AFM RSS Feed Follow Us on Twitter       
AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY THE #1 RESOURCE FOR FOOTBALL COACHES
ABOUT |  CONTACT |  ADVERTISE |  HELP  



   User Name    Password 
      Password Help





Article Categories


AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


   - More Solutions to Problem #1

© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

Continued from:
32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You'll Face this Season

Problem 1. Not playing to the level of your opponent – avoiding a major let down early in the season... how do you deal with this issue? Are there ways to motivate a team that is under achieving?

Our biggest issue is not so much playing down to our opponents, but learning to play up to the competition we face. Our school has had a series of down years (in football) and we as a staff are always looking to find ways to get them to play better and more cohesively. Our approach is to stay consistant with our schemes, since this team has had a new head coach (and schemes) every three years or so. As a staff we have committed to running the triple option on offense and are working on establishing the system all the way down through the to the youth levels. As a small town in Arizona it is imperative that the kids grow up wanting to play football the Roadrunner way and through consistency we can develop the correct mindset towards competing and winning.

Keith Wheeler, Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach
Holbrook Roadrunners (AZ)


I believe every coach has faced this issue and will continue to deal with this in the future. Your key is bringing the team along slowly, staying on course and re-assessing both short term and long term goals. The coaches need to keep confidence levels and long term motivational intact through continued efforts of telling them what you believe which is what motivation is all about.

Ron Price, Assistant Coach
Santa Rosa High School (CA)


Our goal as a team is excellence. This goal is only achieved by meeting many sub goals. The two main sub gaols are confidence and conditioning. We build their confidence by sticking to a teaching progression where we don't introduce new plays or defenses until each is mastered. The team also understands that most games and particularly the important ones are won or lost in the fourth quarter. The loses are usually the result of a mistake made due to fatigue. Teams that are confident and conditioned usually avoid mistakes and play well these are never hard teams to motivate.

Randy Pinkowski, Head Football Coach
C.B. Aycock H.S (NC)


I think you have to sit down with your coching staff, study the film and come up with a clear cut reason to why your team is under achieving. Once you have addressed the reason or reasons, you need to fix it immediately before your season slips away.

Bill Kennedy, Head Football Coach
Spring Valley HS (NY)


We constantly strive to challenge our players during practice. We keep things short and sweet as long as they are busting it. Motivation comes from enthusiasm and enthusiasm must come from the coaches. We coach on the run and try our best to make the players feel good about their preparation. Long drawn out practices have a reverse effect.

Sam Harp, Head Football Coach
Danville High School (KY)


The team needs to work on being more focused, more detail in the practice plan and more communication to the team on staying focused on excuting the game plan. Meet with your press box guys and let them know exactly what thier responsibilities are. During the week, most likely Thursday, run 10-15 plays with them up in the box with your offensive game plan and let them know the things you want them to look for. Practice it enough so their are no surprises on game night.

Bill Cretaro

First of all I would go directly to my Leadership Council to relay my worries, expectations, etc. I believe in times of crisis a coach needs to lean on the shoulders of the team's leadership. Peer pressure from one's own peers can help steer the ship in the right direction. My Leadership Council is made up of the four captains the team vote on and one member of each class (1 Senior, 1 Junior, 1 Soph and 1 Freshman). I have weekly discussions with this group which helps determine discipline issues , gives feedback on team's attitude and help make decisions on how to spend fundraiser/booster club money etc. Leaders will help avoid a early season letdown and steer the ship to lead the team to play above and beyond the level of your opponent.

Jared Van Acker, Head Varsity Football Coach
Galax High School (VA)


A team that is not ready to play each week is a team with low goals, low self-expectations, or a fat head! A coach must know which team he has and irradicate the problem. The low goal team or low expectations team must be told or sold the high expectations that the program has for them. This can be done by having the kids set the goals, clearly having the expectations outlined for them or having them outline them to each other. By the time this team has lost a game they shouldn't have, it is too late to solve the problem. This needs to be done in the pre-season build up. The fat head team is harder to address. I have found that kids with big ego's who ride the emotional roller coaster don't come back down from last week's win until well after the weekend ends. I recommend doing away with things like wearing jerseys to school on Mondays after a win and other items to refocus on the current week.

