Coaching Management 12.10

Coaching Management VOL. XII, NO. 10

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS How math can help your decision making

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Coaching Management Football Edition Postseason 2004

CONTENTS

Vol. XII, No. 10

2 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NCAA recruiting reforms take hold, but some high school coaches feel others are needed … A coach in New York helps raise money to save a rival’s season … Clemson installs hydraulicallyoperated goalposts … MHSAA video emphasizes the importance of coaching character … Contract dispute forces a college coach from the sideline …

College teams may soon face penalties for lagging academics.

Q&A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Dan Wood, David Douglas High School, Portland, Ore. Advertisers Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Video Editing Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Uniforms & Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Football Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Power Racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Strength Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Publisher Mark Goldberg Art Director Pamela Crawford Art Assistant Dina Stander Business Manager Pennie Small Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editor Dennis Read Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson Kenny Berkowitz David Hill Greg Scholand Laura Smith Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell

COVER PHOTO BY WILLIS GLASSGOW

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33 COVER STORY

Running The Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 By looking at the numbers more carefully, coaches may find that some “risky” plays can put the odds in their favor and help them win more games.

OFF THE FIELD

Good Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

STRENGTH TRAINING

Small School, Big Muscles

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Facing limited resources, Bridgewater College coaches developed an efficient strength program that has helped make the Eagles a top Division III team.

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

Winning Them Over

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Before leading Boyle County High School to five consecutive state titles, Head Coach Chuck Smith had to convince the school’s best athletes to play football.

Championship Solutions

Circulation Director Dave Dubin Circulation Manager John Callaghan

Production Manager Kristin Ayers

Circulation Assistant Joan Doria

Production Assistant Jonni Campbell

Prepress Manager Adam Berenstain

Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

Prepress Assistant Jim Harper

IT Manager Mark Nye

Asst. Production Manager Kristi Kempf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Sheryl Shaffer, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 Marketing/Sales Assistant Danielle Catalano Business and Editorial Offices 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com Mailing lists for Coaching Management Football are provided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory.

The Coaching Management Football edition is published in November and April by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada. Copyright © 2004 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Coaching Management is printed by Banta Publications Group, Kansas City, MO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Coaching Management, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, N.Y. 14852.

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bulletin board Reaction Mixed To Recruiting Reforms Fresh from a couple of rounds of academic reform, the NCAA is in the midst of undertaking another overhaul. This time, the topic is recruiting, and the changes take aim at a few well-publicized excesses. But some high school coaches wonder if more needs to be done to fix the nuts and bolts of the recruiting process.

Emergency legislation adopted in August by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors prohibits football teams from using personalized recruiting aids such as jerseys with a recruit’s name and custom simulated scoreboard shows.

The legislation also forbids the use of special vehicles for transporting prospects on official visits, and athletics-only host or hostess squads may no longer be used to escort and entertain recruits.

The latter measure has led several universities to abolish special groups that welcomed recruits, fold them into organizations that greet all prospective or new students, or replace them with organizations comprising only current student-athletes, which is allowed. Recruiters cannot provide housing and meals above those normally available to all guests, nor fly prospects in on chartered aircraft.

Institutions must also establish best-practice policies to prohibit the use of alcohol, sex, and gambling in recruiting.

Each school’s plan needs to be filed at its respective conference office by early December.

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going to say to a recruit, ‘We were the first to call you.

Remember that!’

“But surely somebody from the NCAA knows that the college coaches would be calling at midnight,” he continues.

“Obviously, there wasn’t much thought that went into that rule, yet it happens every year.”

Wilson may get his wish—in part. Legislation to be considered in April by the NCAA Management Council and Board of Directors calls for reducing the number of official visits to four. The Association’s Recruiting Task Force noted that most recruits don’t use the full allotment, which seems to bear out Wilson’s contention that student-

“I would rather see changes made to when scholarships can be offered,” he continues.

“There’s no limit on when schools can extend an offer, so a blue-chip player is getting offers very early in his junior year or even earlier. Once they’ve earned a scholarship, some of them go into protect mode. It’s an issue we’ve seen in basketball for a while. Now I think we’re starting to see it in football.”

David Wilson, Head Football Coach at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla., also believes the NCAA isn’t focusing on the right areas. Specifically, he’d like to see the number of official paid visits a recruit can make cut from five to three.

“I think five visits gives them too many opportunities to play around,” Wilson says. “Most kids know they’re going to go to school ‘A’ or ‘B,’ and they’d like to look at ‘C.’ Cutting it to three would make both the kids and coaches focus more on their choices.”

Wilson also bemoans the lack of limits on the time of day when college coaches can first phone recruits. “The NCAA says the first time coaches can make phone calls is Sept. 1, which was on a Wednesday this year, and you’ve got colleges calling at 12:01 a.m. on a school night,” he says. “I don’t blame the college coaches because they’re trying to be competitive. Every college is

Some high school football coaches say that recent changes in NCAA rules governing recruiting may not be aimed in the right direction.

Above, players from Texas and Oklahoma compete in the 2004 Oil Bowl high school all-star game.

Wilson suggests more contact between college coaches and high school juniors be allowed in the spring so that coaches have more opportunities to learn about their potential student-athletes’ personalities.

He advises his players who are being recruited to look for a good match in the campus, academics, fellow athletes, and coaching staff, even if that staff might be gone after the next season.

athletes don’t need a lot of visits to make up their minds.

Also up for consideration in 2005 is a proposal to let institutions pay airfare for a parent or legal guardian to accompany a recruit on an official visit.

At least two universities are going further than NCAA rules mandate. Florida Today, reporting on an early draft of the University of Florida’s policy, says the proposed rules

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

Overall, college coaches have accepted the rules changes without much argument. Some high school coaches, however, feel the NCAA is barking up the wrong tree.

“I’m much more concerned about how early the colleges start recruiting than what they do when they take recruits on a visit,” says Bill Blankenship, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla., who regularly coaches Division I prospects. “The reality is that the recruiting process is a sales process, and these new measures take away some of the fun things that seem to me to be fairly harmless.

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bulletin board require coaches to send a letter to recruits and their families specifying what constitutes acceptable behavior during official visits. Under the policy, prospects and student hosts would have to check in with a full-time staff member, preferably a coach, by 1 a.m., and abstain from drug and alcohol use during the visits. The early draft also requires a letter of recommendation from the prospect’s head coach, principal, or guidance counselor.

The University of Colorado, whose recruiting investigation helped prompt the changes, has eliminated player hosts and most game-day visits, cut weekend visits from two nights to one, required adult supervision at all times, and set an 11 p.m. curfew during official visits, according to The Associated Press.

Baylor University, besieged by a basketball scandal that wasn’t directly tied to recruiting, is adding formal character references to its recruiting process.

A university-wide task force developed a form that requires prospects to list three character references and asks teachers, coaches, principals, and counselors to assess how classmates view the athlete. Transfer prospects will be asked to allow checks of their criminal backgrounds and college disciplinary records.

Coming To A Rival’s Rescue In high school football, a matchup with a heated rival often makes or breaks a season. So when Mike Bass, Head Football Coach at Port Byron (N.Y.) High School, heard that neighboring Cato-Meridian High School would lose its athletics program because of budget cuts, he decided to offer his help.

Bass organized a weekendlong softball tournament that

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helped raise $3,000—all of which went to the Cato-Meridian Sports Boosters Club. Bass’s effort was one of numerous fundraisers—most of which were facilitated by the Cato-Meridian boosters—that eventually raised the $75,000 needed to restore all of the school’s fall varsity sports.

By helping to save CatoMeridian’s season, Bass was working to benefit Led by Head Coach Mike Bass, far right, the Port Byron (N.Y.) High two programs—his rival’s School football team held a summer softball tournament to help raise and his own. He acknowlfunds for rival Cato-Meridian, which had suffered severe budget cuts. edges it would have been difficult to fill out his schedule had Catomanship, you have to seize But for those in charge of the Meridian not been able to that moment.” game, attacks on the goalposts play. And last year’s game can create a serious safety brought in 3,000 fans—makDespite accolades from many issue. After Clemson University ing it the highest-attended people at Cato-Meridian— beat rival University of South game of Port Byron’s season.

Head Coach Rod Lee said, Carolina in November 2002, “Michael Bass stepped up and fans tore down Clemson’s Because Cato-Meridian is Port helped us immensely”—Bass goalposts, sending a security Byron’s only in-county compethought his reaction was only officer to the hospital with tition, the game carries added natural. “If we’d had the same collarbone and rib fractures. significance. “There are kids problem, they’d have come to Last year, Memorial Stadium on the teams who are related our rescue,” he says. goalposts came down again or who are dating girls from following an upset win over the other school, and most of Port Byron will now get a Florida State, resulting in sevthem know each other,” says chance to avenge the stinging eral minor injuries.

Bass. “It’s a game everybody loss Cato-Meridian handed it gets up for—from the players in 2003—a loss that took place “We decided we couldn’t have and coaches to students and during Port Byron’s homecomthis kind of chaos happening,” community members. Rivalries ing. “We were undefeated and says Katie Hill, Senior Associate like ours mean too much to favored going into that game.

Athletic Director at Clemson. both communities to let them Then we lost, and it really hurt “And we knew we weren’t slip away.” our season,” says Bass. “So going to change the culture the kids are looking forward of our fans coming out onto But more importantly, he says, to playing them this season, the field. So we asked, if his student-athletes learned but you can’t avenge a loss if we’re going to have fans on an important lesson. About there isn’t a game. And a bye the field, how can we make 10 Port Byron players worked surely doesn’t avenge a loss.” it safer?” side-by-side with their CatoMeridian counterparts during The answer came last year the softball tournament, chaswhen a West Virginia entreing foul balls and taking care preneur approached the athof the field during rain delays. letic department with a unique It’s a familiar scene in college idea—hydraulically-operated football. The final seconds collapsible goalposts. “I was a “Some kids initially may have tick off to end a game, stubit skeptical at first, but the been a little confused as to dents and other spectators more we looked into the idea, why we were helping our chief rush the field, and within the better we liked it,” Hill says. rival, but a lot of them volunminutes the goalposts come teered, and they came away crashing down into the maelThe first of their kind anywhere, with a better understanding of strom. For fans, it’s a way to two sets of the new goalposts what it means to help somecelebrate a big victory, and were installed during the offbody out,” says Bass. “Whenat some schools it has almost season. “We had looked at ever you get an opportunity become a tradition. some other institutions that to teach your players sports-

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bulletin board take down their goalposts after games, and they were having groundspeople do it manually,” Hill says. “We thought that could put our facility workers in harm’s way.

With our automated system, as soon as the game ends, they come right down.”

Hill describes the collapsing process as “quite a sight.”

Triggered by remote control, it begins with the crossbar and

diffuse the ‘Let’s take the fort’ mentality that some fans might have when they get excited,” Hill explains. “Since the goalposts can’t be the focal point of their energy, it becomes a non-issue, and that makes everyone safer.”

The new apparatus, which cost approximately $50,000 to purchase and install, has thus far proven successful. After the Tigers beat Wake Forest

To lead off the hour-long session, Smith showed a new video produced by the Michigan High School Athletic Association titled, “Coaching Character,” a 10-minute presentation featuring some of the state’s most well-known coaches as well as some of the athletes those coaches influenced during their careers.

The video focuses on coaches as educators, and how they help prepare athletes for the challenges they’ll face in life, not just what they’ll encounter on the playing field.

In an effort to avoid post-game storming of the goalposts, Clemson University has installed hydraulically operated goalposts that are lowered automatically at the end of games. This photo was taken after a Sept. 4 win over Wake Forest University. its goose-neck support rising about four feet above their normal height. Next, both uprights lean forward until they are parallel with the ground.

Then, the posts are lowered by a hydraulic arm until they’re resting flat on the field. The whole process takes just 15 seconds, and security workers keep fans away from the area where the posts are being lowered.

With the units safely on the ground, Clemson fans are free to celebrate on the field and interact with players as usual after games. “By taking them down right away, we remove that challenge and

in their home opener on Sept.

4, the posts collapsed as planned, and Hill says that fans who rushed the field more or less ignored them.

Coaches With Character When Fred Smith, Athletic Director at Comstock (Mich.)

High School, held his preseason coaches’ meeting this fall, he wanted one message to get through loud and clear: The way coaches treat their athletes leaves a life-long impression, and it is more important than the X’s and O’s of a playbook.

“There are a lot of programs on coaching and character,” says Smith.

“But the real strength of ‘Coaching Character’ is that it’s produced by a high school association specifically for high school coaches.

“It’s an in-thetrenches kind of production,” he continues. “The featured coaches are successful coaches who people in Michigan recognize and respect, and who give validity to the message.”

“Coaching Character” is the latest in a series of videos distributed annually by the MHSAA that are designed for schools to use in meetings with student-athletes, coaches, parents, and community members. This year’s offering contains a theme similar to last year’s—differentiating high school sports from other areas of athletics—but addresses it from the coaches’ perspective.

“At no other level of sports do we depend more on our coaches to be actual teachers than we do at the school level,” says Jack Roberts, Executive Director of the MHSAA. “The things that have to happen in school sports to educate youngsters go well beyond the boundaries of the playing field, and the coach is the all-important delivery system of that message. It’s important that our coaches— our teacher-coaches—prepare kids properly, and this video reveals the characteristics that teacher-coaches should have.”

Smith says that after showing the video, he follows up with handouts on building character and holds exercises where he asks the coaches why they became involved with coaching and how athletics have influenced their lives. “One of the exercises we do for example, is ask them to name the last three Heisman Trophy winners or the last four state championship teams,” says Smith. “And as a rule, they generally don’t know the answers.

“Then, I ask them to name someone who has had an impact on their life, or somebody they enjoy spending time with—which they all can do,” he continues. “The point is to emphasize that winning is fleeting and it’s the impact that they have on the athlete’s life that’s going to make a difference. Going 9-0 isn’t as important as developing a good, respectful relationship with their players.”

Though the video is produced for schools in Michigan, its reach extends beyond state borders. Smith, who is also a member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, has shown it at recent NIAAA meetings, stirring up interest elsewhere.

He recently ordered more tapes from the MHSAA and shipped them to a few athletic directors outside of Michigan.

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bulletin board “I enjoy the videos produced by the state associations versus a commercial product,” says Smith. “There’s less propaganda and they cost less. These videos are $10, which includes shipping—which is probably $10 to $20 less than any others I’ve seen on the market.”

The video is available for viewing or purchase on the MHSAA Web site— go to www.mhsaa.com and click the “It’s About Team” icon at the top of the page.

UMass Coach Sidelined By Contract Dispute The annual offseason routine of coaches leaving one school and joining another took a slight detour for one college football coach this spring.

Shortly after taking over as head football coach at the University of Massachusetts, Don Brown was forced to the sideline by Northeastern University, his previous employer.

The reason? Northeastern had filed a lawsuit against Brown and UMass claiming that the coach broke his contract, which ran through 2008. The contract required Brown to receive approval from Northeastern before talking to other schools, and Northeastern said it had denied a UMass request to speak with Brown.

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Another bone of contention was that Brown had agreed to a contract extension with raises for himself and his assistants along with other program enhancements shortly before taking the UMass job. Northeastern also claimed that Brown told Athletic Director Dave O’Brien he had turned down a UMass offer three days before submitting his resignation.

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge then issued a preliminary injunction that prohibited Brown from serving the UMass program in any capacity. “There is no question Brown willfully and intentionally breached his contract with Northeastern,” Judge Thomas E. Connolly wrote in his decision granting the injunction.

“He gave his word to Northeastern and the student-athletes that he was not leaving Northeastern when, in fact, within a day he was cleaning out his room to move to UMass.”

have believed that a contract is a two-way street and should be viewed that way. The court’s decision and statement are reflective of that principle.”

In his statement, UMass Chancellor John V. Lombardi said, “In retrospect, I realize that what we at UMass did was wrong, and certainly could have been handled in a much more constructive and less confrontational manner. We at the University, and Coach Brown, believed that he was free to leave to take another job. Northeastern believed that he had a binding contract with Northeastern. The Superior Court has ruled that the University of Massachusetts was wrong, and that he had a binding contract. We acknowledge that both we and Coach

Brown made mistakes. We apologize to Northeastern University and its students, alumni and supporters of its football program for those errors.”

