It's the fourth quarter and our A-team defense so far has played a great game. In fact each week they have been getting better. We're playing an offense that has scored 32 points the first week and 22 points in week two. Their record is 2-0 and our record is 0-2. And with one quarter to go we've held them to just 6 points and under 50 yards in total offense. Their only scoring drive came on their first possession when they started on our 35 yard line. But now it's the fourth quarter and the game is tied 6-6 and our opponent has moved the ball to midfield.
It's fourth down and there's only a few minutes left on the clock...
I walk into the defensive huddle and can tell by the look on our players faces that they have matured just since the start of the game. Something is different in them. They are... hungry, focused, determined, ready to give whatever it takes to win this game. I take a knee and tell them to all look me in the eye. It's the opportunity I've been waiting for... "Here's your opportunity to prove yourself. It's your chance to show all these fans that you're becoming young men. Are we boys or men?"
What happened next will forever be etched in my mind and reminded me of the responsibility of coaching. Young football players all across the country find themselves in the midst of competitions which are forming who they are as people. Moments that begin to define their character. Our moment was here... and it had required losing a couple games before finding ourselves with an opportunity to beat a very good team. It was in that moment that 11 men looked me in the eye and with one voice shouted, "MEN!"
I called the play and stepped out of the huddle. To be honest it didn't matter what happened next. They had already made the important decision. They wanted to be in the fire that forms character. They were not afraid to stare defeat in the face with focused determination. They had dug down deep and found more than was there at the beginning of the game and were willing to lay it on the line and find out what they were made of. It truly is a scary, awesome moment. You hope like mad as a coach that they stop them for their sake. But at the same time you know their character has already been formed because they were up for the challenge in the first place.
I love this game! But even more I love these moments!! And even more than that I love these boys who are finding themselves in opportunities to develop character that will be required of them as grown men. It's an opportunity to help them see who they can and have become. It's why this really is more than just a game! It's something that is forming our community, our schools and our families. Ironically as coaches we find ourselves in a very similar situation... will we step up and face the opportunity that is set before us?
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Help us stop spreading disease...
So two posts in a row dealing with health issues. This time it's come to our attention that several kids have come down with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. We wanted to make you aware of this so you can be better prepared if your child shows they symptoms:
- The disease usually begins with a fever, poor appetite, malaise (feeling vaguely unwell), and often with a sore throat.
- One or 2 days after fever onset, painful sores usually develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks.
- A non-itchy skin rash develops over 1–2 days. The rash has flat or raised red spots, sometimes with blisters. The rash is usually located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; it may also appear on the buttocks and/or genitalia.
- A person with HFMD may have only the rash or only the mouth sores.
There are also a couple of things we can do at practice to help avoid spreading the disease to other players.
- bring your own water bottle and don't share with other players.
- when you use the team water bottles don't touch the bottles with your mouth or hands simply squirt it into your mouth.
- if you have the blisters it's best that you don't come to practice as contact with other players skin will infect them.
That's all for now,
JC
- The disease usually begins with a fever, poor appetite, malaise (feeling vaguely unwell), and often with a sore throat.
- One or 2 days after fever onset, painful sores usually develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks.
- A non-itchy skin rash develops over 1–2 days. The rash has flat or raised red spots, sometimes with blisters. The rash is usually located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; it may also appear on the buttocks and/or genitalia.
- A person with HFMD may have only the rash or only the mouth sores.
There are also a couple of things we can do at practice to help avoid spreading the disease to other players.
- bring your own water bottle and don't share with other players.
- when you use the team water bottles don't touch the bottles with your mouth or hands simply squirt it into your mouth.
- if you have the blisters it's best that you don't come to practice as contact with other players skin will infect them.
That's all for now,
JC
Friday, August 6, 2010
Dealing with the stomach flu...
So why is there a post on stomach flu... I thought this was a football site!!!
