Coaching Football's "Little Things"

I want to talk about a subject that I had only heard about but found it explained quite well by the Marines! It is Group Dynamics. When individuals come together in a group, their individual needs take on a whole new dimension. Each person is not only influenced by his own needs but he is influenced by the needs of other people in the group. This mixture creates a very complex and dynamic force. An effective leader needs to have a working knowledge of group dynamics. An understanding of group dynamics helps the leader discover new ways not only to motivate his team but to do it in a way that will provide a sense of satisfaction to those in the group.

The key here is to develop a “group personality” of its own. The use of “I” gradually changes to “we” and the group starts functioning more as a team with a common purpose rather than a bunch of selfish individuals who are only looking out for #1! One of my mantras with my teams over the years is: “Big TEAM… little Me.” As long as you have kids who are more concerned about the name on the BACK of their jersey instead of the one on the FRONT, you will have to continue to work on this transformation. A truly functioning team is created when each member gains satisfaction from his membership and his role in the group.

When you hear your players using the word “we” instead of “me,” it indicates that satisfaction is being gained and that person is identifying himself with the group. So, the successful leader is going to understand the nature of a group by referring to his knowledge of those individual needs (that I shared last week) and how they can be satisfied by belonging to the team.

More next week!

I have just started reading a book that a friend of mine who’s a retired Marine officer passed along to me. It’s title is Leadership in Action. If you want to learn about leadership, these are the guys to go to. Nobody produces better-trained leaders than the United States Marine Corps. I’m braggin’ on them and I’m a retired Army officer!!!

The Foreword gets right to the point. It states that “the traits of a leader mark him as a very positive person who has definite goals— who knows where he is going and how to get there. He does in fact possess the skill, knowledge, and self-confidence that enable him to attain the goals which he sets for himself.” Two very important characteristics are brought out before the author even starts the body of the book: leaders need to be positive and optimistic. Secondly, they need to set goals… and know how to achieve them.

Part 1 of the book deals with “Psychology of Leadership.” If you have never taken a course in Sports Psychology, you are doing yourself and your team a disservice. I am shocked at the number of coaches that I come in contact with who know little about the application of psychology of leadership. They know little about topics like 1- the basic human needs; 2- the frustrations that occur when these needs aren’t met and 3- the adjustments that people make to compensate for their failures. An understanding of these 3 elements of psychology will help a leader to develop the human relations skills that one will need to be a successful leader. Human needs, both physical and personal-social, are motivators which cause people to behave in certain, predictable ways. The 4 major classification of needs that are presented in this book are: the need for SECURITY, the need for ACCEPTANCE, the need for RECOGNITION and the need for ADVENTURE.

I’ll conclude this entry by saying that a person can satisfy his needs for security, acceptance, recognition and adventure and yet feel he still must reach greater heights to build his own feelings of self-worth and self-respect. It is at this point that a person approaches his fullest potential. A wise leader will be aware of this need for adventure and self-fulfillment in his players. The coach will use the players’ desire for adventure as a means to inspire his players to greater accomplishments.

Leadership is the art of influencing others to perform as a team to accomplish a common goal. A knowledge of what motivates a player and what makes him behave in a certain manner helps a leader to create those situations that will stimulate the players to constructive action toward the team goals.

QUESTION: Do YOU know the principles behind accomplishing this?

No coach can hope to know all about every player on his team. But, understanding some common factors in people can help a leader to understand his players and thus to more effectively guide them to a level of productivity that leads to a great season.

David was bringing food to his brothers at the battlefront when he saw Goliath. He wasn’t even thinking of being a hero that day, he just seized an opportunity other soldiers only dreamt about. Opportunities will catch you by surprise too, and if you’re not alert and ready, you’ll miss them.

What others discovered in David that day— had been there all along! If you’re a leader, you already possess the talent necessary to lead. But courage is what will establish you as a leader before others. The people we revere the most, demonstrate courage— courage on the battlefield and the football field, courage to defend the defenseless, or simply to attempt what nobody else thought possible.

You may be thinking, “But I lack the necessary funds.” Don’t worry, capital follows courage. What always preceded how. Don’t be intimidated by the numbers. I saw Woodrow Wilson win a AAA state championship here is Virginia several years ago with 31 players on their team. They beat a team in the championship game that carried over 80 players on its roster. It’s important to know from a spiritual standpoint that God is not moved by spreadsheets or how thick your playbook is. He’s moved by faith. Don’t let how intimidate you. It’s because how is so challenging that it provides you with great opportunity.

