The Multisport Athlete
The high school football playoffs are wrapping up in most states and will be wrapping up in the next week or so across the country. Congratulations to all who participated this year in high school football whether you went 10-0 or 0-10. Just by participating and finishing shows dedication and commitment to a common goal. I truly congratulate and admire all who played.
Now that the season is over, I’m sure that all young men will be hitting the weight room hard. I realize how important year round weight training has become. I had been a big proponent of year round weight training before it became mainstream. However, it is my hope that as many as can, will participate in a winter sport and then a spring sport. I believe it is possible to lift and play a sport at the same time. It always bothered me when one of my athletes would say he is going to concentrate on lifting and skip a winter sport. We had a system in place where a young man could do both and I hope many of you do as well.
I realize that the two or three sport athlete is a vanishing breed, particularly in the larger schools where kids “specialize” more. There are many good arguments to that philosophy. But there are some good arguments to the multi sport philosophy as well. For starters, it allows an athlete to excel in another area other than, say, football. He may find he is even better in another sport. Why deny someone that opportunity? Secondly, he is competing. I liked my athletes to compete, to reach down when the game, match, or race was on the line and find out what they’re made of. This only comes in competition, not in the weight room. I remember when I was coaching the offensive and defensive lines in football and I was also the head wrestling coach. We were going through a stretch of four consecutive 9-0 regular seasons and I could look out at the defense and regularly see seven to nine of the starters on the field on a Friday night were my wrestlers. They were tough kids, tough athletes, not just football players. I thought that was pretty cool. Thirdly, athletic skills can be honed while playing another sport. Playing basketball can enhance ball handling and catching skills as well as plenty of running and conditioning. Wrestling can help with balance, pushing, pulling, one on one toughness, and great overall conditioning. Track is great for working on an athlete’s speed, very important to football. Let’s not forget too, that practicing for another sport involves a daily commitment, whereas lifting is generally three times a week. Fourthly, it prevents becoming stale by playing two or more sports. The newness of another sport can be refreshing and give a hunger to another sport as one is away from it. Finally, playing multi sports is fun for most young people. Let kids be kids when they want. It needs to be fun, or we may lose some of our athletes from experiencing the many benefits of playing sports.
The main goal through all of this though, is to keep the players working hard to improve their skills and strength in the off season. I think we would all agree we have to make sure our players are getting better!
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Family and Football
Family and Football
“Men”, he used to say, “Your priorities should be God, family and football, in that order”. So said Coach Traficano to us many years ago. He always called us “Men”. He was the first to address us that way and it sounded strange as I considered myself a boy. At any rate, that was the first time I ever heard that expression and I didn’t really think much about it at the time, after all, I was only 15 and didn’t give much thought to anything. But over the years it became more meaningful, especially when I began my own coaching career. Now that the season is underway, and we’re heavily involved in all aspects of coaching our teams, it becomes very easy to neglect our wives and families and pour ourselves into our job. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have a competitive program and must put in long hours to accomplish this. We owe it to our players to give them our very best effort. On the other hand, our families also deserve our very best of being a good father and husband. So, back to Coach Traficano’s exhortation of God, family and football. What exactly does that look like?
In my opinion that will look different for each of us. These are very personal matters and each of us is in a different situation. It is up to each coach to decide what that should look like for him. For example, in Tony Dungy’s book, Quiet Strength, he speaks much about the importance of his family and of the efforts he made to give them time. For an NFL coach he may have different schedules or guidelines than a high school or college coach. He made sure that he and his staff were home by 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. most evenings. That was in comparison to many NFL coaches that kept their staff working until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. watching film of everything from drills in practice to opponent’s games. The head coaches I worked for in high school tried to get us home by 7:00 p.m. most days. I was very thankful that I worked for coaches who gave their families a high priority. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we put in many hours of scouting and film work and we had many successful seasons, but we made an effort to draw the line when we could. Another example is a choice that I made when I was very young man of about 24 or 25. I had gotten fairly interested in golfing with my father or friends and started going out on Sunday mornings. After all, I worked hard and deserved a little R&R I told myself. But I soon decided that I had a higher priority and decided that Sunday mornings I would take my family to church. I had to put God first, take care of my family, and then tend to my job. I stuck with this my entire life and feel like I made the right decision. For others of you, it may be something completely different. Of course, if you ask my wife she would tell you I could have done much better of making time for my family but I think I did the best I could.
