Post by Coachjd on May 31, 2005 4:42:55 GMT
Here is an article I found on the internet a few years back and thought it would be a good read to share on the board.
JD
Coach Speak - Putting Together a Coaching Staff
Jason Jones
Editor's Note: In this edition of Coach Speak, Grandview's Jason Jones reflects on his first season as a head coach. Specifically in this article, Jones discusses the challenge of assembling a quality group of assistants.
When you get your first head coaching job, the feeling is unbelievable. The pride and accomplishment you feel when other coaches offer congratulations is great. Then the panic sets in and you quickly realize how much you have to do to get ready for the upcoming season. The list of things to do includes holding meetings with the players and the parents, checking equipment, setting up the off-season program, and many other things that when you were an assistant you did not even know the head coach was dealing with. You soon realize that there is no way you are going to be able to do this job on your own and you start thinking about who will be on your coaching staff.
There are many things that have to be considered when putting together your staff, and several of them are out of your control. How much time do you have to hire your staff? Who from the previous staff wants to remain on the staff? Are there any teaching openings for coaching prospects from outside the district? And will the district allow coaches who do not teach? I felt some pressure to move quickly because I was hired by Grandview in May. School was about over for the year and I wanted to have coaches in place to help with off-season programs.
The previous staff at Grandview had five coaches who wanted to remain on the staff. In the interview process I was told by the administration that two of the five had already been offered contracts for football. I was told that these two coaches were outstanding and the district was very excited about them as both teachers and coaches. However, there is always a concern if these guys are going to fit your philosophy. The other three coaches from the previous staff I would get to interview. There were several teaching openings in the building and the district was alright with coaches who are not teachers. So I felt like I had several options when hiring my staff.
There were two traits I was looking for in the coaches I was hiring: 1) hard working and 2) loyalty. Every head coach wants to hire hard working guys to be on his staff. You cannot have clock-watchers because as you all know high school football has become a year-round job. Coaches must be willing to put in the time in the off-season as well as the regular season to make the program function. Loyalty is more important to me than football knowledge. I was told once by a coach I respect very much that you cannot teach loyalty but you can teach football. So when I was hiring my staff I looked for guys I felt would be loyal to the cause and who were also good teachers. Then I would give them the schemes and football knowledge for the packages we were putting in place for the program to be a success. Fortunately the coaches that I hired from the previous staff all had a lot of football knowledge and worked well in the new program.
I also hired a coach who I had worked with before. This was an important hire because you need a coach on your staff that you have a relationship with. This allows you to have someone to lean on while the new staff works to understand one another. As a young head coach who at this point had hired a young staff, I also felt it was important to hire a seasoned coach who had made big decisions in big games. I happened to find this coach and I cannot tell you how much he helped me this past season. He was a calming force and a knowledge base for me. There were many times when I was dealing with discipline issues and schedules that the seasoned coach was a great sounding board for me.
Once the staff is in place and the offensive and defensive packages have been explained, I believe it is time to let your coaches' coach. Coaches who have input into the program enjoy the game and also feel the joy of wins and the pain of loses. They have been hired to coach so I feel strongly that you need to let them coach.
Putting together a coaching staff at the high school level is a challenging task. The right mix of coaches is hard to find. A coach who will whole-heartedly buy into the system that is going to be installed is important. The staff sets the tone for the season with their enthusiasm and drive throughout the year. This part of a new head coach's job is critical to his and the program's success.
I was very fortunate as a first year head coach at Grandview High School to have put together an outstanding coaching staff. From day one Bill Cox, Jason Godfrey, Andy Leech, Aaron Cornelius, Ryan Johnson, Ozie Stanley, Ron Freeman, and Ryan Beatty were working to make our season a success. Thanks to my staff and thanks to 810 WHB for the opportunity to write this article for the website.
JD
Coach Speak - Putting Together a Coaching Staff
Jason Jones
Editor's Note: In this edition of Coach Speak, Grandview's Jason Jones reflects on his first season as a head coach. Specifically in this article, Jones discusses the challenge of assembling a quality group of assistants.
When you get your first head coaching job, the feeling is unbelievable. The pride and accomplishment you feel when other coaches offer congratulations is great. Then the panic sets in and you quickly realize how much you have to do to get ready for the upcoming season. The list of things to do includes holding meetings with the players and the parents, checking equipment, setting up the off-season program, and many other things that when you were an assistant you did not even know the head coach was dealing with. You soon realize that there is no way you are going to be able to do this job on your own and you start thinking about who will be on your coaching staff.
There are many things that have to be considered when putting together your staff, and several of them are out of your control. How much time do you have to hire your staff? Who from the previous staff wants to remain on the staff? Are there any teaching openings for coaching prospects from outside the district? And will the district allow coaches who do not teach? I felt some pressure to move quickly because I was hired by Grandview in May. School was about over for the year and I wanted to have coaches in place to help with off-season programs.
The previous staff at Grandview had five coaches who wanted to remain on the staff. In the interview process I was told by the administration that two of the five had already been offered contracts for football. I was told that these two coaches were outstanding and the district was very excited about them as both teachers and coaches. However, there is always a concern if these guys are going to fit your philosophy. The other three coaches from the previous staff I would get to interview. There were several teaching openings in the building and the district was alright with coaches who are not teachers. So I felt like I had several options when hiring my staff.
There were two traits I was looking for in the coaches I was hiring: 1) hard working and 2) loyalty. Every head coach wants to hire hard working guys to be on his staff. You cannot have clock-watchers because as you all know high school football has become a year-round job. Coaches must be willing to put in the time in the off-season as well as the regular season to make the program function. Loyalty is more important to me than football knowledge. I was told once by a coach I respect very much that you cannot teach loyalty but you can teach football. So when I was hiring my staff I looked for guys I felt would be loyal to the cause and who were also good teachers. Then I would give them the schemes and football knowledge for the packages we were putting in place for the program to be a success. Fortunately the coaches that I hired from the previous staff all had a lot of football knowledge and worked well in the new program.
I also hired a coach who I had worked with before. This was an important hire because you need a coach on your staff that you have a relationship with. This allows you to have someone to lean on while the new staff works to understand one another. As a young head coach who at this point had hired a young staff, I also felt it was important to hire a seasoned coach who had made big decisions in big games. I happened to find this coach and I cannot tell you how much he helped me this past season. He was a calming force and a knowledge base for me. There were many times when I was dealing with discipline issues and schedules that the seasoned coach was a great sounding board for me.
Once the staff is in place and the offensive and defensive packages have been explained, I believe it is time to let your coaches' coach. Coaches who have input into the program enjoy the game and also feel the joy of wins and the pain of loses. They have been hired to coach so I feel strongly that you need to let them coach.
Putting together a coaching staff at the high school level is a challenging task. The right mix of coaches is hard to find. A coach who will whole-heartedly buy into the system that is going to be installed is important. The staff sets the tone for the season with their enthusiasm and drive throughout the year. This part of a new head coach's job is critical to his and the program's success.
I was very fortunate as a first year head coach at Grandview High School to have put together an outstanding coaching staff. From day one Bill Cox, Jason Godfrey, Andy Leech, Aaron Cornelius, Ryan Johnson, Ozie Stanley, Ron Freeman, and Ryan Beatty were working to make our season a success. Thanks to my staff and thanks to 810 WHB for the opportunity to write this article for the website.
