Winning Football Playbook - 2022 - 56

* Missing practice means not starting, and if your
backup is doing a good job, you stay on the
bench.
I've seen coaches allow one miss for every 10
summer workouts attended. Some schedule an
evening or early-morning practice one day a week
to allow parents to take care of things like doctor
appointments.
I recommend that coaching staffs make
clear what constitutes excused and unexcused
absences if you are going to differentiate between
them. The issue I encountered was that too many
parents were making up excuses or lying for their
son, so I stopped differentiating between them.
4
..Lack of Practice Organization
..Losing programs often don't have a practice
schedule or do not follow it. Coaches don't know
how much time they have to practice certain
drills, players pace themselves and don't work
hard, and parents don't know when to pick up
their children.
Have a detailed practice plan and follow it. With
cell phones and timers, it's easy to put the whole
practice plan in your phone and have a buzzer
sound when each period is up. Coaches know
how much time they have for each drill, and if you
post the practice plan, players know how much
time they have and give more effort to get more
reps. I also suggest posting the practice plan
online so each position coach can add detail to
their particular position. If you don't have enough
time to accomplish your goals, you might need to
simplify your offense or defense.
5
..Assessed Undisciplined Penalties
..I see teams beat themselves by repeatedly
jumping offsides, illegal procedures, delays of
game, and other penalties. A single late-hit
penalty can be excused as an accident, but repeat
infractions show a lack of self-control.
Practice your defense and blitzes going on the
ball - not on sound. Quickly get your plays into
the offense, and call penalties in practice so your
players learn about the consequences.
6
..Lack Competitiveness
..Every time these players face competition,
they make an excuse, whine or develop an injury
commonly known as the " loser's limp. "
56 COACH & A.D. | WINNING FOOTBALL PLAYBOOK 2022
Develop a competitive environment in
practices. Give the winner a reward, and the
losers a punishment. They learn that everything
is a competition and they need to learn how to
compete, win and lose - all three with class.
7
..Coaches Not in the School
..I realize this is fairly dependent on where you
live, and there are many great coaches who are not
teachers. But in my experience, if the coach and
most of his assistants are not in the building, it's a
challenge to understand the relationship between
the school and the program.
Don't take a head coaching position if you're in
the building unless the administration assures you
that they will hire assistants who are teachers.
8
..Unorganized Special Teams
..Poor performing teams don't have a set
scheme and often only practice special teams on
Thursday. The players don't want to be on special
teams, and they don't understand why these
teams are important to winning.
Set aside practice time for special teams just
like every other part of the game. Teach the
players why they are important. Put your best
players on specials. Try to win games with special
teams, and not treat them as an afterthought.
9
..No Parent Support
..Losing programs tend to lack parent
involvement, and the parents are not supportive of
the football program.
Find ways for the parents to get involved - team
meals, moms and dads wearing jerseys. Offer a
class for parents to teach them football. Show them
how to be supportive. Plenty of parents want to be
supportive, but they may not know how to help. Let
them know your needs.
10
..Focusing Too Much on the Other Team
..Losing teams game plan to the other
team's weakness and not their own strengths.
They worry about what the other team will do
and not about their own team's execution. They
often put in a new offense or defense that week
because they believe it's the secret to winning.
I'm OK with a small tweak, but I've never seen
anything more than small adjustments win a
game. n
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