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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2014 23:07:57 GMT -6
I think we all want to be the best coaches we can be, otherwise we wouldn't be on here. As we start up practice and get things going for the season, I thought it would be nice to reflect on just what it is that we really aspire to be. So... I'm going to ask you this... what makes a coach "great?"
I'm not just talking about "wins," but rather the things that lead to those wins or lead people to tell stories about the local legend HS coach 30 years after he's retired. What should you personally strive for every day in your life to live up to your own standards of what "greatness" is?
In my hometown, there was a local legend who retired right before I was born. He was there 25 years and won like 56% of his games (66% over his first 15, including a bunch of conference championships and a few undefeated years), but the thing that people always talked about wasn't so much the wins or the things team did, but the man he was. Heck, the whole community loved him so much they secretly raised the money to present him with a brand new freakin' car as a retirement gift at halftime of his last game! For years afterward he cast a long shadow in that community. Nobody who coached at the new HS, including a bunch of his former players, could ever match the bar he'd set.
So what, specifically, are the things that turns a HS coach from "the guy with a career winning percentage of just over .500 who ran the wishbone and coached some good defense" into someone who thousands of players and students cite as a major influence on their entire lives? What kind of lessons can we, as coaches, learn from these examples? What is true "greatness" and how can we achieve it as coaches?
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Post by coachwilcox on Jul 17, 2014 1:01:17 GMT -6
"I feel that a great coach is one who has a vision, sets a plan in place, has the right people in place to execute that plan and then accepts the responsibility if that plan is not carried out." -Mike Singletary
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Post by coachb0 on Jul 17, 2014 1:19:23 GMT -6
I think we all want to be the best coaches we can be, otherwise we wouldn't be on here. As we start up practice and get things going for the season, I thought it would be nice to reflect on just what it is that we really aspire to be. So... I'm going to ask you this... what makes a coach "great?" I'm not just talking about "wins," but rather the things that lead to those wins or lead people to tell stories about the local legend HS coach 30 years after he's retired. What should you personally strive for every day in your life to live up to your own standards of what "greatness" is? In my hometown, there was a local legend who retired right before I was born. He was there 25 years and won like 56% of his games (66% over his first 15, including a bunch of conference championships and a few undefeated years), but the thing that people always talked about wasn't so much the wins or the things team did, but the man he was. Heck, the whole community loved him so much they secretly raised the money to present him with a brand new freakin' car as a retirement gift at halftime of his last game! For years afterward he cast a long shadow in that community. Nobody who coached at the new HS, including a bunch of his former players, could ever match the bar he'd set. So what, specifically, are the things that turns a HS coach from "the guy with a career winning percentage of just over .500 who ran the wishbone and coached some good defense" into someone who thousands of players and students cite as a major influence on their entire lives? What kind of lessons can we, as coaches, learn from these examples? What is true "greatness" and how can we achieve it as coaches? I'd really like to know what this coach did to make him so respected and loved. Any stories about him that you heard?
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Post by coachphillip on Jul 17, 2014 8:44:42 GMT -6
We talk on this board all the time about how we are in the relationship business. Those coaches forge deep and meaningful relationships with their players. The greatest coach I ever met in developing relationships with his players was my HC in high school. He made it clear in his actions that he took time away from his personal life to be with you because he genuinely cared about you. He was only a career .600 guy at my alma mater over the course of 8 years. But, people still talk about him and he hasn't been at the school for 7 years. Why? Because the people he built those relationships with are still there and his legacy is left behind in the imprint he made on those people's lives. Be a man of great character, build meaningful relationships, stand for something, have longevity at a location, the rest will take care of itself.
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collier
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Post by collier on Jul 17, 2014 9:26:45 GMT -6
Be a man of great character, build meaningful relationships, stand for something, have longevity at a location, the rest will take care of itself.[/quote]
+1
I think coachphillip's statement pretty well sums it up. But I'll add this. If you can consistently get players to play hard for you year in and year out, you're a great coach. If they play hard for you, then they care about you and the game and their teammates, if they care about all that then you've built relationships with them and between them, if you've built relationships then you've genuinely connected with them, which means they'll remember you. Combine that with good character and giving back to the community and you'll be a great coach.
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Post by blb on Jul 17, 2014 9:42:36 GMT -6
Woody Hayes said (in fact was title of his autobiography), "You Win With People!"
In addition to the personal characteristics already mentioned, a great coach has great assistants and players. The most successful coaches in our state had great stability-longevity among their assistants.