I now realize the importance of what a wise coach told me years ago. I would encourage you to do the same. My four children are all grown now and out of the house with their own families. In fact, my son is a head football coach himself here in Illinois. All of them start the week by taking their families to church to start the week. I guess I started a pretty good habit. Thoughts?
“Men”, he used to say, “Your priorities should be God, family and football, in that order”. So said Coach Traficano to us many years ago. He always called us “Men”. He was the first to address us that way and it sounded strange as I considered myself a boy. At any rate, that was the first time I ever heard that expression and I didn’t really think much about it at the time, after all, I was only 15 and didn’t give much thought to anything. But over the years it became more meaningful, especially when I began my own coaching career. Now that the season is underway, and we’re heavily involved in all aspects of coaching our teams, it becomes very easy to neglect our wives and families and pour ourselves into our job. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have a competitive program and must put in long hours to accomplish this. We owe it to our players to give them our very best effort. On the other hand, our families also deserve our very best of being a good father and husband. So, back to Coach Traficano’s exhortation of God, family and football. What exactly does that look like?
In my opinion that will look different for each of us. These are very personal matters and each of us is in a different situation. It is up to each coach to decide what that should look like for him. For example, in Tony Dungy’s book, Quiet Strength, he speaks much about the importance of his family and of the efforts he made to give them time. For an NFL coach he may have different schedules or guidelines than a high school or college coach. He made sure that he and his staff were home by 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. most evenings. That was in comparison to many NFL coaches that kept their staff working until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. watching film of everything from drills in practice to opponent’s games. The head coaches I worked for in high school tried to get us home by 7:00 p.m. most days. I was very thankful that I worked for coaches who gave their families a high priority. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we put in many hours of scouting and film work and we had many successful seasons, but we made an effort to draw the line when we could. Another example is a choice that I made when I was very young man of about 24 or 25. I had gotten fairly interested in golfing with my father or friends and started going out on Sunday mornings. After all, I worked hard and deserved a little R&R I told myself. But I soon decided that I had a higher priority and decided that Sunday mornings I would take my family to church. I had to put God first, take care of my family, and then tend to my job. I stuck with this my entire life and feel like I made the right decision. For others of you, it may be something completely different. Of course, if you ask my wife she would tell you I could have done much better of making time for my family but I think I did the best I could.
I now realize the importance of what a wise coach told me years ago. I would encourage you to do the same. My four children are all grown now and out of the house with their own families. In fact, my son is a head football coach himself here in Illinois. All of them start the week by taking their families to church to start the week. I guess I started a pretty good habit. Thoughts?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Showtime
Friday Night Lights
Load up the equipment, put on full battle gear, buckle up your chinstraps, it's Showtime! We're finally at game week here in Illinois. I'm not sure what part of the season the rest of you are in, but I have a hunch that most of you are just about where we are. This is a most exciting time. Optimism abounds as everyone gets a fresh start and hopes of that special season run high. I always found it diffiuclt to concentrate on anything other than football during this week. Do we have the kids ready? Have we covered all the essentials? Are we as well prepared as we can be? How good can our team be? We will find out Friday night. (I know, many of you will find out Saturday) But, oh, those Friday nights!
The atmoisphere will be electric. Old men will lean over the fence on the sidelines looking wistfully at the young men on the field, all the while wishing they could play just one more time. Proud fathers will be gazing at their sons as they file out of the locker room to warm up. Little boys will stand near the end zone to get a close look at their heroes. Their eyes will be big as silver dollars as they wonder if they'll ever be that big and longing for the day they get to play high school ball. Moms are decked out in school colors with their cowbells, shakers, and other assorted noisemakers. Many of them aren't quite sure of all the rules and wonder why their men are so in love with this game, but they're supportive none the less. The lights are on and the band is playing nearby as they prepare to go on the field to play the national anthem when the players go to the locker room for a final time before the game. The smell of hotdogs and popcorn linger in the cooler air of the evening as the sun goes down. The cheerleaders are laying their pom poms in front of the bleachers and practicing their cheers one last time. The bleachers are filling and the anticipation builds as the time for the opening kickoff nears. As a coach, this was always a nervous time as I went over my defensive game plan and imagined all the different scenarios that might occur during the game. The last 30 minutes go so slow, we just want to play.