Well, the short answer is we've got 4 kids out of practice due to the stomach flu and as their coach I want to see them recover to full health and be able to get back to practice, learn the game and contribute to the success of the team. As a father of 7 children I know about the grueling affects of the stomach flu... early mornings and late nights and all the times in between helping disoriented young ones to the restroom while they are convinced that their world is about to end is not fun. Think it's bad with one imagine two or three having it at the same time!
At any rate, I have three (okay four) things I want to suggest just real quick to help our team get past this...
1.) If you have the flu and you know it don't come to practice!!! Many of the kids share water bottles and this will only serve to spread the flu to others on the team. Even if they bring their own water bottle they run the risk of spreading it.
2.) Get lots of rest!!! When you're fighting the flu your worst enemy is the fact that you struggle to keep down important calories and nutrients that your body needs to work. It's ideal therefore to not exercise and allow your body to focus all of its available energies on supporting your immune system.
3.) Superhydrate yourself!!! You can't consume enough liquids when you're fighting the stomach flu (but avoid carbonated & sugary drinks to do this). While your sick your body is losing excess amounts of liquid so replacement of those liquids is essential. All of your body's organs need proper hydration in order to function properly... including the cells associated with your immune system!
4.) Finally after you've properly hydrated yourself and you are getting rest begin eating a BRAT diet. BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. These bland foods will allow your stomach to settle. Stay away from citrus, greasy foods, dairy and tomato products. Also avoid coffee, and carbonated drinks.
Hope this helps and to all you out there that are feeling blue and looking pale... I pray you have a fast recovery!
God Bless,
Coach JC
Well, the short answer is we've got 4 kids out of practice due to the stomach flu and as their coach I want to see them recover to full health and be able to get back to practice, learn the game and contribute to the success of the team. As a father of 7 children I know about the grueling affects of the stomach flu... early mornings and late nights and all the times in between helping disoriented young ones to the restroom while they are convinced that their world is about to end is not fun. Think it's bad with one imagine two or three having it at the same time!
At any rate, I have three (okay four) things I want to suggest just real quick to help our team get past this...
1.) If you have the flu and you know it don't come to practice!!! Many of the kids share water bottles and this will only serve to spread the flu to others on the team. Even if they bring their own water bottle they run the risk of spreading it.
2.) Get lots of rest!!! When you're fighting the flu your worst enemy is the fact that you struggle to keep down important calories and nutrients that your body needs to work. It's ideal therefore to not exercise and allow your body to focus all of its available energies on supporting your immune system.
3.) Superhydrate yourself!!! You can't consume enough liquids when you're fighting the stomach flu (but avoid carbonated & sugary drinks to do this). While your sick your body is losing excess amounts of liquid so replacement of those liquids is essential. All of your body's organs need proper hydration in order to function properly... including the cells associated with your immune system!
A TIP FOR HYDRATION: Gatorade works great but it should be diluted 4 parts water to 1 part Gatorade. This allows the electrolytes to get into your system faster. Straight Gatorade is not absorbed through your digestive system as quickly as water is, so by diluting it more of the Gatorade (which is good for fighting dehydration) will get into your system.
4.) Finally after you've properly hydrated yourself and you are getting rest begin eating a BRAT diet. BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. These bland foods will allow your stomach to settle. Stay away from citrus, greasy foods, dairy and tomato products. Also avoid coffee, and carbonated drinks.
Hope this helps and to all you out there that are feeling blue and looking pale... I pray you have a fast recovery!
God Bless,
Coach JC
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Meet the staff...
We want to say a huge thank you to the staff that came together for the 2010 season. We're blessed to have a great group of guys who love the game and love working with kids. This season is shaping up to be another great year and these guys will make a huge impact on the program.
