LFCA coaching Manual 2010

volume xx

Table of Contents
Page
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Article/Author
Seventeen Reasons Why Football Is Better Than High School by Herb Childress Is Character Education Part of Your Program? by Rick Hutson, Head Coach New Iberia Senior High School Jump-Starting an Offense with Playmakers and Special Plays by Charlie Stubbs, Head Football Coach, Nicholls State University Use of the Squat Exercise as a Tool to Develop Explosive Athletes by John M. Talley, Jr. C.S.C.S. Dutchtown High School Avoiding Potential Pitfalls in Your Program by Terry Martin Cecelia High School

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Seventeen Reasons Why Football Is Better Than High School

By Herb Childress
WE DEFINE SCHOOL as a place of learning. But as I visited classes In his work as an ethnographer, Mr. Childress in the high school in which I was an observer for a year, what I saw mostly -- and what the students told me about most frequently -- was not learning was able to watch more than a hundred high school at all but boredom. I saw students talking in class, not listening to lectures, having conversations instead of working on their study guides, putting their students in a variety heads on their desks, and tuning out. Teachers talked about what a struggle of circumstances. it was to get students to turn in their homework at all, much less on time. Heres what he learned. Students picked up enough information to pass the test, did their work well enough to get the grade, and then totally forgot whatever it can be said that they had learned. We adults could see this as yet another moral problem. We could call young people lazy and tell one another that they wont put any effort into their work. We could press for more testing to tell us that -- sure enough -- test scores are declining. We could seek more penalties when students dont do well in class -- more ways to coerce them into doing their work. We could talk about going back to basics, which is to say making school an even less appealing and more restrictive place than it is now. But as an ethnographer, I had the advantage of hanging around with more than a hundred of this schools students outside the classroom, and I got to watch them in a variety of circumstances. For example, in February I spent one Thursday through Saturday with Bill, a junior who had good grades during his first twoyears of high school but lost interest in school during his third year. I watched him not bother to study at all for a French test and fail it. I watched him skip a class and play a computer game instead of writing his article for the school newspaper. I watched him get busted in a couple of classes for tardies and talking. But that same guy on that same weekend spent two hours running full out in a soccer practice and spent more hours than I can count playing hacky sack. (He taught me how to play acceptably well, no small achievement in itself.) He cooked a wonderful dinner at home one night and worked five fast-paced hours at his restaurant kitchen job the next night. He spent most of his home time playing games invented by his little brother and sister, who loved him. He spent two hours surfing on Friday and three more hours preparing for another surfing trip on Sunday. When I was with him in school, he was an archetypal slacker, but when I was with him outside school, he was a person with a lot of interests -- things that he was dedicated to and good at doing. And that pattern carried over to many of the students that I followed. I watched other young people operate computers and wash horses. I saw them playing video games that had dozens of rules and literally hundreds of decisions to be made every minute, and I watched them play card games that I couldnt begin to understand. I watched them drive four-wheel-drive trucks at insane speeds on dirt roads and watched them working on those trucks as well. I watched them acting, opening their hearts in front of hundreds of people. I watched them wres-

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tling and playing the piano. I was privileged to see them doing the things that they loved to do. The things that they put themselves into without reserve. The things that they were damn good at. The students I knew were a skilled bunch of people. So why didnt those skills and capabilities and that enthusiasm show up more often in the classroom? In the school that I observed, I saw striking -- and strikingly consistent -- differences between the perfunctory classroom sessions and lively extracurricular activities. The same students who were emotionally absent from their classes came alive after school. We say, If only shed spend as much time doing her algebra as she does on cheerleading . . . with the implication that students blow off algebra because theyre immature. We dont usually think to turn the question around and ask what it is about the activities they love that is worthy of their best effort. We dont usually ask what it is about school that tends to make it unworthy of that kind of devotion. But if were interested in looking at places of joy, places where students lose track of how hard theyre working because theyre so involved in what theyre doing, places where teenagers voluntarily learn a difficult skill, places that might hold some important lessons for schools, football is a good choice. Let me give you 17 reasons why football is better for learning than high school. I use football as my specific example not because I love football; I use it because I hate football. Its been said that football combines the two worst elements of American society: violence and committee meetings. You can substitute music or theater or soccer for football, and everything I say will stay the same; so when I say that football is better than school, what I really mean is that even football is better than school. 1. In football, teenagers are considered important contributors rather than passive recipients. This attitude is extraordinarily rare in teenage life, but it is central to both learning and self-esteem. A football team is framed around the abilities and preferences of the players; if theres nobody who can throw the ball but three big fast running backs and a strong offensive line, the team isnt going to have an offense that dwells much on passing. But the geometry class -- and every student in the geometry class -- has to keep pace with the same state-ordained curriculum as every other school, regardless of the skills and interests and abilities of the students. Football players know that they, and nobody else, will get the job done. Students know that they are considered empty minds, to be filled at a pace and with materials to be determined by others. 2. In football, teenagers are encouraged to excel. By this, I dont mean that players are asked to perform to someone elses standards (which may already be limited); rather, they are pushed to go beyond anything theyve ever been asked to do before, to improve constantly. There is no such thing as good enough. We congratulate players on their accomplishments, but we dont give them much time to be complacent -- we ask them to do even more. In the classroom, we give them a test on polynomials, and the best result they can get is to score high enough never to have to deal with polynomials again. 3. In football, teenagers are honored. Football players get extraordinary amounts of approval: award banquets, letter jackets, banners around the campus, school festivals, team photos, whole sections of the yearbook, newspaper coverage, trophies, regional and even state recognition for being the best. The whole community comes out to see them. We put them on floats and have parades. That doesnt happen for members of the consumer math class. 4. In football, a player can let the team down. Personal effort is linked to more than personal achievement: it means the difference between making the team better or making it weaker, making a players teammates and coaches grateful for his presence or irritated with his apathy. A single player can make his peers better than