The Minutemen went 2-1 in their games without Brown, beating Delaware State and Colgate before losing to Richmond. Brown was allowed to coach at practice during the week, but was not allowed to be on the sideline or have contact with the team during the games.

“The worst experience I’ve ever been through,” Brown was quoted as saying by the Boston Globe following the loss to Richmond. “For myself and my family, it was very difficult.”

Connolly also wrote that, “There appears to be no question that UMass actively induced the breach when it had been told of the restriction on Brown’s talking to other potential football employers and of his existing long-term contract with Northeastern.”

The injunction was lifted a few weeks later when both schools agreed to settle the case out of court. As a result of the settlement, Brown and UMass offered public apologies to Northeastern. In addition, UMass suspended Brown for the first three games of the 2004 season and paid Northeastern $150,000 to compensate for costs incurred in hiring a new football staff.

“We are appreciative of Judge Connolly’s decision and his unambiguous support of Northeastern’s position that we had a valid contract with Coach Brown,” O’Brien said in a statement. “All along we

When Don Brown, left, was named Head Coach at the University of Massachusetts, his previous employer, Northeastern University, sued him and UMass for breach of contract. An out-of-court agreement resulted in a three-game suspension for Brown.

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bulletin board Academic Disincentives Coming Closer With the NCAA’s Division I academic reform package of incentives and disincentives adopted, sanctions against teams and institutions that fail to measure up could be assessed as early as the next academic year. But before any figurative penalty flags fly, a roster full of details has to be hashed out.

At the heart of the package are the graduation success rate (GSR) and the academic progress rate (APR). The GSR is designed to measure how many scholarship athletes on individual teams and schoolwide are earning degrees as compared to teams in their sport at other schools and the

overall student population on their own campus. The APR is designed to gauge studentathletes’ progress toward a degree while in school. Cutoffs that would trigger punishments are to be announced after the end of the 2004-05 academic year.

Also to be determined are the incentives and disincentives themselves. Ideas discussed for failings in the GSR have come to be known by the NCAA as “historical penalties,” a term that reflects a failure to meet standards over time. Ideas proposed so far include reductions in scholarships, limits on recruiting, ineligibility for bowl games and NCAA championships, and even restrictions on a school’s status as an Association member. APR failings are known as “contemporaneous penalties” and are likely

to include loss of the ability to award a new scholarship when a student-athlete loses academic eligibility.

Overseeing this process is a committee formed when the Management Council and Board of Directors adopted the reform package in April.

The Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) largely took over the job from the Management Council Working Group on Incentives/Disincentives, which was led by Todd Turner, then Director of Athletics at Vanderbilt University and now Athletic Director at the University of Washington. The CAP is chaired by University of Hartford President Walter Harrison.

When the CAP met with the Working Group this past summer to review where things

stood, several other details were raised: ■

There may be a need to account for varied academic calendars. The NCAA staff was directed to develop ways to handle the differences, which may include weighting scores and establishing different cut-off scores for each type of calendar.

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How to include walk-on student-athletes. The legislation adopted refers to “scholarship student-athletes.”

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In a related matter, the CAP is developing a way to review academic performance at institutions that do not offer athletic financial aid and how to define “recruited student-athlete.”

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bulletin board ■

An idea under study is having institutions who’ve been issued warning letters—the first step toward a penalty— develop and implement an academic recovery plan.

implications have emerged for football coaches and their student-athletes at all levels.

Coupled with previous academic reform measures that required student-athletes to

pleted 40 percent of the coursework required to earn a degree at the new school.

That’s the same continuingeligibility standard as for student-athletes who started at a

“We have to do a better job at the two-year-college level, and even at the high school level, although it’s unfortunate that we’ll have to force these kids into a major,” says Evans

The APR is designed to gauge student-athletes’ progress toward a degree while in school. Cut-offs that would trigger punishments are to be announced after the end of the 2004-05 academic year.

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The CAP will discuss in 2005 whether to have penalties follow coaches who change institutions.

■

Just what rewards there might be for institutions or teams whose student-athletes excel is under review. Previously floated ideas included extra scholarships.

Despite the number of details still to be resolved, some clear

take more core courses in high school and make steady and substantial progress toward a degree once in college, the stakes are higher for players aspiring to reach the next level.

Especially under pressure are two-year college programs and any high school athletes considering them. To transfer to a four-year school and play immediately as a junior, a student has to have com-

four-year school, but a huge jump from the previous transfer requirement, which was 25 percent of degree requirements or 24 transferable credit units, along with having been at the two-year college for two full-year terms. In other words, as soon as they leave high school, athletes need to pick a major that will be able to transfer to a four-year school they hope to eventually attend.

Roderick, Academic Counselor for Student-Athletes at California’s Mount San Antonio College and chairman of the Committee on Two-Year Colleges of the National Association of Academic Advisers for Athletics. “Or we’ll have to get them really working on the exploration so they can make a decision what their major might be.”

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DAN WOOD David Douglas High School, Portland, Ore.

One of 51 coaches selected to attend the 2004 NFL Youth Football Summit, Dan Wood came to Canton having won three conference titles in the past year.

As Head Coach at David Douglas High School in Portland, Ore., Wood supervises the entire football program, and in 2003, the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity teams each won conference championships.

But the three levels of competition at David Douglas have more than just a recent title in common. They’ve got a system in which coaches rotate from one level to another, a work ethic that emphasizes playing with emotion, and a philosophy that demands each studentathlete do the right thing for himself and his teammates.

Wood began his coaching career in 1976 at South Umpqua High School, where he was an assistant

CM: What did you learn from attending the NFL Youth Summit?

DW: The first thing I learned is that the NFL is truly sincere about supporting the youth of our country. Their major focus is on building life skills, and they see football as a positive way to make a difference in people’s lives.

coach in baseball, basketball, and football. After stops at Newberg and West Linn high schools, he came to David Douglas as offensive and defensive line coach in 1986.

In 1990, Wood took over the football program at David Douglas, and 15 years later, three of the assistant coaches who started with him remain. In this interview, Wood talks about his experiences at the NFL Summit, the importance of coaching character, and the lessons he’s learned from coaching his sons—Juston, who played at Portland State University and in the Arena Football League, and Darren, a sophomore offensive lineman at Portland State.

What lessons have you applied so far at David Douglas?

One thing from the NFL summit that I’m implementing this year is the idea of “Choices, Decisions, and Consequences.”

Our entire program, from fourth graders all the way through high school seniors, will be talking about how we face a mil-

lion choices every day. It’s up to each of us to make decisions, and to understand that those decisions are going to have consequences that could be either good or bad.

We ask, “What are some choices you’ve had to deal with this week? What are the

The summit gave us an opportunity to reaffirm that the things we’re doing are putting our kids on the right track. Here at David Douglas, we already spend as much time as we can with our athletes during the course of the day. We’ve set up a study hall every day before practice just for our football players that is staffed by the football coaches. Since we believe it’s important for the kids to connect with their teachers, and it was difficult for them to do so after practice, we bumped our practice back an hour. I’m also fortunate that all of my paid assistant coaches are teachers at the school, and we have a good cross-section of all the different disciplines.

We work hard to communicate with our community and with our athletes’ parents.

We’re open and honest about the fact that we have certain expectations of both the players and their parents. In return, they can expect certain things from us.

It’s a “we” thing, a family thing, and we’re in this to provide the best experience possible for their children, keeping in mind that we want to be successful on and off the field.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

David Douglas High School players celebrate a touchdown. The Scots won Mount Hood Conference titles at the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman levels in 2003.

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decisions you could make, and what are the potential consequences?” One week, we’ll talk about the classroom, and the next week we might talk about staying away from drugs and alcohol. Another week, we might talk about something as simple as improving our practice energy and concentration.

What are your expectations for your players and their parents?

At the beginning of the year, every player receives a handout listing what we expect of them: “To do the right thing. Put family first. Be an achiever. Be a helper. Earn respect. Be trusted. Be committed. Care about others. Display pride, self-discipline, citizenship, honesty, and loyalty in everything you do.” We take the kids through the list, and explain each item in detail, with examples of what we’re talking about, like “Go hard on every rep. Support your teammates. Communicate. Be enthusiastic.

Be coachable. Play with emotion. Show emotional control in what you say and do.”

We also have a parents’ meeting where we go over these expectations so they understand what we’re asking of their children. The biggest expectation we have of parents is that they support their son in a positive way and that they understand their son is trying to do the right thing.

We talk about how a youngster’s value isn’t determined by the amount of time he gets in a game, or if he scores a touchdown. Their kids are trying to please them, and if they want to support their kids, they should understand we’re all doing the best we can.

Football is a vehicle for me to teach things like respect, communication, and maintaining a positive work ethic. It’s my way to help kids do the right thing and to potentially make a difference in these youngsters’ lives. It isn’t always about football—it’s about life skills. We want to teach self-confidence, and we want to raise self-esteem. We want to teach kids how to compete.

We want to win. But football isn’t just about championships, it’s about getting kids to grow, and if you do that, championships will follow.

What can your athletes expect in return from their coaches?

Our coaches are really good at teaching kids, rather than questioning their effort.

Over time, I’ve learned that no player wants to make a mistake, and when they do, it’s important to take time to teach them. Don’t chastise him—show him

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what he did wrong and correct the mistake, but don’t question his integrity.

I see it happen sometimes with young coaches, when they say, “Come on, Johnny! You can do it!” They’re firing him up, and then Johnny doesn’t get it done. So the coach starts taking it personally and says, “Come on, Johnny, you can go harder than that!” He’s challenging Johnny in a way that might question his personal integrity. Because Johnny is thinking, “What do you mean, go harder?

I’m going as hard as I can.”

I’ve heard coaches say, “I’ve told you four times not to step with your right foot!”

nicate with you, and how can you best communicate with teammates? We also talk about trusting each other, the needs of the team, and how we are going to meet those needs.

The kids feel empowered, because this gives them an impact on the direction of our program. It connects our freshmen with our seniors and helps to break down a lot of barriers that come with kids this age.

I also challenge the members of the Leadership Council to do things like going into the cafeteria and introducing themselves to somebody they don’t

“Over time, I’ve learned that no player wants to make a mistake, and when they do, it’s important to take time to teach them. Don’t chastise him—show him what he did wrong and correct the mistake, but don’t question his integrity.”

Well, you know what? If the kid doesn’t get it after you’ve told him four times, you need to find another way to tell him.

Because your job is to teach the kid and give him a chance to do what he wants to do—which is to be successful.

We tell our kids, “When we coach you, and when we correct you, we will always do it with integrity. We do it because we care about you, and if we ask you to do something, it’s because we really believe it’s in your best interest, not to make you feel bad.”

How do you develop leadership in your players?

When the kids come in as freshmen, I have them vote for the top five kids in their class—the people they trust to do the right thing, to be communicators, and to represent them in the decision-making process of our program. With some classes, I’ll keep those groups of five kids all the way to graduation, and with other classes, I might have them vote again if it looks like the chemistry has changed.

These five representatives from each class become our Leadership Council, which meets with me for lunch at least once a week in the offseason. We talk about everything: What makes a good coach?

What makes a good practice? Why do you play? How can coaches best commu-

know. I tell them, “I want you just to tell them who you are, then sit down and ask them some questions about what their interests are. Take five minutes just to introduce yourself to somebody you don’t know. And I want you to get one teammate to do it with you.”

How do you spread the coaching responsibilities among your teams?

I have two coaches—the head junior varsity coach and the assistant head junior varsity coach—stay with the junior varsity program. The defensive backs coach, wide receivers coach, defensive line coach, and offensive line coach also work with the junior varsity kids. We platoon our practices, so when the varsity is doing offensive drills, the defensive line coach and defensive backs coach are with the junior varsity team, coaching the younger kids. Then, when we switch to defensive drills with varsity players, the wide receivers coach and offensive line coach are working with the junior varsity kids.

How do you explain having the freshman team, the junior varsity team, and the varsity team win their conference all in the same year?

Well, there’s always a little bit of luck involved in winning a title. But over the years, I think that having my coaches rotate from one level to the next has made a big difference. This way, the

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coaches get to know the kids, and the younger kids know that they’re being coached by the same coaches in the same way as the varsity kids are at the varsity level. They understand that they are a huge priority to us, regardless of what level they play.

Another big piece is having quality coaches at every level who understand your philosophy, so that the kids are getting a consistent message. Our kids learn how to have a positive work ethic and how to

trust each other. They understand that the person next to them is counting on them to do the best they can, on and off the field. If those things are all in place, and you can get your kids to buy into that, they’re going to play hard.

What did you learn from coaching your sons?

When my kids were little, I asked a friend of mine, “What was the single biggest thing that you had to deal with in coaching your sons?” And he said, “Dan, the

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play the game for the right reasons.

You’re not playing it for your girlfriend or your mother or your father—you’re playing it for yourself and your teammates.

When this game is over, your girlfriend, your mother, and your father are still going to love you. You have to play for the sheer joy of the game.”

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That lesson has carried over to the way I treat the whole team. First, they have to play because it’s important to them.

As their coach, my job is to remove their worry about pleasing Mom and Dad. As a result, I talk to my players about that every week. I tell them, “You have to

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biggest thing is to remember to love them when practice is over.” I learned to communicate with them when we walked off the field, talking about things other than football, so they knew how much I cared about them. Of course I’ve loved my children from day one, but I was probably harder on them than I was on the rest of the team. So I learned to communicate with them, and I learned that when you coach your sons, you’ve got to make sure they’re playing for the right reasons.

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

BY DAVID HILL

When it comes to making strategic decisions during the heat of a game, many coaches prefer the conservative route. But by looking at the numbers more carefully, coaches may find that some “risky� plays can put the odds in their favor and help them win more games.

COVER STORY

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arly in a game during the 2003 season, the Wofford College Terriers faced fourth-and-two near their own 30-yard line. Conventional wisdom made the call a no-brainer: Punt. Yet Head Coach Mike Ayres and his staff opted to try to keep the drive going.

The decision turned out to be a good one. The Terriers got the first down and went on to win the game. As the season progressed, both the bold play calling and winning continued.

Without using against-the-book moves throughout the season, Ayres firmly believes the often outsized Terriers would not have made their surprise run to the Southern Conference title and the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals.

As unconventional as Ayres’ decision appears to the tradition-minded coach —why risk giving your opponents such great field position, especially so early in the game?—it may actually have been the statistically correct call. From a pure probability and statistical stand-point, coaches are often overly conservative when it comes to game-time decisions, according to academicians who have studied the subject. Whether it’s a matter of going for it on fourth-and-short at midfield or trying more on-side kicks, coaches may be surprised to find that the road less traveled often leads to more points.

Typically, these scientific examinations compile data and create elaborate mathematical models to predict results in certain situations. The papers are full of advanced mathematical terms and complex formulas, but for all their academic language and high-level math, these explorations formalize what many coaches do naturally when weighing the possible benefits of a decision against the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Still, these studies show that when all possible outcomes and ensuing ramifications are considered, coaches may be leaving points on the table by always following conventional wisdom.

No one is suggesting that statistics will supplant coaching experience when it comes to make-or-break decisions on the field. Even the most ardent advocates of high-level probability analysis—the mathematicians and economists—know the numbers won’t ever replace a coach’s experience, game planning, and knowl-

edge of his athletes’ capabilities. Football games are played by imperfect beings who can defy statistical odds, both by completing the most unlikely touchdown pass and fumbling the most routine snap from center.

Although the inherent uncertainty of the football field makes it a far different environment than the sterile one of statistical probability, there can be benefits from looking at the odds. In some cases, examining the numbers behind game-day coaching choices may confirm the wisdom of decisions already being made. In other cases, it may lead to different decisions. In either case, it can leave coaches feeling more confident and well prepared.

Numbers Game Not all statistical analysis of football comes from academia. Chris Meidt, Head Coach at St. Olaf College, has been a college football coach for 10 years, including several years as Offensive Coordinator at Bethel College. He also spent two years as an information technology analyst before entering coaching and has a bachelor’s degree in math and an MBA in information sciences.

By applying his math and business knowledge to football, Meidt has found that there’s a lot to be gained from aggressive, against-the-grain play calling. Two-point conversions and surprise on-side kicks are common practice for his teams.

“One year, I think we scored 52 touchdowns and 54 points after touchdown,”

Meidt says. “So we were better than perfect, because we went for two a lot and probably faked a kick once a game. Obviously, we made it more than we didn’t.”

