Post by wildcats542 on Feb 11, 2024 16:00:44 GMT
leadership academy empowers the student-athletes to have autonomy in the athletic program. One of the best ways to build relationships and have student-athletes buy in to the program is by establishing leaders. Assistant coaches will recommend some names of players who have what it takes to be a leader. Some of the criteria would be having a great attitude, attendance in the program and giving their best effort. I would also take ballot votes form the players but they would have to write why they should be leaders as to take away from a popularity contest. Coaches, some teachers and administration would be shown names and we would come to a consensus who would be the leaders for the current school year.
In season, Monday morning meeting at 7:45am, the leaders would meet with the head coach and any assistant coach who would be available and be presented topics that they would like to discuss. After a group discussion, each leader would take a part of the discussion and talk to all players before the start of practice and reiterate their discussions throughout the week. Saturday morning after games, the leaders would meet with the Head Coach to reflect and discuss any questions, concerns or compliments of how their discussions during the week went with the players.
In the offseason, all assistant coaches and head coaches will alternate during the school year to meet with the leaders on Monday mornings and be presented. Now in the offseason, it will be a two weeks before they meet with the assistant coach. This gives more time to discuss with parents before and after school and even on weekends.
One con which may appear is the quietest player stays quiet as they do what they are supposed to during their time and that’s all. Some players are followers and as much as you want them to become leaders, they do not want to lead.
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Evan James
It is of a great importance to establish a leadership program during the off-season. I will establish a leadership council within the football program. The purpose of the leadership council is to give athletes a leadership role and influence over aspects of the football program, address operational and team management issues, to determine the team’s core values and establish a process to achieve overall vision and goals, to establish and maintain open lines of communication, to establish trust, to replicate positive influences throughout the team on a peer perspective, and empower leaders and increase ownership in the football program. The scope and shape of my leadership council originated from this article (along with two other articles I include at the end) on the Northwestern Wildcats football team leadership council. The key to sustained program success is getting the players to buy into the culture and philosophy that myself and the coaching staff feels is essential for growth and success. To do that, a leadership council will be used to create an atmosphere of ownership for the players.
During the first off-season team meeting in late-November (prior to Thanksgiving Break to give players time to apply and/or nominate outside of school), I will introduce the leadership council to all levels of the football program (current 9th, 10th, and 11th graders). I will begin by explaining the purpose of the leadership council. I will also have current 12th graders who were on the leadership council share their experiences and advice for aspiring members. I will explain how anyone can submit their own name along with the application questions. A player can also nominate a teammate by completing a different form (same questions just worded differently). The applications questions include: As elected, how would you promote/ensure accountability? How do you exemplify leadership now? Give an example of something personal you are going to work on to improve in order to help lead the program. In your opinion, what aspect of leadership does our team need from a player perspective? What actions will you take? What area does our team need the most improvement in currently? What is holding our team back? How can you help change it? Why do you want to be on the council? After the names are submitted, each class votes for their top choices within their grade level. The head coaches of each level (and possibly the current 12th graders) will read through the applications and determine if the top vote-getters are worthy of admittance to the council. The applications will be located in the football office and must be turned in to me by a designated date. All players who apply themselves or get nominated by a teammate will meet with me to discuss acceptance or to provide guidance in how to improve the chances of getting voted in next year. There is no set number of applicants that can be accepted, the number can change from year to year.
In addition to explaining the purpose and application process, I will explain the rules of the leadership council. If a member has two unexcused absences from a meeting, they will be removed from the council for the remainder of the season. An unexcused absence means not showing up to a meeting to which the player did not notify any of the head level football coaches that they would miss BEFORE the meeting takes place. Everyone has a chance to explain or give their opinion, but consensus does not need to be reached. I have veto power if the group cannot agree. The leadership council will meet bi-weekly (every other week) on Thursday afternoons in the offseason, and at least weekly on Monday mornings during the season.
