Practice Tempo

I am blessed to work with some of the best coaches on the high school level in the country.  At any time several of our coaches could be swiped up by college program, and make their staff better.  It is obvious in our preparation and in practice, that our coaches are committed to helping our athletes get better.

Today our practice was impressive.  The amount of energy displayed by the coaches and then translated to our players, was a sight to behold.  Which got my ever rambling brain thinking... Does every coach have this much fun coaching? I sure hope so!

Our practices are high tempo and high energy because that is what we expect from our athletes.  We run off a tight schedule and every coach has a practice plan so that we know exactly how many minutes to spend on the stations we are on, and where we are heading next.  There is very little down time during our practice for the players.  We usually have 5 to 10 minute blocks of drills and teamwork.  The scoreboard is our time keeper, lit up with the time remaining, and our team managers re-start the clock when time expires on each block.  We flow from block to block with no down time, helmets on, water on the fly, get to your next station quickly.  We usually allot 50 minutes for defense, and 50 minutes for offense with 10 minutes of water and break time in between.  

A few years ago, we didn't use the scoreboard clock, man were we missing out!  

We also have music constantly playing in the background.  It not only helps motivate the players, it simulates the potential chaos that could be Friday nights.  We play in front of some large crowds, and if the first time our players here the large crowds is on a Friday night, we haven't done our job as coaches.  The past couple years we have run a no huddle offense, which means calling plays from the sideline without a player running them in.  We have hand signals, large play cards and we often times yell to the players our audibles and play calls, so the music helps get our kids focused on the task at hand and helps them listen through the chaos.

High tempo, high energy, constantly moving constantly improving!  That is our practice tempo, what's yours???

Go home and hug your wife...

Coaches,
With the start of a new season under way, it is not hard to forget how much time we devote to the great sport of high school football.  We obviously all do it for the love of the game and the love of the kids.  More importantly sometimes we have families of our own that see less of us during the season.  With long days at school and then straight to the practice field, we often only get to see our families for a brief time at night, and if you have young children that go to bed early, you sometimes see them even less.  Please remember to thank your family and hug them tight for making the sacrifices that they make to allow you to coach this great game.

Buy the Hype...

I still remember my pregame ritual.  I remember the songs on the CD we listened to as a team in the locker room as we were getting our ankles taped and getting our equipment ready.  I remember going out first to warm up because I was among other positions, our kicker.  I remember trying to be the last one out of the locker room each time, so that I could see how high on top of the "Dawg Pile" I could jump.  These are things that are ingrained in my head.  This was my high school football experience.  I couldn't tell you what hour I had anatomy/physiology my senior year, but I can still tell you what route I ran on "Red Twins 16 Z Post".  It was 13 years ago that I last played under the lights on a Friday night, but I could still tell you what it felt like, almost like it was just last year.  I remember my team mates, the cheer leaders, the packed bleachers, the tunnel of kids and fans we would run through to get to our field, all of these memories, still are vivid.  Some would say I am hanging on to the "good ole days", they may be right, or maybe I just bought the hype.

Unless you have played high school football underneath those bright Friday night lights, it is a hard task to explain the wave of lifelong emotions that you have for that experience.  The feelings of brotherhood, teamwork, joy, elation, defeat, sorrow and anxiousness just to name a few, and that could have been just one night.  We thought we were on top of the world, not a care in the world when we hit that field.  That was the hype.  The parents, the coaches, the community and the journalists for the local newspaper, all sold us the hype, that we call high school football.  We bought it and we would buy it more and more if it were on a store shelf.  

That is the great thing about high school football.  The hype.  There really isn't a better feeling still, than to see these kids play this game on Friday nights.  It is our time to get away from the realities of the world.  Our time to put to test everything that we have been working for in the off season.  The hype was better than any feeling in the world.  If you think the kids are the only ones who have these feelings, pay attention to the coaches on the sideline.  We jump up and down like kids, we run down the sideline watching a kid run with a interception, we jump up to give high fives to kids who are running off the field after a 4th down stop.  All of this is for the kids, it is so they can have their moment on that field where nothing else matters.  We give them the information to be successful, but that isn't the best part.  The best part is seeing all that information get put to use on game night.  