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they would have been without him. Thats a huge incentive that we take away from the classroom with our constant emphasis on individual outcomes. 5. In football, repetition is honorable. In the curriculum, we continually move forward, with not much opportunity to do things a second time and get better. Students have to do new things every time they get to class. In football, students do the same drills over and over all season long -- and, in fact, get better at them. The skills get easier, and players start to use those skills to do things that are more complex. 6. In football, the unexpected happens all the time. Every player will line up across from the same opposing player dozens of times during a game, but he knows that, each time, his opponent could do something different, and hell have to react to it right in the moment. Theres no opportunity to coast, to tune out, to sit back and watch others work. Every player is required to be involved and absorbed in his work, and a talented player who holds back is typically held in lower regard than his less talented but more engaged teammates. Contrast that with a normal class period, scripted by a teacher with the idea that a successful class is the one that goes as planned, with the fewest disruptions, and its clear why apathy can be a problem in the classroom. 7. In football, practices generally run a lot longer than 50 minutes. And when they end, theres a reason to stop: the players work until they get it right or until theyre too tired to move anymore. Theres no specific reason that a school class should run for 50 minutes instead of 35 or 85, and theres no reason why classes should run the same length of time every day. The classroom schedule responds to pressures that come from outside the classroom -- state laws, other classes, even bus schedules. The football practice schedule is more internal -- the coach and team quit when theyre done. 8. In football, the homework is of a different type from whats done at practice. Students do worksheets in the classroom and then very often are assigned to do the same kind of worksheet at home. Football requires a lot of homework that comes in the form of running and weight training, things not done at practice. Players work at home to find and build their strengths and then bring those strengths to practice to work together with their teammates on specific skills. The work done at home and the work done in common are two different jobs, and each is incomplete without the other. 9. In football, emotions and human contact are expected parts of the work. When players do well, they get to be happy. When they do poorly, they get to be angry. Players are supposed to talk with one another while things are going on. But we have no tools to make use of happiness or frustration in most classrooms, and we generally prohibit communication except for the most restricted exchanges. When we bring 30 students together and ask them not to communicate, not to use one another as resources or exhort one another to go further, then we make it clear to them that their being together is simply cost-effective. 10. In football, players get to choose their own roles. Not only do they choose their sport, but they also choose their favorite position within that sport. In the classroom, we dont allow people to follow their hearts very often. We give them a list of classes they have to take, and then we give them assignments within those classes that they have to do, and we dont offer many alternatives. Weve set the whole school thing up as a set of requirements. But sports are a set of opportunities, a set of pleasures from which anyone gets to choose. Each one of those pleasures carries with it a set of requirements and responsibilities and difficult learning assignments, but youngsters still do them voluntarily, following their own self-defined mission of seeking their place in the world. 11. In football, the better players teach the less-skilled players. Sometimes this teaching is on purpose, but mostly it is by example. Every player is constantly surrounded by other players who can do things well and who love doing what they do. The really good players are allowed to show off -- in fact, its demanded that they show off,

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that they work to their highest capacity. The people who arent as good observe that. They dont simply see skills they can learn; they become inspired. They get to see another person -- not just the teacher but a peer -- who knows what hes doing and who loves to do it. In the classroom, the best students arent often given a chance publicly to go beyond what everyone else is doing. Theyre smothered, held back, kept to the same pace as their classmates. We give the appearance of not caring so that we wont be hurt when the students dont care either. 12. In football, there is a lot of individual instruction and encouragement from adults. A coach who has only the nine defensive linemen to deal with for an hour is going to get a pretty good sense of who these youngsters are, what drives them, what they can and cant do. And those players are going to see the coach in a less formal and more human frame; they get to ask questions when questions arise without feeling as though theyre on stage in front of 30 other bored students. Lets admit a basic truth: bigger classes make personal contact more difficult. The school I was in had an average class size of 27 students. That was considered pretty good, since the statewide average was 31. But as I looked around the halls at the team photos in their glass trophy cases, the highest player-to-coach ratio I saw was 13 to one; sometimes it was better than 10 to one. There was one photo of the varsity football team with Coach Phillips and his three assistants surrounded by 35 players; erase the three assistants from the picture, and you could have had a photo of any one of his history classes. On the first day of freshman basketball practice, 23 hopefuls tried out, and by the end of the first week, there were still 17. On the next Monday morning the coach said to me, I sure hope some more of these kids quit. You cant do anything with 17 kids. True enough -- so why do we expect him to do something five periods a day with 25, 30, or 34? 13. In football, the adults who participate are genuinely interested. The adults involved in football are more than willing to tell you that they love to play, that they love to coach. And they dont say it in words so much as in their actions, in the way that they hold themselves and dive in to correct problems and give praise. But the teachers I watched (and the teachers I had from grade school to grad school) were, for the most part, embarrassed to death to say that they loved whatever it was that they did. It takes a lot of guts to stand up in front of 25 students who didnt volunteer to be there and say, You know, dissecting this pig is going to be the most fun Im going to have all day. Were candidates for the Geek-of-the-Month Club if we let people know that we really love poetry, or trigonometry, or theater, or invertebrate biology. And so we often hide behind a curriculum plan, a textbook, and a set of handouts, and we say, You and I have to do this together because its what the book says we have to do. We give the appearance of not caring so that we wont be hurt when the students dont care either. But it was only in those few classrooms where the teachers said, both in word and in action, that they absolutely loved what they were doing that the students were engaged, that they learned. I talked with a lot of students -- and their teachers and their parents -- about what they loved to do, whether it was photography or surfing or hunting or reading -- things that are real skills. And when I asked how they got involved in those activities, both the young people and the adults always answered that it was someone who got them interested, and not anything intrinsic in the event itself. They followed someone they respected into an activity that that person loved, and they discovered it from there. 14. In football, volunteers from the community are sought after. No sports program in a high school could ever operate without assistant coaches, trainers, and other local people who arent paid to help out. These people give hours and hours to the school in exchange for a handshake, a vinyl jacket, and a free dinner at the end of the season. Volunteers are a natural part of human activity. There are almost never volunteers in the classroom -- no adults who seem to believe that math or chemistry is so interesting that they would help out with it for free on a regular basis. Theres no sense that anyone other than the expert can contribute to a discussion of ideas.

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 15. In football, ability isnt age-linked. Freshmen who excel can play varsity. In a ninth-grade English classroom, an extraordinary student cant go beyond what the other ninth-grade students are doing, even if he or she could profit from whats being assigned to the seniors. When a student tries out for football, he gets a careful looking over by several coaches, and if hes really good, theyre going to move him up fast. In the classroom, if that same student is really good -- if hes inspired -- one person sees it and gives him an A. Big deal -- its the same A that someone else gets for just completing the requirements without inspiration. The pace of advancement in football isnt linked to equal advancement in another, irrelevant area. If a boy is an adequate JV basketball player but an extraordinary football player, the football coach isnt going to say that the boy has to stay with the JV football team so that hes consistent with his grade level. No way! The coach is going to tell that player, Come on up here; we need you. Have you ever heard an English teacher recruit a young student by saying, We need you in this classroom? Have you ever heard a science teacher say, Your presence is crucial to how this course operates -- were not at our full potential without you? 16. Football is more than the sum of its parts. Players practice specific moves over and over in isolation, but they know that their job at the end is going to mean putting all those moves together. In school, we keep the parts separate. We dont show our students how a creative writer might use a knowledge of science; we dont show them how a historian might want to know about the building trades; we dont show them how a mechanic can take joy in knowing about American history. We dont let our students see the way that all these different interests might come together into a worthwhile and fascinating life. We pretend theyre all separate. 17. In football, a public performance is expected. The incentive to perform in front of family and friends was a great motivating force for the athletes I knew. The potential for a poor performance was another motivator -- nobody wants to be embarrassed in public. These students were contributing an important civic service to their small community, with over a thousand home fans at every game, and they took that responsibility seriously. But schoolwork is almost always performed and evaluated in private. Successes and failures are unseen and have no bearing on the happiness of others. No single one of these 17 patterns taken individually constitutes a magic potion for a good learning environment. But when we look at these patterns taken together, we can see that football has a lot to recommend it as a social configuration for learning. Im not going to argue that we should give up on school and focus on football. What I am saying is that we have a model for learning difficult skills -- a model that appears in sports, in theater, in student clubs, in music, in hobbies -- and its a model that works, that transmits both skills and joy from adult to teenager and from one teenager to another. We need a varsity education. Reprinted with permission of Kappan Professional Journal Last updated 31 March 1998 URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kchi9804.htm Copyright 1998 Phi Delta Kappa International

Is Character Education Part of your Program?