The leadership council will have several specific functions. The leadership council will examine and revise team rules for the upcoming season, pick out team gear and logos, and uniforms, share their concerns, issues, ideas with the council and coaches, learn about leadership and how to become a better leader by example and vocal leader, be honest with each other and assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses as leaders, players, and men. The leadership council allows the voices of the entire team and program to be heard by the head coach, handles discipline or other issues that are not explicitly covered by the rules, be informed of the game planning, weekly themes, things to share with the rest of the team, and perform other duties as time goes on.
There are both pros and cons for implementing a leadership council into the football program. A pro of the leadership council includes giving ownership to players in making decisions that affect the program — from small things like uniform combinations to bigger, more important issues like game preparation plans. Another pro of the leadership council involves building communication, chemistry, and trust across all levels of the program. A con for implementing a leadership council might include players who are not a part of the council to feel detached from the team and/or inferior to the members on the council. Another con might involve the coaches forgetting to actively seek the input and insight from all members of the team. Applicants who do not get voted in might also feel discouraged and/or reluctant to apply again in the future.
As stated in the introductory paragraph, the purpose, organization, and expected outcomes of the leadership council originated from the Northwestern Wildcats leadership council. I remember reading this article and head coach Pat Fitzgerald explaining how, "The purpose of the Leadership Council is to open lines of communication, establish trust, and to replicate positive influences throughout the team on a peer perspective. The Council builds structure, establishes purpose, and removes obstacles that could limit success. This program belongs to our student-athletes, and they determine where we go, both on the field and off.” The leadership council meets regularly with Fitzgerald and coaches throughout the season to discuss both on-field and off-field issues. Another article was written HERE on the impact the leadership council had to turnaround the 2015 season. As future hall of fame Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said, “The single most important ingredient after you get the talent is internal leadership. It’s not the coaches’ as much as one single person or people on the team who set higher standards than that team would normally set itself.”
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Apr 24, 2019 at 9:46pm
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Tilden Watson
As an AD I have started what is called a Captains Club where every sport has a “captain” from each grade meet and discuss team issues. The coaches choose the captains because of the athlete’s dedication and leadership to the team. So, we appoint them and hope they become the leader that the team needs. The captains will meet every other week with the Athletic Director for a brain storming/lecture period. During this time the athletes will be introduced to what it means to be a leader and given some ideas on different approaches they can implement with their team. They will also discuss the strategies that they have tried to implement in their team and how it was working. By building this club it allows the captains to collaborate with their peers and discuss the issues that are impacting their team. I tell them this is not a gripe session but a session where they can come together and figure out a way to take situations that has the possibility of harming the team and turn it around and make it a positive bonding experience. One area that we focus on is sportsmanship (character qualities) and how we can recognize and reward someone who has this quality. The captains came up this a simple plan. After every competition the team will come together and vote on a player/players from the other team that showed good sportsmanship. Once identified, the captain and a couple of teammates (different ones are chosen each week) will sit down and write a note to that player/players thanking them for their great sportsmanship on the field. This part of the program helps the athletes see the sportsmanship in others and help them keep the idea of sportsmanship in their thoughts throughout the games that they play. It also helps build leadership qualities in the captains.
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Reginald Pegram
While being able to play and coach in sports today I believe that the off-season period wins championships. At my school we take it very seriously seeing that I am the strength and condition coach. Our goal during off-season is to obviously get bigger, stronger, faster, but to build a team with new leaders and new faces. To do so we have a leadership period, but we call it “boot camp. “During this time, we find out who is loyal to the program, if they are 100% committed to the program, and if they are mentally tough.
We implement the program by making teams/groups having a coach assigned to that group. The players are drafted by that coached. Each coach will elect a captain from who they drafted. Once this is done, we will keep score on how well each team does. We live by the 3 C’S classroom, community, and conditioning. The teams will be graded by how they act in class, their grades in class and where they sit in class. In the community each player needs to complete 25 hours of community service, this helps the student out because they need to complete 100 hours of community service before they can graduate. Lastly, they must be perfect in the weight room, on time, weights are in the correct spot, everyone on the same page.
