Professionalism at Clinics and Today...

[coachdubyah]

I have been gathering my thoughts on this for a few weeks, but I've got to get some feedback on this. I am not going to say what clinic and where. However, I have noticed this even when I was a young guy and as dumb and immature as I was it bothered me then. I'll set the stage for you...

I was a clinic at a pretty major University. Like every clinic, there was a major speaker. Someone they advertised on the brochure. During his talk to mostly High School coaches, there were actually guys in the crowd getting up/standing up to take pictures with their phones (the world we live in, I know). At the end, the major speaker gave his closing comments and left the stage. When the host came up to tell everyone to take a 10 min break, the major speaker gets swarmed by half the guys in the room. It literally looked like a bunch of 14 year old girls at a NSYNC concert (Beatles for you older guys). I am talking running up to the major speaker and taking selfies with him, giving him bro hugs, etc... I am not at all trying to be self indulged here or toot my own horn, but I didn't do any of this. I didn't ask for an autograph, nothing. When I go to a clinic, I like to meet people and talk ball.

To be frank, and I'm channeling my inner dcohio here, this type of stuff flat out pisses me off. I get it, "big time" guys are somewhat celebrities. But, big time guys are no better than really anyone on here. Sure they make more money, but our jobs for the most part are the same (I guess that could be up for debate). Furthermore, we are talking about grown men here. I even saw guys wearing this major speaker's school logo. Same guy put his jacket back over the shirt after the major speaker left. I am sure there is "that guy" in every clinic audience, but that many?!?! When I go to a clinic, I want to talk ball with the big time guys. I want to ask questions on X's and O'x, Leadership, Fundamentals, etc... I am not necessarily going there to Tweet selfies and post pics on Facebook.

I don't know, maybe I need to lighten up. Odds are and with as many people on this site day in and day out, one of the "Groupie Members" is gonna read this, but in my opinion you need to STOP DOING THIS!

For the record, my wife thinks I need to lighten up. "They're celebrities and they know that it comes with the territory" was her response. Maybe she's right, but come on guys we are professionals. This has bothered me for a long time. I probably shouldn't have made this thread, but I just wanted to know if I'm missing something. Maybe it will be locked, but I think it's something that has potential to make some good conversations.  

[WingTheT]

I agree with you on this. I believe that the purpose of these clinics is to learn from other coaches you are surrounded with as well as even networking with fellow coaches. What's good but also bad is that a lot of clinics, if not all, are opened up to anyone who is willing to pay and go to them. So some of these "Groupies" may just be crazy fans or people that just don't see the reason why they have these clinics. It's not meant to be a meet & greet like a boy band but rather an opportunity to learn more about this sport.

I definitely feel for you on this and I don't think you need to lighten up. I'm a young guy and I would say I'm pretty immature about 60 percent of the time all the time, but I do believe that we should be respectful no matter who it is.
As a coach, I go to clinics in order to learn so I can be a better and smarter individual, not to go and see how many "celebrities" I can take selfies or snapchats with...

[ksmitty79]

Although this is one of my pet peeves. What pissed me off to no end is when your at the clinic and the guys behind/in-front of you feel like it is ok to have a conversation the whole time.. I mean really!!!

[fantom]

I heard Saban a few years ago. As usual, the first half was program/motivational stuff and the second half was technical DB stuff. Good talk. When he was done I was a little unclear about something he said so I wanted to ask him about it. I had to wait in line for about ten minutes because of guys who wanted pix and autographs. It was freakin' embarrassing.

I'm not going to say that I don't think that it's pretty cool to meet a big name guy but c'mon.

[collier]

I was more shocked by what I saw guys wearing at a clinic recently. I understand you want to be comfortable, blah, blah, blah. But some of these guys didn't even look decent. My HC would flip out if I tried to represent our school dressed like that.

[tothehouse]

I just go to clinics to drink beer and not attend any speakers.