I still get goose bumps when I see "hype" videos for upcoming games.  I don't even play anymore, but that doesn't stop me from getting the chills watching them.  That is what we call the hype of the game.  There is no better feeling in the world, like euphoria that happens once a week.  I wouldn't change it for the world.  I don't buy the hype anymore, the torch has been passed.  It is now my job, to sell the hype.  Sell it to these kids who play this great game.  We do all we can to get these kids as excited as they can possibly get about this wonderful game.  They aren't guaranteed anything in this game.  All it takes is one moment to end the hype of this game.  We remind them to enjoy every second of it, cherish every moment.  Don't take anything for granted out there.  Look around, appreciate what is going on, you will remember this for a good long time, perhaps even tell your children about it in the future.  This is the hype, buy it, love it, hold on to it, cherish every single, solitary moment of it.


You can't buy this hype forever, but if you are lucky, someday, you can sell it!

What are you waiting for???

With the hustle and bustle of school and football season less than a week away, right now is a prime time to sit down with your coaching staff and get a plan together.  Get a plan for practices, get a plan for drills, for schedules, get a plan to get a plan if you have to, but please don't forget to incorporate some sort of character development and leadership training with your athletes.  Perhaps the most powerful reason is a group of statistics about who you are coaching.

This photo is courtesy of NFL HSPD.

Perhaps the most notable statistic on that photo for me is the 99.7%.  Think about that number for a minute.  That is a huge percentage of players that will not play past college.  What does that have to do with you as a coach?  That means that 100% of the players you coach will go on to be citizens of a community, some will become fathers, some will become husbands and some will choose different paths, but there will never be a better opportunity to touch those athletes lives.  There will never be a better opportunity to teach skills that will help these kids succeed in the future, whether playing sports or living life as an adult.  Don't get me wrong, I want to win and I want to win bad, but you are doing yourself and your players an injustice if you do not take some time to focus on helping shape the character of the players you are coaching.  What are you waiting for???

What does a leader look like???

I read a story on the internet the other day about a pastor who had just been assigned a new congregation, and before he actually introduced himself to the church goers, he wanted to get a gauge for what type of environment he was going into.  He decided to dress himself as a homeless man and walk around the new church to see what kind of reaction he would get from the parishioners.  The story tells of people ignoring him, church ushers asking him to sit in the back and people refusing to donate to him when asked to do so.  The leaders of the church then introduced him as the new head pastor and he walked up front, surprising many people in attendance of course.  Now whether this story is true or just fiction to prove a point, it does prove a very good point. 

You never really know do you?  It is hard to determine by looking at someone, what purpose they will serve, or how good at something they can be.  You can't tell by looking at someone if they are going to lead your team when losing by 14 points with 3 minutes left in the game.  If a coach is doing their athletes justice, they will always know.  They will know who can be that guy, in that situation.  They will know who is going to step up and lead and who is going to be a better follower.  When you practice football you present your players with situations.  Every practice should present game like scenarios with different players in different roles so that it is not a surprise to you on a Friday night who the leader is going to be.  When your players are conditioning at practice, and they are to the point of exhaustion, who is the player motivating their teammates to keep going, and who is the player complaining about having to do one more?  When the chips hit the fan on game night, you won't be surprised who is gathering the troops.  Sometimes it is not that guy who is verbally motivating, sometimes it is a guy who just puts his head down and does one more without saying a word, or leading by example, but I will tell you who it's not going to be on game night, it won't be that kid complaining about doing one more.