This allows the coaches to pick our leadership counsel and give each player to grow as a leader. We push them mentally everyday to ensure we will be discipline during the season. This period will go as long as the players want it to go, meaning once they are able to do everything that is required perfectly. We will then move to another phase in the weight room and begin to do football specific things.
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Jul 9, 2020 at 9:20pm
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Project Week 10 Leadership.pptx (291.22 KB)
This power point provides a complete installation of a leadership program into your program.
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:35pm
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One of the most valuable things that we can offer is to pour knowledge and power into our athletes. This can be done through developing a leadership program that will not only develop leaders for us on the field but off of it as well. The best time to do something like this is in the offseason while you grow in the weight room, you can grow as an individual and leader as well.
Pros:
• Skill Development
• The leadership academy gives the students an environment to learn and practice how to become great leaders for their sport, and within the school and community, they are in. We talk about these skills daily, like communication, problem-solving, work ethic, and so many more. Using designated time in the offseason to build these skills will only help your program turn out more young men who are willing and ready to lead.
• Building Team Unit:
• Throughout the program, the guys on the team will be able to strengthen and make bonds with teammates that other teams might not have it gives a whole new meaning to fighting for your brothers next to you. This bond leads to more trusting and team-oriented players who will not worry about one another and just be able to dominate their jobs.
• Improve performance:
• Players being able to be more confident in themselves off the field will allow them to find confidence in themselves on the field, so their performance per player will increase.
• Buy in
• This program gives athletes the chance to make it their own and learn how to be a player lead team. This program gives the players opportunities to develop as young men while increasing the saw of what is happening in the team, giving them more reasons to be part of and stay a part of something this special.
Cons
• Time
• The leadership program would require coaches and players to set aside time in the offseason. This would also require players who are involved in multiple sports to find a way to work with their already busy schedules to attend the classes. This is a great idea but should not take away quality time that could be used to get field work or weight room training done. The biggest thing would be finding someone to put in a good effort and find a time that works with all the athlete's schedules.
• Resources
• Some schools might not have the budget or spaces available to put on an academy like this while everything else is going on, it might not seem like you need a lot. However, not all spaces big enough for a football team have places to hook up a laptop to show a and printing off upwards of 100 copies added up quickly.
Implication:
The Leadership Academy would be held in two different 6-week sessions where you each meet twice a week this will not only allow for more manageable groups but also allow players who play basketball or wrestle the time to focus on those sports and then take the class after those seasons are over. The program will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays Mornings starting at 6 o'clock. This should not interfere with any classes or other activities at the school. The class will last roughly between 60 and 90 minutes. The program will be structured through a series of workshops with each class and seeking to have a new overall theme after class for that week, players will be tasked to go out and use what they have just learned. This class will be filled with guest speakers from former players to people in our community that set a good model for our athletes to look up to. Players and staff are encouraged to take an action participation within the program, such as being involved in discussions, being present during class, being on time, and being willing to lead outreach groups within the community and school.
Bryce
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:36pm
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I feel that it is very important to establish a leadership program during the offseason. The first thought that comes to mind is that you finally have time to focus on developing your players. You are not worried about gameplay and in-season chaos. Next, if you wait for amazing leaders to show up in your program, you will be waiting a long time. You must create amazing leadership in your own program. That’s part of you being a great leader yourself. It is your job to create the next set of leaders that you will have for the next season. The more leaders you create, the better off your season will be.
The pros to establishing an offseason leadership program would be that you would be creating more playmakers and confident players going into your next season. You would also be able to challenge your players with more on and off the field because they will be mentally stronger.
The biggest con that stands out to me is having your players that are multiple sport athletes be able to juggle their current sport and your offseason program. It might make the players have a feeling of getting burnt out from sports in general.
