This same coach that told me the story about the reasons why Little Johnny didn't play his senior year, also told a group of us this:

 

"When applying for jobs, if the place you are applying at:

 

1) Has a lot of barns (large agricultural community)

2) No real football tradition

2) Has an established band and/or soccer programs

3) No diversity (or as my man PP92 has said, "athletes")

 

….then keep looking or if you accept it, get a good year and get out. No matter how great you think you might be, there is a reason for the apathy towards football, and it goes deeper than 'trying to change the culture'. You can't fix that."

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.

 

Totally understand that.

 

I was referring to the ones who have sons who enjoy the game, but parents don't want them playing.

 

What you described it totally different. Football isn't for everybody and there isn't a dang thing wrong with that, just as other sports aren't for those who play football.

 

Take Cross Country and Wrestling for example; football is tough, but it's not as tough as those two sports.

Totally understand that.

 

I was referring to the ones who have sons who enjoy the game, but parents don't want them playing.

 

What you described it totally different. Football isn't for everybody and there isn't a dang thing wrong with that, just as other sports aren't for those who play football.

 

Take Cross Country and Wrestling for example; football is tough, but it's not as tough as those two sports.

 

I hear you. Just wanted to represent the dads who don't want their kids playing football.

 

I wanted my oldest to play but he was never 100% into it mentally after the 7th grade. He would have been a helluva corner his junior and senior years had he played. Would have gotten 2 rings also. He kind of wishes he would have played but he doesn't regret it so that's cool too.

I hear you. Just wanted to represent the dads who don't want their kids playing football.

 

I wanted my oldest to play but he was never 100% into it mentally after the 7th grade. He would have been a helluva corner his junior and senior years had he played. Would have gotten 2 rings also. He kind of wishes he would have played but he doesn't regret it so that's cool too.

 

My man.

 

I totally understand. I should have clarified what I meant on that…my apologies to you and anybody who reads that wrong.

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.

 

The bolded is very true (along with everything else above).

 

My kids did play hockey early on and go used to the contact even though the older ones did not play football until MS. So they were at the other end of a spectrum in terms of the contact aspect. They never considered non-contact sports. If they could not put on pads and hit it was not of interest to them.

 

To that end it is important that kids get an understanding if this game is for them earlier than HS. The contact can be intimidating to any freshman who has never played. So the feeder system and health of the feeder (usually MS program) is a key element. Its the pipeline to the HS programs and prepares kids physically and mentally for the sport.

 

I know of a father of a well known QB who coached 8-man tackle in the 4th and 5th grades. His approach was super. He ran every kid through the same skill building drills every practice. Every kid doing every skill - blocking, tackling, throwing, catching. He only worked on structured plays at the end of each practice. Building the basics early and providing the skill foundation for EVERY kid at ALL elements of the game should be a foundation for any program. Programs where the HS coaches help the feeder program seem to do well.

The bolded is very true (along with everything else above).

 

My kids did play hockey early on and go used to the contact even though the older ones did not play football until MS. So they were at the other end of a spectrum in terms of the contact aspect. They never considered non-contact sports. If they could not put on pads and hit it was not of interest to them.

 

To that end it is important that kids get an understanding if this game is for them earlier than HS. The contact can be intimidating to any freshman who has never played. So the feeder system and health of the feeder (usually MS program) is a key element. Its the pipeline to the HS programs and prepares kids physically and mentally for the sport.

 

I know of a father of a well known QB who coached 8-man tackle in the 4th and 5th grades. His approach was super. He ran every kid through the same skill building drills every practice. Every kid doing every skill - blocking, tackling, throwing, catching. He only worked on structured plays at the end of each practice. Building the basics early and providing the skill foundation for EVERY kid at ALL elements of the game should be a foundation for any program. Programs where the HS coaches help the feeder program seem to do well.

 

Great post.

 

Love the last paragraph. GREAT approach and very true.

The single most important factor to getting numbers up is in school weight training.

Incentive is another big factor in getting numbers up. To have a succesful team year in and year out it is a known fact that not everyone will get quality playing time so there has to be incentive to get the kids who may not get a lot of playing time to want to come out and give up their summer breaks and after school hours to practice etc.

 

Their are a lot of different things that can be used as incentives, from the small things to big things. When I was in grade school we used to look up to the football players because they seemed to be a part of something important and were looked up on. Little things such as wearing their jerseys on game days or wearing shirt and ties on Fridays at school may not of seemed like a big thing to the players but the little kids looked up at them and wanted to be like them when they were in grade school etc.

 

Being a part of a Close knit group is another factor that can help. Team building is huge and can build comoraderie that they may nevere of felt before. When I was in the military, boot camp was such a confidence builder and made all of us feel as one team and was pretty powerful stuff. To feel like you are a part of something special will stay with you for a lifetime. Kids need to feel that if they go out for football they will be a part of something special whether or not they play on Fri nights or not. Just being there makes them feel a part of the team is huge.

 

Mentoring programs can also help. Anyone ever talk to a little kid who is I. 3rd or 4th grade etc. talk about when a varsity football player came to their class or they talked to during school? To get your players out in the elementary schools as mentors etc. will attract younger kids to want to play also.

The single most important factor to getting numbers up is in school weight training.

 

For the development of your program, I agree, b/c so many of the kids are multi-sport athletes(and, need to be), but they lose the offseason approach and weightlifting improves all areas across all sports as we all well know.

 

As for the increasing numbers, though? I don't know if it matters in that regard. I know several programs that have this & their numbers have stayed the same, or if anything, they have dropped in some cases.

 

I know some of the schools who have it the last period of the day, which negatively effects participation IMO. Think about it, especially in August and September; you weight lift for an hour before going out in the heat and humidity for another 2 hrs? Colleges don't even do that. They at least get their kids in during the morning, let them go to class, rest and then come back for class.