Besides character, integrity, etc., the successful coach must have certain professional qualities: Must be organized, have a strong work ethic, at least competent in strategy and tactics, and perhaps most importantly is able to effectively communicate his vision-plan to those around him.
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Post by newt21 on Jul 18, 2014 15:37:59 GMT -6
I think they also must lead by example. If you ask your kids to show up early for something, then you should always show up early. If you tell your kids to keep their cool when things aren't going their way, then you should do the same. An HC should never ask an assistant to do something that he himself is not willing to do.
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Post by jg78 on Jul 18, 2014 16:01:19 GMT -6
In short, I would say four key things:
1) The ability to instill discipline and organization throughout a program. 2) The ability to make players better people. 3) The ability to inspire players to give maximum effort. 4) The ability to outscheme many other coaches and win some games you shouldn't.
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Post by coachphillip on Jul 18, 2014 16:11:28 GMT -6
So, is the question what makes a successful coach or what makes a coach successful at impacting lives?
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Post by blb on Jul 18, 2014 16:19:29 GMT -6
So, is the question what makes a successful coach or what makes a coach successful at impacting lives?
Good question, but they are not (or shouldn't be) mutually exclusive.
Trouble is - good people who are good coaches that impact lives get fired if they don't win enough.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 17:04:31 GMT -6
I'm guessing the coach in the original post won enough games at the right times (especially early) to keep himself employed and people confident in him.
I bet he was great with relationships with the players and had the gift of rapport. He probably was blessed with that "it" factor and found a place that fit him and had enough sense to stay.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 17:54:38 GMT -6
So, is the question what makes a successful coach or what makes a coach successful at impacting lives? Both. The question is about how we, as individuals, define concepts like "greatness" and "success" within our profession. Is it just a matter of wins and losses, is it about being some innovator of scheme, or does it run deeper than that?
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 18, 2014 18:09:44 GMT -6
So, is the question what makes a successful coach or what makes a coach successful at impacting lives? Both. The question is about how we, as individuals, define concepts like "greatness" and "success" within our profession. Is it just a matter of wins and losses, is it about being some innovator of scheme, or does it run deeper than that? Great is a vague and wide-reaching adjective coach.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 18:39:38 GMT -6
Both. The question is about how we, as individuals, define concepts like "greatness" and "success" within our profession. Is it just a matter of wins and losses, is it about being some innovator of scheme, or does it run deeper than that? Great is a vague and wide-reaching adjective coach. That is exactly my point. It can mean anything to anyone. What I'm curious about is how each coach views the term in reference to our profession, with some explanations and specifics to narrow it down. I'm wanting to see where others are coming from on the ideals behind coaching.
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Post by wingtol on Jul 19, 2014 8:16:51 GMT -6
Going back to the OP I would guess this guy was a great people person. I may be wrong but to be about .500 for a career isn't great, that's pretty average. I am gonna guess he was a great person first and everything fell into place behind that.
The longer I coach the more I realize it's about the relationships more than anything else. There are a bunch of guys around here who could X and O me under the table. Guys I like and don't mind being around but when coaching their players in a local all star game and the kids say things like " I hope he dies!" " I hate his f'ing guts" and so on I come to see that there is a lot more to being great than your record or how much you know about the game.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2014 10:40:41 GMT -6
The guy I used as an example was known for being a good man first and foremost. My grandmother used to have a bunch of clippings saved from those days and there were tons of them where his players would make a point of telling reporters that he wasn't just a great coach, but a great man. Everyone had stories about him--so many I've forgotten them--and held him in extremely high esteem. He was well respected for never yelling at his players or giving them the embarrassing butt chewings that were way more common then, but still demanding a lot from them. He was also very loyal to his players who bought in. If you were a senior and worked hard, you'd get to start over a more talented sophomore or a person with less work ethic.
Regarding the record, his first 10 years they won like 73%, including a bunch of bowl games (no playoffs then) and rivalry games. 5 years later it was 66% and 10 years after it was .56% for his career. He also had a big time background as a player in college and turned down lots of offers to go coach at other HS and colleges that would have paid him more or had more prestige. Things tapered off over the second half of his career regarding wins, but they still had some good years and he had a great record against their arch rivals.
I should also point out that the school they consolidated into after his retirement only has about a .275 record in 34 years since he hung it up, with tons of good coaches leaving over that time for greener pastures.