By Rick Hutson, Head Coach New Iberia Senior High School
Teaching character is the most important thing we do as coaches. We We took the first 10-15 are in a unique position to do this. How can a chemistry or social studies minutes of our offseason teacher spend class time to do this while trying to make sure all benchmarks workouts and dedicated are being taught and documented? How can the English teacher teach overit to Character Education. coming obstacles? How can the math teacher teach team work or acThe effects were noticeable cepting a role in his class? almost instantly...By doing the teaching (not preaching) Our programs have very tangible situations to illustrate life-lessons. in the beginning we were We also have a captive audience that is very often void of the proper support able to set the tone for the system that we had when we grew up. We used to tell our players You know workout. whats right and whats wrong; Do whats right! But today, many of our young men dont know what is right and what is wrong. They have received so many mixed messages and wrong messages that their values are not what we would expect.

After years of being frustrated with dealing with trivial and childish discipline problems as a head coach I was determined that we were going to make a difference in that area in 2008. For years we have claimed that we teach character in our athletic programs, but many times we felt like our messages werent being received by the players. During the offseason we decided that we would make sure that teaching character would receive more emphasis and would become our number one priority. We took the first 10-15 minutes of our offseason workouts and dedicated it to Character Education. The effects were noticeable almost instantly. In the past Id get the workout going as quickly as possible. When it was over Id have time to preach and evaluate the workout at the end. I had it backwards. By doing the teaching (not preaching) in the beginning we were able to set the tone for the workout. Besides, we all know that most of what you say at the end of the workout will not be remembered by the time they leave the locker room. You may think spending 15 minutes a day on character education is taking too much time away from weight training or agility work. But what we have found is that our workouts are much more productive because of a heightened awareness of what is expected and what type of attitude is expected. We feel like we get more done in less time because of a better work ethic. We have come to view it is this way: We can spend time on Character Education in the beginning, or we can deal with the lack of character in the end. The latter is almost always more frustrating and might cost you just as much time. Some coaches also dont feel its their responsibility to teach Character Ed because our coaches didnt have to teach us when we were in school. To some degree, we all coach the way we were coached. But what has changed

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since we were in school? When I was in high school we only had 3 channels on our TV. I could watch any show that was on with my parents and no one had to worry about being embarrassed about what was on or being said. The shows usually had a moral ending and you knew who the good guys were (white hat) and who the bad guys were (black hat). We had our meals together as a family and fast food was a treat we enjoyed once every couple of weeks. We almost never missed church on Sunday morning and Sunday night. We also made most of the Wednesday night services. I was taught values by my parents and had them reinforced at church. Does this sound like the environment that most of your problem players have when they go home? For some of your players your character training may be the only true character training they receive. Research has concluded that there are very few ways to change the IQ of a person. One of the ways that IQ can be improved is by increasing the persons total vocabulary. Each week we introduce at least one new vocabulary word. Most of the terms are words that the players have heard, but many dont have a real clue as to what they mean. We use words like: integrity, persistence, epiphany, mutuality and resilient. We try to keep the words relevant and not too far from what they might hear in class or on TV. One of the first things you will notice is how few of your players really know the meaning of words you have been using and taking for granted that they understood. Many of our players have made comments that they are now noticing our vocabulary words in newspaper articles or on TV and now they have a real understanding of what is being said. They tell us this with a real pride of self-improvement. We use concepts that help build team unity. We normally use stories or poems that illustrate the concepts. Players will forget the formal definitions, but they rarely forget the stories. Remember, Jesus taught with parables. One of our players favorite stories was the one we used to illustrate Integrity. (Google: Ling +Emperor +boiled seeds.) You can find an endless and free source of information to use with the internet. To illustrate the need for putting aside differences and giving of themselves for the good of the team we used the poem The Cold Within. Try to get as much input from the players as possible. Dont let this become a preaching session where coaches do all the talking. We have the players give answers and record them on the whiteboard in some sessions. We also will break up in smaller groups for group discussion, record the answers and compare at the end. We have used role playing in some sessions such as when illustrating reacting to a situation versus responding to a situation. We try to make these situations as applicable as possible. We talk about scenarios that we know they will encounter in the classroom, during a game or off the field. We give a weekly written test on all the information and stories we use. Just because we go over a term or concept does not mean we have taught it. To educate in Latin means to draw out. We have to test to make sure that what is being taught is being learned. There is a sign in our office that says, Do not mistake teaching for learning. You are not absolved as a coach just because you went over it.

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 During the season we will test on the day before the game. We will go over the test the day of the game. Position coaches grade their own players. Coaches now have a new insight as to which players are really paying attention and grasping the ideas being presented. We were also stunned to see just how weak some of our players are in areas like spelling and grammar. This gave us another perspective on each players learning ability. Many times we noticed the correlation between a player missing easy answers on the test and blowing assignments in the game. We concluded if players were constantly struggling with the Character Tests (which are, for the most part, very easy), we shouldnt be surprised when they blow assignments in a game. Surprisingly, some of our weaker students scored nearly 100% on the Character Tests. Initially, there was a planned lesson for each week of the season, but circumstances dictated that we rearranged the order for some of the lessons (i.e. Gustav and Ike). You will see what lesson needs to be taught for whatever your team is going through whether its adversity or complacency (two of our vocabulary words). Winning nearly always makes things more enjoyable. And Im not nave to the point that I think we won this year simply because we did character education. We had some very good players and we stayed healthy for the biggest part of our season. But seeing several of our so-called problem players buy in to what was being taught was one of the more rewarding parts of the season. This year was also more enjoyable because we had an amazingly low number of discipline problems (as was noted by the coaching staff and our schools administration.) The attitude and effort given during our practices was so much better than what any coach could remember. Did we have fewer problems because we were winning or did we win because we had fewer problems? You could argue either side, but from where I sat, I saw the difference. We were able to stay more focused (even after the two losses) because all we had to fix were football problems and not attitude or effort problems. We also had success because our players were more ready to accept their roles on the team whether or not it was in line with what they might have wanted for themselves. Our players also had more common ground to draw from. They would correct each other in the hallway and do preventive maintenance when they saw a teammate getting out of line. We have received a great number of compliments about the character education program from our parents. Parents who are genuinely concerned with their kids will appreciate your reinforcing those values at school. If you have any questions about the implementation of a character education program, please dont hesitate to contact me: rihutson@iberia.k12.la.us. We definitely dont have all the answers, but wed love to help in any way we can. Recommended reading: Coaching to Change Lives by Dennis Parker and D.W. Rutledge; Season of Life by Jeffery Marx; Uncommon by Tony Dungy; Wins, Losses and Lessons by Lou Holtz.

