Does your local high school team do a year-end eval with each player when the season is over?

 

Does the coach meet with each player and go over what he did well during the season, what he needs to improve for next season, and what he needs to do in the off-season to improve?

 

I have not seen an eval like this, although I have heard it is done. If your team does a year-end evaluation with each player, tell us what it looks like.

Yes we do and it is basically the same.

Every team I've been a part of does exit interviews.

 

I think it is important to tell a kid this is where we see your role on the team, if you want that role to be different, then these are the things we think you need to do to improve and change that.

Sorry for my ignorance. At Highlands, I know of no evaluation process for the players.

Sorry for my ignorance. At Highlands, I know of no evaluation process for the players.

 

That's because their evaluations usually come in the form of a ring! :thumb:

It's not an evaluation, just a conference with the coach. I'm sure most people have some sort of quarterly or annual review at their job.

 

Something like, Johnny you were a great special teams player for us this year. We think you can help us next year at Safety. We would like to see you get stronger and we want to see you work on your communication and leadership skills. Here are some specific things we think you can do . . . What role do you see yourself having, what goals do you have for yourself and the team next year, what do you think we can improve on as a team and staff?

 

Ones I've been a part of are no longer than 5 - 10 minutes. Usually head coach and position coach. I've coached at 2 different schools and we've used exit interviews with all returning underclassmen and usually given the seniors an option if they want an exit meeting or not. We had exit interviews when I played in college. I know the baseball coach at our school also does exit interviews.

And I have a friend who coaches at Trinity and he confirms they also have exit interviews, regardless if their season ends with a ring.

 

Have open communication and help kids get better, that's the way I understand it.

My son had evaluation last year. When asked how to improve team he said there needed to be more of a team atmosphere. The Coach got defensive and basically told him he was wrong. Crappy coaching staff.

This is a great opportunity for players to know exactly where they stand, what they need to do to either get on the field, or remain on the field. I sure hope we do this.

We do a written anonymous evaluation that asks for things like:

'Were there issues on the team the coaches wouldn't have known about that hindered our success?' ...we tell them to feel free to name names and be specific about the issues; then we bring these up when we do 'prescription' meetings.

'Which coach did you feel taught football the best?'

'Which coach do you feel needs the most improvement?'

'Which underclass player would you most want...

'...with you in a street fight?'

'...to help you study for a test?'

'...to get you to work your hardest in the weight room?'

"Name 5 kids in this school who didn't play football this year we need for next year."

 

I ask the coaches to do a 'strengths/weaknesses' for each player at their position which I then turn into a "prescription." I write out what is needed from them between December and Spring Practice to give them the best chance to win their position and meet with them for 3-5 minutes going over the highlights. Usually will involve something about weight gain/loss, areas to focus on for specific strength training outside what we do as a team, skill work needed (pass catching, long snapping, etc.), and academics.

This is fantastic, @CoachJ. This is what I was wondering. I didn't expect the questions evaluating the coaches. What a wonderful idea.

 

What a great motivator for a kid to know exactly what he can do in the off-season to improve his chances for playing next season.

 

This question:

"Name 5 kids in this school who didn't play football this year we need for next year." would be a help for my kid's school. I always ask my son about potential football players that I see. His usual answer is, "He's soft" or the like but he has high standards and I believe some of those kids could be coached into decent football players.

This question:

"Name 5 kids in this school who didn't play football this year we need for next year." would be a help for my kid's school. I always ask my son about potential football players that I see. His usual answer is, "He's soft" or the like but he has high standards and I believe some of those kids could be coached into decent football players.

 

One of the toughest but most important jobs we have as a HS coach is recruiting...and by that I mean kids in your school. For many of us, it's the only 'recruiting' we can really do and must therefore take full advantage. Yes, sometimes you're going to have to go after kids your players think are 'soft' or 'lazy' or have some other negative...but that's what the OFF-SEASON is to figure out. If a kid we've tried to get play all off-season waits until the summer or spring practice to come out, we make sure he gets the LAST opportunity to win a job.

 

The importance of recruiting the halls is also why it's necessary to have assistant coaches in the building. This is something very often not understood by administrators who aren't really aware of the ins and outs of football.

We do a written anonymous evaluation that asks for things like:

'Were there issues on the team the coaches wouldn't have known about that hindered our success?' ...we tell them to feel free to name names and be specific about the issues; then we bring these up when we do 'prescription' meetings.

'Which coach did you feel taught football the best?'

'Which coach do you feel needs the most improvement?'

'Which underclass player would you most want...

'...with you in a street fight?'

'...to help you study for a test?'

'...to get you to work your hardest in the weight room?'

"Name 5 kids in this school who didn't play football this year we need for next year."

 

I ask the coaches to do a 'strengths/weaknesses' for each player at their position which I then turn into a "prescription." I write out what is needed from them between December and Spring Practice to give them the best chance to win their position and meet with them for 3-5 minutes going over the highlights. Usually will involve something about weight gain/loss, areas to focus on for specific strength training outside what we do as a team, skill work needed (pass catching, long snapping, etc.), and academics.

 

Love that...

I think Great coaches evaluate at the end of the season but have an open door policy all year long. If a young man comes to a coach with honest questions give honest answers. Let a player know what he needs to improve on. You, can be a players coach but still maintain good discipline. Coach Bean from Trinity comes to mind as a coach that I say resembled strict but a true players coach. A guy the kids respect but would run through a wall for. Buddy Pfaadt at Desales currently is another that comes to mind.

Let's take a turn on this and what about evaluations from the Head Coach to his assistant staff? What do your evaluations look like regarding coach evaluations?