Off the field duties:
JC Christensen*** - Director of A-team, Website Communication
Tom Holmes*** - Parent's Club Coordinator, Fundraiser
Jerry Miller*** - Director of B-team, Administration
On the field duties:
Brandon Emerson** - Running Backs, Linebackers, B-team assistant
Craig Farrar** - Offensive Line, Linebackers, B-team head coach
Shawn Ferguson** - Receivers, Defensive Backs, B-team assistant
Joe Geiser** - Receivers, Defensive Backs, A-team assistant
Mike Harwood* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, A-team assistant
Brad Hewitt* - Quarterbacks, Defensive Backs, B-team assistant
Brody Hewitt** - Running Backs, Defensive Line, B-team assistant
Travis Higgins* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, B-team head coach
Tom Holmes*** - Running Backs, Defensive Backs, A-team assistant
Karl Kuhns* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, B -team assistant
Grady Suggs** - Quarterbacks, Linebackers, A-team head coach
Next time you see one of these guys give them a huge thank you for stepping up and investing in the tradition of the Southeast Local School District!!!
[all names listed alphabetically by last name]
[* denotes number of years in the program]
Off the field duties:
JC Christensen*** - Director of A-team, Website Communication
Tom Holmes*** - Parent's Club Coordinator, Fundraiser
Jerry Miller*** - Director of B-team, Administration
On the field duties:
Brandon Emerson** - Running Backs, Linebackers, B-team assistant
Craig Farrar** - Offensive Line, Linebackers, B-team head coach
Shawn Ferguson** - Receivers, Defensive Backs, B-team assistant
Joe Geiser** - Receivers, Defensive Backs, A-team assistant
Mike Harwood* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, A-team assistant
Brad Hewitt* - Quarterbacks, Defensive Backs, B-team assistant
Brody Hewitt** - Running Backs, Defensive Line, B-team assistant
Travis Higgins* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, B-team head coach
Tom Holmes*** - Running Backs, Defensive Backs, A-team assistant
Karl Kuhns* - Offensive Line, Defensive Line, B -team assistant
Grady Suggs** - Quarterbacks, Linebackers, A-team head coach
Next time you see one of these guys give them a huge thank you for stepping up and investing in the tradition of the Southeast Local School District!!!
[all names listed alphabetically by last name]
[* denotes number of years in the program]
Friday, July 30, 2010
Used Cleat Bank...
Have an old pair of cleats that don't fit but could work for someone else?
Bring them to practice and add them to the "Used Cleat Bank".
Bring them to practice and add them to the "Used Cleat Bank".
Rest & Recovery...
What are the keys to the proper rest and recovery of our bodies after vigorous exercise?
It's been a long week with lots of opportunities for players to develop soreness in their muscles. Every player is going to develop soreness in different areas depending on what kinds of activities they are used to. I know my boys could hardly walk down the stairs yesterday! (c:
Over the last four days we've encouraged our children to run faster, harder, longer and in different ways that their bodies are not used to. In the process of doing this their muscles have been stressed, stretched, even slightly torn (which is normal and not a bad thing) and in general broken down. Your body naturally wants to fix this problem and even correct it in such a way that the next time the body is subjected to that kind of activity it will achieve proper performance with minimal breakdown in muscle structure.
This in simple terms is called getting in shape.
It's important to understand that your body repairs, rebuilds and strengthens its muscles only when it is given proper rest and enough time to recover. This is how athletes get quicker, faster, and stronger. However if proper rest and recovery time is not taken we can actually become weaker.
Here are some keys to proper rest and recovery:
1.) Understanding the difference between short term and long term recovery, and leveraging both of them to your advantage.
2.) Recovery does not necessarily mean inactivity. "Active Recovery" is essential to removing chemicals that your muscle cells have produced during intense exercise.
3.) Fuel your body with the right nutrients it needs to recover. It's essential to have plenty of water, protein and carbohydrates after intense workouts or competition.
4.) Sleep well. While a full grown adult can operate effectively with just 6-8 hours of sleep, children 9-12 years old need 10-12 hours of quality sleep.
5.) Find other ways to increase new fresh blood flow to your muscles. Icing your sore muscles is a key way to bringing new blood with important nutrients that will help to rebuild and strengthen your muscles.
In summary, eat right this weekend, get out and walk a couple miles to get your blood flowing and stretch out your sore muscles after, and get a good night's rest.
Hope this helps! See you on Monday refreshed, rebuilt and ready to go.