Meidt views the on-side kick, particularly in unexpected situations, as a statistically justifiable call. “We recover about half of our surprise on-side kicks,” he says. “If it’s expected, you’re not going to recover that many.”

Instead of looking at the on-side kick as solely an act of last-minute desperation, Meidt prefers to think about the possible outcomes of an unexpected onside kick and how they compare with the more conventional options. “What is the negative value of a failed surprise on-side kick? Well, you’re giving them great field position,” he says. “But what if you kick it deep and they return it to midfield—is that the same result psychologically? I would argue that even if you don’t recover the on-side kick, you create a lot of tension on the opponent.”

This way of analyzing decisions is the approach taken by mathematicians and economists who look at football problems. Their probability models on onside kicks, two-point conversions, and going for it on fourth down at midfield show that unconventional calls are actually more likely to pay off in the long run than is normally thought.

A few coaches are at least investigating the possibilities. When Harold Sackrowitz’s paper in the academic journal Chance titled “Refining the Point(s)After-Touchdown Scenario” was mentioned in Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, several coaches called him from the collegiate level and the NFL. Sackrowitz—who began examining football decisions from the NFL as example problems for his classes at Rutgers University, where he is a Professor in the Department of Applied and Mathematical Statistics—says he’s seen little evidence of coaches actually following his advice to be more aggressive.

But he’s not surprised.

“The things I’ve worked on, like the two-point conversion, can’t possibly be David Hill is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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learned just by being involved in football because the situations do not come up often enough,” Sackrowitz explains.

“How many times has a coach been in a position where, with 13 minutes left in the game he’s behind by 14 after scoring a touchdown and he’s said, ‘Okay, this time I’ll try going for two’ or ‘This time I’ll try going for one’? Those instances are so rare that you can’t learn from them. But people like me try to develop a model to compute the probabilities of all the things that can happen in order to try to decide the best course of action.

“There are all sorts of possibilities of what your opponent can do and what you can do, and nobody, no matter what they say, can get a model that exactly fits what’s going on,” he continues. “But the model can approximate it. And if what comes

out of the model is an obvious decision, then that’s what you should do.”

Sackrowitz developed a chart designed to guide whether to go for two points after a touchdown or kick the extra point that’s more sophisticated than what is typically used on sidelines (see “One or Two” below). He’s also analyzed such decisions as whether to punt or run another offensive play on fourth down at various spots on the field and with differing amounts of time remaining.

Risk Aversion Punting on fourth down and choosing the PAT are common areas for statistical study. William Krasker, who analyzes decisions in pro games on his Web site, footballcommentary.com, believes

ONE OR TWO?

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f there’s a religious text to be found on football sidelines, it’s the pointafter-touchdown chart that coaches at all levels of the game use to decide whether to kick or attempt a twopoint conversion. And like most religious texts, some people live by it unquestionably, some ignore it, and some use it in their own way.

after he published his own in an academic journal on probability and statistics.

Based on the dynamic programming model of probability analysis, his version consists of a pair of grids, one for when a team that has just scored a touchdown is behind on the scoreboard and one for when it’s ahead, with columns and rows representing point differentials.

“The chart works real well,” says Bob Johnson, Head Coach at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School. “Instead of letting emotion get into it, it tells you to go for one or go for two. I stick with that almost entirely.”

But his table also accounts for how much time is left, expressed in expected remaining possessions. Each square has either a 1 or a 2 or a blank space, which indicates that his probability model didn’t show a clear-cut advantage to either call.

But some coaches question the sanctity of the chart. “Every time someone says, ‘Don’t you have the chart?’ I ask, ‘Well, who made the chart? Why should I believe in someone else’s chart?’” says Chris Meidt, Head Coach at St. Olaf College. “My view is the chart is invalid until the final five minutes of the game, and it’s valid only if you’re not going to score again. I can tell if we’re down by five that we need to run or pass to get within three, or if we’re down by nine that we need to kick to get within eight.

And if I can go up by two scores, why should I just take the point? I can make my own decisions about that.”

After Sackrowitz’s chart was referred to in the mainstream sports media, several coaches showed him their own charts.

“They all know that early in the game is not the same as late in the game,” Sackrowitz says, “so they write little notes to themselves saying, ‘This is a risky situation’ or ‘This is safe.’ They all know that there’s a problem, but I guess they are not able to look at it scientifically.

Harold Sackrowitz, Professor in the Department of Applied and Mathematical Statistics at Rutgers University, has encountered “the chart,” too, especially

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“I’ve had a number of them tell me that they’re satisfied with what they’ve got,” he continues. “And I, of course, think they’re wrong.”

Sackrowitz’s article, including his twopoint/one-point conversion chart, can be downloaded at www.public.iastate. edu/~chance99/133.sackrowitz.pdf

coaches often play it too safe. He bases this assertion on his analysis of the outcomes following certain decisions in actual games.

“Pretty much every time, regardless of the score or time remaining in the game, teams should be going for it on fourthand-one at midfield, yet very few coaches do,” Krasker says. “And most of the time, it makes sense to kick the extra point after a touchdown, but not 99 percent of the time, which is what teams tend to do.”

Krasker appreciates coaches’ reluctance to buck conventional wisdom.

“These problems are complicated,” he says. “You’re talking about a situation in which a coach doesn’t understand how a model like this works and has no way to judge whether it makes any sense. He can be very reluctant, and I understand that.

“Plus, there’s usually not enough incentive to deviate from the conventional wisdom,” he continues. “Let’s be honest: Following the results of my model on every play can increase the probability of winning the game by, maybe, five percentage points. But what does that translate into? Maybe one win every year and a half or two years on average. If coaches ignore it, it’s probably not going to have any big effect on them, so why should they stick their necks out?”

Coaches don’t always have an opportunity to let their decisions even out over the long run. Knowing that the decision to go for a first down will pay off seven times out of 10 offers little consolation the three times it doesn’t work.

“One thing I know: These academics are sitting behind desks figuring these statistics out, and they don’t get fired based on whether they make the twopoint try,” says Bob Johnson, Head Coach at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School. “Coaches lose their jobs on calls like that, and I’m not sure they want to lay it on some statistical thing that some guy in Berkeley figured out. Coaches know their personnel, they know what’s going on at the time, and the fact is they can get fired over a bad decision. That’ll make you conservative real quick.”

In this regard, coaches base many decisions not so much on maximizing potential gains but on avoiding maximum losses. Thus they choose the chipshot field goal instead of going for a first down in the red zone, or they punt instead of going for it on fourth down at midfield.

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COVER STORY

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“In game theory, you’re trying to take a decision, ask what are the possible results of that decision, and then put a value on each outcome,” Meidt says. “For example, if we were to fake a punt from our own 30yard line, we’d look at the odds of success— is it a good time to do it, are they in the right defense, that kind of thing. Then we

look at the value of being successful and what kind of value we would put on not being successful. You have to put all these values together and decide what’s going to give you the optimum value for your decisions.

It doesn’t mean you’re always right, but analytically speaking, you’re looking for what’s going to give you the highest total value.”

This process should sound similar to coaches who dissect opponents’ game film for tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. But Meidt goes a step further by putting that information into numbers and equations.

As a head coach, he doesn’t have the time to go into as much detail as he did as offensive coordinator, but his general approach remains the same.

Of the two main sets of numbers Meidt establishes, one is the value of each possible outcome, which are largely subjective and rated on a scale of 1 to 10. “If we fake a punt and score a touchdown, we would put a 10 on that. If we don’t get it, I’d put a certain number on that, depending on field position. Or we might get a first down out of the fake but not a touchdown. There are

lots of possible outcomes. I’d list all possible outcomes and weight each of them.”

The other main component is the likelihood of each possibility. That is less subjective because it’s based on real outcomes in actual games. Meidt uses statistics from NFL games put into spreadsheets.

Obviously there are differences between the pro game and NCAA Division III, where St. Olaf plays, but Meidt is confident that the frequency of situations and their outcomes is transferable, particularly when adjusted for less consistent college kickers and different clockstoppage rules. If college stats were readily available, Meidt says he’d use them, but they aren’t.

Meidt admits that probability modeling and game theory aren’t for everyone. “You have to enjoy crunching the numbers,” he says.

“It won’t work for people who are scared of numbers, because you’ve got to be pretty analytical.”

CASE STUDY

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His approach wasn’t surprising, given his academic and work background. Meidt has a bachelor’s degree in math with a business minor, and a master of business administration degree in information sciences, and spent more than two years as an information technology analyst before entering coaching.

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To statisticians, these are bad calls because they don’t pay off in the aggregate. But coaches don’t play in the aggregate.

They play one game at a time. “Let’s say it’s fourth-and-one on our 49-yard line, and it’s in the first quarter. You punt the ball and play defense,” says Cecil Flowe, Head Coach at Parkview (Ga.) High School. “You don’t create a chance for the other team to have the momentum swing because of your stupidity. You punt the ball away, make the other team go the length of the field, and hope you get the ball back in good field position.”

This is not to say that all coaches are completely averse to risk. There are times to take chances. The key to recognizing such times is knowing what you and your opponent are capable of and what’s needed in a given situation.

Ayres believes that his team, often outmatched athletically because of a small student body, rigorous academic demands, and a highly competitive conference, has more to gain by taking chances, including unorthodox calls early in a game. “Our philosophy is to go for it on fourth down whenever it’s reasonable,” Ayres says. “Sometimes people say our expectation of ‘reasonable’ is a little high, but that’s helped us win.”

Ayres hastens to add that players recognize risky play calling when they see it, so the coaching staff helps them understand what the coaches are thinking. “We let them know early on that philosophically we want to be aggressive in the kicking game, on defense, and on offense,” he says. “When you explain that’s going to be the mentality, they all understand.”

Facing a stronger team, even the conservative Flowe might opt to go for it on fourth down more often, especially after he’s had time to assess how his squad is playing. “After your defense plays three or four sets, you can better judge how they’re going to be able to handle the opposing team,” he says. “Then you have some decisions to make when you get a fourth down on the 50-yard line. Sometimes you know, ‘We need to roll the dice right here. We need to go for it.’”

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Other Benefits Tactical decision making has room for the math-focused and the math-phobic, the play-it-safers and the gunslingers.

A math major in college, Tim McGuire, Head Coach at Indiana State University, says that instead of using true probability analysis, he relies, as many coaches do, on finding trends in opposing teams and designing game plans with that information. Breaking things down to find that in “x” situation, the other team lines up in “y” formation, and runs play “z” 90 percent of the time is the sort of mathematical analysis that can help a coach make tactical decisions.

“The math helps you prepare,” says McGuire. “You can’t be haphazard in your thinking. And math creates order in your thinking.”

As someone who often takes it to the extreme, Meidt says the real value of probability analysis isn’t always in the actual decisions. The benefit, he says, comes from having thought about what could happen and how likely each outcome might be before the situation arises.

“It really helps if you’ve thought through those decisions before you get to crunch time,” he says. “Plus, it’s a blast, especially if it’s something you love doing, like football. It gives you a reason for what you decide. If nothing else, it gives you confidence, which is a big benefit for any coach.” ■

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OFF THE FIELD

Good Connections No matter your communications system, your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

D

BY DR. DAVID HOCH

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MURPHY

uring a lull at one of your games, you may occasionally look up and see me, the athletic director, in the stands. And you may wonder, what exactly is he watching? What exactly does he do, besides making sure the officials get paid?

I am the consummate “behind-thescenes” guy, and like most athletic directors, I enjoy that role. I perform a wide variety of tasks, from checking athletes’ eligibility forms to writing up coaching evaluations to answering phone calls from parents. No two days are alike for me, except in the fact that every day is extremely busy.

Although much of my day is spent behind my desk, the goal behind everything I do is helping all my coaches perform their jobs better. That’s really why I’m here. When a coach does something wrong, my job is stressful. When a coach does something right, my job is the best in the world.

But I can only help coaches avoid the mistakes and develop into better coaches when they partner with me—when they understand my job and my role.

In this article, I’d like to share some tips on how to develop a partnership

with your athletic director and how to make that relationship work to your benefit.

Expectations The first thing you need to know about your athletic director is his or her expectations. Obviously, if you’re a veteran coach at an NCAA Division I university these are going to be very different than if you are a first-year coach at a small high school. But as a general guideline, I’d like to share what I expect from my coaches.

Good Role Model: Because you are a hugely important figure in many young people’s lives, your actions and choices in all situations must be at the top of the

David Hoch, EdD, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School, in Baltimore County, Md. He is the former Athletic Director at Eastern Technical High, also in Baltimore, and was named the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2000.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

33

OFF THE FIELD

ethical score chart. I expect my coaches to have integrity, be dependable, possess emotional control, and have compassion. I also expect them to set high standards and be consistent and fair. At all times, I need them to exhibit the characteristics we are proud to see in our student-athletes.

Educational Environment: Athletics is successful only when it has educational value. Winning is secondary. I expect my coaches to focus on helping young people mature into adults—to help our student-athletes contribute to team goals,

student-athletes the nuances of good sportsmanship and praise it at every turn.

Adherence to Policies: What many coaches don’t understand is that administrative chores are a part of their coaching responsibilities. When they don’t follow through on gathering each athlete’s parental permission, medical, and informed consent forms, there can be ramifications. First off, it forces me to spend my time chasing down these forms—giving me less time to communicate with my coaches. Second, late forms can mean the suspension of practice ses-

AN INEFFECTIVE AD This article assumes that your athletic director is a professional, dedicated, hard-working leader. But what if your athletic director is not a good supervisor? Then how do you get what you need?

Above all, step carefully. It is important to understand that this poorly functioning athletic director is still your boss and you need to be careful about circumventing the chain of command. In other words, do not use parents or athletes as a wedge to enact change. These techniques could totally backfire and you could be branded as a malcontent or a troublemaker.

What you can do, to start, is keep good records. Retain copies of everything you turn in, such as eligibility forms, budget

learn to work hard, persevere, and experience life-long lessons through their athletic participation.

I also expect my coaches to remain positive. Not that a coach can’t ever yell, but I really believe that positive, encouraging coaches are best for our kids.

Heck, even adults react better to this approach than they do to criticism.

Sportsmanship: Quite often, coaches are totally unaware of the impact they have on the behavior of their players and fans at a game. Yelling at officials gives license to the players and fans to do the same.

If there is a need to question a call, I expect our coaches to do it in a composed, professional manner. A coach should always extend respect and courtesy not only to officials, but also to the opposing team. He or she should teach 34

COACHING MANAGEMENT

requests, inventories, and tournament entries, and use e-mail or take notes on your communication with your athletic director. This ensures that you have proof of your professionalism and also allows you to document those times when your athletic director has not followed through.

At all times, it is still best to maintain a positive, loyal front with respect to your athletic director and continue to be courteous and respectful. You might need to repeatedly ask the athletic director if he or she has remembered to turn in that tournament eligibility form, but do it politely. You might even ask the athletic director if there’s a way you can help him or her. Remember, you will always be judged by your actions, even in difficult situations.

sions, fines, or even disqualifications and forfeits for the school.

Another important policy to follow is attending rules interpretation meetings.

Athletic directors get a list of any coaches who have missed these meetings, and believe me, we pay attention to who doesn’t show up.

Coaches who don’t follow directions, turn in forms late or complete them incorrectly, or don’t follow a policy of our department are my biggest headache. If you want your athletic director to support and respect you, pay attention to your administrative duties.

Professional Growth: It is a given that you know the basic techniques and strategies involved in your sport. But I expect my coaches to add to these basics every year by taking charge of their own professional development.

First, they have to understand and buy into the premise that learning is a life-long pursuit. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have— there is always something else you can learn. I attended at least one clinic in each of my 24 years of coaching, and always came away with a new idea or a different way of teaching something. Now that I am an administrator, even though I have a doctorate in sports management and many years of experience, I am still attending seminars, taking courses, and reading professional publications in athletic administration. Our programs and athletes deserve that much.

What can you do besides attend clinics and seminars? I encourage our coaches to take the NFHS Coaching Principles Course (and consider going on to complete the NFHS Bronze Level national certification program), work at summer camps, read professional coaching publications or books, watch coaching videos, and attend college teams’ practice sessions.

Enthusiasm: While it is essential for sports that are struggling to attract participants, I like “Pied-piper” individuals for even the most popular teams. This is a coach who is not only positive, but also exudes enthusiasm and energy—someone young people are attracted to. This should not imply, however, that they don’t run a tight ship or don’t employ discipline.