Finally, it's time for the players to come out of the locker room for the opening kickoff. The home team bursts through the banner made especially for that purpose. The players crack pads and give handshakes as the coaches bark out final instructions and exhort their players to be ready and alert at all times. As the players take the field the crowd begins to cheer and the noisemakers are loudly brought out in full force. The teams line up for the kickoff and the noise of the crowd comes to a crescendo as the ball is kicked high and deep...yep; Friday night football is here with all the great atmosphere that goes with it. Where else would anyone want to be?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
7 on 7, Of Course
7 on 7, Of Course
As stated on my previous blog, summer time means many things to high school football players these days, including 7 on 7 passing games. For teams that throw the heck out of the ball, it’s perfect. But what about teams that run the ball? And I mean RUN the ball. They pass rarely, not always because they can’t, they don’t need to. Some coaches feel 7 on 7 is a waste of time. Not only that, but if you lose some of those games, the kids might lose confidence, and who needs that? It’s tough enough to keep confidence levels high without going out and losing meaningless 7 on 7 games. Those are good points, but let’s take a look at the positives and how we can neutralize those negatives.
First of all, 7 on 7 is just plain fun for the kids and for most coaches. Summer time can be a lot of work for the kids but there are no games. Let’s face it, the kids are out to play football on Friday nights and passing games are about as close as we can get without actually playing. 7 on 7 can give them something to look forward to.
Second, it gives you a chance to play defense. We all have to play defense and there’s a good chance many of your opponents during the regular season will be throwing the ball. It’s a great opportunity to work on coverages and adjustments to different formations, motions and shifts. Tons of coaching can be done during these games.
Third, it gives coaches a chance to see what players can do in game type situations.
Some players will really shine and may surprise you. We found a few receivers and defensive backs that we hadn’t counted on until we saw them take over in passing games. I remember one kid in particular who played for us in the mid 90’s that really used the summer passing games as a springboard for the season. As a junior, he was in our wide receiver rotation and was our backup safety, becoming our starter in game 7 when our senior safety broke his ankle. We were looking forward to having him back and knew he would be a solid starter for us on both sides of the ball. As we began playing a few 7 on 7 games it quickly became apparent that he had the ability to take a game over. Not only was he making great catches, but he was a playmaker after the catch, zig zagging through opponents making one big play after another. Defensively, he was leading our secondary in coverage and interceptions. Our eyes were opened to the extraordinary abilities this player possessed and how much he had matured in the last year. I am convinced it also helped his confidence level and helped him realize what he was capable of. When the regular season started our head coach emphasized some plays in our package to take advantage of his skills. He ended up leading us in scoring, touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards and interceptions. He was a unanimous all conference pick and was named to the all area team. Now, I know he would have had a great season anyway, but 7 on 7 sure didn’t hurt.
Finally, playing 7 on 7 helps keep the legs in shape with all the running that is required. It’s not uncommon to play two to four games in a day and that’s a lot of running. Great for the legs!
As far as winning and losing and possibly losing confidence, don’t focus on winning and losing, but on how well you play, and working on the fundamentals. Don’t even keep score sometimes, just play a series of 10 plays back and forth and don’t worry about keeping score. Be creative and have fun.
Receivers get to catch, quarterbacks throw, everyone runs, and we all have fun. So I say, “7 on 7, of course!”
As stated on my previous blog, summer time means many things to high school football players these days, including 7 on 7 passing games. For teams that throw the heck out of the ball, it’s perfect. But what about teams that run the ball? And I mean RUN the ball. They pass rarely, not always because they can’t, they don’t need to. Some coaches feel 7 on 7 is a waste of time. Not only that, but if you lose some of those games, the kids might lose confidence, and who needs that? It’s tough enough to keep confidence levels high without going out and losing meaningless 7 on 7 games. Those are good points, but let’s take a look at the positives and how we can neutralize those negatives.
First of all, 7 on 7 is just plain fun for the kids and for most coaches. Summer time can be a lot of work for the kids but there are no games. Let’s face it, the kids are out to play football on Friday nights and passing games are about as close as we can get without actually playing. 7 on 7 can give them something to look forward to.
Second, it gives you a chance to play defense. We all have to play defense and there’s a good chance many of your opponents during the regular season will be throwing the ball. It’s a great opportunity to work on coverages and adjustments to different formations, motions and shifts. Tons of coaching can be done during these games.