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Post by coachweav88 on Jul 21, 2014 10:10:12 GMT -6
"You are the only person who can label what you do a failure." John Maxwell Failing Forward
I think the same is true of success. It is subjective, not objective. It's really about giving it your best shot. Will you make mistakes or underperform? Certainly. If you give it your best shot day in and day out, you improve. That's really all you have control of. Comparing yourself to someone else is unfruitful because you really don't have control over others' talents or abilities. Try to be the best YOU can be. The exciting thing about that is that you have no idea how good that is. You keep giving your best shot each day, you discover more and more how good you can really be.
Success is a road, not a destination.
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Post by rbcrusaders on Jul 21, 2014 19:26:37 GMT -6
The greatest coach I ever had was also the best man I ever knew. In my eyes, this is what I've learned from him. To quote-
"We don't care who ya are. Put the ball down and we'll play." He taught toughness. Adversity comes to everyone, and we must push through. t goes along with what his motto was about the importance of the game-
Faith, family, four R's, football.
Football was last on the list. We may get worked up over it, but its only a game. There are more important things by far.
As far as my young career is concerned, this is what I've learned n my 5 years of coaching (I am 24 years old.)
1. It isn't about me, or what I can do or how good I used to be...its about getting the most of these kids as players and men and teaching them all I can about how to be both.
2. Matchups. Put the guys in positions to win by figuring out what their strengths and weaknesses are and working with them. Don't ever be a spread coach, or a power I coach, etc.
3. Teaching is about repetition. Whatever I want out of my guys, teaching them is simple. Give them the situation that I an attempting to work on to improve and drill thm over and over with a drill designed to mimic that situation. Also explain why we do it.
4. Emotional speeches are useless. We learn the game-especially the fundamentals-we drill the heck out of the stuff as we work as hard as we possibly can, and then we go out on friday night and apply it. There is no need for emotional speeches and in fact, it is actually a good way to get your players nervous and hinder their play. Mke sure they are confident in their ability because they have done it over and over, and when they step on the field they don't need to be fired up because it is second nature.
5. FUNDAMENTALS FUNDAMENTALS FUNDAMENTALS.
6. Pray
Really, the more I coach the easier it is becoming for me. My first few seasons of coaching I had these grand ideas about what it meant and how I was going to coach well. Recently I am starting to figure it out. I am not a player anymore and I cannot and must not worry about how the players like me. It is my job to train them, not make them like me. Sometimes they'll hate me, but that will make them work harder. Ultimately, though, the better they perform the more they will end up liking me. Young men want deep down a man to push them and treat them like a man, especially these days where in our country they are being more and more raised like and by women to be soft, feeling centered beings. They want to be pushed hard so that they win. They long for it.
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Post by windigo on Jul 22, 2014 11:30:40 GMT -6
When you listen to the players of great coaches talk about their coaches you will never hear the player talking about the Xs and Os. They always talk about the relationship they had with the man and how the man made them a better person.
The best comment I ever got was second hand from my brother. He said that he had ran into an ex-player of mine. The player told him that I was the coach he remembered. The coach that cared and was always around in a staff that was pretty much absent. That meant more to me than any scheme I could draw up.
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Post by tothehouse on Jul 22, 2014 14:55:34 GMT -6
When you're not concerned about being great.
The work we all do is powerful. You build relationships your players. You build relationships with the community, etc. All that falls into position if you work really hard and show you care.
I have heard..."I want my son to play for you". That is powerful right there. My return comment is..."good. he better be ready to work his ass off and get yelled at a little".
I also think that greatness is determined after you leave. Work hard on your legacy while you're there, but see how it translates after you're gone.
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Post by mariner42 on Jul 22, 2014 15:33:51 GMT -6
"I feel that a great coach is one who has a vision, sets a plan in place, has the right people in place to execute that plan and then accepts the responsibility if that plan is not carried out." -Mike Singletary As a Niner fan, the irony here is overwhelming. Singletary had all the right words to be a great coach, but none of the rest (although he was a hell of an LB coach). When I hear/see 'great coach', I think of someone who is both successful in the win department but also in the leader/role model category, too.
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Post by blb on Jul 22, 2014 15:58:18 GMT -6
The fact is coaches are considered "great" if they win a lot of games and trophies over a long period of time.
Doesn't always mean they were great teachers, educators, or human beings.
We all can probably think of some examples from different sports.
I have known guys who I considered "great" that didn't win a lot of hardware.