I would implement my leadership program by using all the amazing technology we have available to us nowadays. I would start by creating lessons on our playbook app. We use an app called Team Nation sports. It takes lessons and makes them into games that the players play to learn what you need them to know. I would have the players go through the lessons at the begging of each week then we would have a team video call on Wednesday nights. Wednesdays because there are no games on Wednesdays, and a video call because they would be just getting home from their winter and spring sports, so I want them to be comfortable as we talk. Also, it gives them a chance to watch the lesson and go through the discussion with their parents being around at well. I keep a hard stop time for the Wednesday meeting to 30 minutes. I can answer questions one on one later or through our team communications app. We use an app called Band. It lets me hold the meeting as well as message back and forth with players and parents.
Coach Coates
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:38pm
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A leadership academy is something that I have thought about many times over the course of my career so far. The head coach at my first job started doing a leadership class for players before school every couple of weeks in the spring, but I was only there for that first spring before leaving to go to a different school district. I always thought this was a great idea, but I always wondered what he used as his "curriculum". And I also wondered how well it was attended being that it was early morning, before school.
Pros:
1. Great way to develop coach to player relationships
2. Great way to develop player to player relationships
3. Develops vital leadership skills and introduces concepts that players may never get otherwise.
4. Emphasizes character in both players and coaching staff.
5. Shows the parents and school board how much the staff cares about leadership and character, its not just about wins and losses
Cons
1. Time commitment by coaches in the offseason to prepare and attend. Especially coaches that may not work in the school.
2. Time commitment by players in the offseason to attend.
3. Logistical and scheduling issues with multi-sport athletes.
Ideally, a leadership academy could be run directly after school or during the school day if there are periods set aside for athletics. My current school does not have any athletic time built into the school day so we would run our Leadership Academy on Wednesday's directly after school from 2:30-3:45. If we started this in January, that gives us 20 weeks until the end of the school year where we could meet as a team once a week to fellowship and learn together. We would focus not only on defining the character traits of great leaders, but also studying the behaviors and habits of great leaders. We would study great leaders of the past and also have guest speakers and alumni come in to speak with the players.
Sam
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Feb 6, 2024 at 5:03pm
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Joshua
I believe that teaching leadership skills to my football players is essential. Oftentimes, whether they deserve to be or not, football players are looked at as leaders (or least major influencers) of a school’s culture. Teaching players how to become positive, respectful, and good stewards of the influence is a must. Developing great leaders within the school, translates to developing good leaders on the field. Other positives that come out establishing a leadership academy are that you develop common goals for your team. Common expectations and standards also develop throughout your team as a result of these academies.
Some negatives that come from running these types of programs is that if they are not inclusive enough you can alienate players. Personally, I often in the early stages of my leadership program I will talk to all my players. I often refrain from selecting captains or naming “leaders” until we hit our summer schedule. I like to see which players step up and lead in the winter and spring without formal titles. Another negative is that these programs demand more time from the head coach in the off season. The coach must develop the material and find time to meet with the players outside of other off-season time commitments.
My program usually starts the Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In combination with teaching our core lifts and getting starting weights for the weight program, I also focus on goal setting. I first teach players how to set individual goals. After our initial round of testing players will set 2 goals; a weight room goal and a position goal, that they will commit to for the next 7 weeks. After individual goals are set, we will then set 3 team goals. All of the individual goals and team goals will then get posted on our “Wall of Accountability,” which hangs in the hallway leading into the weight room (so they have to walk by them everyday). Lessons during this stretch occur weekly during our Monday-Thursday after school lifting. After 7 weeks (matches our testing cycle), players will continue to assess their progress towards their individual goals and; if necessary, adjust or set new goals.
Starting in March our leadership meetings increase to twice a week as we implement 2 morning team meetings a week to go along with our after school lifting. These meetings occur every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7am prior to the start of school. They include leadership messages, mat drills, and offensive/defensive installation. Also, starting in March I and the offensive coordinator begin our Sunday QB leadership and fundamental training. We open this up to all QBs in grades 6-12. We meet for an hour every Sunday with this group. This phase lasts until the end of May when we hold our spring practice.