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Jump-Starting an Offense with Playmakers and Special Plays

By Charlie Stubbs, Head Football Coach Nicholls State University
Coaching a successful offensive unit is very complex and requires a good amount of organization. In establishing an offensive philosophy, it is important to follow a few basic principles to ensure success. WINNING OFFENSIVE STRATEGIES Offensive Flow Create a rhythm or flow to the offense that will often produce the deciding momentum. This rhythm should be felt in practice and internalized so that it can be generated again in a game. Beat Opponents to the Punch Gain the advantage by repeatedly beating the opponent to the punch with quickness and explosiveness. This will eventually wear down the opponent, which will often be a deciding factor. Second Effort Believe in the ability and the desire of a blocker to sustain just a little longer, and of a receiver to extend just a little farther. Often, this will be a deciding factor in the game inches. Communication Much of the detail and precision of the offense can only be fine-tuned by communication from coaches to players, players to coaches, and coaches to coaches. Play The Hand Youre Dealt The maturity, poise, awareness, and flexibility to adjust to changing situations will often be a deciding factor between winning and losing. Will to Prepare Concentrating in meetings, doing extra film study, and practicing with rhythm, as well as effort and detail, is a part of the price that must be paid to win. Let It Flow, Let It Go Proper preparation will allow players to play uninhibited without fear of making a mistake. True ability will only show itself in this type of environment. Design The purpose of design is to put players in positions to utilize their talents. Flexibility, communication, and consistent concepts are keys in allowing players to win. Tell Each Player: Be a Football Player Gray areas are sorted out by players. Instinctive players can make things work in these situations. The coach must have a definite plan in which he believes, and there must be no compromise on his part. Paul Bear Bryant Hall-of-Fame Football Coach University of Alabama

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PLAYMAKERS When developing the offensive plan, it is important to identify the teams Playmakers, the athletes who must have the ball in their hands a major portion of the game for the team to be successful. (Goal: Get the ball to the Playmakers at least 2/3 of all offensive plays). The playmaker title is earned through hard work and production in practice/games. Many successful coaches design specific plays beyond the core offense to allow these gifted athletes to use their skills. Reminder PLAYERS MAKE PLAYS! A good idea during games is to assign a specific coach (in the press box) to chart the number of touches the playmakers have to ensure that the offense will not get off course. It is a good practice to script the first 10 plays of the game to Jump Start Your Offense. A coach should emphasize getting the ball into the Playmakers hand, different personnel groupings, formations, motions, and shifts to see how the defense reacts. (Diagram 1) Sample Game Plan (First 10 Plays). I will follow these scripted plays to ensure a great start to the game. Note: The 3rd down and 7+ yards ready list are available in case we fail to execute on a given play. We must gain first downs!

SPECIAL PLAYS All warfare is based upon deception. Sun-Tzu Chinese Military Strategist The Art of War Special plays are intended to provide the element of surprise and cause defensive confusion. Within the weekly offensive game plan, a coach should design special plays. These plays can jump-start an offense, and therefore need to be innovative and able to exploit a defensive weakness or defensive player. These plays need to be set up properly and called at the correct time. Numerous factors exist when considering the design of special plays, as well as the timing of when they should be called. Considering the following factors can aid coaches in their efforts to develop this unique package.

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 Most successful specials complement a core/base offensive play that a team has is its offensive plan. Try to use a variety of formations/motions/personnel groupings to help in disguising the play from game to game. Special plays will quickly lose their effectiveness when they are overused. A coach should give these plays enough practice preparation. Repetitions are the keys to offensive success. Dont mistake activity for achievement. Practice it the right way. John Wooden Hall-of-Fame Basketball Coach UCLA Timing is paramount. A special play called at the proper time can be the difference between a win and a loss. Also, early in the game is a great opportunity to jump-start an offense. Special plays are designed to exploit a defensive tendency, weakness, or particular player. Other factors to consider: Down/Distance Field Location: Red Zone, Hash, etc Time of Game: First/Fourth Quarter, Before Half, etc Change of possession or after a big play when the defense is rattled or confused. Sample Situation: A coach has a wide receiver (z) on his team that is a playmaker. The coach believes the WR will get limited touches within the base offense through the passing game but wants to ensure additional opportunities during the flow of the game. The following (Diagrams 2-5) are examples of special plays utilized to get the playmaker more involved. Football is a game that evolves, with each new coach adding their own wrinkles even as they are indebted to the

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great coaches before them. I am a product of many coaches, learning from them all while at the same time trying to add my own innovations and adjustments to give the players a better chance for success. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS... 1) How do you install special plays during your game week preparation? After much video study of our opponent I have determined that a certain special play will be great in attacking a particular defensive player or scheme. In practice #1 of game week we will work on the special parts of the play (Ex. reverse action, double pass technique etc.); practice #2 the entire offense will execute the play against a scout team that will give us the exact look needed multiple times- at this time the players will understand why and will gain confidence in the play with great execution; on practice #3 and #4 the play will be inserted into the team script at the proper situation (down/ distance, hash, yardline etc.) that it will be utilized in the game. We will only run the play once each day to give the offense the understanding that on many special plays you only get one opportunity to make it happen- no repeats! 2) Do you have a sample of the form an assistant coach on the sideline or pressbox would use during the game to keep track of the playmakers touches? On this form the assistant coach will record the plays that are directed towards a particular playmaker by jersey number. In the passing game- if the playmaker is the first read of that pattern we will record that play. Note: Results of the play will be included and I will refer to the chart numerous times during the game.

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3) You have a reputation as an aggressive playcaller with a big play offense- What advice would you give an inexperienced or first time offensive coordinator/ playcaller? Of course, after proper preparation with video study, meetings, and practice you must be confident as a coach about your offensive game plan. As a playcaller, during the last couple of days of game week, I have already played the game in my head many times over so I will be prepared to react in various situations to make the proper play call. When utilizing special plays, the playcaller must go with his instinct- with no hesitation, the coach cannot second guess or worry about negative consequences- To make things happen, you must have the courage to make the call that will give your players an opportunity to make a big play!