Bob DeLong, Offensive coordinator
Xenia high School (OH)


A coach has to look at his preparation methods, insertion schedules, practice plans and practices. Just as you self-scout for game preparation, you also should do the same for practices. Included in this is looking at my praise to criticism ratio to see how much positive reinforcement is being given. I am looking to reinforce high rates of successful repetition of the skills we are teaching. Players have to be confident in themselves and their teammates. They have to trust their coaches and this comes from effective teaching. Part of that teaching includes motivating athletes to perform at their best. A coach has to teach the standard of performance he wants. He then has to hold players accountable for meeting that standard. Confidence building starts early on but can be a difficult challenge. Sometimes this requires very small steps. It is certainly possible to get a team so pumped-up that they become too tense to perform well. You have to know the rhythm of your team and make the necessary adjustments.

Larry Payne, Assistant Coach (retired)
North Bend H.S (OR)


I try to combat this by making our team competitive in practice and therefore competitive on the field at all times. I make as much of practice as possible a competition. So hopefully, when we get on the field on game day we won't have to worry about if we are competiting enough.

Zak Bessac, Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Warner Park, HS (WI)


We play to our own standards.. our own bar. Thus, we measure our performance by what has become a Warrior tradition. Warrior football is a continuum of our past, our history. A history of consistent effort, consistent enthusiasm for the play and the game; thorough preparation, each game is THE BIG game; we respect each and every opponent, and know our performance will be judged by that tradition. In addition, as we prepare each week, we increase practice tempo so that we are as crisp and sharp as we can be on Friday night. The challenge is to accept the responsibility that is inherent in being a Warrior football player, and to enhance it through first-class performance. That becomes our motivation.

Ron Stolski,Head Football Coach
Brainerd High School (MN)


Because kids naturally focus on our key rival whom we play in week two this year (week one for the past 4 years) we have struggled on the next game following this game for our first 3 seasons. So, in 2007 we went into the season with an additional set of goals for our offense, defense and special teams. We added a category of week to week on our list. We choose a specific category such as 3 and outs forced from week one to two or two to three for example. By picking a specific key component of our execution to focus on and not on the talent or team name even or skill of our opponent we had more success keeping our athletes playing series to series and quarter to quarter which allowed us to "level" out our emotion in regard to our schedule prior to district. By focusing on a specific aspect we reduced the highs and lows and made steady improvement in several key categories. In 2007 our key categories for defense were 3 and outs forced, for offense yards after 1st contact by ball carriers, and for special teams opponent's starting position after we kicked off. We saw fewer roller coaster results and in all honesty we lost to better teams and then by district we defeated equally matched teams and we were able to win a playoff game for the first time in the last decade . So we did improve at the end.

Steve Hopkins, Head Football Coach
Basehor-Linwood H.S. (KS)


Focus on the controllables. The little things (tackling, blocking, controlling the clock, etc.) and improvement needs to be the focus of everything you do. Provide the kids with opportunities to have ownership in the program. These are all aspects that we have used in the past to motivate teams to continue to work hard. You need to know the pulse of the team and try to get it going. Some teams may need to be loose and see that they can have fun and others may need you to simply change the structure of practice. Simple things can be used to get a team back of track.

Joe Pearson, Head Coach
Solanco High School (PA)


Stress that every game is important and has lasting effects on post season play. Create an usually up tempo practice for the week leading up to the game. Shake up starting line ups for those not playing up to their potential.

Gerald Aubrey

The best solution for underachieving by playing to the level of an opponent has always been schedule! If the early games are either arch-rivals or teams of programs equal to or better than ours, there is no problem or concern with under-acheiving. We have always stressed during our preparation season - what many seem to think is the off-season - that our early opponents are preparing for us so we must prepare for them.

J. Gawen Stoker, former HFC
Indian Valley HS (PA)


We constantly talk in every practice about our three team goals: City Championship, league championship, and state title. Focus is always on respect the opponent regardless of their record and always do your job at top speed. Every game is critical because even one loss can knock you out of the state playoffs.

Harry G Bellucci, Head Football Coach
Hartford Public High School (CT)


Deal directly with the issue. Tell them. Explain how easy it is to look past or mark a "W" on your schedule prematurely. I always speak to how it is easier to "play down" to an opponent rather than to maintain consistency and play your best. I also remind our team not to let an opponent (especially one with less talent) take our team's success away from us. I believe that the correct way to deal with an under achieving team is to get back to the basics. Maybe tone down the offensive or defensive scheme. Also it is extremely important to point out improvements- no matter how minor they may seem. The major factor is to build your team’s confidence.