Sincerely,
Coach JC
It's been a long week with lots of opportunities for players to develop soreness in their muscles. Every player is going to develop soreness in different areas depending on what kinds of activities they are used to. I know my boys could hardly walk down the stairs yesterday! (c:
Over the last four days we've encouraged our children to run faster, harder, longer and in different ways that their bodies are not used to. In the process of doing this their muscles have been stressed, stretched, even slightly torn (which is normal and not a bad thing) and in general broken down. Your body naturally wants to fix this problem and even correct it in such a way that the next time the body is subjected to that kind of activity it will achieve proper performance with minimal breakdown in muscle structure.
This in simple terms is called getting in shape.
It's important to understand that your body repairs, rebuilds and strengthens its muscles only when it is given proper rest and enough time to recover. This is how athletes get quicker, faster, and stronger. However if proper rest and recovery time is not taken we can actually become weaker.
Here are some keys to proper rest and recovery:
1.) Understanding the difference between short term and long term recovery, and leveraging both of them to your advantage.
2.) Recovery does not necessarily mean inactivity. "Active Recovery" is essential to removing chemicals that your muscle cells have produced during intense exercise.
3.) Fuel your body with the right nutrients it needs to recover. It's essential to have plenty of water, protein and carbohydrates after intense workouts or competition.
4.) Sleep well. While a full grown adult can operate effectively with just 6-8 hours of sleep, children 9-12 years old need 10-12 hours of quality sleep.
5.) Find other ways to increase new fresh blood flow to your muscles. Icing your sore muscles is a key way to bringing new blood with important nutrients that will help to rebuild and strengthen your muscles.
In summary, eat right this weekend, get out and walk a couple miles to get your blood flowing and stretch out your sore muscles after, and get a good night's rest.
Hope this helps! See you on Monday refreshed, rebuilt and ready to go.
Sincerely,
Coach JC
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Important Website Links Added...
You'll notice that on the right side we've added links to our leagues official website were you can find a printable game schedule, updates to scores weekly, and pictures from games played. You can even submit your own photos to be posted.
We've also placed a link for our facebook fan page so that you can join us on facebook and post questions and receive daily updates on how the season is progressing.
And last but not least we've posted the link for our official team page. Here you will find team rosters, practice updates, detailed scheduling of activities, weather reports and the status of practice, etc.
We've also placed a link for our facebook fan page so that you can join us on facebook and post questions and receive daily updates on how the season is progressing.
And last but not least we've posted the link for our official team page. Here you will find team rosters, practice updates, detailed scheduling of activities, weather reports and the status of practice, etc.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Conditioning...
Can you remember the last time you had to get in shape for an event? Remember the hard work, the extra time, and the aches and pains of pushing yourself past what at first you thought you couldn't do?
Most of us are not able to do it on our own we need a coach or at least a partner. When it comes to conditioning for football, it's no exception. And for the first two weeks of practice we always strive to get our players into game ready condition. There are basically two aspects that we want to condition and train our players for at this level.
The first one is recovery time. We need to be able to go all out for 8 to 20 seconds and then be able recover within 35 seconds before we have to go all out again. We're trying to simulate this type of activity by running sprints that are timed and then allow for a set recovery time. We time the sprints so that we can keep of standard of effort and time the recovery period to encourage the body to get used to using that rest as effectively and efficiently as possible. And then when that recovery time is over we have to run a certain distance again in a set time. As the season progresses we will decrease the amount of time allowed to complete the distance as well as decrease the amount of recovery time until we get down to 35 seconds.
The second one is physical stamina. We need to be able to play consistently for 60 minutes with the maximum amount of strength, speed and mental toughness that we have. Therefore we structure our conditioning times for 1 hour. During that one hour we have 3, 3 minute breaks where we encourage the players to rest and get plenty of water. We also set our exercises to last for 12-15 minutes at a time to simulate a quarter's worth of play. During our conditioning we're focused on increasing the amount of stamina we have by pushing our body to work harder than it's used to for longer than it's used to. Over the course of the season we will push ourselves to be the best conditioned team in the league so that in the fourth quarter when the other team is out of gas we've got plenty left and are running at top speed.