Naturally, like all coaches, you also want to win. I want our teams to win, too.

But, my directive is to make sure that educational objectives are being met in the athletic program. That is my job description and that is my priority. That is what I’m watching for. However, if you excel in the above six areas, I can assure you, winning will take care of itself.

Beyond these basics, ask your own athletic director what other expectations he or she has. At some schools, your athletic director might want you to get involved with local youth programs in your sport. At others, he or she might want you to help your athletes get college scholarships, start an off-season conditioning program, fund-raise, or run a summer camp. If you don’t know, ask.

Sometimes, an athletic director assumes you know the expectations of your school, but if you’re new, you can’t know its history and culture. Asking your athletic director what is at the top

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of his or her list of athletic department goals can help start your partnership on the right foot.

Communication The question a new athletic director most frequently poses to a veteran one is, “Do you ever see your family?” This is important for you to know because while I’ve suggested you start a dialogue with your athletic director on expectations, you also need to know that he or she doesn’t have an hour to discuss the topic.

He or she probably doesn’t even have a half-hour to do so. But a 15-minute conversation is doable, respected, and appreciated.

Therefore, a key part of partnering with your athletic director is knowing how to communicate with him or her.

Here are some tips: ■ If you want to talk for more than a couple of minutes, try to set up an appointment instead of just popping in for a visit. That way, your athletic director can arrange to meet at a time that will be free of other obligations.

Of course, if it is an emergency, come on in.

■ If you know there have been other problems that the athletic director is handling, hold off on scheduling your meeting. Timing really is everything.

With another problem looming, your athletic director may not be able to give you the attention that you deserve.

■ Get a feel for when your athletic director’s down times are. Some may prefer early mornings, before the first bell rings, and others may like early afternoons, right before practices start.

Get to know your athletic director’s talking times.

■ Use e-mail. This advice is not universal, but, for me, e-mail is by far the most efficient, expedient form of communication. Regardless of when something happens, your message will be there waiting for me in the morning. It is, therefore, especially important that the coach fill in an accurate subject line that, when coupled with the sender’s name, leads me to which messages I deal with first in the morning. An e-mail also allows me to easily save or forward your message.

Communicating well with your athletic director also means knowing what to discuss and what not to discuss. I don’t need to know how every practice is going or what your next game plan is.

But I do want to know if a problem has arisen, or if you sense one is looming. I also love to hear about your successes.

The number one rule is: Always inform your athletic director immediately if there has been an injury at a practice session or game. Tell me the name of the athlete, the injury, how it happened, how it was handled, and if the parent has been notified. No one likes to be caught off guard when that phone rings with, “What happened to my son?”

It is important to let me know about any potential problems. If a parent voices even a small complaint, if you think upperclass athletes may not be welcoming newcomers, if any type of hazardous situation has arisen, if the athletes seem to be disrespecting your approach—I need to know. Coaches sometimes don’t want to tell their athletic directors that

SHOW YOUR STRENGTHS If you’re a conscientious coach, good things are happening in your program every day. Why not let your athletic director know about them? This can work wonders for furthering your partnership.

Here are some ways to let your athletic director know you’re doing a good job—which are not time consuming for you or your athletic director: ■

■

Forward or copy any congratulatory and thank you notes that you receive. You can simply write a little note on the top, “Thought you might be interested.”

Tell your athletic director about the clinics you have attended and your other professional development activities.

36

COACHING MANAGEMENT

something may not be going right for fear of seeming incompetent. However, my job is to help you through problem situations. If you tell me before it gets big, I can help you find solutions that complement your coaching style. But if you don’t tell me about the problem and it gets bigger, then I may have to step in and resolve the situation my way.

Even if you know the solution you want to use, relay your thoughts to me.

Maybe there’s a way I can reinforce what you’re trying to do.

Of course, tell me any problems that are my responsibility, too. If the bus driver gets you to a game late, let me know the first time this happens—don’t wait for the second or third time.

And because I mainly deal with fixing problems, I truly appreciate any and all good news. Brighten my day by talking about one of our students’ display of sportsmanship, your team’s mastery of a complicated play, or a teachable moment that happened at your day’s practice.

What do I not want to communicate about? Criticism and complaints are what I can do without. Suggestions and new solutions are wonderful, but complaining about something that we’ve already discussed or simply can’t be changed is tiresome and does little to enhance a coach’s value to the athletic department.

The Benefits You might wonder, “Why is it so important to keep my athletic director in the loop? I can handle my own team.

How will it help me?” There are three

■

Invite your athletic director to visit practice when you’re discussing team goals or when your athletes want to show off something they’ve just mastered.

■

Send an e-mail about a solution you found to a problem that your athletic director might send on as advice to the rest of the coaching staff.

■

Complete a self-evaluation at the conclusion of your season. Talk about some of the goals you accomplished that your athletic director may not be aware of.

Let your athletic director hear about all of the good, positive things that you are doing with your program!

You will be surprised at what good, positive resources you receive in return.

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NOW I KNOW What do I wish that I had known when I was a coach that I now know as an athletic director? Hundreds of things, but you can’t rush or inject experience.

Sometimes you just have to learn things yourself and this takes time.

However, if I could condense this process, I wish that I'd known: Coaches have great influence upon the sportsmanship that a team and even the fans exhibit. Athletes and fans do indeed follow a coach’s lead.

■

A positive, encouraging approach with your athletes will get the best results. Fear and intimidation may provide short-term results, but will not work in the long run.

■

It is vital to make and spend time with your family. Fortunately, mine still loves me, but I missed a great deal while I was coaching other parents’ children.

■

ways that developing a partnership can benefit you as a coach.

First, it puts you on my radar. I try to be in tune with everyone in my program, but to be honest, those coaches who communicate with me effectively are the ones I think of first when a new opportunity arises.

Being on my radar helps when you have a request. If you’ve already communicated that you’re working extremely hard to upgrade your program, I will pay more attention to your request for additional resources.

Being in tune with what I’m doing can also help you promote your program. For example, at my former school, I put out a weekly department update. I already knew the opponents, the final scores, the leading scorers, and other standard details. However, coaches who were on the ball would also e-mail me some quotes or comments about the game. Then, their team would get a longer write-up and more

prominent placement in the weekly update.

Communicating with your athletic director also gives you an on-hand mentor. Most of us are athletic directors because we were successful coaches, and just because we didn’t coach your sport doesn’t mean we can’t help.

Unless a coach is compromising the health and safety of our student-athletes, I seldom will offer unsolicited advice about coaching. However, if asked, I am happy to open up my 24year book of coaching experience and take the time to help. I’m also available to help with ideas for dealing with parents, planning practice sessions, helping college-bound athletes with recruiting, and numerous other things.

My primary responsibility as an athletic director is to serve as the coach of coaches. Just as athletes need direction and mentoring by coaches, so do most coaches need help from an experienced athletic director. I’m very glad to help, if you only ask. ■

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STRENGTH TRAINING

Small School, Big Muscles

BY JOEY SOLTIS

Facing limited resources and time with their players, Bridgewater College coaches developed an efficient strength and conditioning program that has helped make the Eagles a leading NCAA Division III team.

O

ver the last four years, the Bridgewater College football team has become one of the country’s top NCAA Division III programs. The Class of 2004 finished with a combined 45-6 record that included four straight NCAA playoff appearances, two South Region Championships, and an appearance in the national championship game. One reason for our success has been the players’ commitment to the strength and conditioning program.

Like most Division III schools, we have limited resources and space available. One of our goals from a strength and conditioning standpoint is to not let any of these limitations keep us from fully developing our athletes.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have a strength and conditioning facility dedicated to student-athletes. (There is a new fitness facility for the general student body elsewhere on campus.)

And contributions from our football alumni have helped transform our Joey Soltis is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Wide Receivers Coach at Bridgewater College in Virginia.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

41

STRENGTH TRAINING

weightroom from a place with old Universal machines and a few bench presses into a very effective weightroom with no shortage of weights, platforms, and power racks.

However, the football team does share the weightroom with other student-athletes at our school, and the facility is usually pushed to its maximum limits. In addition, we have less mandatory practice time at the Division III level, thus less time to work with our players. Therefore, when developing a strength and conditioning plan for our football players, we pay close attention to scheduling, constructing efficient workouts, and figuring out how to motivate players without using a lot of handson supervision.

Scheduling & Space During the spring and summer of 2004, we had 115 football players in our off-season program. In order to effectively deal with such a large number of

TABLE 1

players, we utilize several strategies.

First, to keep lifting groups small, we organize hour-long time slots during the day for athletes to receive supervised instruction. We begin sessions at 11 a.m. and go every hour thereafter. If they can’t make any of those sessions, they can come in at 6:30 a.m. Either myself or my assistant is always present to supervise the group.

We also try to fully utilize our weightroom space when designing training programs. We do this by splitting our team into Cardinal lifters (beginner level) and Gold lifters (advanced level), with each group having a different emphasis at different times. For instance, on Monday, the Cardinal group will emphasize upper-body pushing movements while the Gold group will emphasize the lower body and upper-body pulling movements.

To perform agility and speed development work during the winter, we utilize our rubberized hallways. In this

PRESEASON STRENGTH WORK The following plan is for our linemen during their last phase of summer workouts before reporting to training camp.

MONDAY Jump Rope Abs, 50-100 reps Clean & Jerk, 5x3 Bench Press (cycle) WEEKS 1-3: Close Grip Rack Lockout, 6” lockout, 3x3 Lying Triceps Extensions with Curl Bar, 1x15, 1x12, 1x10 Straight Bar Curls, 3x10 WEEKS 4-6: Incline Dumbbell Bench, 3x5 Bodyweight Dips, 35 reps Incline Dumbbell Curls, 3x8 Neck Machine, 10 reps Bar Hang, 1:00-1:30

WEEKS 1-3: Lateral Squat, 1x6 Speed Squat (50% of Max), 4x5 Pull-Ups (vary grip), 3x5-10 WEEKS 4-6: Snatch Squat, 2x5 Box Step-Ups, 3x5 (each leg) Barbell Lunges, 2x5 Explosive Dumbbell Core Rows, 3x8 Calf Raises, 20 reps

THURSDAY Dot Drills Abs, 50-100 reps Snatch, 4x3 Bench Press (cycle)

Speed Ladder Abs, 50-100 reps Split Squat & Press

WEEKS 1-3: Alternating Dumbbell Bench, 3x5 Weighted Dips, 4x6 Dumbbell Curls, 3x8

WEEKS 1-4: 3x4 (each leg) WEEKS 5-6: 2x3 (each leg) Power Clean (cycle) Clean Pulls (cycle)

WEEKS 4-6: Plate Raises from Squat Position, 2x10

TUESDAY

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

One-Arm Core Press, 3x6 Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extensions, 6x8 (15 sec. rest) Straight Bar Curls, 1x15, 1x12, 1x10 Farmer’s Walk, 1:15-1:30 min.

Neck Machine, 10 reps

FRIDAY Jump Rope Abs, 50-100 reps Push Jerk Warm Up, 3 reps WEEKS 1-2: 5x3 WEEK 3:: 3x3, 3x2 WEEK 4: 3x3, 1x2, 3x1 WEEK 5:: 4x3 WEEK 6: 3x3, 1x2, 2x1 Squat (cycle) WEEKS 1-3: Dumbbell Rows, 3x8 Stiff-Legged Deadlift, 2x10 WEEKS 4-6: Lat Pulldowns, 3x10 Glute Ham Raises, 2x10 OR Reverse Hyperextensions, 2x10 Calf Raises, 20 reps

limited space, we perform drills such as pro shuttles, tennis ball drops, arm action drills, speed ladder drills, resisted speed drills, and start drills. One of our resisted speed-drill adaptations is performing belt starts instead of harness starts. Using practice-pants belts, we are able to have a resisted start without the extra expense of purchasing harnesses.

Because off-season work is voluntary in Division III, communication between the head coach and me is important. By maintaining consistent communication, the head coach has a better understanding of who is putting forth the effort needed to improve. Since the head coach is aware of their weekly performance, the players see the strength and conditioning program as a high priority. Thus, they are less likely to miss workouts and more motivated to exert maximum effort each week.

Olympic Lifts Here at Bridgewater, we mainly focus on explosive Olympic lifts and their variations. Since we started emphasizing these lifts six years ago, our players have become more explosive and more successful on the field.

As a general rule, we have found that athletes in Division III do not have the hip mobility of Division I athletes. Therefore, we perform about 90 percent of the power movements from the floor. By performing lifts such as power cleans instead of hang cleans and adding hip mobility drills such as hurdle drills to the training regimen, we have fewer “stiff hipped” players than before we incorporated these exercises.

We also like Olympic lifts and their variations because complex movements allow us to incorporate multiple body parts at once. This allows us to more effectively use our limited time and space. For instance, some of the lifts we frequently perform are the clean and jerk, snatch squats, split squat and press, and the power clean-front squat combination. All of these lifts also enable our players to learn better body control.

We break our training year into five phases. The first phase generally consists of a six-week cycle that

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STRENGTH TRAINING

TABLE 2

PRESEASON CONDITIONING WORK

MONDAY PRE-WORKOUT High Knees Walking Toe Touches “B” Skips Low Shuffle Form Starts, 5 sets x 10 yd.

Jump Rope Abs POST-WORKOUT WEEKS 1-2: 3 x 400s (Rest 2:50 between sprints) 4 x 200s (Rest 1:30 between sprints & 2:00 after last 200) 5 x 110s (Rest 45 sec. between sprints) 6x 40s (Rest 15 sec. between sprints) WEEKS 3-4: 14 x 110s (Rest 45 sec. between sprints) WEEKS 5-6: 16 x 110s (Rest 45 sec. between sprints)

TUESDAY PRE-WORKOUT Walking Knee Hugs Butt Kicks Power Skips For Height Carioca Position Starts, 5 x 10 yd.

Speed Ladder, 6 sets Abs

TABLE 3

POST-WORKOUT Half Moons, 5 each way Circles, Individual & Chase, 4 sets each Figure Eights, 4 sets Tennis Ball Drills, 3 sets Punch Drill (upper body) Hip Mobility - Hurdles (cycle)

THURSDAY PRE-WORKOUT High Knees Walking Toe Touches "B" Skips Power Skips For Distance Form Starts, 5 sets x 10 yd.

Dot Drills, 4 sets x 15 sec.

Abs POST-WORKOUT WEEKS 1-2: 11 x 110s (Rest 45 sec. between sets) WEEKS 3-4: Pattern Run Speed Pack Four-Quarters (Arm Action Drill) WEEK 5: 18 x 110s (Rest 45 sec. between sets) WEEK 6: Pattern Run Speed Pack Four-Quarters (Arm Action Drill) Hip Mobility-Hurdles (cycle)

FRIDAY PRE-WORKOUT Walking Toe Touches Walking Knee Hugs Low Shuffle Position Starts, 5 x 10 yd.

Jump Rope, 1:30 Abs POST-WORKOUT WEEKS 1-2: Cone Drills Four-Corner Drill Butterflies Iron Cross Figure Eights 90-Degree Power Cut Get Up and Sprint, 5 sets Punch Drill (cycle) WEEKS 3-4: Pattern Runs (speed cuts, power cuts, spins) Circles-Individual & Chase (4 sets each) Punch Drill (cycle) WEEKS 5-6: Cone Drills Four-Corner Drill Butterflies Iron Cross Figure Eights 90-Degree Power Cut Get Up and Sprint, 5 sets Punch Drill (cycle)

AWARD LEVELS

POSITION

LEVEL

SQUAT

BENCH

POWER CLEAN TOTAL

Linemen

Iron Eagle Gold Cardinal

500 450 420

330 315 290

290 280 255

1120 1045 965

TE, FB, LB

Iron Eagle Gold Cardinal

465 410 380

315 300 270

285 270 240

1065 980 890

S, TB

Iron Eagle Gold Cardinal

415 380 355

275 260 240

255 240 225

945 880 820

QB, WR, CB, K

Iron Eagle Gold Cardinal

390 365 340

260 235 220

250 235 215

900 835 775

44

COACHING MANAGEMENT

begins in January when the studentathletes return from semester break. During this phase, they lift four days a week and do agility and acceleration drills twice a week.

After completing this phase, we test each player.

The second phase begins after the student-athletes return from spring break. Again, this is generally a six- to seven-week cycle with four days of lifting. However, we begin to incorporate more agility work as well as speed development work twice a week. Upon the completion of this phase, we test our athletes before giving them the two-week exam period off.