Not true. But some people do this.

[coachgtiller]

We just attended a clinic at an SEC school this weekend and one of the keynote speakers was a very prevalent Big 12 HC. Putting it politely, he was awful. The first 15 minutes or so were ok, he talked about his background and all that. But he talked over practice schedule, special teams, and some offensive drill they did. He took the stage in shorts and a long sleeve athletic shirt so he didn't make a great first impression from the get-go. Then he has no idea what's on his presentation and constantly has to ask his GA questions, who is sitting toward the back of the room so the HC can't even hear his answers. It was a joke!

I get it, these guys live a hectic life and don't have much downtime.. but if you get invited to be a keynote speaker, at least look over your presentation know what you're going to talk about. Some of the drill film was from last year and the practice schedule slide weren't even in order. He even admitted that it was his first time seeing the slide show.

Also, during the last half of his presentation there is a LARGE group of coaches congregated around the booze making a pretty loud roar. I get it, he was bad and you don't want to listen but at least be respectful enough to wait until he's done.

[coachbdud]

Apr 15, 2015 8:34:45 GMT -6 tothehouse said:

I just go to clinics to drink beer and not attend any speakers.


Not true. But some people do this.

I'd estimate 25% of coaches go to clinics every year solely to get away from their wives

If the old show cheaters, went to coaching clinics, they'd bust so many guys

[realdawg]

Going up to ask questions about his presentation is fine. Going for autographs and selfies is too modern culture for me.

[bruinfb]

I agree with the OP and I think it makes High School Coaches look bad.  I would imagine some college coaches (not all or even most, but some) now have a view that the HS guys are just showing up to these clinics to "see" (and be seen with) big time coaches, therefore they probably don't feel the need to divulge any valuable info, just show up and smile.
  

[coachphillip]

That's another reason why I love campus visits. It's not a big deal when an "Oregon guy" is walking around when you're literally AT Oregon. I had a question I was going to ask Pete Carroll at his USC clinic a few years ago. I had to wait in a line so long that there was no point. Walking back to my seat, I heard a lot of "Great game against so and so. Can I get a picture?" It was ridiculous.

[coachbliz]

I also attended a clinic recently. I only wanted to ask one speaker a question afterwards as one of my other coaches spoke to him a day prior and as a group we wanted clarification. I sat upfront as I found him to be entertaining. I waited about 10 minutes as other coaches rushed the stage to ask their questions, and I also listened in to see if there was any value to the discussion for myself. When it was final my "turn" i was given 1 minute of his time as another coaching buddy of his came in the room and just cut me off. I stood there again waiting to see if I could finish, but they had no interest. I packed up and materials and walked away. The coach said "hey I appreciate you". I just smiled. In my head I thought, no you don't, not in the least.

I understand he wanted to catch up with an old friend, and also was probably hit up with millions of questions afterwards as well.

So are they celebrities and they know what they signed up for? Maybe. But as I tell my wife, why care about a celebrity as they sure don't care about you. At the end of the day, they are just another person.

I'd rather read and discuss things on this page with the coaches that contribute, as I know we are all in this for the same reasons.

[mhcoach]

Coaches are coaches, it kills me to watch the selfies & the rest. DCOhio, I agree with you, I have learned more buying a guy a beer, who wasn't the "Name Dewd", than anything.


Years ago, I grabbed a little known AC for a beer. We wound up in the name Dewd's room, because I understood we are just coaches.

Clinic etiquette has long deteriorated into the mass hysteria we see now. I get so much more out taking a visit to a school & dealing on a personal level. Coaches will share much more than they will at a clinic.

Joe

[freezeoption]

i haven't been to a clinic for several years, i remember one, in jackpot, nevada, i was having a drink with greg mcmakin, when he use to be at miami, i asked him about oline stuff, he said he would give it to me on vhs if i sent him a tape, he gave me his card, sent him a tape, never got it back, i got several stories like that, they are guys with faults just like us, i am happy to get a few ideas, sometimes i get some personal help and stuff and that is even better

[pvogel]

Ya I hate the idolatry. In anything in society.