We know that most if not all of the players are not going to like conditioning. It's a tough assignment to ask anyone to run harder than they want to for longer than they want to and do it in such a way that they love it and want to do it better the next time. But conditioning is part of learning the game of football, and it's an important lesson about life. Woe to us when we find ourselves with not enough stamina to complete an obstacle that life hands us, or no ability to recover from a hard day's work knowing that tomorrow holds more of the same.
As a parent please encourage your child to see the value in getting into shape. No one can be a champion at a sport without finding a way to put forth effort they didn't know they had to accomplish a task they didn't know they could accomplish. When you can learn to do that while having the courage and tenacity to face these obstacles with great expectations and an iron will you will find that you've succeeded at more than just a game you've become a true winner in life.
Most of us are not able to do it on our own we need a coach or at least a partner. When it comes to conditioning for football, it's no exception. And for the first two weeks of practice we always strive to get our players into game ready condition. There are basically two aspects that we want to condition and train our players for at this level.
The first one is recovery time. We need to be able to go all out for 8 to 20 seconds and then be able recover within 35 seconds before we have to go all out again. We're trying to simulate this type of activity by running sprints that are timed and then allow for a set recovery time. We time the sprints so that we can keep of standard of effort and time the recovery period to encourage the body to get used to using that rest as effectively and efficiently as possible. And then when that recovery time is over we have to run a certain distance again in a set time. As the season progresses we will decrease the amount of time allowed to complete the distance as well as decrease the amount of recovery time until we get down to 35 seconds.
The second one is physical stamina. We need to be able to play consistently for 60 minutes with the maximum amount of strength, speed and mental toughness that we have. Therefore we structure our conditioning times for 1 hour. During that one hour we have 3, 3 minute breaks where we encourage the players to rest and get plenty of water. We also set our exercises to last for 12-15 minutes at a time to simulate a quarter's worth of play. During our conditioning we're focused on increasing the amount of stamina we have by pushing our body to work harder than it's used to for longer than it's used to. Over the course of the season we will push ourselves to be the best conditioned team in the league so that in the fourth quarter when the other team is out of gas we've got plenty left and are running at top speed.
We know that most if not all of the players are not going to like conditioning. It's a tough assignment to ask anyone to run harder than they want to for longer than they want to and do it in such a way that they love it and want to do it better the next time. But conditioning is part of learning the game of football, and it's an important lesson about life. Woe to us when we find ourselves with not enough stamina to complete an obstacle that life hands us, or no ability to recover from a hard day's work knowing that tomorrow holds more of the same.
As a parent please encourage your child to see the value in getting into shape. No one can be a champion at a sport without finding a way to put forth effort they didn't know they had to accomplish a task they didn't know they could accomplish. When you can learn to do that while having the courage and tenacity to face these obstacles with great expectations and an iron will you will find that you've succeeded at more than just a game you've become a true winner in life.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
No Games Labor Day Weekend!!!
It's official! The league commissioners voted to have no games on Labor Day Weekend. The season will officially start on August 28th but off September 4th and then back the following Saturday through October 9th.
Top 5 Things You Can Do To Get Ready For Football Practice
1. Consider any changes to your diet. You are an athlete and when considering what you should and should not eat you must realize that your body is like a machine. If you put good fuel into your body you can expect it to run well while you demand peak performance. Training requires a lot of calories and the proper nutrients and minerals. Study up on websites that offer nutritional advice and develop a diet that is right for you. Here's a couple good ones to get you started: E-How & Kids Health
2. Get outside and play. If you're not involved in any organized sports or have any daily exercise opportunities, now is the time to consider getting outdoors for 45-60 minutes each day for vigorous play. During the season you will be required to practice for 90 minutes at a time and it's easier on your body to adapt to this change now instead of waiting for the first day of practice. Anything you can do to increase your endurance, strength and flexibility is a good start.