The third phase, consisting of the next six weeks, marks the start of our summer workouts. In addition to our lifting and agility work, we begin to add sprint conditioning drills twice a week.

We become more position specific in the workouts during the fourth phase, which covers the last six weeks of summer before our players report. Skill players lift weights three days a week and perform sprint conditioning and agility drills five days a week. Linemen, tight ends, and linebackers maintain their previous workout regimen. We test our players when they return from summer break at the end of this phase.

Most of our players do not stay on campus during the summer, so we don’t introduce any new lifts during the third and fourth phases.

Many of our athletes use the strength training facilities at their former high schools while home for summer. If they can’t, we work with them to find an appropriate workout venue. We find they are self-motivated to complete the work, since it helps determine whether they will win a starting spot in the fall.

Tables One and Two provide an example of how we prepare our linemen for the final six weeks leading up to the camp reporting date.

We use a variety of explosive lifts in addition to our core lifts consisting of the power clean, squat, and bench press to peak our athletes’ strength and power for the upcom-

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STRENGTH TRAINING

ing season. We also work in hand-speed drills to reinforce hand placements and generate punching power and upper body endurance. Hip mobility drills are another important area we try to address throughout this phase.

The fifth phase is our in-season work.

Our top 60 players lift twice a week, while the other players lift three days a week. The extra day of lifting is designed to help those players develop enough strength and power to be effective on the field.

Motivational Tools One of the best motivational tools we use at Bridgewater College is our award level system. We test our players in three lifts—the squat, bench press, and power clean—then categorize them by their scores. We group the players by position and have four award levels for each position (see Table Three on page 44).

Our first award level is the Cardinal level. These numbers represent the minimum amount of weight we think a player should be able to lift to be competitive. A

player must meet these requirements in all three lifts to achieve Cardinal status. If they don’t reach Cardinal status, we keep working with them until they do.

Our next award level is the Gold level. This level encompasses players who generally are able to make a bigger contribution to the program. As a player approaches the Gold level, his playing time usually increases. In order to achieve Gold level status, a player must reach Gold level in two exercises as well as the total. We do this to acknowledge progress and to ensure we get explosive athletes, not just bench pressers.

The Iron Eagle level is reached when a player meets the Iron Eagle requirement in one exercise and the total. Players who

The Gold level encompasses players who generally are able to make a bigger contribution to the program.

As a player approaches the Gold level, his playing time usually increases. In order to achieve Gold level status, a player must reach Gold level in two exercises as well as the total. We do this to acknowledge progress and to ensure we get explosive athletes, not just bench pressers. achieve this level tend to become starters and often reach all-conference status.

And finally, our last award level is called Super Iron Eagle. To reach this level the athlete must achieve the Iron Eagle requirements for all three lifts.

Players who achieve this award level— almost to a man—are starters and many reap postseason honors. The players who have achieved Super Iron Eagle status include numerous all-conference players and All-Americans as well as school record holders in passing, rushing, receiving, and total yardage. Thus, it is evident our strength and conditioning strategies have been effective in producing game results, not just weightroom numbers. ■ Request No. 129

46

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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What To Do After The Season Is Over

by Miklos Horvath, CSCS Watching game films. Scouting next week's team. Adding new offensive sets. With so many things to get done, time is a limited resource for all coaches. Coaches cannot afford to spend time during pre-season trying to get the players in shape. Because of this, athletes need to be physically prepared before camp. For that to happen, a majority of training must be done during the off-season. This makes a yearround training approach absolutely essential.

Technically speaking, the post-season training program begins after the last game of the regular season. Although it may be tough to think about next year at this time, it is important to commit to a start date for off-season training. Furthermore, this date needs to be communicated to all players before they leave for the summer.

At the end of the season, athletes are physically and mentally exhausted and need a chance to recover. The post-season can be summed up in one word - rest. Injuries need to be properly cared for and given a chance to heal. This rest period is also important in the prevention of overtraining, a common condition that can prevent optimal performance. Many variables determine the length of recovery, but two weeks minimum is ideal. The length can vary depending on the level of play (high school versus collegiate), extent of the player's injuries and whether or not the athlete participates in other sports.

Once the post-season recovery has concluded, the focus should turn to the off-season program. Many components comprise off-season training, although here we will concentrate on the strength and conditioning component.

Begin by building a foundation of strength and muscular balance. Think of this foundation as the starting point for the development of the total athlete. Movements during this foundation period do not need to be football-specific movements; they can be general strength exercises. A majority of the exercises should be basic exercises like the deadlift, squat, bench press, pull up and core (abdominal and lower back) exercises. Complement these exercises with single joint movements such as hamstring curls, calf raises, shrugs and tricep extensions to ensure proper muscular balance. Additional exercises to strengthen the neck, hands, wrists and ankles should be added in as needed.

Make sure that each athlete works on weak links in his/her biomechanical chain. For instance, an athlete with a history of hamstring injuries may need to perform extra exercises that isolate the knee flexor group. Also, if there is a muscular imbalance between the left and right halves of the body, incorporate more uni-lateral (independent) exercises. This can be accomplished using free weights or equipment that allows independent movement. Consistently trying to eliminate the athlete's weakest area can help to reduce potential injuries.

The highest training volume, which is the number of sets multiplied by the repetitions, occurs during the off-season.

A split routine, such as alternating days of lower and upper body, allows shorter, more intense workout sessions. The

total number of exercises can vary greatly because of the age and experience of the athletes as well as access to the equipment and available time. Sets should be kept between two to three and repetitions at 10 to 15. Recovery times should be relatively short at approximately 60 seconds. This type of exercise prescription encourages muscle hypertrophy, overall body strength and connective tissue strength.

The other key off-season component, cardiovascular training, is often misunderstood. The mistaken belief is that running endless miles is the best way to train for football. This could not be further from the truth, especially during the off-season.

Although a good aerobic base predicates other advanced training modalities such as interval training, the aerobic base needed is fairly minimal. Aerobic capacity can be maintained with as little as one to two sessions per week of any type of cardiovascular work. Any more than this actually can inhibit strength, hypertrophy and speed development. In addition, excessive running can increase the risk of overuse injuries in the knees, hips and lower back.

Off-season cardiovascular training should include more lowimpact activities. Swimming, cycling and cardiovascular machines including steppers and elliptical trainers should comprise a majority of the cardiovascular program. This cross training approach allows an athlete to train in a much more effective way. By keeping the impact down, stress is reduced throughout the joints, and overuse injuries are minimized because movement patterns are varied. Athletes can train more intensely because of a reduction in adverse effects. As the start of the next season approaches, higher impact activities like running should be gradually added to the program.

The "how" of cardiovascular training is just as important as the type of activity. Keeping this in mind, we need to question some of our traditional training approaches. Why train athletes by running for 20, 30 or even 40 minutes? How many times does a player run for 30 minutes non-stop in a football game? On the other hand, think of how many times a player runs for five seconds and rests for 20 seconds?

Football consists of a series of short burst followed by rest.

This type of activity stresses the short-term energy systems, mainly the ATP-CP and lactic acid systems. To train the short-term or anaerobic system, specific rest-to-work ratios need to be followed. A rest-to-work ratio should be at least a 3:1 and may be as high as a 5:1. For instance, a 10-second sprint should be followed by at least 30 to 50 seconds of recovery. Anything shorter than a 3:1 ratio will train the aerobic system, a system that supplies less than 10 percent of the energy required for football.

Miklos Horvath has a bachelor’s degree in exercise from Michigan State University. He is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Director of Health and Fitness at the Healthplex Sports Club in Springfield, PA. Miklos has been certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and as a Personal Trainer. Miklos has worked with numerous collegiate and professional athletes to enhance athletic performance and is a member of the Life Fitness Academy.

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AFCA Mini Bay 10

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

CLAY JACKSON

WINNING THEM OVER CLAY JACKSON

Before setting a Kentucky record with five consecutive state titles, Head Coach Chuck Smith had to convince Boyle County High School’s best athletes to play football.

BY DENNIS READ 50

COACHING MANAGEMENT

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

“The program wasn’t too successful when we started here in 1992,” he says.

“Our plan to change that involved, first of all, getting the best athletes in the school to play football. At that time, they were focused on basketball and baseball—football just wasn’t important to them. Since I felt the kids in the high school had already made up their minds, I started recruiting out of our own school district by having youth camps for kids in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades as well as middle school.”

It took a while for Smith’s plan to work. The Rebels went 18-16 with only one winning season during his first three years on the job. But they followed with 32 wins over the next three years. And in 1999, Boyle County went 15-0 and won its first state title. They repeated as Class AA champs in 2000 before moving up to Class AAA and winning state titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Their five consecutive state titles are a record in Kentucky.

“It was a long, hard battle, and it didn’t happen overnight,” Smith says.

“The plan also required hiring a good coaching staff and getting the community more involved in our football program. It was also important that we had a supportive administration. Fortunately, it all came together.”

Smith has had two key members of his coaching staff, Assistant Head Coach Chris Pardue and Strength and Conditioning Coach Chuck Miller, with him throughout the entire 13 years.

Offensive Line Coach Chris Mason has been with the team 11 years.

“The longer you’re together, the more you know about each other,”

Smith says. “They know what’s expected of them as assistant coaches, and they know what to expect from me as a head coach. We’re all really good friends, and that also helps a lot. We respect each other and share the same philosophy about how the game of football should be played.”

For Smith, one of the keys to keeping a consistent staff is giving his assistant coaches a lot of responsibility. “I like to give my assistants the freedom to coach,” Smith says. “We talk about philosophy and what we want to accomplish in terms of plays and strategy, and I expect them to show results.

Since we share the same goals, and they expect it of themselves, I don’t have to push them. I’ve never had a problem with one of them not carrying their load.”

The numbers show the success Boyle County has enjoyed. During their five-year title run, the Rebels went 73-2, including a 47-game winning streak that was snapped three games shy of the state record. The Rebels have twice averaged more than 50 points per game for a season (53.1 in 2000 and 50.9 in 2001), and the 2000 team averaged 476.9 yards per game, second best in Kentucky history. In 2001, quarterback Jeff Duggins was named Kentucky’s Mr. Football after throwing for 2,524 yards and 40 touchdowns.

This kind of success makes the Boyle County game the biggest one of the year on most opponents’ schedules. “Everybody is out to get you,” Smith says. “We watch a team on tape from their two previous games, and say to ourselves, ‘This team isn’t doing “X” very well,’ but when they play us, they do ‘X’ very well. It’s because they’re playing their best game. That’s a challenge for our kids to face, but it makes us better down the road.”

How else does Smith ensure his players don’t take winning for granted? “We stay on them a lot if we think our players are getting overconfident,” Smith says. “Our practices are tough, and when they’re not meeting the challenge, they do a lot of extra running. As a coach, I try to make them understand that everybody is going to play their best game against us, so we have to play our best game. And each

year, we’ve had a bunch of good seniors who have responded to that.”

Smith spends a lot of time developing those seniors into leaders. “We really allow the seniors to guide the team,” he says. “We discuss how to respond to certain things, like a difficult practice. We also talk about how the other players are looking to see how they react when a coach gets on them. Fortunately, we’ve had some very good leaders, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

When Chuck Smith, Head Football Coach at Boyle County High School in Danville, Ky., is asked why his teams have been able to win five consecutive state titles, he points in one direction: recruiting. He’s not talking about recruiting players away from other schools. He’s talking about convincing students in his own school district to embrace the sport of football.

Boyle County High School quarterback Brandon Smith carries the ball during his team’s 44-10 win over Highlands High School in the 2003 Kentucky Class AAA title game. Smith ran for 141 yards and four TDs and threw for 201 yards.

One of the senior leaders of the 2004 team is quarterback Brandon Smith, Chuck Smith’s son. “Some people have a difficult time coaching their sons, but I’ve really enjoyed it,” he says. “It’s allowed me to gain a whole new respect for him, because he has really worked hard and made himself into a very good player. The difficult part can be separating the Dad from the Coach, and that’s where I’ve relied on the other coaches in evaluating him and helping him develop.

“The other thing I’ve tried to do is not bring anything home from the football field,” Smith continues. “It’s Dennis Read is an Associate Editor at Coaching Management.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

51

HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

School: Boyle County High School Location: Danville, Ky. State Championships: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Head Coach: Chuck Smith CLAY JACKSON

tough sometimes, because I’m a coach at heart, and I like to comment on things. I’ve really bitten my tongue over the past four years.”

Whether there are more state championship games in the future, only time will tell. But with five trophies in his office, Smith certainly knows how to prepare for a title game.

He has found the week leading up to the game to be chock full of distractions, so he works hard to develop a set routine for his players.

For example, Monday and Tuesday practices follow as close to the regular season schedule as possible for his players since those are their main preparation days. On Wednesday, the team hits the road to practice on a synthetic turf field similar to the one at Papa John’s Cardinals Stadium at the University of Louisville, where the championship game is played. “If you schedule your time and make sure you’re staying as routine as you possibly can,” he says, “the coaches and kids will focus.” ■

Assistant Varsity Coaches: Chris Pardue, Assistant Head Coach; Chuck Miller, Strength and Conditioning Coach; Chris Mason, Offensive Line; Jeff Hester, Linebackers; Frank Crossman, Defensive Backs.

Junior Varsity Coaches: John Hodge, Chris Lemonds, Sean Baker.

Notes: First two titles were in Class AA, the next three in Class AAA ... Boyle County is the first Kentucky high school to win five consecutive state titles ...

The Rebels have gone 73-2 during their five-year title streak ... The Rebels had a 47-game unbeaten streak from 1999 to 2002 ... Smith was a linebacker at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1981.

Title Game Memories: “They were all special in their own way, but I remember the first one [a 29-6 win over Glasgow High School] more than the others. We scored on a blocked field goal to go up and that was a big play I’ll always remember.”

Advice: “Don’t assume the kids know anything. Don’t leave any I’s undotted or T’s not crossed. If you assume they already know something, then they may not be ready.”

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GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL, CT WINNERS OF 30+ CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS ALL SPORTS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS Need: Pat Mediate, MEd, CSCS,*D, Assistant Athletic Director, wanted very specific, detailed information to assist in putting together an effective strength and conditioning program.

THE MARIST SCHOOL, GA AAAA STATE CHAMPIONS, 2003

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Need: Marist was looking to partner with a company that could provide the team with high-performing, durable uniforms that could withstand its punishing season.

Need: Head Football Coach Tim O’Hara needed team football bags, kicking equipment, and footballs.

Solution: The school purchased NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Manual for High School Coaches from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. “The manual was an excellent resource to re-affirm what we had been doing right, and offered new ideas to add to our program,” says Mediate.

Solution: In 2004, the Marist War Eagles’ uniforms made them look like the champions they are. The team was equipped with Russell Athletic mesh uniforms, featuring a moisture-management system that kept athletes cool and comfortable throughout the game, all season long. The double-knit fabric and traditional athletic styling kept the players cool and made them look cool.

Solution: Wizard Sports Equipment provided J. Sierra’s new team with the top-quality supplies needed to get the football program off the ground. “Wizard Sports Equipment provided me with some excellent, durable team bags, helpful kicking aids, and other products,” O’Hara says.

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MCGILL-TOOLEN HIGH SCHOOL, AL HOME OF THE STATE’S WINNINGEST COACH Need: An efficient way to produce playcards, practice scripts, and game plans for new Head Coach Steve Savarese, Alabama’s alltime wins leader among high school football coaches (262-73-0 lifetime).

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CHRISTIAN SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONS, 1993-2004 Need: Athletic Director and Head Coach John Merrell needed shirts to keep his team warm and dry on cold, windy Oklahoma nights during state playoff games.

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LUMEN CHRISTI HIGH SCHOOL, MI DIV. 5 STATE CHAMPIONS, 2003

ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOL, CA CIF SOUTHERN SECTION DIV. 4 RUNNERS-UP Need: Head Football Coach Jon Mack needed a training device that would produce winning defensive and offensive lines year after year.

Need: Head Coach Herb Brogan and Defensive Coordinator Joe Williams were looking for a video editing system that could generate paper reports easily and display marked-up video.

VALDOSTA HIGH SCHOOL, GA 23-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS Need: Valdosta, the winningest high school athletic program in the United States, needed top-quality weight training equipment when renovating its weightroom.