Use of the Squat Exercise as a Tool to Develop Explosive Athletes

By John M. Talley, Jr. C.S.C.S Dutchtown High School
The exercise that all effective strength programs have in common is the squat. Unfortunately, the squat has been much maligned in both literature and anecdotes. Virtually every weight room has some kid or coach who has a squat horror story that usually involves a surgical ending. It is often overheard that squats are bad for the knees or back, and the riskreward is not favorable enough to make squatting a cornerstone of a conditioning program. I disagree. When taught properly, squats can be an integral part of developing explosive athletes. However, many young athletes are introduced to squatting through large group instruction coupled with supervision by older, more experienced athletes acting as mentors. Coaches then meander through the weight room looking for egregious errors to correct. This method of teaching the squat (and all lifts, for that matter) is often justified as necessary due to the sheer number of athletes coaches have in their charge. There is a more efficient and effective way to teach the squat as a tool to develop explosive athletes. In this article I will discuss some foundational information about the squatting movement as justification of how I teach the squat. I will also explain pre-screening techniques I use to determine an athletes readiness or ability to squat. Finally, I will discuss remediation strategies that can teach proper movements and prepare athletes to begin to use the squat exercise as a means of developing into an explosive athlete. Pelvic Origination of Movement and Triple-Extension The squat is an excellent tool in training explosive athletes because the squatting action is similar to the mechanics of acceleration. How we move in the squat is similar to how we jump, run, and extend out of a stance. Since successful coaches train movements, not muscles, squatting provides the opportunity to train an athlete in an acceleration Continued on following page 15

movement pattern with resistance. As the athlete increases his strength in the squat, his acceleration measures should similarly improve (vertical jump, standing long jump, sprints, etc.). Further, the locus of human propulsion is the pelvic girdle and the musculature that surrounds it. Once the coach understands that explosive movements originate in the pelvis, developing a plan of action around this fact must include the squat and squat variations. Triple extension, the clinic-phrase bantered about as if it were enlightened biomechanical analysis becomes obvious as a description of the proper way to describe movement when the primacy of the hips in initiating explosive action is understood. Done properly, squatting effectively trains triple extension. Basic Tenets of the Squat Exercise There are five basic concepts that must be understood in order to effectively and efficiently teach and train the squat. The first and arguably most important is the initial movement of the squat. Once the bar is seated and stance is secured , the squat is begun by moving the hips down and back. A common flaw and sign that too much weight is being used is to see the knees move forward first. This violates the principle of pelvic origination and acceleration mechanics. You can squat by moving the knees first but you cant efficiently train acceleration that way. When the knees move forward first, the center of mass shifts forward and the athlete is required to plantar flex or push on the balls of their feet to remain stable. The resulting lifting of the heels off the floor is a sign of improper order of extension (or flexion in the descent phase). Remember, the prime movers are located in the hip. Kneefirst squatting trains an ankle-hip-knee ordering of the squatting movement. While this is possible, it is an inefficient and ineffective way to train acceleration. Pelvic origination maintains the integrity of the hip-knee-ankle ordering and keeps the athlete in a posture conducive to maximizing force production. Secondly, to minimize risk and properly train acceleration and deceleration, the tempo of the squat movement should be down slow, up fast. There should be a definite change in speed between the descent and ascent phases of the squat. This is important and should always take precedence over the amount of weight being used. When stipulating how much load a lifter uses, look at technique and tempo to determine if the weight is accurate for the number of repetitions prescribed. Lowering the weight five percent to get a more explosive movement, in the long run, is more beneficial than improperly grinding out those same reps at the higher weight. Remember, sometimes (particularly in training) less is more. Two more points of emphasis surround depth of the descent phase of the squat. How low should you go? When using body weight only (no external resistance), the athlete should always perform a full squat. Full, by definition, is complete range of motion. This means the athlete should squat as low as possible and rise as high as possible maintaining the appropriate tempo. When using a load (external resistance), the athlete should descend just below parallel. Heres where the argument begins: what is parallel? Look for the top of the thigh to get below the knee. Some coaches prefer to conserve the integrity of the spinal column, i.e., keeping the entire spine in line and beginning the ascent prior to the lumbar region losing its curvature and straightening out. Either way, the cue of get your butt below your knees is common and usually effective. Remember, friends dont let friends squat high. The last basic principle of squatting is applicable to not only the back squat but all squat variations. When performing any squat exercise, the shin angle and the back angle should be equal. That means that when you back squat, the angle of the shins is smaller than when you front squat or lunge. This relationship is easily seen and should be demanded without compromise. More often violated in the back squat than in any other variation, complimentary angles of the shins and back create an environment for the most efficient transfer of force into the ground and back up through the kinetic chain. We have all coached the athlete, usually one who is overweight, who excessively bends at the waist while squatting. Allowing this movement to be repeated in training engrains poor

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posture and diminishes force production, resulting in a kid whose squat 1RM is disproportional to his vertical or 40 yard dash efforts. Pre-Screening Athletes for Requisite Movement Efficiency Any athlete population contains various levels of proficiency for a specific skill. Pre-screening to maximize training protocols is vital when teaching the squat. Determining if an athlete has the potential to perform a skill like squatting is an obvious, but often overlooked, place to begin. Many coaches assume that they can place a bar on an athletes back and allow the athlete to learn by doing. Unfortunately, because of the complexity of the squat movement, few athletes have an inherent understanding of how to squat or the kinesthetic awareness to learn from performing what they think is a squat. Furthermore, it is better to remediate early than to allow the athlete to develop habitual poor mechanics or compensatory movements. In order to determine if an athlete possesses the skill set to perform a squat or squat variant, use a series of assessments. The first test is a simple body weight squat . Prepare the athlete by cueing a proper stance. Have the athlete begin by standing upright with his shoulders over his hips, chest as wide as possible, trying to stand as tall as he can . If a small curve in the lower back is not present (lordosis), cue the athlete to retract his shoulder blades by placing your finger on their thoracic spine and instructing them to pinch your finger. Placing hands behind the neck completes the stance. Have the athlete squat without any coaching other than reminding him to go as low as possible in the appropriate rhythm. Signs that the athlete needs immediate remediation include: Pronounced lean of the upper body prior to beginning the descent phase, i.e., the back is at a much smaller angle than the shins. This means the athlete is close to or in a chest-on-thigh position PRIOR to reaching parallel with their hips. Heels leaving the floor during the descent Immediate readjustment of feet by increasing width of stance or increasing the outward angle (turning toes out more) Inability of the top of the thigh to reach at least parallel (Although, I prefer the athlete to move through a full range of motion.) Here are a couple of compensations that can be quickly corrected and should not require immediate remediation: Athlete descends without compromise but prior to ascent, he leans forward and applies force through his forefoot causing his heels to come off the floor and hips rise thereby misaligning the spine. While this could be the result of weak abdominals, most of the time the coach can cue the athlete to keep his head and chest up feeling the pressure on his heels during the ascent to correct this flaw. If not, remediate. Athlete pulls his elbows forward causing them to lean excessively during the descent (elbows lose alignment and move forward of the shoulders). Have the athlete hold his arms straight out (like a zombie). If he still leans forward, begin remediation. If this corrects the problem, move him through to the next screening. The next step in the series is what I have termed a wall squat. As its name suggests, move athletes to a wall to perform this screening. Athletes assume the exact same position as in the body weight squat but while facing the wall, they must place the toes of their shoes no more than two to three inches from the base of the wall. Cue the squat the same as done previously. You may have to coach the athletes to smell the wall as they descend since many feel they are too close to the wall to squat. If an athlete performs this test properly, i.e., sub-parallel and within rhythm, he is ready to begin the formal squat progression training. Compensations in the wall squat are virtually impossible. The wall prevents excessive lean of the torso; it prevents