After spring practice we jump right into our summer schedule and we begin our focus on getting ready for the season to begin.
In season, Monday morning meeting at 7:45am, the leaders would meet with the head coach and any assistant coach who would be available and be presented topics that they would like to discuss. After a group discussion, each leader would take a part of the discussion and talk to all players before the start of practice and reiterate their discussions throughout the week. Saturday morning after games, the leaders would meet with the Head Coach to reflect and discuss any questions, concerns or compliments of how their discussions during the week went with the players.
In the offseason, all assistant coaches and head coaches will alternate during the school year to meet with the leaders on Monday mornings and be presented. Now in the offseason, it will be a two weeks before they meet with the assistant coach. This gives more time to discuss with parents before and after school and even on weekends.
One con which may appear is the quietest player stays quiet as they do what they are supposed to during their time and that’s all. Some players are followers and as much as you want them to become leaders, they do not want to lead.
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Apr 24, 2019 at 9:12pm
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Evan James
It is of a great importance to establish a leadership program during the off-season. I will establish a leadership council within the football program. The purpose of the leadership council is to give athletes a leadership role and influence over aspects of the football program, address operational and team management issues, to determine the team’s core values and establish a process to achieve overall vision and goals, to establish and maintain open lines of communication, to establish trust, to replicate positive influences throughout the team on a peer perspective, and empower leaders and increase ownership in the football program. The scope and shape of my leadership council originated from this article (along with two other articles I include at the end) on the Northwestern Wildcats football team leadership council. The key to sustained program success is getting the players to buy into the culture and philosophy that myself and the coaching staff feels is essential for growth and success. To do that, a leadership council will be used to create an atmosphere of ownership for the players.
During the first off-season team meeting in late-November (prior to Thanksgiving Break to give players time to apply and/or nominate outside of school), I will introduce the leadership council to all levels of the football program (current 9th, 10th, and 11th graders). I will begin by explaining the purpose of the leadership council. I will also have current 12th graders who were on the leadership council share their experiences and advice for aspiring members. I will explain how anyone can submit their own name along with the application questions. A player can also nominate a teammate by completing a different form (same questions just worded differently). The applications questions include: As elected, how would you promote/ensure accountability? How do you exemplify leadership now? Give an example of something personal you are going to work on to improve in order to help lead the program. In your opinion, what aspect of leadership does our team need from a player perspective? What actions will you take? What area does our team need the most improvement in currently? What is holding our team back? How can you help change it? Why do you want to be on the council? After the names are submitted, each class votes for their top choices within their grade level. The head coaches of each level (and possibly the current 12th graders) will read through the applications and determine if the top vote-getters are worthy of admittance to the council. The applications will be located in the football office and must be turned in to me by a designated date. All players who apply themselves or get nominated by a teammate will meet with me to discuss acceptance or to provide guidance in how to improve the chances of getting voted in next year. There is no set number of applicants that can be accepted, the number can change from year to year.
In addition to explaining the purpose and application process, I will explain the rules of the leadership council. If a member has two unexcused absences from a meeting, they will be removed from the council for the remainder of the season. An unexcused absence means not showing up to a meeting to which the player did not notify any of the head level football coaches that they would miss BEFORE the meeting takes place. Everyone has a chance to explain or give their opinion, but consensus does not need to be reached. I have veto power if the group cannot agree. The leadership council will meet bi-weekly (every other week) on Thursday afternoons in the offseason, and at least weekly on Monday mornings during the season.
The leadership council will have several specific functions. The leadership council will examine and revise team rules for the upcoming season, pick out team gear and logos, and uniforms, share their concerns, issues, ideas with the council and coaches, learn about leadership and how to become a better leader by example and vocal leader, be honest with each other and assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses as leaders, players, and men. The leadership council allows the voices of the entire team and program to be heard by the head coach, handles discipline or other issues that are not explicitly covered by the rules, be informed of the game planning, weekly themes, things to share with the rest of the team, and perform other duties as time goes on.