Solution: “The Rogers Lev Sled was our number one choice. The defensive line uses it every day,” says Coach Mack. “And the Rogers PowerLine Sled is the best sled for developing our offensive linemen.” To develop champions, start with the fundamentals.

Rogers Athletic practice equipment helps your players perfect their football fundamentals.

Solution: “Gamer’s ability to quickly generate printed reports showing tendencies and other information was crucial for us,” Brogan says.

“We also like having the ability to make highlight videos quickly. In just five minutes, it’s all done. We appreciate the LRSSports support staff and the training. The good reputation of LRSSports also played a big part in our decision.”

ROGERS ATHLETIC CO.

LRS SPORTS SOFTWARE

SAMSON WEIGHT TRAINING EQUIP.

800-248-0270, FAX: 989-386-0475 WWW.ROGERSATHLETIC.COM

888-LRS-0001, FAX: 217-793-2090 WWW.LRSSPORTS.COM

800-4 SAMSON, FAX: 505-523-2100 WWW.SAMSONEQUIPMENT.COM

Circle No. 509

Solution: Samson worked with Head Coach Rick Darlington on everything from the initial floor plan to the custom-designed power stations. The company outfitted Valdosta’s weightroom with 16 Triple Power Stations, 16 dip attachments, and four sets of plyo boxes.

Hickory platforms within each power station were painted with the school’s logo for an attractive touch that enhances school pride.

Circle No. 511

Circle No. 510

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

XOS Technology, Inc. Make every coach more effective, every player more prepared The XOS client list includes teams in the NCAA, NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA, and WNBA Here are a few of the great XOS Technologies football products:

• XOS Vega

RAY GUY KICKING ACADEMY & TALENT SEARCH

2005

• XOS Director • XOS SportStation Elite • XOS Internet Video Exchange • XOS Coach’s Command Station • XOS Viewer

To learn more call 407-936-0800 or log on to www.xostech.com!

Request No.136

AFCA Maxi Bay 4

The Most Comprehensive Kicking Program of its Kind

NATIONAL LOCATIONS • Instructional Opportunities from Beginner to All-Pro • Private Instruction • Recruiting, Scholarship and Professional Opportunities

www.prokicker.com

270.843.8393

Request No. 137 COACHING MANAGEMENT

55

CHAMPIONSHIP SOLUTIONS

Testimonial

Quality Custom Uniforms at Affordable Prices SUSQUEHANNOCK HIGH SCHOOL, PA

HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL, MA

YAIAA-DIV. 2 CHAMPIONS, 2004

WINNING RECORD, 2004

Need: Athletic Trainer Glen Johnson, MS, ATC, was looking for a durable treatment table that would be easy to carry and set up for use on the sidelines during football games.

Need: Holyoke’s coaching staff needed a fast and easy-to-use system for game analysis.

Solution: Johnson chose the Portable Taping Table from Oakworks. This lightweight but sturdy table is fully adjustable and features removable field feet, making it ideal for use in any situation, indoors or out. The Portable Taping Table is easily transportable in its protective carrying case, so it’s perfect for athletic trainers who need to work on the sidelines checking injuries or taping athletes.

Solution: The coaches chose Voron software from Cutting Edge. This instant archiving system makes game film study more efficient and productive. Voron works by interfacing a digital video camera with a laptop computer, instantly creating full-featured film cut-ups as the game progresses.

As soon as each game ends, Holyoke’s coaches have access to a fully-tagged, searchable database of every play, organized by play type.

OAKWORKS

CUTTING EDGE VIDEO

800-558-8850, FAX: 717-235-6798 WWW.OAKWORKS.COM

413-243-4518, FAX: 413-243-2651 WWW.IVORON.COM

Circle No. 512

Circle No. 513

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

GREENVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, OH FIRST SEASON WITH REVAMPED TEAM LOGO Need: Greenville High School is the home of the “Green Wave,” also known as the “Green Meanie.” For years, the school has used “G” decals on its football helmets.

Need: Every year, 70,000 high school football players sustain concussions. Head coaches and team athletic trainers need an accurate, reliable way to determine when a player is able to return to action following a concussion.

Solution: Neff created a new look for the school mascot using the company’s exclusive digital technology to create multiple colors and tones. The plain, two-color “G” was replaced by an exciting new “Green Meanie” decal. The new Extreme decal process creates the industry’s best decals. Unlimited colors and lifelike imagery are now available for the same low prices as two-color decals.

Solution: This season, coaches and doctors have a new tool: Concussion Sentinel™.

This easy-to-use, computer-based test records a player’s cognitive speed and accuracy before and after an injury. Schutt® Sports and CogState®, Ltd have formed an alliance to provide this program free of charge for up to 300 athletes at every high school in the U.S. Visit www.concussionsentinel.com to learn more.

THE NEFF COMPANY

SCHUTT SPORTS

800-232-6333, FAX: 937-316-3501 WWW.NEFFCO.COM

800-4 SCHUTT, FAX: 217-324-2855 WWW.SCHUTTSPORTS.COM

Circle No. 514

“Superb custom quality uniforms and affordable prices make Pro Look our first choice.”

Larry Chin, Equipment Manager UNLV Las Vegas, NV

Circle No. 515

“Pro Look Sports does a great job with our uniforms. The service is great and they really take care of you. They are also prompt in delivery. From Pro Look Sports you get quality, comfort, and service.”

Billy Tubbs, Head Men’s Basketball Coach TCU Fort Worth, TX “We received our uniform order today and THEY ARE MARVELOUS—WE JUST LOVE THEM! We are so impressed by the colors, quality, workmanship— everything! Thank you Natalie and Brent for putting up with us and for all your attentiveness and courtesy!”

Karen and Len Barajas IV Bounce Boys’ Basketball Team Springfield, IL

Pro Look Sports 37 E. Center St., Ste. 304, Provo, UT 84606 800-PRO-LOOK plhelp@prolooksports.com

WWW.PROLOOKSPORTS.COM

56

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Request No. 138

VIDEO VIDEO EDITING EDITING & & STAT STAT SOFTWARE SOFTWARE GUIDE GUIDE

CoachComm

CompuSports

Cutting Edge

www.coachcomm.com 800-749-2761 AFCA Show: Bay 11

www.compusports.com 800-691-4555 AFCA Show: Mini Bay 17

www.ivoron.com 413-243-4518

SEE AD ON PAGE 69

SEE AD ON PAGE 11

SportsEdit by CoachComm is used by hundreds of high schools and small college programs throughout the country, including several of last year’s state champions.

Primary Advantages: CoachComm and Pinnacle Systems Team Sports have been in the business for a long time and will be there for you—before, during, and after the sale. CoachComm is the only complete technology solutions provider that gives you a one-stop source for all your technology needs.

Support Services: CoachComm offers several levels of support, including in-season 24/7 tech support. All the support packages include upgrades as they become available.

Upgrades Available: CoachComm continually uses input from its customers and prospects to keep SportsEdit ahead of the competition. In 2004, the company introduced SportsEdit Basic for teams that don’t need all the functions of SportsEdit or are looking for an economical editing system from a leading company. SportsEdit Basic can be upgraded to SportsEdit.

Customer Quote: “CoachComm is a total solution company—we have done business with CoachComm for several years, and we call on them for all of our technology solutions. SportsEdit is a great product from a great company.”

Rush Propst Head Football Coach Hoover High School, AL Three-time 6-A state champions since 2000

Background: CoachComm, founded in 1991, is the technology solutions provider for sports programs at all levels. Before, during, and after the game, CoachComm helps you prepare, execute, and evaluate with the latest in game winning technology.

CoachComm Circle No. 517

58

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Easy-Scout XP and Easy-Recruiter are both published and distributed by CompuSports. The company also offers a wide range of playbook, statistics, and practice planning products from industry-leading publishers.

Primary Advantages: The company’s products are affordable, easy to use, and well-established.

As a multi-vendor distributor, CompuSports is able to offer “best-of-breed” products to its customers.

Support Services: CompuSports offers a helpful technical support Web site. E-mail and instant messaging support are also available for all products. Telephone support is provided for scouting, recruiting, and playbook products.

Upgrades Available: Upgrades are available at significantly reduced prices.

Customer Quote: “I’ve been using computer scouting programs for 15 years and have found CompuSports Easy-Scout to be user-friendly, very efficient, and by far the best at producing reports. Any time I have had a question, I’ve always received a clear answer, often on the same day. I strongly recommend CompuSports and its Easy-Scout program for coaches at any level.”

Steve Ellison Petaluma High School, CA “Your Easy-Scout XP product is great. The program is extremely user friendly and enables us to present information to our players in a clear and concise manner. We combine this information with edited video clips and our players look forward to our presentation each week.”

Scott Kramer Verona Area High School, WI

Background: CompuSports, Inc., based in Frederick, MD, was founded in 1984, when it introduced the Easy-Scout line of football scouting software. The company has evolved into a publisher and multivendor distributor of coaching software and information through its CompuSports network of Web sites and 24/7 telesales center. The CompuSports network includes Footballcoachingsites.com, the Web’s first and only directory of football coaching Web sites.

CompuSports Circle No. 518

SEE AD ON PAGE 52

Primary Advantages: The Voron Instant Archiving System has completely eliminated the editing/digitizing step involved in creating digital game cut-ups. By interfacing a digital video camera with a laptop computer, Voron instantly creates full-featured game film cut-ups as the game progresses. Immediately after the game, the user has a fully tagged and searchable database of video clips to view, separated by play type—offense, defense, kick coverage, kick return, etc. Voron’s playback interface provides the user with immediate game situation feedback: down, distance, field position, hash, and score. The custom tagging feature allows the user to attach information to every play and the three editable drop-down menus provide custom play menus for offensive formation, offensive play type, and defensive formation. The video playback features provide total control: the ability to call up any play with the click of a mouse; clear pause; single-frame advance and back; and a slider control that allows for pinpoint scrolling to any point in the play.

Support Services: 24-hour tech support runs from mid-August through December 1.

Upgrades Available: The software is continually upgraded with coaches’ input and recommendations.

Customer Quote: “The Voron system is so simple and efficient that it has made video training a tremendous asset to our football program. We know it gives us an edge on our competition, since we are breaking down game film just minutes after the game is over.”

Keith Thomson Lee High School

Background: Cutting Edge Video brings 15 years of video production and software development together to produce possibly the easiest and fastest video-coaching tool available today.

Cutting Edge Circle No. 519

VIDEO VIDEO EDITING EDITING & & STAT STAT SOFTWARE SOFTWARE GUIDE GUIDE

Game Plan™

Graphware, Inc.

LRSSports

www.gogameplan.com 800-959-9148

www.coachsoffice.com 877-323-9669 AFCA Show: Mini Bay 17

www.lrssports.com 888-LRS-0001 AFCA Show: Special Bay 2

SEE AD INSIDE FRONT COVER

SEE AD ON PAGE 28

SEE AD ON PAGE 29

Primary Advantages: Game Plan™ was created by the lead designer of the tomahawk and cruise missile visual-tracking systems. It is the industry’s fastest-growing state-of-the-art video editing and analysis system, and is both user-friendly and easy to learn. Store over 80 games on a single system without external backup. Features include superior video quality, instant access to multiple camera angles, networking capability, and standard and custom reports.

Support Services: Game Plan offers 24/7 toll-free technical support and Internetbased support. Customized installation and on-site training and support are also provided.

Game Plan’s on-line and on-site training and learning systems, developed by training professionals, are designed to allow you and your coaching staff to become proficient users of the Game Plan system in no time.

Upgrades Available: Game Plan is constantly innovating and enhancing its core system. Upgrades are available to all customers.

Customer Quote: “Game Plan is easy to learn, easy to use, and their training and support are fantastic. It is easily one of the best investments in technology our program has ever made.”

Joe McMenamin Head Football Coach Omaha Central High School Omaha, NE

Background: Advanced Imaging Solutions, founded in 1999, is the creator of the Game Plan video editing and analysis system. The company is dedicated to developing innovative and cost-effective products that make coaches more productive and more successful.

Game Plan Circle No. 520

Primary Advantages: Coach’s Office is a fully integrated system that allows coaches to draw and save formations, plays, fronts, and coverages, and use these drawings in any combination to print playcards from a practice script, produce a customized playbook, give a slide show presentation, and mix video with play diagrams. It also integrates seamlessly with other game analysis and video editing systems.

Support Services: Coach’s Office offers telephone support at no extra cost.

Upgrades Available: Coach’s Office can easily be upgraded from one level to another. Updates to the program can be downloaded from the company’s technical support site.

Customer Quote: “Coach’s Office has allowed us to compile our football notebook in a very sharp format. The ability to produce playcards is critical in getting the scout team to execute plays our team does not run. We compile our game plan and share it with the players using the slide show component, which is like having a dry-erase board on the wall. Coach’s Office has allowed for information to be more readily shared with the players in less time, and has helped our program substantially.”

Vince Kehres Mount Union College Winners of two national championships 34-0 since implementing Coach’s Office

Background: Four years ago, Graphware spun off a new sports division called Coach’s Office that specializes in football software for coaches at all levels, from the NFL to Pop Warner.

Graphware, Inc. Circle No. 521

Primary Advantages: LRSSports’ exclusive products combine to form time-saving video editing solutions. Choose to capture video using FireWire or a video capture card, in DV or MPEG-2 format, or choose the FieldEdit™ option, which eliminates capture and mark-up time.

Implement a single editing station or a network of editing stations and viewing/analysis stations for coaches and meeting rooms. Choose desktop or laptop PCs, or use both. The company’s wide range of products and options allows it to meet the needs of programs large and small, from NCAA Division I to high school. LRSSports can tailor a system that fits within most budgets.

Support Services: LRSSports offers 24/7 toll-free telephone technical support, along with installation and on-site training.

“Getting started” guides, user’s manuals, and on-line help come with each product.

Upgrades Available: Upgrades of all LRSSports products are available. The most recent release of Gamer and Ultima will be Version 9.0, due out in the first quarter of 2005.

Customer List: Bowling Green State University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Tulsa, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Southeastern Louisiana University, St. John’s University, San Diego State University, Florida Atlantic University, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Nicholls State, McNeese State, Lafayette College, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin State, Texas State, SUNY at Stony Brook, Central Connecticut State, University of Delaware, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Jacksonville State

Background: Since 1996, LRSSports Software has provided innovative, high-quality digital video editing and scouting solutions based on suggestions and advice from coaches and video coordinators. More than 300 sports teams, from high school to NCAA Division I, depend on LRSSports products.

LRS Sports Video Circle No. 522

COACHING MANAGEMENT

59

VIDEO VIDEO EDITING EDITING & & STAT STAT SOFTWARE SOFTWARE GUIDE GUIDE

TDSports Videoware

U.S. Sports Video

Webb Electronics, Ltd

www.tdsvideoware.com 888-774-1177

www.ussportsvideo.com 800-556-8778 AFCA Show: Booths 17-18

www.webbelectronics.com 866-999-9322 AFCA Show: Maxi Bay 3

SEE AD ON PAGE 70

SEE AD ON PAGE 37

Primary Advantages: PlayBreaker by TDSports provides affordable video editing technology to scholastic and collegiate athletic programs. PlayBreaker gives coaches the ability to create “cut-up” tapes, team and individual highlight tapes, and hard copy scouting reports. “Keep It Simple” is the company’s motto, and this software lives up to it. Any coach can learn to run this user-friendly system in virtually no time.

Support Services: 24/7 technical support is available during the season. TDSports’ technology experts can dial into any team’s computer via the Internet. This allows them to take full control of the computer, and identify and correct problems over the phone. The dial-in feature simulates on-site tech support—they are right there with you.

Upgrades Available: Coaches can start with the basic system and then add to it over time at an affordable price.

PlayBreaker can be networked, giving coaches multi-station capabilities.

Accessories such as “checkerboarding,” customized scouting reports, and handheld remotes can be purchased with the system or added later, allowing coaches to build an affordable, customized video editing system over a period of several seasons. TDSports service contracts guarantee coaches two software upgrades in the year following purchase.

Customer Quote: “The PlayBreaker system more than met our needs, was easy to use, and came at an affordable price.

Finally, our work in the film room will match our performance on the field and in the weightroom.”

Thom McDaniels Head Football Coach Warren Harding High School 1997 USA Today & Nike Coach of the Year

Background: Founded in 2001, the staff at TDSports has more than 15 years of coaching experience, fueling its desire to help student athletics. A strong background in technology gives the company the resources to do just that.

