The Kentucky Derby Rule
"You don’t want your organization to be known as a jackass haven. You want only thoroughbreds on your team. Make sure you have the right horses running in your race."
Coaches Coach, Players Play, Parents Parent
Everything we do as a team must have an order to it. After all my years of coaching this remains my firm belief. When I coached football everything was to be done a certain way at a certain time, and…
The Big Three
Without question, the three things you must personally possess to be a good or a great football player are mental, emotional, and physical toughness. I call these ‘The Big Three.’ A player at these levels, both good and great, must…
Kick the K.I.S.S. principle
"More and more coaches are kicking the old 'K.I.S.S.' principle to the curb and creating devastating offensive schemes trickled down from the top collegiate minds. The old 'K.I.S.S.' principle does not fit well with the rapid evolution of high school…
The Cost of a Championship
In life or in football everything has a cost; the greater the value; the greater the cost. As the great, Russian philosopher Uri once said “The only free lunch is cheese in a mouse trap.” In football the ultimate prize…
Gamification in a Sports Setting. Can it Work?
Right off the bat, this article title probably doesn’t make much sense. How does gamification work in a setting that’s already a game? Well, thanks to the San Francisco Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals, we have an answer. Baseball…
Applying Good to Great Principles to Coaching
Good to Great by Jim Collins is one of the great business books ever penned. It’s been on the best seller list for what seems like forever. But, I believe it should also be recognized as one of the best…
Winning the Six Minute Games
By: Tony DeMeo Everybody has a system of Game-planning. Some coaches script the first 15 or 20 plays, some coaches like Paul Johnson wing it based on his experience. Coaches color code & highlighters became their life-blood. But how about…
Comparing Coaching Principles: John Wooden and Dean Smith
By: Joe Lato Dean Smith’s practice philosophy and John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success have many similarities. According to Smith and Bell (2005) Dean Smith’s practice habits were influenced by John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Dean Smith shared identical views about…
How to Use Meaningful Stats to Improve Your Program
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about “meaningful stats” and what stats are important and which stats are ESPN stats or meaningless. How many times have you heard an announcer proclaim that Joe Blow just threw for a school…