One last point.  While reading John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I came across a great example of what a leader looks like.  He writes about a young lady, not a very "impressive looking woman - just a little over five feet tall, in her late thirties, with dark brown weathered skin.  She couldn't read or write.  The clothes she wore were coarse and worn.  When she smiled, she revealed that her top two front teeth were missing."  Not exactly the picturesque leader right?  When you read further into the book, you learn that same woman saved many lives in her time.  She was followed by many people because they respected her.  It did not matter what she looked like to those people, what mattered, was her actions.  When you are around someone long enough you learn about them.  You learn about how they will act in certain situations.  You listen to the way they talk to people.  You learn about them and if they gain your respect by their actions and words, you follow them.  Do you know people who fit the bill?  I am sure it didn't happen over night right?  It probably took several trials for you to put your trust in that leader.  So practice with that same purpose.  Give your athletes many opportunities to lead.  Put them in situations time after time, and sit back and watch, and listen.  You will be surprised what you find, because you truly never know what a leader looks like?

By the way, that woman Maxwell wrote about, Harriet Tubman who led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the mid 1800's all because people trusted and respected her.

Team Ski Team Building Activity

Team Ski

Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Materials: 2x4 Lumber 8' to 10' in length - Quantity depends on number of participants
Rope cut into lengths of 6' each - Quantity also depends on number of participants but you want 3 sections of rope for every 2 pieces of lumber

Setup:  You should break your players into groups of approximately 10 to 15 players per group. Each group is given 2 pieces of the 2x4 lumber and 3 sections of the 6' rope.  The groups are to line up behind the goal line in the end zone with their materials.  They have 5 minutes to meet as a group with their materials, but are not allowed to touch their materials during this 5 minute brainstorm session.  They are given instructions on how the activity will work by one coach.

Instructions:  Each group has the materials in front of them but behind the goal line.  The groups will have 5 minutes to brain storm how they are going to get their entire team from behind the goal line to across the 50 yard line.  Each group should designate one person on their team their "team leader".  Only that team leader is allowed to have their feet touch the turf on the journey from the goal line to the 50 yard line.  Every other member must make their way on their journey using the materials given to them.  No exceptions to this, each team member is not allowed to touch the turf with any part of their body, and if at any time during the activity a part of their body touches the turf, they must start over.  Teams must stay in their lanes of the field, cannot influence any other team during their attempts, and every team member must make it across.  They have 10 minutes to complete the activity after they have completed their 5 minute brain storming session.

What you will see:  As the activity leader you will see the gears spinning while the teams are brain storming.  Encourage other coaches to make their way around to the groups to field any questions you might have and listen to who of your players are taking the lead.  It is important to go around and get a feel for who of your players takes a leadership role and gathers their team, and whether or not the team is listening and trusting of what the leader is saying.  Very rarely will you find that teams have a back up plan.  Most often times you will see teams come up with a plan and assume that one plan is the way to go.  They automatically assume they will not run into any problems during the course of the activity.  This is something to take note of for review when you wrap up the activity.  If you have a team that does come up with several plans, good for them and commend them on that after the activity.

You will more than likely see teams try and use their "leader" to pull their members from the goal line to the 50 yard line as if they are a dog pulling a sled.  This may work but more than likely the leader will get tired and will not be able to get every team member across in the time allotted.  This is something to note for wrap up at the end.  Not one team leader can pull the entire team by himself!!! This is a team sport and should be played as a team sport at all times.  All of the team must be working together at all times in order to be successful.

How it should work:  The best way I have found to get the team across the 50 yard line is to have the 2x4's flat on ground parallel to each other pointing toward the 50 yard line like you are getting ready to ski.  Tie the sections of rope from one 2x4 to the other at both ends and in the middle.  These will act as handles for the players to lift up on and it will lift the 2x4 accordingly.  Each player should, and you can have multiple players go at once, stand on the 2x4's like they are going to ski across the field.  As they lift their left legs together, pull the left 2x4 up and move it forward, and then do the same with the right.  Alternating their legs as a team, and pulling the rope to lift the boards in coordination is the fastest way to get multiple people across the field.  Once they get across, the team leader who can have his feet on the turf can take the materials back to the rest of the members waiting to go across.