TDSports Videoware Circle No. 523

60

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Primary Advantages: Sports video is U.S. Sports Video’s only business. The company has the newest technological breakthroughs, including DVD recorders and players. Both are customizable to work with the NFL Cowboy Remote.

Coaches now have access to the same quality and efficiency in DVD format that they’ve come to appreciate in the company’s VHS systems. U.S. Sports Video developed the “Mark” camera, a portable recording system that allows coaches to create the best quality game tapes. The company’s video edit tower is second to none—an integrated editing system that’s quick and easy to learn. Skyhawk and Falcon, the exclusive remote control video recording systems, are the best end zone and wall-mounted units, respectively, on the market.

Support Services: U.S. Sports Video offers 24/7 support.

Upgrades Available: Upgrading is the name of the game as technology changes.

U.S. Sports Video works with coaches to provide the best systems to fit their needs and budgets, and to keep those systems up to date.

Customer Quote: U.S. Sports Video has provided Mount Union College’s football team with all its sports video equipment, including MARK camera systems, over the years. “The addition of Skyhawk gave us a very good end zone shot. It’s an effective teaching tool, particularly for my line coaches.”

Larry Kehres Head Football Coach Mount Union College, NCAA D-III Five-time National Champions

Background: U.S. Sports Video has been an inventor, developer, and manufacturer of custom-built sports video systems since 1988.

U.S. Sports Video Circle No. 524

SEE AD ON PAGE 19

Since the invention of the Cowboy Remote, Webb Electronics has helped thousands of coaches transition from film to tape, and now from tape to digital editing.

Primary Advantages: Webb Electronics has 18 years of sports video experience. The company offers turnkey solutions for all sports, using the latest in digital video technology. Many products are available, including Cowboy Remotes, VCRs, camcorders, playbook diagramming tools, headsets, and much more.

Support Services: 24/7 phone support is available 365 days a year. Webb also offers on-site training, and live on-line help from a large team of support personnel. Webb is 100-percent dedicated to sports and makes a total commitment to its customers.

Upgrades Available: Four levels of software are available, from the basic (Digital Coaches Playmaker LE) to the advanced (Advantage), and software upgrades are offered to customers throughout the year.

Customer Quote: “The Webb Electronics system has allowed our coaches to be more thorough and efficient than ever in our film study and game planning.”

Barry Alvarez Head Football Coach University of Wisconsin

Background: Based in North Texas, Webb Electronics is a privately held company that provides video products for sports teams. When the NFL changed from film to video in 1986, coaches needed quick and easy control of video playback.

Webb invented the Cowboy Remote, the original video clicker, in response to this need. Since 1986 the company’s innovative excellence and exclusive focus on team sports has made Webb Electronics the preferred source for sports video software and hardware.

Webb Electronics, Ltd Circle No. 525

Testimonial

XOS Technologies, Inc. www.xostech.com 407-936-0800 AFCA Show: Maxi Bay 4

The Power of Human Performance

Company News

A History of Innovative Apparel

SEE AD ON PAGE 55

XOS Technologies is your one-stop technology solution. The company’s three product lines—XOS Network, Coaching Tools, and Facilities Design & Integration—help teams integrate fan management, video, data, and teaching technologies to assure maximum return on sports-technology investments.

XOS products are used by: 40 NCAA football teams 10 NFL & CFL teams 20 NBA teams 8 WNBA teams 39 NCAA men’s basketball teams 23 NCAA women’s basketball teams 13 NHL teams 15 NCAA hockey teams Several NCAA conferences, Volleyball, field hockey, soccer, and high school football teams across the nation.

Primary Advantages: XOS Technologies combines proprietary technologies like smooth reverse scanning of MPEG-2, multi-tasking, multi-streaming, and integrated DVD authoring to create a video editing solution unrivaled in usability, affordability, and efficiency.

Support Services: In addition to detailed training and installation, XOS Technologies is proud to provide 24/7/365 professional, dedicated technical support to its valued partners.

Upgrades Available: With a commitment to maintaining its status as the technology leader in video editing systems, XOS Technologies continues to upgrade its product offerings. The extensive line of XOS Coaching Tools and XOS Facilities Design & Integration products allows coaches to find solutions they need, from high school to NCAA Division I to the NFL. Background: XOS Technologies opened its doors in 1999 with the goal of delivering the most innovative products and trusted expertise and support to the booming sports facility industry. Since then, the company has evolved into a leader in all aspects of sports technology development for high school, collegiate, and professional teams.

XOS Technologies, Inc. Circle No. 526

The award-winning Keiser Corporation has been manufacturing pneumatic resistance equipment since 1978. The company’s #1 line of quality low-impact pneumatic “air” resistance equipment was first used by athletes as a safe new way to build strength and power, and improve performance in professional sports. Today, Keiser is utilized by a wide variety of people, including athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and older adults in rehab and hospital settings.

Keiser users include: Athletes Performance - Tempe, AZ Home Depot Center - Carson, CA Boston Red Sox - Boston, MA Oakland Raiders - Oakland, CA Houston Rockets - Houston, TX Philadelphia Flyers - Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Phillies - Philadelphia, PA Synergy Fitness & Sports - Lake Forest, IL University of South Florida - Tampa, FL Seatle Seahawks - Kirkland, WA Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, MA Lawrenceville School - Lawrenceville, NJ National Institute of Career Development - Bloomington, MN FBI Academy - Quantico, VA University of Texas - Austin, TX California State-Fullerton - Fullerton, CA Harmon Golf Center - Rockland, MA Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Tampa, FL

At Russell Athletic, we continually listen to the needs of athletes and respond accordingly by creating innovative uniforms and training gear to enhance their performance. For decades, Russell Athletic has developed industry-leading technologies and cutting-edge products like the Tear-Away jersey, the Stretch-Mesh™ uniform (worn by Washington State in the 2002 Rose Bowl), and Sweatless Sweats™, the first moisture-management sweatshirt that keeps athletes dry, light, and comfortable during workouts.

Innovations like these were born on the fields of play and have been tested at the highest levels of competition. Generations of athletes have trusted the performance of Russell Athletic products, including every Little League Baseball World Series team for over 30 years, 34 college football National Championship teams, and 25 Heisman Trophy winners.

No matter the level of play or budget constraints, as the number-one supplier of high school uniforms, we are confident that Russell Athletic can offer high-quality and innovative uniforms and practice gear to meet the needs of your team. I personally wish you and your team the best of luck this season, and thank you for your continued support of our products.

Matthew Mirchin President, Russell Athletic

Keiser Corporation 2470 South Cherry Ave., Fresno, CA 93706 800-888-7009 sales@keiser.com WWW.KEISER.COM

WWW.RUSSELLATHLETIC.COM

AthleticBid.com

Looking for companies and products via the

INTERNET?

AtleticBid.com gives you the tools to research products Online Buyer’s Guide Using AthleticBid.com’s online Buyer’s Guide, you are able to: • View the complete product line of companies. t • View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top compaF nies. Click on the “View Company As Brochures” button for these compasport thleticBid.com is a free nies, and you will find PDF files titled service to help buyers at schools by product or category. Print them SPORT and athletic organizations TAPES out for easy reference. research and contact companies • Read a profile or description of select in the most efficient fashion. companies by clicking on the “About AthleticBid.com offers the followthe Company” button. ing services.

• Request to be contacted by a company representative.

• Request catalog and sales literature from companies. Simply click on a button and fill in your address and an e-mail with your request is sent directly to the supplier.

A

Jersey Field Products

Park City, NJ 08832 Phone: (800) 275-8000;

(973) 222-3300 | Fax: (973) 222-3333 Contact Name: John James Email address: Jersey@ aol.net

Company Description: Your “One-Stop Source” for America’s Leading Sport Supplies! Special mixes Surfaces and for infields, pitcher’s mounds , home plate areas and warning by over 100 pro teams and 5000 colleges, with 200 tracks. Used products from more than and bulk plants across the 20 distribution centers country. Call 1-800-275-8000 for more information.

View Product Line

AthleticBid.com

www.AthleticBid.com

Place an RFP • You can use this service to request and receive information from numerous suppliers by providing your product specs only once and letting AthleticBid.com do the rest.

Dealer Locator • Locate your nearest dealer for many leading manufacturers and suppliers.

The Market Place • Purchase inventory close-outs, discontinued items and products on sale from national suppliers. The products featured in this section are being sold at significant savings.

The Product Connection • Products for your team or organization are highlighted through both descriptions and photos. You can request sales literature on products you’re interested in with just a click.

www.AthleticBid.com A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Your School’s Athletic Equipment

AT H L E

C ATHLETI ENT EQUIPM ERS MANAG

UIP TIC EQ

The AEMA Certification Manual, the official instructional guide for the Athletic Equipment Managers Association, is an excellent reference tool for your coaches and equipment management staff.

MENT MANA GERS C E RT I F I C AT ANU ION M

tion Certifica l a u n a M

AL

The manual includes: • Tips on extending the life of your equipment • Recommendations for making smart purchases • Proper fitting techniques to help prevent injuries • Advice for running an efficient equipment room

This 170 page reference book is only $35 plus $6 for shipping and handling.

ORDER THE AEMA MANUAL FOR YOUR ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT TODAY! __Yes! I would like to order the AEMA Manual: ____ copies at $35 ea. = $_________ + $6 s/h = $_________Total Last Name___________________________________________ First Name______________________________________________ MI__________ Mailing Address____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________ State_____________________________________ Zip Code__________________________ Daytime Telephone________________________________________ E-Mail Address__________________________________________________ PAYMENT INFORMATION ____ Check or money order (U.S. Funds only) payable to: Training & Conditioning ____Visa ____Mastercard ____Discover ____American0Express Account Number_____________________________________________________ Expiration Date_______________________________________ Name on Card___________________________________________Signature_________________________________________________________ SEND TO: MOMENTUMMEDIA Sports Publishing, 2488 North Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 • Fax:607-257-7328 • Phone: 607-257-6970

Uniforms & Apparel Bassco Sporting Goods 800-250-4923 WWW.BASSCO.COM Bassco Sporting Goods was acquired in July by Sport Chalet, creating one of the largest team dealer groups in the country.

Since its founding in 1959, Sport Chalet has evolved into a national leader in athletic equipment sales. As a result of this acquisition, Bassco now offers greater product selection, improved customer service, an expanded catalog showcasing products from top football equipment manufacturers, and an enhanced Web site that makes researching and ordering products easier than ever. Bassco provides the knowledge and experience that coaches look for to maximize their equipment budgets. Call today to request a free catalog.

Circle No. 529 Bassco Sporting Goods, a subsidiary of Sport Chalet, offers top-quality customlettered game jerseys. Take advantage of the company’s Quick Ship program, and your team can be sporting its new custom jerseys in less than two weeks.

Stock game jerseys are available in 10 team colors, or choose the limited option game jersey, for which you select the body, insert, cuff color, and optional piping on the insert. Contact Bassco to request the company’s catalog, which was recently expanded to showcase a wide selection of uniform products.

Circle No. 530

The Neff Co. 800-232-6333 WWW.NEFFCO.COM The newest moisturemanagement sport shirt is the Neff DriTech. This technofine polyester garment moves perspiration to the surface for quick evaporation, so the

wearer stays drier, longer. Antimicrobial properties inhibit the growth of stain- and odor-causing bacteria and keep the garment fresh between washings. The special finish is also soil and wrinkle resistant. The body shirt is white with a variety of athletic trim colors available.

Circle No. 531

Pro Look Sports 800-776-5665 WWW.PROLOOKSPORTS.COM Pro Look Sports’ reputation is built on custom team sportswear. You choose your materials and style, you apply team logos where you want them, and you choose the style of the lettering and numbering. No other team sportswear manufacturer offers that kind of freedom. You get all this for one simple price, with no additional charges for embroideries or tackle-twill applications. Go Pro. Circle No. 532 Pro Look football uniforms make a good impression—on the competition, not on your budget. Pro Look doesn’t charge extra for logos, names, lettering, or other special features.

The company provides great custom uniforms at one low price. And all its work is backed by a two-year guarantee. Go Pro, and you’ll even impress yourself.

Circle No. 533

Russell Athletic WWW.RUSSELLATHLETIC.COM The latest innovations in football uniform design from Russell Athletic will be featured at the 2004 Bayou Classic. Made of DriPower™ Stretch Mesh, these uniforms include a moisturemanagement system that transports sweat away from athletes’ bodies, keeping them dry, comfortable, and performing at their best. The new uniforms

are made with a nylon-spandex fabric that features unique athletic piping, a strong dual-shoulder insert to withstand any opponent’s attack, and a new tailored V-neck.

Contact your local Russell Athletic dealer to learn more.

Circle No. 534 After signing agreements with the three historically black conferences last summer, Russell Athletic will have the opportunity to feature its latest uniform innovations throughout the season on some of the country’s best teams. Made of DriPower™ Stretch Mesh, these new uniforms feature a moisturemanagement system that transports sweat away from athletes’ bodies, keeping them dry, comfortable, and performing at their best. The new uniforms have a nylon-spandex blend and also feature unique athletic piping and styling, a strong sleeve insert, and a new tailored Vneck. For more information, contact your local Russell Athletic dealer today.

Circle No. 535

Talent Sport 888-447-2962 WWW.TALENTSPORTINC.COM Talent Sport’s ColdSport Compression Xtra-Dri power shirts are manufactured with a warm microfiber fabric that offers 100-percent moisture management and 100-percent antimicrobial properties.

The unique high-performance technical fabric is designed to be worn as base-layer performance apparel in temperatures below 50 degrees. These power shirts are great for helping your athletes play to their highest potential—even the U.S. military uses them for coping with cold climates.

They are available in youth and adult sizes, and in your choice of white, red, royal, navy, olive, and black.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Team Equipment Adams USA 800-251-6857 WWW.ADAMSUSA.COM

Cutters Gloves 800-821-0231 WWW.CUTTERSGLOVES.COM

The Boss shoulder pad is a revolutionary innovation in football protection. Designed

by Jeff Boss, former LSU equipment manager, the pad comes in two styles. The Boss and the Boss Gridiron both have a streamlined, lowprofile design, locking shoulder epaulets, a flat pad, and no cantilever strap, allowing improved range of motion. These pads are position-specific and come in a range of sizes. Players have their choice of air management or non-air management pad systems, and removable or sewn-in channel wedges.

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The Reinforcer (017LP) is another Cutters Gloves exclusive, this time for the big boys. The ultimate in performance and protection for linemen, the built-in Reinforcer SystemTM helps prevent players from hyperextending fingers, thus minimizing the risk of injury and improving blocking. For additional information or for an authorized dealer in your area, call or visit the company Web site.

Circle No. 541

Adams USA makes quality high-impact plastic chin strap buckles. These buckles are made of stainless steel and encased in high-impact plastic for superior durability and safety.

They're the best choice for protecting players’ uniforms from snags caused by sharp buckle edges.

These buckles are available in 11 colors to match your team's uniforms. Patent No. 6,481,066.

Circle No. 539

American Football Specialists 270-843-8393 WWW.PROKICKER.COM Are you searching for a square-toe kicking shoe? It’s right here in black and white.

The “original style” square-toe kicking shoe from American Football Specialists is made of leather and features detachable cleats. Half and full sizes are available in your choice of black or white.

Circle No. 540

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The 197 Triple Playmaker Wrist Coach is made with C-PRENETM, Cutters Gloves’ exclusive “fits like a glove” technology, for optimal comfort and fit. It includes three windows for easy reference, allowing you to store more than 60 plays at once, and is available in black, white, gray, and 11 team colors. Visit the “Downloads” section of Cutters’ Web site for free blank playcard templates. The site also offers additional product information and a dealer locator.

Circle No. 542

Gear 2000, Ltd 785-625-6060 WWW.GEAR2000.COM Second-generation Z-Cool shoulder pads from Gear 2000 feature moisture-management technology and a total weight that’s 35 percent less than other shoulder pads. Players experience better cooling, better impact absorption, and enhanced performance when wearing Z-Cool pads.

Models and sizes for all positions are available.

Circle No. 543

New Z-Cool flexible hard cup chin straps with a moisture-managing transfer foam system are available from Gear 2000. The Z-Cool foam inside the cup wicks away moisture, reducing perspiration buildup. The bottom straps are two inches longer than the top straps.