But I have a story to tell that happened this clinic season. I was actually going to post it here, but I enjoyed myself that night instead and kinda forgot about the thing.

I'm in a clinic watching a defensive assistant for a very good BCS school defensive program. The speaker was very good and I enjoyed him a lot. He was showing their tackling circuit and their different techniques. One of them is "launch", where you launch at the ball carrier and attack his knees instead of slowing down and trying to form tackle. The idea is that you keep going full speed and you end up kind of surprising him. It results in a lot of take downs and keeps you the aggressor. He showed clips of them chopping down top 10 draft picks and what not.
Sweatpants guy in front of me asks how they wrap up and if he teaches shooting their hands. He replies that no, not really because it happens so fast and theres really not much to grab. The peanut gallery guy mutters "thats {censored}". I was shocked. I looked around to see if anyone else comprehended what just happened. Only the guy next to me and we laughed. 15 mins later the guys lifts his cheek and rips one. He is right in front of me. My only reaction is wtf?? and again only the guy next to me saw this occurrence.

Never seen anything like that.

[oriolepower]

I fault no one for their behavior at clinics.

JJ Watt spoke at Wisconsin this year and did an awesome job. The clinic had to usher him in and out quickly so he didn't have to sign autographs, take pictures, or shake hands with the kids and women that showed up to meet him. I sat through all of the Saturday morning speakers, the 15 of us in the room for the HC from Illinois State learned some good things. The extra 50 that showed up to meet the new UW-Whitewater staff, got to hear some general philosophy stuff. The standing room only mob that heard JJ Watt speak were entertained and motivated.

My point is, get what you want from the clinic. If taking a selfie with JJ Watt, Urban Meyer, or Pete Carroll will give a young coach more credibility to his hometown naysayers, or boost his self-esteem, good for him. If getting the best answer to defending or attacking something you have ever heard is on a bar napkin or popcorn box (I have a few of these in my filing cabinet), excellent. If you sit through every session in the front row and take diligent notes to make it to that "next level." I'm happy for you. If you just need a break because your sick of dealing with everything, enjoy the camaraderie.

Maybe I'm a fool for thinking I can't get detailed information from a big name coach but if I want to, I don't waste my time trying to talk to him at a clinic. I learned not to expect that when I listened to Frank Beamer talk about nothing for 1 1/2 hours a long time ago. I've had much greater success calling the program and talking to someone that can answer my question. About 10 years ago, I called the OC at an SEC school, forgive me but I can't remember who or where I called. He went through their blocking circuit in detail with me for about an hour on the phone. Most college coaches like to talk football if you can get through to them.

I know it is tough to see past the drunk, Justin Beiber fans that are rushing the stage. They're just proud they have a new picture that was re-tweeted 20 times and liked on Facebook. Tell the talkers to take it outside or shut-up. I've done it before but some people just don't know how loud they are being. I just think as coaches we have so much other garbage to deal with that if you let these things bother you too, it will all become too much to handle.

[RoCro23]

and then there's the guy that

A) doesn't know how to turn his cell phone on vibrate, so it rings during the clinic
2) let's it ring 5 or 6 times trying to figure out how to get it to stop
iii) TAKES THE CALL IN THE CLINIC WITHOUT GETTING UP AND LEAVING THE ROOM!!!

[tothehouse]

I'm going to take selfies with dcohio. His posts are legendary.

[mhcoach]

DCOHIO

That is the take on things. They coach football because they love it too.