There are both pros and cons for implementing a leadership council into the football program. A pro of the leadership council includes giving ownership to players in making decisions that affect the program — from small things like uniform combinations to bigger, more important issues like game preparation plans. Another pro of the leadership council involves building communication, chemistry, and trust across all levels of the program. A con for implementing a leadership council might include players who are not a part of the council to feel detached from the team and/or inferior to the members on the council. Another con might involve the coaches forgetting to actively seek the input and insight from all members of the team. Applicants who do not get voted in might also feel discouraged and/or reluctant to apply again in the future.
As stated in the introductory paragraph, the purpose, organization, and expected outcomes of the leadership council originated from the Northwestern Wildcats leadership council. I remember reading this article and head coach Pat Fitzgerald explaining how, "The purpose of the Leadership Council is to open lines of communication, establish trust, and to replicate positive influences throughout the team on a peer perspective. The Council builds structure, establishes purpose, and removes obstacles that could limit success. This program belongs to our student-athletes, and they determine where we go, both on the field and off.” The leadership council meets regularly with Fitzgerald and coaches throughout the season to discuss both on-field and off-field issues. Another article was written HERE on the impact the leadership council had to turnaround the 2015 season. As future hall of fame Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said, “The single most important ingredient after you get the talent is internal leadership. It’s not the coaches’ as much as one single person or people on the team who set higher standards than that team would normally set itself.”
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Apr 24, 2019 at 9:46pm
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Tilden Watson
As an AD I have started what is called a Captains Club where every sport has a “captain” from each grade meet and discuss team issues. The coaches choose the captains because of the athlete’s dedication and leadership to the team. So, we appoint them and hope they become the leader that the team needs. The captains will meet every other week with the Athletic Director for a brain storming/lecture period. During this time the athletes will be introduced to what it means to be a leader and given some ideas on different approaches they can implement with their team. They will also discuss the strategies that they have tried to implement in their team and how it was working. By building this club it allows the captains to collaborate with their peers and discuss the issues that are impacting their team. I tell them this is not a gripe session but a session where they can come together and figure out a way to take situations that has the possibility of harming the team and turn it around and make it a positive bonding experience. One area that we focus on is sportsmanship (character qualities) and how we can recognize and reward someone who has this quality. The captains came up this a simple plan. After every competition the team will come together and vote on a player/players from the other team that showed good sportsmanship. Once identified, the captain and a couple of teammates (different ones are chosen each week) will sit down and write a note to that player/players thanking them for their great sportsmanship on the field. This part of the program helps the athletes see the sportsmanship in others and help them keep the idea of sportsmanship in their thoughts throughout the games that they play. It also helps build leadership qualities in the captains.
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Apr 24, 2020 at 11:04pm
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Reginald Pegram
While being able to play and coach in sports today I believe that the off-season period wins championships. At my school we take it very seriously seeing that I am the strength and condition coach. Our goal during off-season is to obviously get bigger, stronger, faster, but to build a team with new leaders and new faces. To do so we have a leadership period, but we call it “boot camp. “During this time, we find out who is loyal to the program, if they are 100% committed to the program, and if they are mentally tough.
We implement the program by making teams/groups having a coach assigned to that group. The players are drafted by that coached. Each coach will elect a captain from who they drafted. Once this is done, we will keep score on how well each team does. We live by the 3 C’S classroom, community, and conditioning. The teams will be graded by how they act in class, their grades in class and where they sit in class. In the community each player needs to complete 25 hours of community service, this helps the student out because they need to complete 100 hours of community service before they can graduate. Lastly, they must be perfect in the weight room, on time, weights are in the correct spot, everyone on the same page.
This allows the coaches to pick our leadership counsel and give each player to grow as a leader. We push them mentally everyday to ensure we will be discipline during the season. This period will go as long as the players want it to go, meaning once they are able to do everything that is required perfectly. We will then move to another phase in the weight room and begin to do football specific things.
