Coaching help

[CaptainCrunch]

Don't really know if this is the right area, but I thought I'd ask for ideas from other aspiring coaches.

I'm acting as a defensive co-ordinator for a local high school div III team. Historically this team hasn't been terrific. This year we have some pretty solid personal on both sides of the ball, and the results should be better.

The problem is that the team comes out in the first half, dosen't execute well, forgets the fundamentals of basic things like tackling, and we usually find ourselves down by two to three touchdowns at the half.

In the second half, its like its a different team, the defensive players remember thier responsibilities and start wrapping up on tackles. The offense starts giving our QB time, and we actually start to move the ball. But we're down to far to make an effective someback. Sure we win the second half, but at a certain point, moral victories are still loses.

I've tried the nice guy approach. I've basically beaten the crap out of them in practice, I've grilled them on the fundamentals of football over and over again. Last week I called out the seniors on the team over an apparent lack of leadership. But the results haven't changed.

Any ideas on how to get a second half team to play a whole game.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Mr.Coffee]

Have you started benching people?

[Mr.Coffee]

And also, maybe its something with the team's warm up or preparation that isn't getting them ready properly? Do they do any stretching/running before games? Do they seem mentally prepared before the game starts?

[toonmaster]

my guess would be pre-game prep. they should most defiantely build up a sweat before getting into the game, running through sets of plays at a high tempo

what exactly is done during warmup for pre game? how strict is the team's coaching personal on curfew the night before? how committed are the seniors on the team to winning? these kind of things will definately influence their performance

i hate to put pressure on grade 12 kids, but everything comes from your seniors, a football team will only go as far as they take them

i played tier II ball, and throughout grades 10 and 11 we had a solid group of seniors who led and pushed the younger kids not to settle and kept pushing them harder and harder

when grade 12 arrived for me, that determination to winning really came through and made me push the new kids to compete

but where i grew up, football really exploded and it rivals hockey for popularity in the area, if the kids just arent into it, you are S.O.L

and out of curiosity, what team do you coach for?

[transplant99]

I would sit the starters for the entire first series and let the guys get a real wake up call.

It isnt going to hurt you anymore on the scoreboard than what is happening now, and it could work in a reverse pschology kind of way.

Roy Williams of the NC Tarheels BBall team did this a fdew times last season when he was upset with his starting 5...and it worked repeatedly.

[JohnnyFlame]

When I coached football we did our pregame in the endzone. First we did the usual warmup exercises and then moved to offensive and defensive prep time. We finished by running O vrs D.

As far as getting them rolling early have sent in the punt block call, used the blitz especially if the field postiion is in your favor and passed long early to both maybe catch the other team napping and to get the excitement level rolling as a secondary function of the play. Plus helps if you have coach's who are sideline motivators and not just caught up in the action.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Just a thought.
Is the team actually playing better in the second half, or is it that the lead is so big that the other coaches are letting up/putting in their second stringers?

If it's the former, then I agree that it sounds like the warmpu/pre-game prep is to blame. Do they bus it down? What is the bus like? Are guys joking around? When I played (three years for St. Francis = three city championships) game prep stared on the bus, not joking around, get the game face on. It sounds pretty hard ass, but you can't argue with results, those teams never came out flat.

If it is the later, then you might be better off asking the other coach to play his schleps a lot sooner.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thanks for the feedback. The warmup is the standard fair, the usual stretching, then we split offense from defense. On my part we make sure that we get the defense some light physical contact and some pursuit to make sure that they're into chase mode.

I coach at forest Lawn, its a team that really dosen't have a winning tradition, but the defense has gone from terrible three years ago, to reall respectable ( last year we averaged under 20 points against a game). Now I lost a lot of seniors last year due to graduation. Out of my whole defense I have 5 grade 12's and the rest are 11's.

I don't ride the bus with the guys on game day since I work downtown. But it was a little too loose for my liking when I road with them to an ex game.

I suspect that we do a bit better in the second half because our opposition takes thier foot off of the gas. But you can actually see our play ramping up in the second half.

I don't really want to put a curfew in place because its really un-enforcible.

Beyond that because we made preperation more important, and we had to work harder on fitness levels and the practices are more serious this year we've lost about 12 players.

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thanks for the feedback. The warmup is the standard fair, the usual stretching, then we split offense from defense. On my part we make sure that we get the defense some light physical contact and some pursuit to make sure that they're into chase mode.

I coach at forest Lawn, its a team that really dosen't have a winning tradition, but the defense has gone from terrible three years ago, to reall respectable ( last year we averaged under 20 points against a game). Now I lost a lot of seniors last year due to graduation. Out of my whole defense I have 5 grade 12's and the rest are 11's.

I don't ride the bus with the guys on game day since I work downtown. But it was a little too loose for my liking when I road with them to an ex game.

I suspect that we do a bit better in the second half because our opposition takes thier foot off of the gas. But you can actually see our play ramping up in the second half.

I don't really want to put a curfew in place because its really un-enforcible.

Beyond that because we made preperation more important, and we had to work harder on fitness levels and the practices are more serious this year we've lost about 12 players.

Im an official for football and all I can say from what i've seen is your team actually is a lot better then you might think. Traditionally we don't really like doing Forest Lawn games ( it was usally a blow out and not very fun to ref), but from what i've seen this year the team actually looks like a team for the first time in a long time. Changing your pregame prep will help.


When I played (at Francis) the minute we walked in to the locker room on game day we we're allowed to talk at all unless one of the coaches was talking to us(mental prep). It may seem harsh but it does get your mind focused on the game really quickly. We would get in the locker room at around 3:15 and for most games we weren't talking until 3:55 when we said a prayer before a game. Prep makes all the difference for the first few series of the game.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by cSpooge

Im an official for football and all I can say from what i've seen is your team actually is a lot better then you might think. Traditionally we don't really like doing Forest Lawn games ( it was usally a blow out and not very fun to ref), but from what i've seen this year the team actually looks like a team for the first time in a long time. Changing your pregame prep will help.


When I played (at Francis) the minute we walked in to the locker room on game day we we're allowed to talk at all unless one of the coaches was talking to us(mental prep). It may seem harsh but it does get your mind focused on the game really quickly. We would get in the locker room at around 3:15 and for most games we weren't talking until 3:55 when we said a prayer before a game. Prep makes all the difference for the first few series of the game.

What year did you graduate?

[cSpooge]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

What year did you graduate?

2003 for me
2001 for my brother
and 1998 (i think for my oldest brothers)

[CaptainCrunch]

Just as an update to those that read and answered to this thread.

Forest Lawn upset Bishop Caroll tonight 12-2.

The defense played an incredible game, holding Carroll to three first downs and forcing four turnovers.

Hopefully this is the turnaround game for Forest Lawn's football program.


As an FYI Global was filming a story on us tonight that will be shown on Tuesday of next week on the 5:00 and 11:00 news, you might see Captain Crunch in the background when they interview the head coach.

[CaptainCrunch]

Sorry Fotze, we kinda pounded them tonight.

[CaptainCrunch]

Thanks