Really though, I think one of the things that could be done is move the start of the season back. I'm not a doctor, the furthest from it, and I know there are many other contributing factors to heat related illness, but these things weren't happening years ago when practice didn't start until August & the season not starting until Labor Day.

 

I firmly believe that the amount of time that football cuts into summer, coupled with how hot it is at this time has a huge effect on kids coming out. I mean, football starts July 10 (well, "practice" doesn't start until the 15th, but most resume "involuntary" football workouts once Dead Period ends) and the season begins the 3rd Friday in August. It use to be a fall sport, now it's become a late summer sport for the bulk of it. Most years, it's in upwards of 80 until the last couple weeks of the seasons.

 

Granted, by backing up the start of practice/season a couple weeks, it would then move back the Golden Child of basketball, but it's always 70 and perfect weather for them due to being indoors, so it can give a little IMO. Also, I don't know a baseball coach out there who wouldn't like to see them back up their start a couple weeks. Any of you go to baseball games the first few weeks of the HS season here of late? You need a winter coat most nights.

 

Dead Period June 31-July 31st. Give kids and families time to have summers, even those who aren't teachers enjoy the perks that the summer time offers. In theory it would be nice for ever kid and their families to take their Summer vacation during the two week dead period, but that just isn't practical. Not to mention, you have many kids who only live with one parent and the summer time allows them to go be with their other parent for an extended period of time. August 1st is usually right around the start of school for most these days, so vacations would likely be over with, thus not interfering with practice.

 

It really could be doable. Some will shake their heads at the thought of only getting 30 days of practice time before their first game, but football already practices MORE and plays less than any other sport there is (another contributing factor to low numbers). Heck, summer basketball and baseball play entire seasons during the month of June. Which brings me to another point in dealing with multi sport kids; you have Johnny here who plays football, basketball and baseball…during June he has all three going on everyday..he has the choice of going to lift weights/workout for football or go PLAY basketball/baseball all day agains outside competition…well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what most will decide to do.

 

Practicing 6 weeks before playing the first game is hard for most kids in any sport, let a lone football which is done during the hottest part of the year. Colleges only practice 4 weeks before their first games, HS's could do the same. Granted, yes, they are all working with a different type of athlete, but so are their competitors…the same would be in HS.

 

A 3-4 week dead period. Practice doesn't start until August 1. Cut out the Open Date. Opening week is the Friday of Labor Day weekend & you would be looking at something like this as far as the season (using 2014 as an example)

 

WK 1- 9/5

Wk 2- 9/12

Wk 3- 9/19

Wk 4- 9/26

Wk 5- 10/3

Wk 6- 10/10

Wk 7- 10/17

Wk 8- 10/24

Wk 9- 10/31

Wk 10- 11/7

1st Rnd- 11/14

2nd Rnd- 11/21

3rd Rnd- 11/28

4th Rnd- 12/5

Finals- 12/12 & 12/13

 

So, really using the above, it would only back up basketball, baseball, etc a week from when they start now.

What's the average # of players on a frosh football team as compared to the average # of players in a senior class?

 

What % is a good goal to retain for four years in order to build up numbers?

What's the average # of players on a frosh football team as compared to the average # of players in a senior class?

 

Speaking from my own personal experiences, and those others that I'm close to…it significantly drops. Just guessing here, but I'd say by a 1/3 at least….in the negative.

 

If you go back to their 8th grade class, it's even more….maybe 1/2 are still there by the time they are seniors, and this is at multiple places (some who, despite that, have had more success in the last few years than the program(s) have ever had).

 

Which, that ^^^ tells me a couple things:

 

The advantages to youth leagues, be it LL and Middle School is kids are often either 1) The oldest on their team or 2) Just a year younger. In LL, if you are on a team of 15-20 kids, even the worst kids (as they should be at this age) are playing by default. In MS, it's kind of the same thing…you have both 7th and 8th grade teams, and unless a kid is a legitimate danger to himself and/or teammates by being out there, then he needs to be getting some clock..even if it's a kid who can't catch a cold, Split him out away from the formation and don't throw or run his way…he doesn't know it, neither does his parents; all they know is that he is playing.

 

Sorry. I got a little sidetracked there, but what I'm getting to is…from the time they are 6 until they are 13-14 (in MS), many kids get to play by default even if they aren't very talented. Not only do they get to play, but there also isn't that much of a commitment on their part or the parents (zero real off season).

 

…..now enter HS football, where they are on a team with those who are 2, 3 and even 4 years older than them. More kids on the team. More competition. More of a commitment (offseason, fundraising, academic criteria they must meet and the biggest thing? COMPETITION. No longer are they playing by default).

 

Just another cent or two IMO of contributing factors to low numbers….

 

If I don't get back on here tonight, everybody pleas have a SAFE night. If you have the 1st drink, get a driver or stay your butts where you are..wake up when the sun comes up and go home then. Happy 2014 to all!

I would have the head coach talk to all of the incoming freshmen.

Let the incoming class know the benefits of playing on his team.

 

Do little things like invite the incoming class to come to the weight room with team players during the summer time

 

 

Have the best two or three players get with the incoming class and let them know how it was when they were freshmen and have them express all of the positives.

 

Returning players should try to get a friend to come out for the team.

Not to be rude, but all of those things above have been done for years and very common.

What's the average # of players on a frosh football team as compared to the average # of players in a senior class?

 

What % is a good goal to retain for four years in order to build up numbers?

 

At larger schools the % is less than at smaller schools I believe. Hard to play your Jr and Sr years when you are not an outstanding talent and are 1 of 75 than if you are 1 of 35.