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knee-first movement and will also disallow the athlete from leaning forward to ascend. This is an all or none screening - the athlete can either do it or not. It is up to the coach to determine proper depth and technical proficiency of each athletes movement. Remediation Strategies If you have assessed your athletes in the manner described above, you should have established two skill groups: the cans and the cannots. (I call this group the wall squatters.) Moving forward with the skilled is easy. Where you earn your money is how you address the training of the un-skilled. First, deal with the psychological issues that hopefully will arise. Realize that you have just proven without a shadow of a doubt that an athlete cannot do something athletic. The true competitor has difficulty accepting this and may argue the validity of the tests, demand immediate retesting, or question when he can be tested again. This is a good problem to deal with but requires some forethought. Explain that retests can be done anytime after at least one week of remediation. You need to develop a plan to address this issue. Most coaches design their training sessions to have athletes move from one exercise to the next throughout the workout. When it is time to squat, wall squatters begin their remedial regimen. It starts with flexibility, moves to jump training, and ends with squatting movements or squat variants. Strategy I: Flexibility Remediation begins with an introduction to several dynamic flexibility exercises for the hip, knee, and ankle joints. These include, but are not limited to, forward/ backward/ lateral lunges, pelvic tilts, pelvic rotations, heel raises, knee lifts, and general calisthenics. The deficiency that inhibits the athletes ability to squat may be flexibility or a lack of core strength. If this is the case, dont expect immediate results. It sometimes takes several sessions of properly performed dynamic flexibility exercises to see any significant improvement. Often an athlete is unable to squat because he has not learned the proper movement. Instead, he has developed a motor pattern that does not enhance acceleration To address this issue, you must teach wall squatters how to jump and land, so they can learn triple extension and therefore acceleration mechanics in the proper order. Strategy II: Jump Training In order to jump properly, athletes must learn to extend their hips before their legs, and then extend their legs before their feet (hip-knee-ankle triple extension). This can be accomplished in several ways and should be taught through a variety of methods. It is important for the coach to remember that this instruction is both technical and demanding on the central nervous system. Because of the complexity of the movements, numbers of repetitions as well as duration of activity should be closely monitored. A fatigued athlete will regress to movements of less neural demand and revert back to the movement patterns you are trying to replace. These training sessions should be limited to the number of repetitions the athlete can perform correctly. The number of sets and reps will be determined by each individual athlete. Remember, less is more. The first exercise to use in jump training is a variation of the standing long jump. Rather than focusing on the traditional SLJ where maximal linear distance is desired, place a marker of some type on the floor and cue the athlete to jump beyond the marker achieving maximal height over the marker. The rationale for this is two-fold: it gives the athlete a visual reference and the coach the ability to adjust the distance to maximize vertical application of force. The initial distance for the marker is approximately two feet from the starting point with a maximal goal of four to five feet after several training sessions. Before beginning the actual jump, review this movement in minute detail from the initial arm swing to the landing. Also, vary the starting position to limit the complexity of the movement. First

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trials are done from a static quarter-squat position with subsequent efforts beginning at a greater depth as the athlete progresses. It is important that the progression stops prior to the athlete attempting a jump from a static parallel or sub-parallel position. Jumping from this position requires high levels of strength and coordination, qualities not usually found in athletes undergoing remediated instruction. Final stages of this training include the use of a countermovement. This is where the initial squatting action of hips down and back is reinforced as a precursor to force application into the ground. The landing is coached by cueing the athlete to finish in the starting position. With a quarter-squat start, require a quarter-squat finish. Ultimately, when using a counter-move, the athlete will land at or near parallel and then quickly return to an upright position. This action reinforces the movement pattern of triple extension in a quick, explosive manner. Throughout the training, the coach is cueing and looking for maximal extension of the entire body as the athlete passes over the marker. The next exercise in the jump progression is a vertical jump. Here the start positions are restricted to limit complexity of movement as in the varied SLJ. Landing protocols remain in that the athlete lands in the same position in which he starts. Coaching cues now focus on the vertical nature of force application. The athlete should be encouraged to develop an awareness of weight distribution in his feet with pronounced heel pressure in the descent phase transitioning to applying force through the fore-foot during the ascending phase. The use of a device to measure vertical jumps can be a great teaching aide providing immediate feedback to the athlete and the coach. The key is to get the athlete to achieve maximal extension using the proper movement pattern. The previous examples of remedial jump training are simple and easy to use. Some coaches have found that progressing to hurdle hops is a good endpoint in this remedial training. I tend to agree but with a few reservations. For the relatively skilled athlete, hopping hurdles from varied start positions is a challenging and instructive exercise. Most of the athletes I work with in remedial situations do not possess the strength necessary to perform hurdle hops correctly. In addition, while minimal height on a standard hurdle is 30, many of my remedial squatters have maximal vertical jumps of 20 or less. Thus, hurdle hops require the use of specialized hurdles, called scissor hurdles, if the athlete is going to begin training at a level of minimal demand. Since the key to transferring this type of training to squatting is to reinforce triple extension, the use of a standard hurdle necessitates a vertical of at least 30. The kids I coach who have this kind of leaping ability are not in remediation. As in all training, there are important environmental and population concerns. Careful consideration should be taken when choosing the surface upon which this training takes place. Jump training is preferably done on a grass surface but often times a gymnasium floor is the necessary location for training. The harder the surface upon which you train, the fewer reps you should prescribe. Also, considerations must be made to individualize remediation based on the athletes strengths and weaknesses. The body composition of the athlete you are training is an important factor when considering a training regimen. The obese kid cannot tolerate high repetitions of jumps safely. Strategy III: Squat Variation Progression Part of all training sessions must be dedicated to a movement that mimics the squatting action with as high a degree of specificity as possible. There are several exercises from which to choose. The obvious choice with which to begin is a simple body weight squat. Repeated prisoner squats offer the opportunity for the coach to reinforce proper squat technique, get multiple reps, and allow the athlete to squat without the stress of external resistance. Most athletes undergoing remediation will need to hold onto something to stabilize them as they travel through the proper range of motion. A door knob, post, or partners hand is usually enough assistance to maintain proper technique. Once the athlete can perform a body weight squat without any assistance, he is ready to move to a variant with an external load.