R. Scott Thompson, Head Football Coach
Montgomery Lonsdale JH (AL)


We talk about improving each week and not being up and down. To do that we have to get better each game and build upon our previous game. I try to motivate by appealing to the players pride rather than bargain for rewards. We want to get better because it leads to our ultimate goal of defeating our chief rival at season’s end.

Allan Amrein, Head Coach
Kennedy Middle School, Hays (KS)


Inevitably, there are those games on the schedule in which your players consider it an easy victory even though as coaches we know that anything can happen once the ball is kicked off. In addressing not playing to the level of our opponent I try the following approaches. 1.) INDIVIDUAL - In film study or scouting report find something that your opponent does well and "over play" how good or successful they are at that particular aspect. Use it to illustrate to each player that the opponent can be dangerous if we don't prepare for them in a serious business-like approach. 2.) GROUP - The outcome of a game is more about 'US' than 'THEM'. We have goals set for each phase of the game. Our objective is to achieve as many of those goals from week to week as possible. If the majority of our goals are met the result is usually a victory. The only factors that 'WE' can truly control are our preparation, intensity and execution. 3.) TEAM - At Klein Forest we have what we consider standards of acceptable play. Those standards were set by the successful groups that came before us. It is our charge to continue those standards of success as each senior class will be remembered by what legacy they left.

T. Brandon Carpenter, Special Teams Coordinator / Linebacker Coach
Klein Forest High School – Houston (TX)


We would adjust our practice schedule to include more 11 on 11 with a thud concept. Drill work is very important until the kids get used to having 22 players running around and doing as they have been coached. We want them to act like they have been there before and have their muscle memory kick in. "Repetition is the mother of invention" and we are convinced that the kids do it over and over and correct as we go then kids and coaches become more comfortable."

Jerry Parrish, retired head coach
North Kitsap High School (WA)


I go to the seniors. It is their big year. I try to get them to see the problem and motivate them to motivate the team. Also, I try to change routine. Step it up or back it off. Try to shake them out of their lethargy.

Thomas Taylor, Teacher/Football Coach
Weir High School (WV)


You have to plan on letdowns. It is impossible to be sky high for every game. I think it is realistic to expect the kids to be at peak excitement only twice during the season--one early and one late in the year. Talk to the kids about it and let them know that fake rah, rah doesn't do anything for you.

Fred Wieck, Head FB
Clear Lake High School, (IA)


You must create a competitive atmosphere at practice...EVERY DAY! Once your guys learn to compete many other problems are solved.

Bob Reeves, Offensive Line Coach
New Hope High School (MS)


I think of this a little differently perhaps.. Nothing is more frightening than playing a team that you should beat! The kids know it , the parents and fans and your staff as well. I think the single biggest factor in preventing this type of let down is making sure that your staff coaches their butts off in the week leading up to the game. We take extra pains in the film study of our opponent to point out great plays and solid players who will cause us problems if we don't execute. We also make sure we bring our own guys back to earth with our film from the previous week too. During practices we are relentless with fundamentals in individual and group periods. We do a lot of coaching in between reps. We preach team teamwork and not letting your teammates down--don't be the weak link etc., so we look at all the individual components and then put it all together during team where we demand up-tempo reps and precise execution. Finally, the assistants need to send the right message to the kids: we are concerned about the upcoming opponent and they can derail our chances of achieving the goals that we have set. Kids can sense when a coaching staff has overconfidence and that can kill you in a game like this. "

Barton W. Miller (Bart), Offensive Coordinator
Trinity HS, Camp Hill (PA)


One of two scenarios, possibly. 1) Too much on their plates. Simplify the game plan and remove excess thinking from the kids. Let the kids get great at executing the essential part of the offense of defense and add from there. 2) Kids underestimating lesser opponents. Kids feel they can simply show up come game time. This leads to a lack of focus and mental preparation. Pull the team together to watch game film. When you point out mistakes, and there will be many, be sure to remind the kids that they are capable of much better play.

Ron Moore, Defensive Coordinator
Azle High School (TX)


Practice intensity is the key to up-lift your team. Put your team in as many competitive situations (during the practice week) as possible. Reward the winners (dinner, breakfast, gatorade, etc.) Also if some players are not playing to their potential, look to replace them. If they are true competitors they will rise to the challenge. But over all it's all about a high tempo during practice.