A dozen or so years back we had a big name coach come in to recruit a player we had. I am sitting there & he flat out asks " hey do we a shot at getting this kid?". I look at the HC, & shrug my head, he lets out a a big sigh & tells him "Coach, no he is going to ***". The coach smiles claps his hands together, tells us thanks for being honest I will still be here all week so now we can just BS football. Everyday before practice him & I would be on the board, me picking his brain. It was great. We have seen him several times afterwards & it was always more cordial because we were honest & treated him like a fellow coach.

Joe

[mhcoach]

I was at a Glazier clinic this year, & a coach starts telling the story about Frank pulling a coach off stage back in the 80's. Well I get hysterical laughing & the coach looks over, I tell him which coach it was. I was at the same clinic.

Years ago, I was a clinic junkie writing everything down complying notebooks. Today it's much more about picking my spots, & wanting to hear a specific topic. I will usually sit in the back so I can slip out quietly at a break if it's useless.

Of course I will go when one of our staff speaks, I usually keep the heckling to a minimum.

Joe

[crock1615]

i went to the Bama clinic this year, and at the Beer n brats social Saban was walking around greeting people and he had 3 "body guards" following him around and his DFO telling people "No autographs, no pictures until after the chalk talk"

Then half the people there crowd into Saban's chalk talk session, I went to Mario Cristobal's(OL Coach) session. He is a great guy, will share anything they do with you, and there was no line to talk to him.

[maikaione]

There are a lot of douche bags in the world. You can't live with 'em, you can't kill 'em (people will find out)

[Deleted]

For reasons already mentioned, I think clinics are a waste of time. We get coaches, Now in spring and in the fall from every place on the planet, and I can get a clinic with most of them anytime I want.

[morris]

maikaione: You do live where there are pigs do you? They'll never find the bodies.

dcohio: I've always thought Springfield had an almost disproportionate amount of famous people coming from that area.

I've pretty much given up on the big clinics. The small ones I think are well worth it. The larger clinics are more about meeting up with people or finding books/DVDs for me. I pretty much avoid all the big names because honestly there isn't much they are going to share that is going to apply to me

[fantom]

Apr 16, 2015 5:11:41 GMT -6 @meshparker said:

For reasons already mentioned, I think clinics are a waste of time. We get coaches, Now in spring and in the fall from every place on the planet, and I can get a clinic with most of them anytime I want.

Although I think that visits are mote productive, I have to say that I love clinics. I rarely come away without something and it wasn't necessarily something that I was looking for. When you know exactly what you're looking for visits are the way to go but I get a lot of good ideas at clinics. 

[Rooster]

Apr 15, 2015 11:29:14 GMT -6 tothehouse said:

I'm going to take selfies with dcohio. His posts are legendary.

phuke dcohio

Rooster

[Rooster]

)))))))))

[CoachMikeJudy]

Apr 15, 2015 7:33:05 GMT -6 coachdubyah said:

I have been gathering my thoughts on this for a few weeks, but I've got to get some feedback on this. I am not going to say what clinic and where. However, I have noticed this even when I was a young guy and as dumb and immature as I was it bothered me then. I'll set the stage for you...

I was a clinic at a pretty major University. Like every clinic, there was a major speaker. Someone they advertised on the brochure. During his talk to mostly High School coaches, there were actually guys in the crowd getting up/standing up to take pictures with their phones (the world we live in, I know). At the end, the major speaker gave his closing comments and left the stage. When the host came up to tell everyone to take a 10 min break, the major speaker gets swarmed by half the guys in the room. It literally looked like a bunch of 14 year old girls at a NSYNC concert (Beatles for you older guys). I am talking running up to the major speaker and taking selfies with him, giving him bro hugs, etc... I am not at all trying to be self indulged here or toot my own horn, but I didn't do any of this. I didn't ask for an autograph, nothing. When I go to a clinic, I like to meet people and talk ball.

