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


Game Day Contributors

© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

Football offers the opportunity to work with others. Young men compete to make the team. Once they make the team, they need to understand that they have a role to play on the team. That role may be either a primary role player made up of starters and players in rotation or a secondary role player which includes a player off the bench for an injured player or scout team personnel. The head coach and position coaches must also understand that secondary role players need to be game day contributors. They need playing time in order to keep their positive self image intact. In order to have a productive football team, the coach has to be able to positively manage the psyche of his players. The coach has to overlook his self pride, see the total picture and realize that all players have needs to be fulfilled.

Managing the players' psyche starts with being concerned about their classroom behavior and academic performance. During the season psyche management includes:

1. Game day contributing playing time.
2. Positively correcting fundamental mistakes.
3. Refrain from benching a player for making a mistake.

Showing that you care and positive psyche management go hand-in-hand.

If a player quits a team that is winning or losing because he is getting little or no playing time, the reason he quite may very well be the way the coach handles the psyche of his players. A player that does not get an opportunity to be a game day contributor begins to doubt himself (self confidence) and the things that are worthwhile in order to become a better football player. When a player works hard and improves himself in practice, the reward should be contributing game playing time.

As a high school varsity position coach in a mid-sized football program, I coach approximately ten defensive backs. In our defensive scheme, four are starters. Under normal circumstances (players not getting injured), the six secondary role players receive, throughout the game, approximately five minutes each of playing time. They are utilized in situations that they can be successful in. Their skill level determines the amount of playing time they receive. Our starters understand and accept the concept of everyone on the team being game day contributors.

During the course of a football game or practice, mistakes created by a role player should be used to improve player performance. Coach and player should first determine how or why a mistake was made. Don't punish or humiliate but coach-up the mistake. Let the player regain his confidence by motivating him to perform. For example, during coverage on a receiver, while the football is in flight, a defensive back attempts to execute a speed turn. In the process of performing this technique, he turns the wrong way. The coach should correct the mistake and follow-up with a positive note on what he did correctly during the coverage by saying, "Your backpedal technique was good throughout the coverage."

Displaying your dissatisfaction to a player in regards to a mistake, raising one's voice or taking the player out of the game (not benching) can be acceptable. The position coach or head coach has the right to challenge their players to improve. However, be sure the player does not let the display of dissatisfaction of the mistake hamper his performance. The attitude of a player should be to play to win, not worrying about making a mistake and being benched for it. How diligently the player works to develop his image is his responsibility. The coach must care enough about the player to positively enhance his self image.

Within the psyche of the athlete there is the element of pride. Pride being defined in athletics as developing and executing fundamentals to the best of one's ability. A player needs pride in order to earn the respect of his teammates and opponents. This respect impacts the players self image.

A player needs to protect his self image by being a game day contributor. Instead of damaging the self-image of the player, the coach should help the player overcome his faults and shortcomings on the football field.

I firmly believe that successful football coaches are good teachers and managers of the individual psyches of their players. Although there are many ways to measure success in coaching, one of the ways is by improvement. To see a player improve to become the best they are capable of becoming because of what you have taught them is truly rewarding. But remember, you've got to show your players that you care, because people don't care how good of a teacher you are or how much you know, until they know how much you care...about them.

Doug Sovchik is an Assistant Coach at Independence High School (OH). He is a former head coach with 35 years of coaching experience in the greater Cleveland area and can be reached at sovchik@sbcglobal.net.






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