If the pathway to success were well-lit it would already by crowded. If how wasn’t a problem, someone else would already have figured it out! All progress begins with one question: “What needs to be done?” Somebody needs to be asking that question— why not make it YOU?!

The future belongs to those who have the courage to ask that question and…. the faith to hang on until they discover the answer. When the obstacles look too big and opposition seems too strong, you need to stand on the Word: “Do not be afraid or discouraged… for there is a greater power (God, through His Holy Spirit!) with us than with him.” (2 Chron. 32:7)

Today’s lesson is a hard one for any head coach, but it’s something that has to be dealt with.

If somebody keeps refusing to support you, let them go— or you’ll wish you had! This is especially hard if you’re (like me) a nurturer by nature. Somebody who’s invested in making relationships work and will hang in there with someone, hoping they’ll change. You can’t convert the fearful into the faithful! That’s God’s job. God’s “water test” showed Gideon who he could count on and who he couldn’t.

This is one of my favorite Old Testament accounts of how God teaches us to work as a leader. God told Gideon: “You have too large an army. When you’re victorious, they’ll take the credit. Make an announcement: ‘Anyone who has any qualms before we go into battle may leave.’ Twenty two thousand headed home. Ten thousand were left. And God said, ‘There’s still too many. Take them down to the stream and I’ll make a final cut.’”

When the opposition is standing strongly against you is often the time when you lose the most support of those around you. Don’t worry, God is at work. During that first cut, when Gideon lost 22,000 men, what looked like a set-back was really a set-up from God to determine who was dependable. It’s in the rough times that you find out who really stands with you. “Gideon took the soldiers down to the stream. Three hundred lapped from their cupped hands… the rest knelt down to drink. God said, ‘I’ll use the 300 to give you the victory.’”

We learn 2 lessons from this story: 1- You need to be able to SEE your enemy approaching. Those who knelt to drink, sacrificed their vision to satisfy their immediate need. When assistant coaches or players lose track of the vision you have for your program, it usually means that they are more concerned about themselves than the team. I had a player early in my career who didn’t show up for practice on Monday. We weren’t very good at the time but he was a pretty good player. The kids told me that “he quit… that’s why he didn’t come to practice today.” We couldn’t afford to lose a player of his caliber so I called him in my office the next morning to talk to him. At that point he was very repentant and wanted to get back on the team. It had to have been the Lord prompting me, because I got this thought: I asked him, “Ryan, would you rather we go 10 and 0 and you don’t start OR… we go 0 and 10 and you start all 10 games?” He replied, “Go 0 and 10 and I get to start.” I smiled and thanked him and said, “We won’t be needing your services. You made your choice to quit and we’re going to abide by that.”

I knew about this story of Gideon and decided to apply it. It didn’t immediately turn our program around but… this experience was one of those “key moments” when a paradym shift occured and the players realized that when I talked about unselfish play, I meant it!

Second lesson: When it seems that God has reduced your support, it’s to give you a great victory. It’s to show that how somebody without a lot of experience can lead a football team. Somebody who’s lost everything can make a comeback.

So when the people around you can’t pass God’s “water test,” let them go and trust God. He has something better in mind for you. Oh yes…. the player who replaced the one who quit was just a Sophomore at the time. By his senior year, he was an All District player and had a chance to play 1AA ball after he graduated. Our record got better real fast! God is good!!!

As my thoughts focus on Easter week-end, I am reminded of the series of sermons that our pastors just finished… thus the title of my entry this week! They asked the question every week for 7 weeks: “Are You Cheating?” In essence, this is saying that you are short-changing God, your family and yourself because you are running too fast to try and win the “rat race!” The problem is: do you know anyone who has ever won the rat race? Then, why do we compete in an unwinnable race? I think it’s because we’re all programmed to want the good life. The life that Madison Avenue tells us we need to strive for. This ficticious standard of living that we work our tails off to achieve. When we choose to try to win the rat race, fracture lines soon appear in our relationships and crumbling is not far behind. Unfortunately, all too often, men leave a trail of broken relationships when we pursue this “good life.” So, we end up cheating those closest to us and ourselves too!

According to our pastor, it all comes down to FOCUS. We need to focus on what’s most important. Why? First off, focus determines your purpose/dream in life. What is your purpose in coaching football? (I bet I know your “dream!”— to win a state championship!) My response to that would be a line from the movie Facing the Giants. The coach said to his players, “If winning football games is your chief purpose in playing football then your goal is too small!”