Anthony, Defensive Coordinator
Lawrence High School


For our preseason schedule, we make sure we can contract the best opponents’ possible. Sometimes, it means playing teams that are a few divisions above our school's ranking. We want our players to know early in the season that they are going to be challenged by the best teams in our area. If we survive the preseason, then we know we are ready to go into league play with a seasoned team. Our kids are up for every preseason game, and ready to make a good showing in league play. All of it is a great preparation for the third season, the playoffs.

Louis Farrar, Head Coach
Charter Oak High School (CA)


The issue of motivation can be enhanced by creating an outcome oriented goal chart. These goals should be created by the players and should be measurable. This will create a sense of competition within the team, thus increasing the players' intrinsic motivation.

Andrew Cotter, Head Football Coach
Moreau Catholic High School (CA)


The one thing every coach should be concerned with is the intensity of his team's play. At this point in the year your talent level cannot be greatly enhanced. Therefore, the team should live up to the coach's expectations. This is controlled by the coach's intensity during pre-season practices. The team will give the coach what he demands. Demand intensity during practices and it will show up at game time.

Jim Glover, Assistant Coach
Jackson Central-Merry High School (TN)


We always stress both team and individual goals to our players on a daily basis. As a coach my biggest fear is losing to someone you are not supposed to. Therefore we instill in our players to respect their opponent and disregard their won-loss record. I should mention we worry more about ourselves and how we preform rather than how our opponents preform. If we preform well our opponents won't.

Ed Sadloch, Head Football Coach
Cedar Grove High School (NJ)


A core belief in our program is to look beyond the score and scrutinize the way we play. We sold that concept at Canton McKinley and Warren Harding and we're selling it to our kids here at Massillon Jackson. I'm convinced that once our kids understand and embrace that concept our weekly goal becomes more than just winning that game that week - we want to be proud and pleased with the way we played. Our opponent becomes ourselves - we attempt to play to our level and try to minimize the level of play of the opponent.

Thomas A. McDaniels, Head Football Coach
Massillon Jackson H.S. (OH)


We faced this problem early in my tenure here at King. Our solution was to find scrimmages against the better teams in the area and not use them as tune-up but as teaching tools, pointing out everything they did right as a team and wrong as a team. This has helped them focus on the most important issue we have; that we need to always get better each practice and get we need to leave the field a better team. The other thing we preach is that it takes every player on the team from the star player to the first year player giving his all for the common good of the team.

Danny Gouin, Head Football Coach
King


When we have experienced this sort of problem, we have turned the focus not on our next opponent, but on us. Often it is a case of returning to fundamentals - organization, simplify things - don't add new things to our O/D/ST. In terms of motivation, we would point to past successes and explain to our players how/why we achieved it. If it's an attitudinal thing, we would address it with our captains and team leaders and get them to buy into turning things around and utilizing them to help right the ship.

John R. Mackay, Director of Athletics/Head Football Coach
St. Georges School (RI)


We make every effort to be our own toughest opponent. We gauge each drill within each practice to sustain maximum intensity and effort for the duration of that drill. We set drills in series and break them down in minutes and sometimes seconds. When the drill is over we ask, ‘was our mind and body fully engaged to a maximum degree for all 300 seconds of the drill?’ We strive to answer ‘yes’ but, understand that we may never know our true limit. Therefore, when a weaker opponent is lined up across from us, it does't matter because they have been conditioned to evaluate themselves, not their opponent. The same goes for the physically stronger oppenents.

Casey Ruthenberg, Head Coach
Annapolis HS (MD)


Last season (2007) we started out 0-2, losing the first game which we should have won (mistakes) ; and losing the second game we should have lost. 1. We practiced a little more intensely but still maintained the level of fun we had before; 2. We changed procedures of substitutions; I did not change any personnel; even after some assistants requested a major overhaul in the backfield. I did not change personnel because I believed that the players were playing the right position and best for the team and I did not want to create a panic state of mind. We won the remaining game but the second to the last game. In that game we lost by one point to a team that lost one game the entire season."

Robert J. Sayfie, Coach
IHM (7 - 8 grade)







NEW BOOK!

AFM Videos Streaming Memberships Now Available Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach



















HOME
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE COLUMNISTS COACHING VIDEOS


Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved