Just trying to keep football talk going.

 

I have a few but will post later on this.

It helps when the coach is in the building. It helps when you can get teachers to be assistants as well.

Don't let parents read newspapers or online about concussions in football.

Don't let parents read newspapers or online about concussions in football.

 

Especially since about 7% of all concussions are football related...Harry Doyle can correct me if I am wrong on the number. Give a ton of free gear (t-shirts-hoodies-sweatshirts...etc), recruit kids, send home letters and invitations to participate, home visits. There is a ton of ways to get numbers up.

Getting the numbers up starts with 1 thing, I i can describe it in 1 word

 

Tradition

 

You build a good football tradition at your school and your numbers will go up.

A couple of issues that I've seen at several schools:

 

1) Coaches won't recruit the Hallways...always here the same excuse from coaches that they aren't going to beg anyone to play football, yet several kids walk the halls each day that could help out the football team. Every year there is a story about a kid that's a top draft pick or All-American that didn't start playing football until they were a Jr or Sr because a coach saw them walking down the hall...luckily for them a coach took enough interest to encourage them to try football.

 

2) Player Engagement: Teams need a dedicated JV/Freshman Coach not just the Asst that drew the "Short Straw" and need to play a full schedule of JV/Freshman ball. At many schools the kids past the first or second team just stand around during practice and don't feel involved with the team or even get an opportunity. Coaches need to work to get as many kids involved as possible every day.

 

3) Be ready when the numbers increase, a school that I know of several years ago had a large turnout for football. Team didn't have enough equipment to supply the team...AD was reluctant to spend money for new equipment saying "Ah a bunch of them will quit, no reason to buy them helmets" Guess what he was right, a few parents bought the equipment out of their own pocket but several kids just left the team after watching practice in T's and Shorts with no pads.

 

4) As stated by Hellbird, TRADITION TRADITION TRADITION...should be embraced, celebrated and acknowledged...kids need to know they are a part of a long tradition or they are helping build a new one...but kids need to know that they are part of something much bigger. Then when they have kids guess where they are going to send their kids...to THEIR TRADITION!

Especially since about 7% of all concussions are football related...Harry Doyle can correct me if I am wrong on the number. Give a ton of free gear (t-shirts-hoodies-sweatshirts...etc), recruit kids, send home letters and invitations to participate, home visits. There is a ton of ways to get numbers up.

 

 

It's something like that. I'll find the article released in ESPN The Mag last summer, long story short for those that haven't seen it……football is the least of our worries as a society when it comes to activities our youth (and us) can participate in that lead to Head Trauma and other ER injuries.

Getting the numbers up starts with 1 thing, I i can describe it in 1 word

 

Tradition

 

You build a good football tradition at your school and your numbers will go up.

 

Aka….WIN.

 

Agreed.

 

DH said it with giving out as much "SWAG" as possible.

 

But, it's getting harder and harder by the years boys…and, a lot of ideas are just fairy tale. It's what we are programmed to think or solutions that are common…sound good, but that's about it.

Hellbird nailed it….tradition/win. People want to be part of a winner.

 

DH nailed it, too…..give out as much "Swag" as you can. 14-18 year old boys are no different than us as adults; they all love free t-shirts, hoodies, sweats, etc.

 

Back to Hellbirds comment for those schools who have below average programs (be it wins/losses, player involvement, talent, etc)…schedule those who, for the lack of better words/phrases, are worse than you= wins= more player participation.

 

For those rural/county/small schools? Don't start soccer, get rid of the programs or move that season to the spring. Most schools/communities like this can't support both; it's a numbers thing and the fact is, rural America isn't known as the breeding grounds for top tier talent. Good football teams and good soccer teams have one thing in common: Speed. Kids that can run. Fact is, there just aren't a whole lot of these walking the halls to substantially support one of these, let alone two of them trying to be played in the same season.

 

Other ideas:

-Don't allow these young men to drive/buy their "own" vehicles at the age of 16.

-Don't allow them to work.

-Don't allow them to have girlfriends.

-Don't start football until the 1st of August/start of school

 

^^I say this tounge and cheek, but part of me doesn't. I heard a older, now retired, yet VERY successful coach in our state once say this to an assistant of his when this assistant and some others were shocked by a kid not deciding to come out his senior year.

 

"Really so and so? You are shocked that John Doe...

1) Has a job

2) Drives a truck nicer than any of us

3) Doesn't want to give up his summer

4) Has a girlfriend (used a little more colorful language here)

 

….and, want's to give up all of that to come out here for 2-3 hours a day for the next four months, two of which are when it's 95 in the shade? You are shocked that a 17 year old chooses those four things over this?"

 

Sad, funny..yet true.

Aka….WIN.

 

Agreed.

 

DH said it with giving out as much "SWAG" as possible.

 

But, it's getting harder and harder by the years boys…and, a lot of ideas are just fairy tale. It's what we are programmed to think or solutions that are common…sound good, but that's about it.

Very true. People can toss out ideas suggestions etc until they are blue in the face but unfortunatley the only true way to build numbers is too build a tradition. For that you have to win.

 

I went to Beechwood before they won all their titles and the numbers weren't anaything special until thhey started winning.

 

So the simple answer is to get yourself a greeat coach (easiersaid than done) and start winning. You win and you will get kids and their parents wanting to send their kids toyour school and you will get numbers.

My dad is an old coach. He told me the best way to recruit kids is to be good to the kids that you already have. He believed the rest would take care of itself. It wasn't as much giving them stuff as it was treating them like they're your son.

 

I also believe every time you add a quality assistant , both as a person and in their knowledge and ability to teach football, that person will draw kids to your program. Just like a bad one would push kids away.

 

All coaches would be wise to be good to ALL of their players and students. Of course it is the right thing to do. But, also those students and players grow up to be adults, taxpayers, parents, and will freely share how you ran your program and classroom. As a teacher and coach, you will certainly make people mad when you make tough decisions. But, at the end of the day you want to do what is right and treat people the right way.

Hellbird nailed it….tradition/win. People want to be part of a winner.

 

DH nailed it, too…..give out as much "Swag" as you can. 14-18 year old boys are no different than us as adults; they all love free t-shirts, hoodies, sweats, etc.

 

Back to Hellbirds comment for those schools who have below average programs (be it wins/losses, player involvement, talent, etc)…schedule those who, for the lack of better words/phrases, are worse than you= wins= more player participation.

 

For those rural/county/small schools? Don't start soccer, get rid of the programs or move that season to the spring. Most schools/communities like this can't support both; it's a numbers thing and the fact is, rural America isn't known as the breeding grounds for top tier talent. Good football teams and good soccer teams have one thing in common: Speed. Kids that can run. Fact is, there just aren't a whole lot of these walking the halls to substantially support one of these, let alone two of them trying to be played in the same season.

 

Other ideas:

-Don't allow these young men to drive/buy their "own" vehicles at the age of 16.

-Don't allow them to work.

-Don't allow them to have girlfriends.

-Don't start football until the 1st of August/start of school

 

^^I say this tounge and cheek, but part of me doesn't. I heard a older, now retired, yet VERY successful coach in our state once say this to an assistant of his when this assistant and some others were shocked by a kid not deciding to come out his senior year.

 

"Really so and so? You are shocked that John Doe...

1) Has a job

2) Drives a truck nicer than any of us

3) Doesn't want to give up his summer

4) Has a girlfriend (used a little more colorful language here)

 

….and, want's to give up all of that to come out here for 2-3 hours a day for the next four months, two of which are when it's 95 in the shade? You are shocked that a 17 year old chooses those four things over this?"

 

Sad, funny..yet true.

 

A lot of truth to this.

I coach youth and have had parents tell me no football for Johnny after 6th grade, starts to become violent around that time.

 

Are we a dying breed? I'm sure some kids will always come out.

I coach youth and have had parents tell me no football for Johnny after 6th grade, starts to become violent around that time.

 

Are we a dying breed? I'm sure some kids will always come out.

 

 

I don't doubt this one it.

 

Yet, when Little Johnny gets to be 16, he'll have his own car & even worse, be privileged to ride with other 16, 17 year old drivers.

 

 

Lets not play football because it's too dangerous, though.

 

Brilliant.

 

Honest question here, too, even though I'm sure the liberal police will be bothered, but Mountain Ref and I already offended them as is in another related thread; but, how many of those saying that are Moms? Dads? Or both sharing the same sentiments? Just curious.

I don't doubt this one it.

 

Yet, when Little Johnny gets to be 16, he'll have his own car & even worse, be privileged to ride with other 16, 17 year old drivers.

 

 

Lets not play football because it's too dangerous, though.

 

Brilliant.

 

Honest question here, too, even though I'm sure the liberal police will be bothered, but Mountain Ref and I already offended them as is in another related thread; but, how many of those saying that are Moms? Dads? Or both sharing the same sentiments? Just curious.

 

I don't want my 8th grader to play football because he hasn't played since the second grade and he didn't want to play by the end of the year because he was tired of getting beat up on the field. He simply doesn't like contact. He does play basketball but knowing my son the way I do, he doesn't have the mentality I feel it takes to play football and he'd end up hurt or standing on the sidelines whining like a baby. I think to play football you have to have the mentality that you want to play and that you love the contact. My kid absolutely hates contact on the court so I can only imagine him cowering down like a 7 year old on the field and then BOOM, he's hit and he is done mentally. It'd be a waste of everyone's time for my kid to play football IMO.