You will see them lie the boards down on the turf like a balance beam and walk across them, as the team leader helps move the boards from front to back.  This can work, but remember if someone falls off the balance beam, they have to start over at the beginning.  If you are like us, you have kids with bad balance, this will be fun to watch. :)

Wrap up:  The goal of this exercise is to work together as a team.  Not one person is going to be able to do all the work by himself and be successful as a team. He will get tired and his performance will then suffer.  There are multiple ways to get across the field, the key is to work as a team.  As coaches, pay close attention to who took the lead and make those kids realize you noticed their efforts!  It is important as a coach that you know who is going to take the lead in the 4th quarter when the going gets tough.  Talk to the kids and get their thoughts on the exercise.  Ask them how the felt when things weren't working out all that well.  Ask them if they had to change their original thoughts or if their first ideas worked.  Ask them if the same person who took the lead at the beginning of the exercise was their leader at the end of the exercise.

As a coaching staff, did you learn who your leaders are going to be?  Different kids are good at different skills, did you notice anyone in particular who stood out during this activity who you wouldn't have originally thought?  Remember how you tie everything together at the end of the exercise is just as important as the exercise itself.  Make sure the kids know the purpose of the activity or the activity itself is wasted.

I hope you enjoyed reading about this.  I plan on updating this page frequently with different activities that we have tried.  If you or your staff have any activities you have done, or would like me to feature, please contact me and we can get it up here.

Our 4 Pillars

One of the more exciting things about this upcoming season for our team is the implementation of a character development program.  A few of our coaches and myself have worked for the past several months in the development of a particular "motto" and our "4 pillars" that are the foundation of that motto.  After going back and forth with many ideas swirling in our meetings this spring we finally came upon our perfect motto.

"Win The Day"

Obviously this is not something that we created from scratch, but we fell in love with the concept of winning everyday.  I reiterate to our players on a daily basis that everyday we hit that field, we practice and prepare so that when we step off the field at the end of our practice, we got better.  This is important because it touches every athlete that walks on that field.  It is not only important for our starters who take the majority of the snaps, it is also important for our back-ups and especially our scout team members.  Since we have varying abilities on the field, this encompasses every player regardless of ability, as long as they are better when they walk off the field, than they were when they walked on the field that day, we are playing by our motto, "Win The Day".

The 4 Pillars

"Commitment"

Webster refers to commitment as the "act of committing to a charge or trust".  We as coaches are committed to our players.  We put in the time, the devotion the emotions that it takes to be a coach.  We pour hours into preparing our players to the best of our ability for their upcoming opponents.  We take to time to talk to our players on a personal level so that we instill trust with them.  We go out of our way to do everything we can to make sure that they succeed on the field and in the classroom.  We ask our team to commit to each other and to commit to our program.  It is very difficult to get 70+ players on the same page and all going in the same direction.  We are not perfect and we often have players that don't want to commit themselves to anyone but themselves, but our goal is to get our team to commit so that on game night, we have all of our players using every ounce of their energy to perform to the best of their ability.  So that they can walk off that field, win or lose, feeling as if they did their best and they did not let the guy next to them down.

"Discipline"

Webster refers to discipline as "training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character".  Coaching high school athletes we often run into a multitude of attitudes and temperaments.  This often shows up in the heat of the battle on game night.  As with many high school teams, the players on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage often like to talk and try and get under the skin of our athletes.  We are guilty of the same things at times, but with the implementation of "discipline" in our pillar system, we hope to eliminate those times when the aforementioned behaviors cost our team and our players on the field.  The ability to keep an even keel and perfect our "moral character" will eliminate erroneous penalties and hopefully overlap in the classroom and in the hallways when the situation may call for it.  If you wear our jersey, you are expected to be a man of character and be the better person.  Take care of the problem in between whistles and within the rules of the game or you don't take care of it at all

"Effort"