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Jul 9, 2020 at 9:20pm
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Project Week 10 Leadership.pptx (291.22 KB)
This power point provides a complete installation of a leadership program into your program.
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Coach Campbell
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:35pm
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One of the most valuable things that we can offer is to pour knowledge and power into our athletes. This can be done through developing a leadership program that will not only develop leaders for us on the field but off of it as well. The best time to do something like this is in the offseason while you grow in the weight room, you can grow as an individual and leader as well.
Pros:
• Skill Development
• The leadership academy gives the students an environment to learn and practice how to become great leaders for their sport, and within the school and community, they are in. We talk about these skills daily, like communication, problem-solving, work ethic, and so many more. Using designated time in the offseason to build these skills will only help your program turn out more young men who are willing and ready to lead.
• Building Team Unit:
• Throughout the program, the guys on the team will be able to strengthen and make bonds with teammates that other teams might not have it gives a whole new meaning to fighting for your brothers next to you. This bond leads to more trusting and team-oriented players who will not worry about one another and just be able to dominate their jobs.
• Improve performance:
• Players being able to be more confident in themselves off the field will allow them to find confidence in themselves on the field, so their performance per player will increase.
• Buy in
• This program gives athletes the chance to make it their own and learn how to be a player lead team. This program gives the players opportunities to develop as young men while increasing the saw of what is happening in the team, giving them more reasons to be part of and stay a part of something this special.
Cons
• Time
• The leadership program would require coaches and players to set aside time in the offseason. This would also require players who are involved in multiple sports to find a way to work with their already busy schedules to attend the classes. This is a great idea but should not take away quality time that could be used to get field work or weight room training done. The biggest thing would be finding someone to put in a good effort and find a time that works with all the athlete's schedules.
• Resources
• Some schools might not have the budget or spaces available to put on an academy like this while everything else is going on, it might not seem like you need a lot. However, not all spaces big enough for a football team have places to hook up a laptop to show a and printing off upwards of 100 copies added up quickly.
Implication:
The Leadership Academy would be held in two different 6-week sessions where you each meet twice a week this will not only allow for more manageable groups but also allow players who play basketball or wrestle the time to focus on those sports and then take the class after those seasons are over. The program will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays Mornings starting at 6 o'clock. This should not interfere with any classes or other activities at the school. The class will last roughly between 60 and 90 minutes. The program will be structured through a series of workshops with each class and seeking to have a new overall theme after class for that week, players will be tasked to go out and use what they have just learned. This class will be filled with guest speakers from former players to people in our community that set a good model for our athletes to look up to. Players and staff are encouraged to take an action participation within the program, such as being involved in discussions, being present during class, being on time, and being willing to lead outreach groups within the community and school.
Bryce
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Coach Campbell
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:36pm
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I feel that it is very important to establish a leadership program during the offseason. The first thought that comes to mind is that you finally have time to focus on developing your players. You are not worried about gameplay and in-season chaos. Next, if you wait for amazing leaders to show up in your program, you will be waiting a long time. You must create amazing leadership in your own program. That’s part of you being a great leader yourself. It is your job to create the next set of leaders that you will have for the next season. The more leaders you create, the better off your season will be.
The pros to establishing an offseason leadership program would be that you would be creating more playmakers and confident players going into your next season. You would also be able to challenge your players with more on and off the field because they will be mentally stronger.
The biggest con that stands out to me is having your players that are multiple sport athletes be able to juggle their current sport and your offseason program. It might make the players have a feeling of getting burnt out from sports in general.
