Priorities For a Championship Off-Season

Great programs realize that getting better every single day is a key to winning championships. This is as true in the off-season as it is during the season. Thus, establishing off-season priorities often helps programs move forward consistently. Here are some suggestions for establishing off-season priorities that will help any and every team move forward this off-season.

Use Data Wisely

Look at your season stats. Where do you want to improve? Create a specific plan for addressing weaknesses. Decide how you will coach for progress (drills, coaching points, feedback methods, etc.) and create tests or measures for progress that can be tracked during the off-season, not just through game statistics, so you are sure to focus on how you can make progress on a daily basis.

Also, look at data for patterns of strengths and create plans to build upon and capitalize on these strengths. Strengths can turn into identities, which is incredibly important in building a championship culture.

Example 1: Perhaps you had a problem with ball security. You decide to make this an off-season priority. You resolve to take five minutes of strength and conditioning time each day to work on ball carrying technique, such as emphasizing the four points of contact: fingers, forearm, biceps, and ribs or chest. You then might make a video or create a good presentation for how this will be taught to all players in the program. Next, you plan to film each player at least every other week and give feedback about ball security technique as the player runs through an agility drill. Some type of grade could be created and tracked throughout the off-season. Higher grades will hopefully translate into better ball security in the fall.

Example 2: Your defense swarmed to the ball this year creating great gang tackling. You are proud of this execution and want to make it part of your defense’s identity. You decide to create a hype video to help establish this identity and motivate next year’s team. You decide that one element of great gang tackling is hustle, and to symbolize the swarming mentality of the gang tackling, you create t-shirts with a simple drawing of swarming bees on it. You give this t-shirt to defensive players based on hustle criteria you create for off-season workouts, or you give the t-shirt to players on a “hand shake contract”. This becomes their word, their pledge that they will commit to this swarming hustling mentality in order to solidify their identity and commitment to one another.

Relationships = Motivation

One of most important factors in motivation is the coach-player relationship. Focus on creating strong relationships with your players. Get to know each player on a deeper level. Have sit down interviews with each player. The head coach and position coaches or coordinators can all get involved to some degree in this process.

I suggest you further develop relationships by helping teammates get to know one another better. Create some team building activities that help players understand each other better, become more accepting of differences, and celebrate commonalities. Improved relationships among team members leads to social cohesion, an important element of team chemistry.
   
Example: You assign all players to be interviewed by one coach. The coach follows a scripted interview with specific questions, such as: Why do you play football? What do you hope to get out of football? What are your goals? Describe the ideal player at your position. The entire staff could meet and share points of emphasis and interest based on these interviews so that at least one coach gets to know each player on a deeper level and the entire staff has a greater understanding of player motivation. Next, players could meet in groups (perhaps position groups works well but maybe other combinations make sense for your team) to go over the interview information with each other to help gain a greater understanding about teammates’ expectations and values. As the off-season progresses into the season, reminders about these values and expectations can help kindle motivational fire when needed.

Simplify

We make things too complicated at times. It’s just the nature of the game and life in general. Take some time to reflect on this. What have you made too complex? How can you simplify it? Remember, a clear simple message is better received than a complex one, and simplifying will only help all players understand it. This helps all players get on the same page with task cohesion, an essential element of team chemistry.
 
Example 1: Perhaps your playbook has just gotten too complicated and disconnected. Work as a staff to trim the fat and establish priorities. For example, many teams would be well-served to have a small core set of plays with several variations off each core play. That is, plays that start off looking like a core play but in fact develop a surprising turn (consider play-action and counter variations or similar yet different route combinations). As these core plays are mastered, your more complicated plays can be added to the playbook to establish greater variation and the element of surprise.
 
Example 2: Your tackling technique has gotten sloppy, and you realize you have many drills and ways of giving feedback. You decide to train all coaches and players in two core drills: 1) angle pursuit tackling and 2) take down tackling onto high jump mats and two main coaching points: 1) wrap 2) leg drive. You decide that you will work these drills and give feedback heavily focused on wrap and leg drive for every rep of every tackling drill performed in the off-season and throughout spring ball, summer sessions, and into the season. You can even focus on specifically giving feedback about how off-season strength and conditioning leads to great ability to pursue, wrap, and drive.

By using data wisely, creating plans for improvement, building relationships, and simplifying where needed, you will be well on your way to prioritizing a championship off-season. All teams can stand to improve in these areas, and your dedication will pay dividends next fall. If you truly come to understand the value of off-season priorities, you will come to see that there really is no off-season. Every day is game day, and the scoreboard is always on. 

About the Author: Dr. Jared Wood has been an educator for the past 19 years and a sport psychology coach for the past 14 years. He co-founded Champion Mindset Group (champmindset.com), the premiere sport psychology coaching firm in Southeast Michigan, in 2011. He recently completed and published a sport psychology training manual for players and coaches called It’s Only Cold On One Sideline. Visit his website 1sideline.com to find free articles and training plans or to purchase a manual and other training materials. You can contact Dr. Wood at jaredwood@mac.com or 248-535-5358. Follow him on Twitter: @1sideline & @woodjared.