Focus also defines significance for our life. It goes hand in hand with what I just said. If you are attempting to gain your significance by being a championship football coach, then you are seeking a misdirected goal. You’re focusing too much on who you are instead of whose you are!

So what we need to do is determine the most important thing in our life. Pastor Jim said that there are 3 questions you must get answers to. They are:
1- Will I be SELF-centered or Christ-centered? In other words, WHO do I live my life for? I might add: your career doesn’t build significance. The World may tell you it does but, stop for a minute. Name the last 10 Secretary’s of State for the USA? Pretty significant job, isn’t it? Who were they?

2- Will I focus on character or comfort? Building and sustaining character takes a lot of work. It requires monitoring your behavior. One of my favorite Bible passages is in 2 Peter. To paraphrase, it says: Supplement your faith with a strong dose of moral excellence and self control. Self control will build endurance. All of this will end in love. It starts with faith and ends with love. You want a real challenge?! Try to live your life the way Jesus calls us to! I found that I needed His help (and His Helper) really fast.
3- Finally… will you be a giver or a taker? I am a little bit of an introvert. I have to get out of my comfort zone to really reach out to people… till I get to know them. I was often envious of people who I observed walking into a crowded room and immediately people there gravitated to that person. I guess they call that charisma. Then one day as I complained about not having that ability to “draw” people to me, the Lord impressed upon me that, “Lew… you are NOT a magnet. You are a honey bee!” huh???!!! As I thought about it, what He was telling me was: “Get out of your comfort zone. Stop being a “taken” and start being a “giver.” Get out there and meet and greet people. After a while, you’ll be able to share with them how much I (God) love them too!” What does God want to say to the world through you? What message does your life send?

On this Easter week-end, I think of the excruciating pain that Jesus went through to pay a price for me that I’ll never be able to repay! His death and resurrection set me free to live a life that (I try!) is pleasing to Him.

Happy Easter! and remember: HE’S ALIVE!!!

I just spent some time talking with a coach who’s frustrated about his feeder programs. He’s not getting a lot of cooperation from the programs down the chain. I shared a couple of things that all of you might find of interest and value.

The first concern he had was with his Community/Youth League program. Apparently it’s poorly run and the parents in the community won’t support it because of this. Not many boys are playing at the youth level because of the mistrust and anger over how the league is being led. I shared with this coach that, in my opinion, boys playing football at the “youth” level is an added luxury. It is not going to make or break a high school porgram. Too often, the coaching at that level is not sound nor do they run the same offense and defense that your HS program runs. It IS beneficial that the boys are playing football at that age but… it’s not a “make or break” situation for the high school.

What bothers me is that boys that age (8-11) are NOT playing any football. They’re inside on those video games instead of out in the yard throwing the ball around or playing pick-up games! I think that organized youth sports leagues have become a bit too organized anyway! Parents can become a bit too controlling at times. I want kids outside playing sports. It doesn’t have to be anything more than a bunch of them in somebody’s front yard. PLAY!!!

If a HS coach can help get a youth program running, and running right, then great! It is nice to have your system installed down to that level but not a requirement for success at the high school level. During my 22 years at HC at our local HS, our youth league program basically dissolved to the point that instead of 5 or 6 teams in our community, there were only enough boys playing football to field one team. Our numbers at the high school actually increased over that same time.

IF… you have a youth league in place, show them as much support as you can. They are a great asset to your HS program. As I said… getting boys outside and PLAYING is the important thing. If you have the resources and time to get a youth league up and running, I’d encourage you to do it. But, the KEY is the next level: MIDDLE SCHOOL.

For those of you who do NOT have a middle school football program in place in your school sytem… THIS is where you need to focus your energy. A youth program at this age/level is critical to your success! You need a strong feeder program for those boys who will come directly into your HS program. In my city, we were the only city in our region that had middle school football for years. And, in most cases, schools in our city dominated. Then the neighboring cities got wise and started playing MS football also. Wow! What a change in which schools began to dominate.

If you have not attempted to speak to your school board about starting middle school football, you should try. It’s not the best time economically to be asking for start up money for 6th, 7th and 8th grade football but you should try. If that is not feasible, then that youth or community league involvement becomes paramount.

