. The common theme was he didn't want me to do anything that could get parents or players upset. He seemed even more perplexed when I told him as a school we need to have a fact-check and follow-up procedure when a kid lobs an accusation like "coach said F homework" "coach said I can't go to my grandma's funeral" rather than take it for Gospel. I even reached out to the principal and all she told me was she pushes all things athletics related to the AD. No responsibility. Just a system of "don't do anything that makes my job harder".
The final straw was when the discussion of assistant coaches for next year came up and he kept pushing a former freshmen coach here who's also a sub, assistant basketball and assistant baseball coach. Basically a 70-year-old stipend-{censored}. I suggested I throw a net out and reach out to former players. He basically kept deflecting and insisted I consider his guy, even though my only experience was him subbing my class and coming back to tagged desks, vulgarity written on the white board and a note saying "every class was great!"
This was all before Thanksgiving break. Over the break, I talked to my former head coach and two head coaches I worked for, as well as my family, my Priest and even my parents. They unanimously said I need to move on.
I'm going to send my resignation letter to district HR a few days before Christmas break and ignore every phone call and text over the break from people outside of family. Not sure what's in store for next year. I'm open to anything that doesn't involve being a head coach...
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 24, 2018 18:15:45 GMT -6
I’ve been seeing a lot of college teams getting away from slide or big on big protection, but rather pulling a guy across the formation. Want to hear at a clinic why that’s becoming the preferred pass protection.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 20, 2018 15:13:35 GMT -6
Do you consider culture and attitude a part of coaching? If so, I’d say 3. We won two games because we had a better culture and lost one because we had an inferior culture. Schematics had almost nothing to do with it.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 20, 2018 11:58:39 GMT -6
It almost sounds too crazy to be real. Somebody cunning enough to fix a game like that wouldn’t gloat about it on social media.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Nov 12, 2018 15:44:05 GMT -6
Ask them twice, then move on... Ask once to show interest... Ask again to remind them where you train and how to be a part of it... Then MOVE ON!!! Last man on the boat is the first guy to bail when sh!t hits the fan... They NEED to WANT to be a part of your program - not kinda in... I agree. It’s kind of like dating. If you have to ask her out more than twice, it ain’t happening.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 29, 2018 23:07:51 GMT -6
Southern California is pretty polarized like that. I’d honestly say any given Friday, 75% of the scores are decided by three TD’s or more.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 29, 2018 23:04:35 GMT -6
Won our last game against a winless team 54-7. No playoffs. We finished 4-6, 2-3.
Still pretty sure I’m going to resign. Going to speak with the AD again and ask him to clarify what he thinks about how much power the coaching staff and I have for separating varsity from JV. Also going to go the the principal again and ask her how much she’s going to support me for having a no nonsense attendance policy. Like am I going to be able to tell a kid he ain’t playing if he comes to me at the 11th hour Monday before practice saying he can’t make it because he has homework?
What other things do you think I should ask? Or even just bring up. This school could be pretty good in football with the right culture and enforcement of rules. There are some promising under classmen at almost every position but it’ll be a crime against humanity if they’re allowed to sink into the cool guy apathy this year’s seniors had. And it’ll be impossible to win if I don’t have admin’s backing. Not asking for them to kiss the program’s ass. I just want assurance I’m going to be able to run the program as I see fit and not have to worry about being called into the AD’s office because a couple players are mad I yelled at them for skipping practice. That’s really all I want at this point. Got good assistants who want to return, the right kids, the right facilities and the right teaching position.
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 23, 2018 9:55:05 GMT -6
Forgot to update you guys:
Last week was our last home game. We lost to a pretty good team 28-14. We were down 21-0 at the end of 1 but we stayed battling the entire game against a team with a potential scholarship QB. As usual, it was our underclassmen who kept us in it.
I did have a good heart-to-heart with one of our few seniors who's worked hard and tried to do things the right way the entire year. I feel bad. He told me he wishes it could've been this way 3 years before crying his eyes out.
Nothing too ridiculous during the week. Just a culture among the seniors that they're too cool to work hard and their parents are too cool to be parents, not older friends. Same ish all year. Still undecided if I'm going to return or not. I do like the juniors and sophomores immensely more than the graduating seniors, but at the same time, the administration has shown it will not be supportive if I want to make an executive decision. My last coach told me I need to go to the principal and tell her about my AD not giving me freedom to do my job.
One more game this week against an 0-9 team. Another typical California team. Older school, former powerhouse, new schools built around it so it's in the dumps now...
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 15, 2018 13:46:50 GMT -6
Your AD is telling you who to start and who not to start? And you're considering another year there? C'mon man. Never mind the seniors or the parents--and by the way, the one telling you what everyone says about you in the stands is NOT your friend--the AD doing that is a deal breaker in and of itself. The problem is I'm not a tenured employee and can't be until 2020 and 90% of districts in Southern California don't reserve teaching spots for assistants. I don't see myself seeking another HC position either. The silver lining is that my wife will have an admin credential by the beginning of next school year so I could get an "in" somewhere...
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Post by 50slantstrong on Oct 13, 2018 22:55:25 GMT -6
Oh yea I forgot to add I got reprimanded and was forced to go to a make up meeting for not going to a staff meeting on Tuesday. Apparently seeing a training I’ve already seen half a dozen times is more important than practice in the eyes of my admin....
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