Webster refers to effort as "conscious exertion of power : hard work".  As long as our athletes are playing hard and putting forth their maximum effort at all times we ask them to, the results will take care of themselves.  As a coach, one of the most gut wrenching things to go through is to see your boys out on the field being out-worked.  It is one thing to lose to a superior team.  When the talent on one side of the ball is over whelming, it is not an excuse to not work hard, but rather a reason to work even harder and when the scoreboard shows in favor of the opposing team, you can hold your head high.  It is a completely different thing to be out-worked and see your athletes pushed around because they are not putting forth their maximum effort.  We just ask that every time you set foot on the field, in the weight room, or even in the classroom, you put forth your maximum effort that will allow you to get better that particular day, and you can be proud and hold your head high knowing you did all you can do to succeed.

"Finish"

Webster refers to finish as "to come to an end: terminate".  This means applying all of the other pillars until the very end.  We ask that our athletes apply the same amount of energy to all of our pillars from the very beginning to the very end of every game, practice and workout.  To many games are won and lost in the 4th quarter to not address this issue.  We want our boys to finish their lifts in the weight room, finish their drills at practice and finish on game nights as well.  We don't care if we are up by 40 points or down by 40 points, you treat every snap as if you are never going to be able to play this great game again.

As a coaching staff, we feel that if we can, as a team, address each one of these pillars in everything that we do on a daily basis, we will "Win The Day", day after day.

Why Do I Coach???

I have been blessed with a great job teaching at the high school level, and with that great job there was the opportunity to become an assistant coach for the football team.  Having been a football player and fan for most of my life, it was without hesitation that I accepted that opportunity when it was presented.  Originally I wanted to do it to just get back in the game.  As a kid I knew that potentially someday there would be a time when I would love the chance to coach this great game.  My original thoughts were that it must be a lot like playing Madden, you call the play and watch the athlete do all the work.  I don't know that I could have been more wrong in that thought.

Instead of just calling a play and letting the athlete perform, coaches at our level are the ones who mold the athlete, create the playbooks, mentor the athlete, counsel the athlete and in some cases take on the role of father for the athlete.  Most people understand that before those kids go out there on Friday night and play, they have hours upon hours of preparation, most parents of athletes understand the time commitment involved first hand, but what is not seen is that whatever time commitment that player is putting into the sport, their coach, in most cases, is doubling and sometimes tripling what the athletes are doing.  By no means do we look for sympathy, it is purely for the love of the game and the love of the athletes that we put in the kind of time that we do.  

Some coaches want to advance their careers to bigger and better things.  Some coaches are content staying on the level they are at and other coaches I am sure are just out there to be a part of something.  In any case it would be difficult to find a coach out on that field who doesn't want to be out there.  

When you put on the whistle, you evoke a feeling unlike any other, you no have the ability to be a leader, a mentor, someone who can pave the way for a young man not only in his athletic career, but in his life.  I still to this day say "sir" and "ma'am" to most people because that was instilled by my high school coach.  I still to this day jog when my feet are on the turf.  Seems like small things, but that is the power of being in this position.   Someone looking from the outside might think it is just a game, but at the end of the season, when that player moves on to the next level, or moves on to find a job, that is when your coaching will shine through the most.

Those are the reasons I coach now.  Yes I started out wanting to be a part of the program, quite frankly for selfish reasons.  I was thinking how cool of an experience it would be for me. How I would like to brag about being a coach.  How I might someday get recognized as a good coach.  Now entering my third season as an assistant coach, I have come to the realization that I do it for the kids. I do it because those young men need someone who has been there, experienced what they are going through and can help guide them and mold them into someone who will be something special in the future.  I don't do it for college scholarships. I don't do it for state championships.  I do it because someday, one of our athletes will remember something I taught them and they will be a better person, father or husband because of it.  That is why I coach.  Do I want to win? Yes.  Would I love to have a state championship ring? Absolutely, but that is not why I put the whistle around my neck.