To be frank, and I'm channeling my inner dcohio here, this type of stuff flat out pisses me off. I get it, "big time" guys are somewhat celebrities. But, big time guys are no better than really anyone on here. Sure they make more money, but our jobs for the most part are the same (I guess that could be up for debate). Furthermore, we are talking about grown men here. I even saw guys wearing this major speaker's school logo. Same guy put his jacket back over the shirt after the major speaker left. I am sure there is "that guy" in every clinic audience, but that many?!?! When I go to a clinic, I want to talk ball with the big time guys. I want to ask questions on X's and O'x, Leadership, Fundamentals, etc... I am not necessarily going there to Tweet selfies and post pics on Facebook.

I don't know, maybe I need to lighten up. Odds are and with as many people on this site day in and day out, one of the "Groupie Members" is gonna read this, but in my opinion you need to STOP DOING THIS!

For the record, my wife thinks I need to lighten up. "They're celebrities and they know that it comes with the territory" was her response. Maybe she's right, but come on guys we are professionals. This has bothered me for a long time. I probably shouldn't have made this thread, but I just wanted to know if I'm missing something. Maybe it will be locked, but I think it's something that has potential to make some good conversations.  

Hey man- I share your sentiments. 

I'm not that type of guy anyway- the whole autograph thing...even as a kid- probably was too shy. I was lucky enough to work at a prep school where 100's of coaches, from Bobby Bowden and Mark Richt to future head coaches in coordinator roles etc were in and out all spring. I learned quickly that it's nice to meet them, but don't act in awe of them; they're regular dudes (just like us) with a great job. Some coaches really appreciated that and would actually come down after meeting with the head coach and sit with me and the other assistant coaches in our office and shoot the breeze. Some of the best football conversations I ever had with great coaches happened in that room- Ron Prince (former UVA OC), Bill Wilt (former DC at Marshall) and Mike London (HC UVA) just dropping knowledge on us young boys. 

[Rooster]

Apr 15, 2015 11:22:47 GMT -6 @dcohio said:

I hit this way early in my career. Like 1997/1998. I'm a glazier clinic, I'm a young coach, I am sitting in the session like I'm a disciple and Jesus is speaking. I'm writing as fast as I can. Jesus...I didn't know chit. I was listening to Charlie Wiles talk, wrote as much as I could. Left the session when it was over. Later found myself in the Riddell suite (when they use to do that) drinking beer and eating Pizza, a few guys from VT's staff were in there Charlie was one of them. I started asking Charlie about Dline play and he said "hey, we are all going to go get something to eat, lets go."
So chit...This is big time, these guys are Virginia Tech!! Neither hell nor high water is going to keep me from going. So I go. We go to the restaurant and we are all drinking and just BS'in ball...which means they are BS'in and I'm just keeping my mouth shut happy to be there and there was an epiphanatic moment (yea, I make up words) where I thought "man, these guys aren't any different than the dudes on our staff. They have a phuked up sense of humor, drink beer, laugh too loud, etc, etc."

and from that point on I have never been impressed by the logo on their chest. Those dudes are just dudes. Think about some guys who were at the pinnacle of coaching and are now at other places. Like Bowden at Akron or Solich at OU or Tuberville at UC. Those guys were all at the top of the mountain at one time but no one is sprinting to the podium to get a picture with Frank Solich now...but when he was at Nebraska...know what I mean? And they are all great dudes.

I remember Urban when he was at BG. He was a good coach then but not the icon he is now. What changed? He's won some football games. Well, holy chit...I've won some football games too and I didn't get to recruit my players.

Just so you know our daughters play in the same basketball league and charlie is always bumming snuff off of me...


Rooster

[fantom]

Apr 16, 2015 7:26:41 GMT -6 @dcohio said:

Apr 16, 2015 7:17:37 GMT -6 Rooster said:

Just so you know our daughters play in the same basketball league and charlie is always bumming snuff off of me...


Rooster

Like I said...no different than the dudes on our staff.

**That's why I just stick my tongue in my Copenhagen to get a dip. Cuts down on the bummers.

That might scare off offensive coaches.