Third, it gives coaches a chance to see what players can do in game type situations.
Some players will really shine and may surprise you. We found a few receivers and defensive backs that we hadn’t counted on until we saw them take over in passing games. I remember one kid in particular who played for us in the mid 90’s that really used the summer passing games as a springboard for the season. As a junior, he was in our wide receiver rotation and was our backup safety, becoming our starter in game 7 when our senior safety broke his ankle. We were looking forward to having him back and knew he would be a solid starter for us on both sides of the ball. As we began playing a few 7 on 7 games it quickly became apparent that he had the ability to take a game over. Not only was he making great catches, but he was a playmaker after the catch, zig zagging through opponents making one big play after another. Defensively, he was leading our secondary in coverage and interceptions. Our eyes were opened to the extraordinary abilities this player possessed and how much he had matured in the last year. I am convinced it also helped his confidence level and helped him realize what he was capable of. When the regular season started our head coach emphasized some plays in our package to take advantage of his skills. He ended up leading us in scoring, touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards and interceptions. He was a unanimous all conference pick and was named to the all area team. Now, I know he would have had a great season anyway, but 7 on 7 sure didn’t hurt.
Finally, playing 7 on 7 helps keep the legs in shape with all the running that is required. It’s not uncommon to play two to four games in a day and that’s a lot of running. Great for the legs!
As far as winning and losing and possibly losing confidence, don’t focus on winning and losing, but on how well you play, and working on the fundamentals. Don’t even keep score sometimes, just play a series of 10 plays back and forth and don’t worry about keeping score. Be creative and have fun.
Receivers get to catch, quarterbacks throw, everyone runs, and we all have fun. So I say, “7 on 7, of course!”
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Summertime Means Football
The barbells are banging and the weights are being thrown around the weightroom. The air is full of footballs as 7 on 7 games are being played at local high schools. Football coaches are running drills for speed, agility, and technique. It's a high energy atmosphere as football camps are rolling throughout Illinois and across the country. We're just beginning summer but already football is in full swing. High school association rules allow for much more contact with the athletes than several years ago and the importance of weight training can't be disputed. There is no question that players are bigger, faster, stronger, in better shape, better coached and more prepared than at any time I can remember.
I'm dating myself, but I can recall when I started high school football in 1965, there was basically nothing going on in the summer at our school in Illinois. We weren't very good, and maybe that's part of the reason why. But I suspect that we were not the only ones that had no summer football program. Oh, starting my sophomore year in '66 a new coach was hired and he had seniors lead workouts 2 weeks before the first official practice. It was low key and not well attended or taken seriously by the players. The coach was no where to be seen, I assume because it was against the rules, so there was no coaching. Basically, the season started on the first day of practice around the third week in August. It truly was "hell week" because we were so out of shape. The coaches had 3 weeks to get us physically and mentally ready for the first game in the middle of September. Offenses and defenses weren't as sophisticated and most teams ran the football at least ninety per cent of the time. Passes were thrown now and then to make our opponents think we actually had a passing game. What a difference from today! Programs now resemble effecient college programs.
Whether you agree with the more intense approach or not, that's the way it is now. To be competitive in todays world of high school football, coaches must do what they can to keep getting better. Let's not forget one key ingredient; through it all - HAVE FUN!
I'm dating myself, but I can recall when I started high school football in 1965, there was basically nothing going on in the summer at our school in Illinois. We weren't very good, and maybe that's part of the reason why. But I suspect that we were not the only ones that had no summer football program. Oh, starting my sophomore year in '66 a new coach was hired and he had seniors lead workouts 2 weeks before the first official practice. It was low key and not well attended or taken seriously by the players. The coach was no where to be seen, I assume because it was against the rules, so there was no coaching. Basically, the season started on the first day of practice around the third week in August. It truly was "hell week" because we were so out of shape. The coaches had 3 weeks to get us physically and mentally ready for the first game in the middle of September. Offenses and defenses weren't as sophisticated and most teams ran the football at least ninety per cent of the time. Passes were thrown now and then to make our opponents think we actually had a passing game. What a difference from today! Programs now resemble effecient college programs.
Whether you agree with the more intense approach or not, that's the way it is now. To be competitive in todays world of high school football, coaches must do what they can to keep getting better. Let's not forget one key ingredient; through it all - HAVE FUN!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