I would implement my leadership program by using all the amazing technology we have available to us nowadays. I would start by creating lessons on our playbook app. We use an app called Team Nation sports. It takes lessons and makes them into games that the players play to learn what you need them to know. I would have the players go through the lessons at the begging of each week then we would have a team video call on Wednesday nights. Wednesdays because there are no games on Wednesdays, and a video call because they would be just getting home from their winter and spring sports, so I want them to be comfortable as we talk. Also, it gives them a chance to watch the lesson and go through the discussion with their parents being around at well. I keep a hard stop time for the Wednesday meeting to 30 minutes. I can answer questions one on one later or through our team communications app. We use an app called Band. It lets me hold the meeting as well as message back and forth with players and parents.
Coach Coates
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Coach Campbell
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Mar 1, 2023 at 8:38pm
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A leadership academy is something that I have thought about many times over the course of my career so far. The head coach at my first job started doing a leadership class for players before school every couple of weeks in the spring, but I was only there for that first spring before leaving to go to a different school district. I always thought this was a great idea, but I always wondered what he used as his "curriculum". And I also wondered how well it was attended being that it was early morning, before school.
Pros:
1. Great way to develop coach to player relationships
2. Great way to develop player to player relationships
3. Develops vital leadership skills and introduces concepts that players may never get otherwise.
4. Emphasizes character in both players and coaching staff.
5. Shows the parents and school board how much the staff cares about leadership and character, its not just about wins and losses
Cons
1. Time commitment by coaches in the offseason to prepare and attend. Especially coaches that may not work in the school.
2. Time commitment by players in the offseason to attend.
3. Logistical and scheduling issues with multi-sport athletes.
Ideally, a leadership academy could be run directly after school or during the school day if there are periods set aside for athletics. My current school does not have any athletic time built into the school day so we would run our Leadership Academy on Wednesday's directly after school from 2:30-3:45. If we started this in January, that gives us 20 weeks until the end of the school year where we could meet as a team once a week to fellowship and learn together. We would focus not only on defining the character traits of great leaders, but also studying the behaviors and habits of great leaders. We would study great leaders of the past and also have guest speakers and alumni come in to speak with the players.
Sam
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Coach Campbell
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Feb 6, 2024 at 5:03pm
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Joshua
I believe that teaching leadership skills to my football players is essential. Oftentimes, whether they deserve to be or not, football players are looked at as leaders (or least major influencers) of a school’s culture. Teaching players how to become positive, respectful, and good stewards of the influence is a must. Developing great leaders within the school, translates to developing good leaders on the field. Other positives that come out establishing a leadership academy are that you develop common goals for your team. Common expectations and standards also develop throughout your team as a result of these academies.
Some negatives that come from running these types of programs is that if they are not inclusive enough you can alienate players. Personally, I often in the early stages of my leadership program I will talk to all my players. I often refrain from selecting captains or naming “leaders” until we hit our summer schedule. I like to see which players step up and lead in the winter and spring without formal titles. Another negative is that these programs demand more time from the head coach in the off season. The coach must develop the material and find time to meet with the players outside of other off-season time commitments.
My program usually starts the Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In combination with teaching our core lifts and getting starting weights for the weight program, I also focus on goal setting. I first teach players how to set individual goals. After our initial round of testing players will set 2 goals; a weight room goal and a position goal, that they will commit to for the next 7 weeks. After individual goals are set, we will then set 3 team goals. All of the individual goals and team goals will then get posted on our “Wall of Accountability,” which hangs in the hallway leading into the weight room (so they have to walk by them everyday). Lessons during this stretch occur weekly during our Monday-Thursday after school lifting. After 7 weeks (matches our testing cycle), players will continue to assess their progress towards their individual goals and; if necessary, adjust or set new goals.
Starting in March our leadership meetings increase to twice a week as we implement 2 morning team meetings a week to go along with our after school lifting. These meetings occur every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7am prior to the start of school. They include leadership messages, mat drills, and offensive/defensive installation. Also, starting in March I and the offensive coordinator begin our Sunday QB leadership and fundamental training. We open this up to all QBs in grades 6-12. We meet for an hour every Sunday with this group. This phase lasts until the end of May when we hold our spring practice.
After spring practice we jump right into our summer schedule and we begin our focus on getting ready for the season to begin.