If you DO have MS football in place right now, it is imperative that you form a strong working relationship with the MS coaches. In a lot of cases, the MS program does NOT fall under the guidance of the HS coach. If this is your case, you need to reach out to the MS football coach and offer any help that you can. Tell him that if he will install your system, your staff will help him in any way that you can! Offer clinics, camps or just meetings to discuss things that they might have questions about. Make yourself available. Show up for MS practices. Talk to those kids. Be there for their games if possible. Make sure that those 8th graders in particular KNOW who you are!

If you’re not getting much cooperation from the MS coach, then contact the MS principal and see if you can get an ally there. Maybe speak to the 8th grade PE teachers about coming in one day in the spring to “sell” your program to ALL 8th grade boys. If it’s as bad as it seems, there may be 8th graders who can help you next year who didn’t even play MS ball! Assure them that if they come out as 9th graders, they have a real shot at playing time on the JV. How does this happen?

My last point is critical for sustaining your program. If you only have a Varsity and JV then I think you need to make your JV team basically a “freshman” team. Once a freshman has started on JV, he has accomplished everything that the JV team is designed for. That sophomore needs to be on Varsity! When I took over our HS program years ago, I could not get soph’s to come out for Varsity. They wanted to stay on JV another year and be a “JV Superstar.” They knew if they came up to Varsity that they’d probably sit on the bench. I had to create a paradigm shift in their thinking. Most of these kids were good enough to play varsity as 10th graders and we did everything we could to get them on the field… particularly on special teams. They just wanted to contribute! I’d tell them and their parents: “Everyone goes through a rookie season— no matter what level you’re playing at! Learn the system, take your lumps now. As juniors you’ll be ready to compete for a starting position. You can be a 2 year starter instead of just one.” Over a period of 4-5 years the attitude changed and soon… kids complained if they weren’t allowed to play Varsity as 10th graders!

Sustained success at the HS level is predicated on keeping the flow of players coming in from the programs below you. Keep those lines of communication open. Develop a working relationship with those feeder programs. It will require some more of your time but… it’s important enough to your success to do it.

I spent a great Friday/Saturday in Lynchburg, VA at the Mid-Atlantic Wings ‘n Things Coaches Clinic. Some outstanding speakers and Cecil Phillips always puts on a 1st class operation.

I heard 2 different (HS) head coaches say that: “I’m going to be more of a CEO this coming season. I’m not going to coach a position… just kinda wander around the practice field and fill in where I’m needed. I’m gonna let my assistants handle more duties.” UGH!!! In probably 99% of the cases (that I know from being in HS coaching for 35 years!), that is a BAD decision. Let me explain why and you can draw your own conclusions.

First off… “been there; done that!” There’s not much that I didn’t try during my 22 years as a public school head football coach. I decided one year that I would pattern things after what I’d seen after visiting Va. Tech’s spring practices for 2-3 days. I told the staff that I was NOT going to coach a position on either side of the ball. That I would be the CEO… wander around the practice field and step in, help out and/or make corrections when I saw fit. I thought my staff would love having more responsibility and a little more autonomy. What I discovered (from a conversation with my AD after the season) was… my staff was jealous. “Why does Lew get to stand around during practice while we’re working our tails off?!” “Coach J. is just lazy… he didn’t work as hard this year.” THAT kind of stuff!

Now maybe I had a rather selfish, lazy staff but… from MY perspective, what I found was: I was bored out of my mind!!! With no position to coach, I DID just wander around the practice field. I became the “Schedule Time-keeper”— watching my clock all the time to blow the whistle when it was time for a change of periods. I also learned why a lot of college head coaches build towers on their practice field. If they’re going to “oversee” things then… they need to be in a position to “see over!” I just couldn’t be in 2 or 3 places at once. So rather than focusing on (at least!) coaching up one position… I was wandering around looking over everybody’s back. Which in turn made my assistants very uncomfortable.

A long-time assistant who was extremely loyal sat down with me and laid it out. I think this gets to the crux of the matter… and it’s why I said at the opening that… in 99% of the cases that I know about— the head coach needs to be highly involved in at least one position and in ALL phases of your program. What he said to me was: “Lew, you are the best coach on this staff! You spend more time studying the game. You spend more time watching video. You know our system better than any other member of our staff. If you ‘draw back’ from coaching, we are putting ourselves at a distinct disadvantage. You need to be FULLY involved in all aspects of our program!” WOW! He certainly got my attention.