3. Become a student of the game. Start watching football on tv. Go to the library and check out books on football. Ask questions about things you don't understand. Learn what all the positions are on offense and defense. Learn the basic terminology used in football.
4. Play the game. There is no substitute for grabbing three or four of your neighbors and playing backyard football. It teaches leadership, teamwork, and problem solving while you have fun and exercise. It's a win, win, win!!! All of the heroes of the game started in the backyard of some neighborhood drawing up plays in the dirt.
5. Mark your calendars so you don't miss any games or practices. The schedule is already posted on the team website so make sure you've written down those dates on your calendar so you don't accidently double book your calendar.
2. Get outside and play. If you're not involved in any organized sports or have any daily exercise opportunities, now is the time to consider getting outdoors for 45-60 minutes each day for vigorous play. During the season you will be required to practice for 90 minutes at a time and it's easier on your body to adapt to this change now instead of waiting for the first day of practice. Anything you can do to increase your endurance, strength and flexibility is a good start.
3. Become a student of the game. Start watching football on tv. Go to the library and check out books on football. Ask questions about things you don't understand. Learn what all the positions are on offense and defense. Learn the basic terminology used in football.
4. Play the game. There is no substitute for grabbing three or four of your neighbors and playing backyard football. It teaches leadership, teamwork, and problem solving while you have fun and exercise. It's a win, win, win!!! All of the heroes of the game started in the backyard of some neighborhood drawing up plays in the dirt.
5. Mark your calendars so you don't miss any games or practices. The schedule is already posted on the team website so make sure you've written down those dates on your calendar so you don't accidently double book your calendar.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Our philosphy behind practice times...
Becoming a champion doesn't happen overnight. You can't just snap your fingers and be in the Ohio High School Championship game. Winning comes as players develop a complete understanding of the game both mentally, emtionally, and physically. Being in that championship game is the result of a decade's worth of focused practice honing skills and increasing your abilities.
Therefore, we need to get the most out of our time with the players during practice. Having a well thought-out practice plan is one of the keys to practicing to become a champion. Obviously the flow, intensity and goals of football practice depend greatly on the age and skill level of our players, but what follows is how we as coaches approach putting a practice together.
Preparing For Practice
No matter what a player's skill level you always need to be well hydrated and warmed up. 32 to 64 ounces of water a day is a rough guide to the amount of water an athlete needs when they are in training. At the beginning of each practice a good brisk jog for two to three minutes coupled with thorough stretching is a great general start.
The Team Talk
Every practice has a goal. It's our job to state that goal and keep the team on point. In our first few practices, for example, our goal will be to evaluate our players' abilities. This Team Talk allows us to share this goal with them and encourage them to do their best. Also throughout the year we will bring in community leaders to talk with our players about key issues. Our goal is to make them better citizens, students, teammates and athletes.
When We Get To Work
Using the example of a first practice, we will get the kids to run a 40-yard dash and time it with a stopwatch. This will help us evaluate where to best place each player. Then we will get them started on other drills to determine how well they throw, how well they catch and how agile and comfortable they are in action. The pace of our drills will be up tempo to increase their conditioning level.
Introducing In New Skills
Because we're coaching youth football, our job is to get players comfortable with and knowledgeable about playing the game. As weird as it might sound winning is not our primary goal at this level. Every practice is dedicated to incorporating new skills: handoff drills, passing drills, running patterns, agility, proper technique, proper posture, etc. and making sure those skills mesh as a team. Extra time will be taken to instruct the players on how the drill is properly run to learn this new skill.
Planning Our Drills
Typically youth football athletes don't have a proper understanding of the game, and so much of our initial time is spent developing this. As their knowledge base grows we can begin to see our team's strengths and weaknesses, and it becomes our job as coaches to champion our strengths while finding ways to improve on our weaknesses. Skill-building drills will make up the bulk of our practices. While there's no set rule for the amount of time we'll spend on practice drills -- typically we'll allow enough time for a good warm up at the beginning and a 20-minute scrimmage at the end. The difference will typically be filled with specific skill drills.
