Coach to Coach: Football Clinics – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

    If you are like me, your email has been full of invitations and promotions to the many football coaching clinics being held across the country. As a coach with 19 seasons under my belt, I have attended many clinics, have had the opportunity to speak at many clinics, and I host the Shotgun Zone Fly Summit. Clinics provide us with a great opportunity to learn from some of the most successful people in the business. They are also a great excuse to get a “hall pass” for a weekend away with some football buddies. I have found that when it comes to getting the most out of clinics, success or failure is largely based on a sound strategy mapped out prior to arrival. I have some suggestions that may help you get the very most out of the clinics you attend this year and in years to come.

I have found that there are generally three types of coaches in attendance – academics, grazers, and detectives. First are the academics. These are the guys who sit in the first row and take notes on everything. They are the first to raise their hand to ask a question and they often phrase their questions in such a manner as to let everyone in the room know that they know a lot about football.

    The second group are the grazers. These are the coaches that you find wandering from room to room, from vendor to vendor, and from lobby chair to lobby couch. By definition, they skim off the top, grab a little from here and a little from there and then move on. Usually a grazer can be found with a cup of coffee in his hand but rarely a notebook. The problem with a grazer is that they are intrigued by almost everything but never really get into the meat of a specific subject or presentation. 

    Finally, the third group are those I call the detectives. These coaches are very detailed in their approach to gathering information. They have a well thought out itinerary when it comes to what sessions they will attend. They take detailed notes and if they ask a question it is relevant and on topic. The detectives are in search of a nugget  that will make them a better coach and information that will allow them to teach things they know in a more effective and efficient way. They are definitely quality over quantity people. 

    If you are thinking that I seem to know a little too much about each of these types of coaches, you are right. At one time or another in my career, I have been a member of each. As a young coach, I was an academic. Now, I am not saying that I knew a lot. I am admitting, however, that I was eager to appear that I did. The good thing about being an academic was that I took a ton of notes. In looking back, you could say that I rarely encountered a scheme or idea that I didn’t like. The mistake I made was that I banked too much information and tried to apply too many concepts. 

    As the number of clinics accumulated along with a few years of experience, I eventually became a grazer. As a grazer, I had no real plan or strategy when it came to getting the most out of a clinic. I would often leave sessions before they were over and enter sessions after they had begun. I was constantly moving around sampling the information. For me, a day spent at a clinic was similar to a day spent on the golf course - I walked around a lot but very little was accomplished. Thankfully, this phase of my coaching career was short-lived. 

    At this point in my career, I am firmly entrenched in the detective group. As a detective, I come to each clinic with a detailed plan. I sift through the hours of presentations and information to find one technique or teaching method that I can use to enhance my schemes or philosophy. I am very specific in the information that I am seeking. I am drawn to presentations that cover subjects like practice organization, motivating athletes or game planning. These are areas that the very best coaches excel in. There have been clinics that I have attended where I have returned with only one phrase or one practice enhancement or game concept that I actually use. Some would say that would be a waste of time. However, one small change or one subtle concept can be the difference in success or failure. 

    I often tell of the time I paid for my staff and I to attend a clinic in San Diego. I paid for four plane tickets, three nights in a hotel, a rental car and clinic fees. My staff and I sat through hours of presentations and took pages of notes. In the end however, only one play concept made it into our playbook. Was it worth it? Absolutely. That one concept ended up being one of our best plays and it played a role in helping us achieve an undefeated season and a top state ranking. I definitely would count that clinic investment and experience worthwhile. 

    There is a great chance that you will be attending a clinic in the near future. I want to share with you some of the strategies that I have found to be very effective in getting the most out of these opportunities to become a better coach. 
Do your homework before you attend –

    Before you even look at who is speaking, make a list of areas that you are interested in exploring. Maybe it’s the quick passing game, maybe it’s off-season workouts or speed development or maybe it’s gathering information on a complete scheme like the wing–t or the spread. Regardless of what it is, you need to have a concise and focused list of topics that you desire to learn more about. Once you have narrowed your area of focus, take a look at the presentation and speaker lineup that the clinic will offer. Check the sessions and or speakers that address your focus list. Map out a strategy to attend each of those specific sessions. It is important to have a game plan prior to arriving as to which presentations you and your fellow coaches will attend.

Take limited notes during a presentation –

    Be sure that you don’t get so involved in trying to write down everything that the speaker is presenting. Have your notes separated into categories before the session begins. I divide my notes into the following: concepts, diagrams and quotes. I also have an area designated at the top of the page for the title and contact information. You can create your own template and print a bunch of them before you arrive. Be concise and specific in your note taking and be sure to use football terminology that you are familiar with and fits within your schemes. This is an important aspect of effective note taking. Too many coaches try to use the presenter’s terminology and thus are often confused about what was said when they revisit their notes days later. 

Get the coaches’ contact information –

    Most presenters will provide their email address and or phone number. Remember to always take the time to write that information down as it may come in handy when you get home and are trying to recall a key point or concept. Coaches are very busy and you may have to contact them a couple of times, but most are very good at getting back to you and providing the information that you need. 

Don’t worry about attending every session – 

    I have found that some of the most productive time is immediately after a presentation. This is the time that my mind is full of fresh ideas and creative thoughts. I have found that if I wait until I get home to review the material, many of those fresh ideas are no longer in my brain. Immediately after a session I often will find a place to work on ways that I can effectively apply what I have just learned. I really think it is important to let the fresh information take hold while you are excited about it and while your brain is focused on that particular idea. Putting it on the back burner while you immediately go into another session can be counterproductive. In coaching, I have learned that less is often more and that certainly can apply to effective clinic strategies. 
   

Finally, it’s amazing how fast the winter goes by. It will only be a few weeks until spring football, summer camps, 7-on-7 events, summer conditioning and before you can blink, the first games of the new season. I hope that these few suggestions will help you in your off-season preparation and your ability to get the most out of your football clinic experience. If we happen to be at the same clinic, be sure to come by and say hello.