Developing an Off-Season Competition Program (Part I)

by: By Tad DePorter
Offensive and Defensive Line Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator • Richmond-Burton High School (IL)
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Despite some success over the last few seasons, one of the problems that we have had is getting our players to accept the idea that the off-season runs from January through August. We have had great summer weight room attendance, but our winter and spring lifting attendance has not always been at the level we expect. After a very successful season this past fall, we were also worried about complacency from our players and had to deal with some players who chose to work out with personal trainers rather than at the school with their teammates and coaches. These issues became the inspiration for the off-season competition program that we have installed this year. The program puts our players into teams, holds them accountable in a number of areas, and awards them points in those same areas. Teams The coaching staff selected players who were returning varsity players to serve as captains for each team. We picked a mix of players who we thought were leaders or could potentially be leaders. In an effort to get the program implemented, each captain was assigned a team of seven to eight randomly selected players. We then held a brief meeting to explain the program and identify the areas in which players could score points: weight room attendance, lifting max improvement, academics/classroom behavior, participation in other sports, and community service. Weight Room Attendance This was the main area in which we wanted to improve our off-season. Following our semi-final post-season appearance, we had 8 – 10 players showing up in the weight room per week in December. This did not meet the expectations we had for our players and did not demonstrate the level of commitment we wanted. As a part of the program, players can earn points by showing up to the weight room. We require three days of weight room attendance to fully earn points. In our program, the weight room points are progressive: you earn one point for the first day you show up to the weight room, two points for the second day, and three points for the third day. That allows a player to earn a maximum of six points per week by attending weight room sessions. In order to earn those points, the player must complete our workout which consists of four lifts per day (one lower/total body, one upper body, one core, and one posterior chain). Once they have completed these lifts, they are free to do whatever lifts they choose. Max Improvement This area is primarily in place to allow our athletes to see the progress they have made in the weight room through maxing out. We offer four max-out opportunities: early January, mid-March, late May, and late August. The January opportunity establishes the baseline for the max, so no points can be scored. However, every other opportunity provided gives the player a chance to score one point for every ten pounds of improvement. The coaches are responsible for checking technique and we are meticulous in our evaluation of the player’s technique. We post the top three maxes for bench, squat, and clean for all three grades (9 – 11) to give recognition to as many of our players as possible. Academics/Classroom Behavior Education is the main reason our athletes are here, so we felt it was important that we include academics in our program as well. Our school has the Skyward program, so as coaches, we have the ability to look up our players grades online. Each coach takes one or two teams and looks up the grades for those teams. Points are scored as follows: A = +3, B = +2, C = +1, D = -2, F = -3. We do not distinguish between plusses and minuses or for AP or advanced level courses. We check the grades at the end of the third and fourth quarters, so players are held accountable for their grades throughout the school year. This helps us be aware of potential problems with eligibility entering into the season. We also hold players accountable for their classroom behavior and discipline. Through the Skyward program, with help from our administration, I receive an email any time one of our players gets written up for anything. The email simply states the player’s name and what the offense was (Bill Smith has committed the following offense: third tardy to the same class). For most offenses we subtract five points, but we use our discretion in some cases. u Part II will be published in January About the Author: Tad DePorter has been coaching at Richmond-Burton High School for three years as the offensive and defensive line coach as well as co-defensive coordinator. He previously coached at Sherrard High School (IL) for three years. DePorter’s teams have qualified for the state playoffs five times in his six years as a coach.

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