Practice Makes Permanent
We will plan our drills so that our players are always working on a skill they need to develop. Our goal is to learn to do the drill to perfection. Young players will always need more reps at drills to train their bodies the skills necessary to play with confidence. This is a requirement that takes great patience as a coach. Therefore, it will not be uncommon to do a drill at least 4 or 5 times to help establish perfect habits. The pace of drills will start out slow at the beginning of the season to allow athletes to learn what's expected of them but as the season progresses drills will pick up in frequency and intensity to encourage conditioning of the athlete and to give them an opportunity to respond correctly while their body is being stressed.
Keeping Players Hydrated
THIS CAN'T BE STRESSED ENOUGH!!! We suggest drinking between 32 to 64 ounces of water during the football season. Football practice is hard work, and it often takes place during warm or hot weather. While we have planned water breaks into the schedule and monitor players closely to see if they are getting overheated or exhausted, BEGINNING PRACTICE WELL HYDRATED is always the best policy.
Your body needs time to thoroughly become hydrated. Your body can't instantly take a liquid and apply it to your dehydrated muscles and other tissues. Therefore drinking a 32oz Gatorade just before practice will only adversely affect the player's performance as the liquid sloshes around in their stomach waiting to be processed over the next several hours.
All that being said, we realize that it's more important if a player is overheated to cool off and rehydrate than it is to try and power through a practice. However, we want to make sure the players understand the importance of hydration, what causes dehydration, and how to avoid it, so that we can maximize the practice time we do have. Please drink water throughout the day, especially 2 hours before practice.
Planning Around Attention Spans
Young children have shorter attention spans and tons of energy and a huge desire to romp around (especially if they're wearing football pads.) Because 60% of practice is spent doing individual type drills, and we need players to focus and learn new skills, their attention span is critical. Players must learn to discipline themselves to stay focused on the drill where they are stationed. The first few weeks this is hard for new players but they soon pick it up. As coaches we schedule these drills just after warm ups while the players focus is best. Drills move from completely individualized to multi-player drills to full out 11 on 11 scrimmages.
Scrimmage Time
This is where practice is typically the most fun because the players actually get to participate in simulated "game time" action. We will always schedule 20-30 minutes of Scrimmage Time at the end of each practice. It is during this time that we are making sure that players are using the skills we taught them during our practice drills. Coaches will be looking at footwork, posture, alignment, technique, execution, etc. during Scrimmage Time.
Cool Down/The Team Talk
As coaches we are motivators as well as a teachers. It's important that your child had fun during practice while at the same time worked hard and learned something new about the game. We will congratulate them on their participation and remind them that the team has a lot more work to do and a lot more fun to have at the next practice in preparation for the next game.
It's during this time that we will comment on the team's performances: for example, “You all tackled better today, some of you tackled better today, or we still need to work on our tackling.” We will make all comments (both positive and negative) about the team, not about individual players. That, more than anything, reinforces the team spirit.
Therefore, we need to get the most out of our time with the players during practice. Having a well thought-out practice plan is one of the keys to practicing to become a champion. Obviously the flow, intensity and goals of football practice depend greatly on the age and skill level of our players, but what follows is how we as coaches approach putting a practice together.
Preparing For Practice
No matter what a player's skill level you always need to be well hydrated and warmed up. 32 to 64 ounces of water a day is a rough guide to the amount of water an athlete needs when they are in training. At the beginning of each practice a good brisk jog for two to three minutes coupled with thorough stretching is a great general start.
The Team Talk
Every practice has a goal. It's our job to state that goal and keep the team on point. In our first few practices, for example, our goal will be to evaluate our players' abilities. This Team Talk allows us to share this goal with them and encourage them to do their best. Also throughout the year we will bring in community leaders to talk with our players about key issues. Our goal is to make them better citizens, students, teammates and athletes.