Again we all probably know such examples.
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Post by joelee on Jul 22, 2014 17:22:13 GMT -6
Bob Beatty is a coach here in KY. He has won like 10 state titles in 13 years at Trinity. He is a giant jerk. To everyone. I have heard so many people insult him in so many colorful ways. Is he not great? I think he is a great coach.
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Post by fantom on Jul 22, 2014 19:51:43 GMT -6
So what, specifically, are the things that turns a HS coach from "the guy with a career winning percentage of just over .500 who ran the wishbone and coached some good defense" into someone who thousands of players and students cite as a major influence on their entire lives? After thinking about this long and hard, I've come up with a definitive answer- I don't know. I've done this for a while so I know some of those guys (Twenty five years? Hah! Rookie.). Some are great men, deserving of all accolades that they receive. Some are total pricks. How do you become a legend? Stay on the job for a long time. Win enough games to keep your job. Win a few championships and even the people who hate you will say nice things when you retire or die.
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Post by coachwoodall on Jul 24, 2014 9:56:17 GMT -6
- always has a chew you can bum - buys a round at the clinic every year - doesn't have to be asked, just picks up the broom and starts sweeping - when you forgot it was your turn to do the wash, he's already done it - always makes sure the practice balls are properly inflated and waxed; even if he coaches OL - fills the mower with gas - speaks to the parents of the third string long snapper that is on IR - knows who to call when you need a new coach - takes home the kid that never has a ride - finds just the right SpEd kid to be water boy
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Post by coachb0 on Jul 25, 2014 0:48:33 GMT -6
- always has a chew you can bum - buys a round at the clinic every year - doesn't have to be asked, just picks up the broom and starts sweeping - when you forgot it was your turn to do the wash, he's already done it - always makes sure the practice balls are properly inflated and waxed; even if he coaches OL - fills the mower with gas - speaks to the parents of the third string long snapper that is on IR - knows who to call when you need a new coach - takes home the kid that never has a ride - finds just the right SpEd kid to be water boy small things to make one a great human being, we tend to forget in the shadow of all the wins and relationships that are so important to become a legend.
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Post by benmcmahon on Jul 28, 2014 14:26:18 GMT -6
In the past I was always concerned with the technical side of the game, making sure that fundamentals were sound or even as close to perfect as you could get over the last few years whilst we were a fundamentally sound team I started to notice something else was missing
I realises that I an we as a team had to start Learning to Coach People NOT just Techniques, Why do people do want they do , what are their Tendencies why does that players always talk and why does that player get bored quicker.
Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying I'm great and I never would , I remember a quote from a book about the New Zeland All Black rugby team called Legacy by James Kerr, Anyone can have a good team but it is high performance teams that win championships. And the secret to high performance is not about better players. It is about better people
for me to see a great coach they need to know why people do what they do and be able to get the best out of them no matter what, not just on the field but in life as well
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Post by benmcmahon on Jul 28, 2014 16:05:09 GMT -6
Also Just to add I think a great coaches needs to understand the time we live in
for example Bear Bryant was one of the greatest coaches most people would agree, but would you say a "great coach" would do today what he did with the Junction Boys ?? and be considered even a good coach ?
just a thought
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Post by fantom on Jul 28, 2014 20:21:22 GMT -6
Also Just to add I think a great coaches needs to understand the time we live in for example Bear Bryant was one of the greatest coaches most people would agree, but would you say a "great coach" would do today what he did with the Junction Boys ?? and be considered even a good coach ? just a thought Bryant went over the line and knew it (A lot pf people forget that when he took them out into the desert he didn't think it was desert). Great coaches adjust. Bryant did during his time and I'm sure that he would if he was still coaching.
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Post by coachwoodall on Jul 28, 2014 20:56:28 GMT -6
Also Just to add I think a great coaches needs to understand the time we live in for example Bear Bryant was one of the greatest coaches most people would agree, but would you say a "great coach" would do today what he did with the Junction Boys ?? and be considered even a good coach ? just a thought Just because the Bear coached at A&M in the 50's, don't confuse his willingness to adapt to the times. His A&M teams were some of the most pass happy teams of that time. His rough and tumble image is mostly crafted from his time at Alabama. I have heard several coaches in my early years as a coach talk about how if the Bear was still alive he would embraced the spread concept of of offense. While that is conjecture, surely he would have sought to find a common ground between what he believed and what would make him successful. Read his book.
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