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 One of the most effective of these variations is called the pillar squat. To perform a pillar squat, the athlete must hold a dumbbell or a plate approximately waist height. Holding the dumbbell in this position shifts the athletes center of mass forward and down slightly making the initial displacement of the hips a less stressful movement. The athlete should be able to perform movement while maintaining proper squat mechanics. If an athlete cannot perform this exercise with strict adherence to the fundamental squatting movements, it is the coachs responsibility to choose a different gross movement exercise. Once athletes have mastered the pillar squat, it is time to move them to an overhead or snatch squat. As a remedial movement, the overhead squat is done with minimal weight. An Olympic bar may be too heavy to use to introduce this exercise but many kids cannot hold the proper position without a little weight to enhance the feeling of where there hands are during the descent. Thus, substitute PVC for the bar to replicate the motion. You will have to make this decision on an individual basis with each of your athletes . To begin the overhead squat, have the athlete assume a proper stance in preparation for the squatting action. The bar should be held about six to eight inches above the head with arms completely extended. Cue the descent by having the athlete move his hips down and back. The athlete must keep the bar overhead and in line with his feet. Standing to the side, the coach can easily observe proper squatting action as well as maintenance of bar position. Proper tempo and maximal depth of should be demanded during execution of the lift. Athletes with shoulder flexibility issues and weak abdominals will struggle with this exercise. Once an athlete can properly perform an overhead squat, he is well on his way to working in an explosive manner with an external load. The Final Strategy: Front Squats Up to this point in the progression, body positions and devices have been used to manipulate the athletes center of mass to make learning proper squatting technique/acceleration mechanics easier. The final stage in the process allows the introduction of slightly heavier loads and a focus on transitioning from the descent phase to the ascent phase in an explosive manner. The front squat is where that the athlete is introduced to the squat rack. Included at this time is all of the safety instruction surrounding the squat exercise such as movement in and out of the rack, manipulating plates, balancing the load, and the proper way to spot. How you coach carriage of the bar in the front squat is a matter of personal preference. I do not think it is safe to cross hands and grip the bar when using heavier loads. I prefer the palms-up, clean grip but understand many athletes struggle with this due to flexibility issues. I have found that almost every kid can front squat while maintaining fair squat technique. Because my goal is to progress to back squatting explosively as soon as the athlete is ready, I introduce this exercise as the final stage of my remediation. By following the progression of remediation I have described, athletes develop proper movement patterns and are better prepared for the final challengethe addition of significant external loads. Athletes always begin front squatting with the bar and progress to about 30% of their body weight. Since strict fidelity to proper mechanics and tempo are demanded throughout the process of remediation, the front squat allows the athlete to focus on an explosive transition from descent to ascent under significant load. Transition to Effective Acceleration Training Before an athlete graduates from the remedial group, he must perform a series of wall squats to perfection. How long an athlete must remain in remediation depends on the how deficient he is in proper movement skills. It has been my experience that most incoming freshmen who require remediation have graduated after five or six training

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sessions. Ultimately, the coach will have to decide the minimal skill level necessary to participate in the mainstream training program. Final Considerations I did not devise this plan overnight. Over the years I have coached a few kids who can squat double or triple their body weight and yet seem to never make those strength gains translate into similar increases in measures of acceleration. I spent many hours trying to use the squat to develop more explosive athletes and measuring their success through ever increasing 1RMs. Experience has taught me that technical proficiency must always take precedence over the weight lifted if the goal of training is to develop a stronger, faster athlete. I am not suggesting that all an athlete needs to do to become more explosive is to squat properly. However, biomechanically improper squatting mechanics inhibit an athletes propensity to maximize his ability to accelerate. In summation, how much an athlete can squat may have little to do with how well he accelerates. However, how well an athlete accelerates can be improved in part by adherence to proper squatting mechanics.

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls in Your Program

By Terry Martin Cecilia High School
Most coaches would agree that working with high school athletes is one of the most rewarding and satisfying professions. At the same time, it can also be one of the most frustrating occupations when you consider the myriad of problems that coaches deal with on a daily basis. At Cecilia High School, we try to eliminate as many potential problems as possible before they occur by having clear expectations and procedures known to all parties involved. Mandatory parent meetings, the videoing of coaches teaching proper tackling technique, having emergency/catastrophic injury plans, teaching leadership classes to seniors, the use of player goal sheets, and especially the use of a parent/player/coach agreement form are just some of the things that, while not original, in combination have proven to be beneficial to our program. Like a large number of schools, we have a mandatory parent meeting in late July (some schools hold theirs right before spring ball) where we cover all aspects of our program. Some of the things discussed in this meeting are our overall philosophy, rules and procedures, nutrition/safety issues (heat problems, staph infections, alcohol/drug/tobacco usage, notification of illness and medications), insurance coverage, scholarships, the all-important playing time topic, and how parents can get involved (booster clubs and fundraisers). All of this information is relayed through a power point presentation that is projected on a big screen in the center of the gym, and a microphone is used to make sure we can be clearly heard. The parents are notified of the date of the meeting months in advance, they are required to sign in upon entering the gym, and the player is not allowed to start fall practice unless a parent attends the meeting. We normally do not have a problem with attendance because the players know that if they miss the first