When We Get To Work
Using the example of a first practice, we will get the kids to run a 40-yard dash and time it with a stopwatch. This will help us evaluate where to best place each player. Then we will get them started on other drills to determine how well they throw, how well they catch and how agile and comfortable they are in action. The pace of our drills will be up tempo to increase their conditioning level.
Introducing In New Skills
Because we're coaching youth football, our job is to get players comfortable with and knowledgeable about playing the game. As weird as it might sound winning is not our primary goal at this level. Every practice is dedicated to incorporating new skills: handoff drills, passing drills, running patterns, agility, proper technique, proper posture, etc. and making sure those skills mesh as a team. Extra time will be taken to instruct the players on how the drill is properly run to learn this new skill.
Planning Our Drills
Typically youth football athletes don't have a proper understanding of the game, and so much of our initial time is spent developing this. As their knowledge base grows we can begin to see our team's strengths and weaknesses, and it becomes our job as coaches to champion our strengths while finding ways to improve on our weaknesses. Skill-building drills will make up the bulk of our practices. While there's no set rule for the amount of time we'll spend on practice drills -- typically we'll allow enough time for a good warm up at the beginning and a 20-minute scrimmage at the end. The difference will typically be filled with specific skill drills.
Practice Makes Permanent
We will plan our drills so that our players are always working on a skill they need to develop. Our goal is to learn to do the drill to perfection. Young players will always need more reps at drills to train their bodies the skills necessary to play with confidence. This is a requirement that takes great patience as a coach. Therefore, it will not be uncommon to do a drill at least 4 or 5 times to help establish perfect habits. The pace of drills will start out slow at the beginning of the season to allow athletes to learn what's expected of them but as the season progresses drills will pick up in frequency and intensity to encourage conditioning of the athlete and to give them an opportunity to respond correctly while their body is being stressed.
Keeping Players Hydrated
THIS CAN'T BE STRESSED ENOUGH!!! We suggest drinking between 32 to 64 ounces of water during the football season. Football practice is hard work, and it often takes place during warm or hot weather. While we have planned water breaks into the schedule and monitor players closely to see if they are getting overheated or exhausted, BEGINNING PRACTICE WELL HYDRATED is always the best policy.
Your body needs time to thoroughly become hydrated. Your body can't instantly take a liquid and apply it to your dehydrated muscles and other tissues. Therefore drinking a 32oz Gatorade just before practice will only adversely affect the player's performance as the liquid sloshes around in their stomach waiting to be processed over the next several hours.
All that being said, we realize that it's more important if a player is overheated to cool off and rehydrate than it is to try and power through a practice. However, we want to make sure the players understand the importance of hydration, what causes dehydration, and how to avoid it, so that we can maximize the practice time we do have. Please drink water throughout the day, especially 2 hours before practice.
Planning Around Attention Spans
Young children have shorter attention spans and tons of energy and a huge desire to romp around (especially if they're wearing football pads.) Because 60% of practice is spent doing individual type drills, and we need players to focus and learn new skills, their attention span is critical. Players must learn to discipline themselves to stay focused on the drill where they are stationed. The first few weeks this is hard for new players but they soon pick it up. As coaches we schedule these drills just after warm ups while the players focus is best. Drills move from completely individualized to multi-player drills to full out 11 on 11 scrimmages.
Scrimmage Time
This is where practice is typically the most fun because the players actually get to participate in simulated "game time" action. We will always schedule 20-30 minutes of Scrimmage Time at the end of each practice. It is during this time that we are making sure that players are using the skills we taught them during our practice drills. Coaches will be looking at footwork, posture, alignment, technique, execution, etc. during Scrimmage Time.
Cool Down/The Team Talk
As coaches we are motivators as well as a teachers. It's important that your child had fun during practice while at the same time worked hard and learned something new about the game. We will congratulate them on their participation and remind them that the team has a lot more work to do and a lot more fun to have at the next practice in preparation for the next game.
It's during this time that we will comment on the team's performances: for example, “You all tackled better today, some of you tackled better today, or we still need to work on our tackling.” We will make all comments (both positive and negative) about the team, not about individual players. That, more than anything, reinforces the team spirit.
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