Coaching Football's "Little Things"

This little book is revolutionizing the way I look at coaching! Coach Duke does such a good job of bringing out the key elements of going beyond just being a “First-Dimension” coach into the realm of being a “Second-Dimension” coach.

Chapter 11 is entitled “JOY.” He breaks down what he calls the “Emotion Matrix”— showing how powerful emotions are…. particularly to an athlete and how he functions in a competitive situation. For an athlete, emotion is usually related to activity and its eventual outcome. During a game, for instance, there is a constant flow of emotions as the contest evolves. The emotions that a player is experiencing can ultimately influence the outcome.

Obviously, some emotions enhance performance while others hinder it. But, did you know that some pleasant emotions can actually hinder performance? Duke calls these “pleasant-harmful” emotions. While some unpleasant emotions can actually be helpful! I’m not going to explain in depth because I want you to get a copy of this powerful little book and read it!

Finally, Dr. Duke talks about “Joy Robbers” in this chapter and presents some practical examples of how to bring the joy back to the game and your team. I love this statement he makes, “As I’ve studied the difference between first-dimension coaching and second-dimension coaching, I’ve come to the conclusion that the teams that succeed are the ones that don’t outwork their opponents but rather outplay them.” At first, you might reason that he’s talking about “playing better” during a game… I did! But…. THAT is “first-dimension” coaching. He actually means playing— as in having fun! Let me give you an example that he uses with his high school team in Florida (a very successful one, by the way!) He shares how on occassion his head coach blows the whistle and yells “Upside-down Time!” and the players go nuts! For the next 5 minutes or so, they run their Team Offense but… the Line gets to be the running backs and the Backs play the line! He says the kids love it! I can’t wait to try it this fall!!!

You want to create an atmosphere of JOY in your program. I’ve said it before… WHY do kids play football at your school? Why do they play for you?! When kids love what they do, all of you involved in your program will find unspeakable joy!!! That’s what sports are supposed to be…. right???!! We don’t do it for the money, do we??!!!