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practice, they will not be allowed to play in the fall scrimmage. If any of the parents have unavoidable conflicts, they have to meet with me in person before the player is allowed to participate. As a staff, we have always made great efforts to teach proper and safe tackling techniques. We hang the National Federation posters that stress proper technique in highly visible areas of our locker room, and all of our coaches consistently use the same appropriate buzz words when doing our daily tackling drills. Additionally this spring we filmed a coach teaching the correct steps of tackling the week before we started in pads. This way we would have video evidence should the issue ever come to question. Another important tool that any coach should have regardless of the sport is an emergency/catastrophic injury plan. Each coach on our staff has a specific duty should a player be seriously injured or severely affected by the heat. Examples of specific duties include a coach or coaches to tend to the injured player, a coach to notify emergency personnel, a coach or coaches to retrieve the necessary first aid equipment, and a coach to notify parents and an administrator. It helps to always have a roster available with all needed phone numbers readily available. This plan is put in writing and posted in all of the coaches offices and in the weight room. We always review this plan as a staff prior to spring and fall practice to make sure that each coach is up to speed on his duty and our procedures. As coaches, we all know how critical senior leadership is to our overall success. One thing that we have done to try give our seniors a chance to become better leaders is teaching a leadership class in the summer prior to their senior season. The seniors meet with me for approximately thirty minutes after each summer workout session to cover a chapter per day from The Team Captains Leadership Manual by Jeff Janssen, M.S. There a many other leadership resources available on the internet and in bookstores that would be just as appropriate to use (all of John Maxwells works are great, too). At the conclusion of the summer, we always hold our final meeting at the home of a booster who has a swimming pool/outdoor cooking area with big-screen televisions. Once we complete the final chapter, the seniors develop a list of outcome goals for the upcoming season and the specific steps (process goals) they will take to achieve them. Once they have put them together, we type them in a Word document, blow up the font size, laminate the sheets so they will last longer, and place them on their season commitment poster. Once that is complete, we go over the goals with the entire team, every team member signs the poster, and we hang that poster in the locker room, so it can be seen and referred to on a daily basis. We also use dry erase boards in the locker room to address any issues or problem areas to work on that day or week, write daily or weekly motivational quotes, and cover the uniform and practice plan of the day. Another tool we use is the completion of goal sheets by the players. On these goal sheets players will list team goals, individual goals pertaining to football and to their personal improvement, their specific plan for reaching these goals, and the qualities that the particular player finds important in leaders. Once these sheets are completed, we help each player fine tune his goals, possibly elevate the goals or make them more realistic, help him in his plan to reach his goals, and encourage him to incorporate some of the qualities of good leaders into his daily habits. We encourage the player to post the goal sheet on his locker or somewhere visible at home to remind him of his commitment to himself and the team.

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Finally, the use of a parent/player/coach agreement contract has been one of the most beneficial tools for alleviating problems that we have. We use a version that came from a form created by Coach Skip Bertman when he was the head baseball coach at LSU (he called it a Covenant). We cover our overall philosophy at the top of our covenant which states that the player will learn to make a commitment, agree to make sacrifices for that commitment, work to reach team goals first and then individual goals next, learn to handle being successful and not being successful in a positive manner, learn to admit mistakes and accept responsibility and the consequences when they make mistakes, and to learn to share their talents with others less fortunate. We also include our policy for being late to practice or missing a practice unexcused, our policy concerning the wearing of earrings and the wearing of all uniforms, and our curfew on the night before a game. On the back of the sheet, we list what the parents can expect of us as coaches and our expectations of the parents. Among other things, we ask the parents for advance notification of any scheduling conflicts, to direct any concerns to the head coach alone (only through appointment during professional planning period), to try to always remain positive, to never discuss other players on the team, and we let them know that playing time or team schemes are never issues to be discussed (parents violating this particular policy risk their sons being suspended). There is a brief statement confirming that the parent has read, understood, and agrees to all information on the covenant and a place for the parent, the player, the head coach, and the principal to sign. These sheets are placed in each players individual Louisiana High School Athletic Association folder with the other necessary paperwork and are kept in the folder for his entire career. Of course problems will occur no matter how much we try to prevent them; however, thinking ahead and taking care of some of the pitfalls that we are faced with as coaches before they happen can only help. There are many other tools that coaches are using to improve their programs, but these are some the things that have helped us at Cecilia High School. Should any coaches have questions on any of the issues discussed or suggestions for us to improve our program, please do not hesitate to contact us. Good luck with your season! (EDITORS NOTE: The Cecilia HS Coaching Covenant appears on pp.24-25.)

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Cecilia Football Player/Parent/Coach Covenant

Players
Philosophy: We, the members of the Cecilia High School football team understand that our #1 priority is to be the best person we can be (in the classroom, in the community, and on the field) by learning to make a commitment, by making personal sacrifices for that commitment, by working to reach TEAM goals first and individual goals next, by learning to handle being successful and not being successful in a positive and educational manner, by learning to admit mistakes and accept responsibility and consequences when appropriate, and by learning to share our talents with others less fortunate. Mission Statement: We will live each day in the constant, relentless pursuit of excellence. Excellence is the gradual result of always trying to get better and improve; its getting where were supposed to be earlier, working harder and smarter, and preparing better than most people care to or expect to; it means doing more than asked to do. Excellence is NOT a sometime thing, its an ALL the time thing. As members of the Cecilia High School football team, we will abide by one general rule the entire year---that is to strive to always represent Cecilia High School in an honorable and respectable fashion. We will strive to do nothing that will be embarrassing to our school, teammates, and parents or guardians. Failure to follow this rule may result in suspension or expulsion from the team. We pledge to attend every organized practice as long as we are physically able. If we are physically unable, we will always call to let a member of the coaching staff know before we miss. Any player having an unexcused absence during the season will not be allowed to dress or travel with the team to the game that week. Being late for a practice without a prior excuse will result in extra running or that players missing a portion of the game. Repeated instances of this action may result in expulsion from the team. For safety reasons and as a sign of team unity, we further pledge to not wear earrings in the locker room, weight room, on the playing field, and anytime we are officially representing the team. During the season, we also pledge to be in our homes by 10:00 PM on the night before the game to ensure proper rest.

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Parents/Coaches The purpose of our football program is to provide our student-athletes with a positive experience through their four years at Cecilia High School. We as coaches and parents should strive to fulfill each of our student-athletes potential on the field and guide him toward becoming a better person off the field. We as coaches pledge to be organized, to always be students of the game, to protect your child from undue physical and emotional harm, to treat your child with dignity and respect, to help him become a better person on and off the field, and to always do whats best for the TEAM. There are some things that we ask of you as parents: Notification of any scheduling conflicts well in advance To direct any concerns regarding the football program to the head coach only To set up an appointment with the head coach; NOT confront him or any other coach on the game field or practice field during or after a game or practice. This can be an emotional time for all involved and is never good for the players. It is better for all to discuss issues at the appropriate time. Playing time or your sons position is NOT something to be discussed. Coaches determine playing time based upon performance on the practice field and in games; it is ALWAYS determined by what is best for the teams success. At any time the ATHLETE may discuss playing time or any other concerns with his coaches, but this issue is not something that the coaches will discuss with parents. Not to discuss other student-athletes, play calling, team strategy; instead, discuss ways to help your child and the team improve Not to live your life through your child or use football for the wrong reasons; he is playing for the joy of it, not for a scholarship. If he is good enough, he will earn on. Let him have fun! Try to be positive. Coaches spend twelve months a year working to build UNITY. Negativity toward the coaching staff and any of its policies can only cause confusion and division among team members. IT WILL NEVER HELP YOUR SON PROGRESS! Keep in mind that ultimately were all working for the same thing---to help your son be the best he can be. By working together, we can all be successful. We have read the information contained in the covenant, accept all responsibilities that go with being a member of the Cecilia High School football team, and agree to abide by them. ______________________ Player ______________________ Head Coach _______ Date _______ Date ________________________ ______ Parent/Guardian Date ________________________ ______ Principal Date

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