These chin straps are available in flexible hard cup and soft cup, high and low hookup, and varsity and youth sizes. There are 12 team colors to choose from.

Circle No. 544

McDavid, Inc. 800-237-8254 WWW.MCDAVIDINC.COM Innovation is a trademark of the protective equipment manufactured by McDavid Sports Medical Products. The company recently introduced a new product line that utilizes technology to provide better protection and comfort for athletes.

Hexpad™ protective apparel features hundreds of individual pads, permanently bonded between two layers of moisture-transporting 4-way stretch compression fabric. The result is a line of padded undergarmets for athletes that are more protective, super lightweight, and breathable. Hexpads conform to the body, flex, and stretch far better than any other product on the market.

Circle No. 545 To say “Thank you” to its customers for their support, McDavid would like to offer some of its products to coaches absolutely free. Just purchase $1,500 worth of McDavid products from your local dealer, and you’ll receive your choice of two pairs of micro fiber Lycra coach’s shorts and two ultra light T shirts, or 25 “Skullys” (skull caps) for your team. For every $1,500 you spend, you're eligible to receive one of these gifts. Your team dealer or sales representative will place your completed order with McDavid. This offer will continue until May 15, 2005.

Circle No. 546

Team Equipment New Balance Athletic Shoe 800-253-7463 WWW.NEWBALANCE.COM New Balance will offer football players the chance to have properly-fitting footwear starting in June 2005 with the debut of the first-ever cleated footwear line available in multiple widths, as part of the company’s team sports program.

“We realize that the fit requirements of larger, more powerful athletes are not being met in the marketplace today, and New Balance’s strong foundation in proper fit and width-sizing makes us the best manufacturer to address these special requirements,” says Kent Richard, Associate Product Manager at New Balance. The company has launched a Web site, finallywidecleats.com, offering more information.

Circle No. 547 New Balance’s new cleated footwear will be available in three widths (D, 2E, and 4E), and three product segments. The

Strength Collection will include the MF1200 shoe, which features an I.S.S. foot support system, a supportive power strap, a highabrasion lining, and a TPU-reinforcement wrap for added support and durability. The Speed Collection will include the MF990, a supportive speed shoe built for the skill-position player and featuring the N-Lock midfoot support system, a medial stability web, and an I.S.S. foot support system. The Coaches Collection will include the MB690, an updated all-purpose training shoe for coaches of cleated sports.

Circle No. 548

Schutt Sports 866-4 SCHUTT WWW.SCHUTTSPORTS.COM Schutt® Sports’ new Typhoon™ shoulder pads incorporate Smart Fabric Technology™

by Outlast®, a Schutt exclusive, to help control players’ body temperature in any climate. Typhoon™ pads provide the protec-

tion you demand through a dense foam padding system that offers one layer for protection and another for soft comfort next to the body. They are available in position-specific arch styles to provide the flexibility, mobility, and comfort your players need to be at their best.

Circle No. 549 The Equipment Manager’s Field Pack from Schutt Sports comes loaded with useful items for practice and game day.

Add your own field essentials to create a personalized field kit that sits on your hip. Each one includes Schutt’s Faceguard Removal Tool, T-Nut Wrench, and Helmet Pump, as well as a screwdriver. There are multiple pockets to carry T-nuts, screws, snaps, loop straps, buckles, cleats, T-hooks, laces, and any other item you may need for on-field equipment repairs.

Circle No. 550

www.wizardsports.com 1UALITY 3PORTS %QUIPMENT +ICKING .ETS &IELD %QUIPMENT 'OAL 0OSTS +ICKING 3HOES #USTOM &OOTBALL "AGS &OOTBALLS

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1-888-964-5425 Request No. 139

Request No. 140 COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Team Equipment Stromgren Supports 800-527-1988 WWW.STROMGREN.COM Stromgren’s new line of moisture-wicking compression products has permanently attached lightweight pads.

PermaliteTM protective wear features performance fabric in Stromgren’s signature 25-percent Lycra/75percent nylon blend, the industry standard since 1986. The pads are made of closed-cell EVA foam, and are perforated to wick moisture away from the body, keeping the wearer dry and cool. The new line consists of padded girdles with hip pads that protect the iliac crest, and upper-body protection shirts with clavicle, shoulder, torso, or combination padding.

Circle No. 551 The 5-Pocket Outerwear Football Girdle (Model 1451) from Stromgren is a new Permalite™ performance apparel product offering moisture management and compression. It is designed for athletes who need a compression girdle to be worn by itself during practice,

but not under shorts or football practice pants.

The lightweight, perforated, closed-cell EVA foam tail and hip pads are permanently attached, providing excellent protection to the iliac crest. The medium compression material is heavyweight 86percent nylon/14-percent Lycra Hydro-flex (patent pending). For a free catalog, call Stromgren or visit the company Web site.

Circle No. 552

Talent Sport, Inc. 888-447-2962 WWW.TALENTSPORTINC.COM Talent Sport’s Rib Shield was developed to help protect the ribs, kidneys, and spine. It is the lightest rib protector available. The Rib Shield is manufactured with the company’s Compression AllSport Xtra-Dri power shirt fabric, which offers 100-percent moisture management and 100-percent antimicrobial

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Flex Bands have been improving athletic performance since 1980.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

protection. It fits tightly, allowing full motion, and the specially designed pads offer maximum protection and are removable. The Rib Shield is available in youth and adult sizes, and in your choice of white or black.

Circle No. 553

WIZARD KICKING & EQUIPMENT CO. 888-964-5425 WWW.WIZARDKICKING.COM Since 1984, Wizard Kicking has been manufacturing and designing quality football kicking products. Check out the company’s new Wizard Pro Kicking Cage. It’s completely powder-coated, lightweight (just 38 lbs.), and stable.

Setting it up is quick and easy, because the Pro Kicking Cage was designed by kickers, for kickers.

Along with great kicking nets, holders, tees, and custom football bags, Wizard has designed an excellent football kicking/punting shoe. The new Plus 3 kicking shoe gives your kicker or punter that extra confidence. The Spotbilt square toe kicking shoe is also available.

Circle No. 554

Football Facilities Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 WWW.AERFLO.COM Breathable gray polypropylene fabric allows rain to drain through the Bench ZoneTM sideline turf protector while eliminating mud around the bench. The Bench Zone can stand up to steeltipped cleats, and the entire edge is wrap-reinforced with white or gold vinyl with grommets at three-foot intervals, enhancing durability and player safety.

This tarp can be used with either side up.

The following sizes are available: 15’ x 25’, 30’, 40’, 50’, 75’, 100’, 125’, and 150’. The Bench Zone offers more features and a lower price than catalog brands.

Circle No. 556

American Football Specialists 270-843-8393 WWW.PROKICKER.COM American Football Specialists offers football goal posts that provide the latest in style, quality, and safety at a value price.

All of the company’s goal posts meet NFHS and NCAA specifications. Give your field a professional look and an added measure of safety with the finest in permanent goal posts.

Circle No. 557

Earth & Turf Products 888-693-2638 WWW.EARTHANDTURF.COM The Earth & Turf MultiSpreadTM 200 spreads a variety of materials—topdressing for football and other athletic fields, infield mix for baseball infields, chips on pathways, and salt, sand, or grit on sidewalks and driveways. Its capacity is 15

cubic feet, and it spreads over a width of up to five feet. The MultiSpread 200 is available in ground drive or hydraulic drive (shown).

An optional loading chute facilitates loading with buckets up to 66 inches wide. An available wing kit for the rear shield permits easy control of the spread width and direction.

Circle No. 558

M.A.S.A., Inc. 800-264-4519 WWW.MASA.COM The Original Cleat Cleaner from M.A.S.A. is used extensively in the NFL and has been on the sidelines at nearly every Super Bowl since 1966. Quickly remove mud and dirt from athletic cleats to provide better traction, improve maneuverability, and reduce injuries. It’s great for outside and for reducing messes in the locker room. This heavy-duty, all-rubber product measures 13” x 12 1/2” and has 84 spike cleaners.

Both offense and defense will benefit from clean, lightweight cleats for the firm and secure footing needed for quick, powerful starts, sharp turns, and abrupt stops, even in muddy conditions.

Circle No. 559

Rogers Athletic Company 800-248-0270 WWW.ROGERSATHLETIC.COM Teach quick footwork to players on both sides of the ball with Rogers’ Zone Reactor. You roll the pad along a five-foot track while players master reaction skills. The exclusive verti-

cal action from the Lev-Sled adds gameday realism. Offensive players master controlling their opponents by pushing the pad in, then leveraging the pad. Defenders develop quick hands, a hard strike, and fast-moving feet.

Circle No. 560 On both offense and defense, the player who utilizes the power of leverage realizes success. On Rogers Athletic’s Lev Sled, athletes can master the skill of reversing the momentum of an opponent before rolling the hips and lifting him. After the spring is compressed six inches or more, the pad unlocks. At that point, the player rolls his hips and lifts the pad. To practice drive and shoulder blocking, just lock the top in the down position (no tools required).

Circle No. 561

Web News NEW WORLD CLASS WEB SITE GOES ON-LINE World Class Athletic Surfaces, manufacturer of premium field-marking paints and custom field graphics, has launched a new Web site that showcases many of its outstanding products. Visit the site to read about the company’s premium field-marking paints, stencils, windscreens, and tennis court surfacing supplies. You can read comments and testimonials from satisfied World Class customers, see photographs of athletic fields and tennis courts where the company’s paints and stencils have been used, view links to related sites, and check out some helpful hints for how best to paint and maintain your athletic fields.

There’s even a Word Class Solutions section on the site, where visitors can read advice and tips from leading sports turf managers. www.worldclasspaints.com

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Power Racks Power racks have become a popular choice for weightrooms because of their safety and versatility. Whether you’re in the market for a full-size power rack, a multi-rack, or a half-rack, choosing the right one involves knowing your program’s needs and priorities.

Among the most important decisions to make is what size rack to purchase. “Power racks can be seven, eight, or nine feet tall, and your rack should be sized for what you want to do with it,” says Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS, Associate Athletic Director at the University of Nebraska. “For instance, if you want to have a pull-up bar, or if you’re going to be using it for a lot of overhead lifts, it makes sense to buy a taller rack. If it’s just for bench presses, you’ll want the shortest rack, or a multi-rack. If you want a rack for lifts like hang cleans, you might choose a half-rack, because with only two posts instead of four, it’s less restricting for the lifter.”

For both safety and efficiency, another area to consider when selecting a rack is ease of use. “You have to be able to

Heartline Fitness Systems 800-262-3348 WWW.HEARTLINEFITNESS.COM Heartline’s new Dual Core Rack training system enables up to eight athletes to continuously train in all core lifting disciplines, including bench, squat, dead lift, and power clean.

Special Features: Dual chin-up bars, quickrelease dip handles, dual plate storage, dual quick-release J-hooks and safety squat arms, dual Olympic bar and dip handle holders, and integrated Olympic platforms.

Circle No. 563

make adjustments quickly and easily,” says Randy Gobel, MSCC, CSCS, Nebraska’s Assistant Director of Athletic Facilities. “The safety levels and benches on power racks are adjustable, but if making the adjustments is too complicated, we’ve found athletes won’t do it, and that can be very dangerous.”

Gobel adds that for evaluating a power rack, there’s no substitute for trying it out yourself. “Companies often have showrooms, or a list of facilities that have their equipment, so you can find a place to get on it and take a test drive,” he says.

“Take the time to get a feel for how everything works. Are you in the proper position to do the lifts you want? Does the bench adjust with the bench press, the shoulder press, and the incline, and does it keep the body in the proper position to do each lift? Are there disadvantages in starting position from one bench to the next? After lifting, is it dangerous for you to rerack the bar by yourself? Biomechanically, you want to make sure that the rack does everything you want it to.”

without an Olympic platform. A full selection of attachments is available.

Special Features: Foldup adjustable bench on a linear bearing track, fold-down bench for flat or incline shoulder press. Ideal for dumbbell work and Olympic lifts and squats.

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Special Features: Non-slip spotter’s stand, multiple pullup and chin-up grip positions, a Dock ‘N Lock bench-locking system which lets the adjustable bench lock into place quickly ensuring proper alignment relative to the rack.

Circle No. 565

Power Lift 800-872-1543 WWW.POWER-LIFT.COM

Life Fitness 800-634-8637 WWW.LIFEFITNESS.COM

IM&M Exercise Equip.

Extreme MSP

Life Fitness

Heavy Duty 8’ Rack

The 9’ Power Rack is a fullcage lifting The Hammer Strength 8’ Olympic Heavyrack that Duty Power Rack is ideal for athletic fitallows users ness facilities. The adjustment rack, which to perform the supports the bar catches and bar bench press, supports, is numbered for quick and easy incline press, position identification. shoulder press, squat, hang clean, push press, and other All racks below feature plate storage overhead lifts in a full enclosure.

Special Features: Dual grip chin-up bar.

HxWxD Tubing Size Warranty Optional features include dip attachments, 99”x96”x149” 3”x3”, 7 ga.

Lifetime Olympic lifting platforms, and other train96”x48”x48” 2.5”x2.5”, 7 ga. Frame life ing accessories.

Circle No. 566 97.5”x65.5”x73” 3”x3”, 9 ga.

10 yr. Frame

Power Lift

9’ Combo

108”x86”x72” 4”x3”, 7 ga.

Frame life

Power Lift

9’ Power Rack

108”x71”x72” 4”x3”, 7 ga.

Frame life

Power Systems

Pro Multi Station

73”x66”x45”

IM&M Exercise Equipment 800-430-4848 The extra-heavy-duty Extreme MSP rack with weight storage can be used with or

Power Rack Specs Company

Rack

Heartline Fitness Systems Dual Core Rack

2.5”x2.5”, 11 ga. Frame life

Power Systems

Pro Selectorized Leg Press 84”x36”x106” 2.5”x2.5”, 11 ga. Frame life

Samson Equipment

Triple Power Station

Samson Equipment

Double Power Station

Sorinex Exercise Equip. Dual Side Combo

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

105”x44”x96” 3”x3”, 3/16” 105”x44”x96”

3”x3”, 3/16”

96”x132”x144” 3”x3”, 11 ga.

Frame life Frame life 15 yr.

The 9’ Combo Power Rack by Power Lift combines two lifting stations into one spacesaving rack.

Dip attachments, Olympic lifting platforms,

Power Racks and other training accessories are available.

Special Features: Two dual grip chin-up bars, two pairs of safety spot bars, two pairs of “Rhino Hook” bar catches, weight storage, adjustable bumper plate storage, bar storage.

Circle No. 567

Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM The Pro Multi Station power cage system with an adjustable incline bench is great for facilities with limited floor space.

Thirteen height adjustments are spaced at four-inch intervals, and storage posts for weight plates are built-in.

Special Features: Color options are available on the frame and upholstery.

Circle No. 568 The Pro Selectorized Leg Press from Power Systems has a padded carriage, which moves smoothly on rollers and allows the legs to work through the full range of motion on the sagital plane.

Elevated head and shoulder rests are padded for comfort and stability.

Solid steel fixed footplates are included.

Special Features: Powder-coat finish, ensolite padding, naugahyde upholstery.

The frame is available in six colors and the upholstery in four colors, all at no extra charge. The unit is fully assembled when shipped.

Circle No. 569

Samson Equipment 800-4 SAMSON WWW.SAMSONEQUIPMENT.COM The Triple Power Station features an adjustable bench and a triple rack. It

accommodates three lifters simultaneously, performing upper-body, lower-body, and Olympic movements. Samson custombuilds to your needs.

Special Features: The industry’s thickest steel, hickory platform with custom logo and basketball finish, chin-up bar, plate storage, spotter’s bars. The bench adjusts from 0-90 degrees.

Circle No. 570 The Double Power Station features an adjustable bench and a double rack. It accommodates two lifters simultaneously, performing upper-body, lowerbody, and Olympic movements.

Special Features: The industry’s thickest steel, hickory platform with custom logo and basketball finish, chin-up bar, plate storage, spotter’s bars. The bench adjusts from 0-90 degrees.

Circle No. 571

Sorinex Exercise Equipment 877-767-4639 WWW.SORINEX.COM The fullsize Dual Side Combo power rack allows multiple athletes to train safely at the same time. Get all your major lifts done in one place.

Special Features: 0-90 degree bench with spotter’s steps, bumper storage, bar storage, chin-up bar, custom logo on platform, many other custom options available. This unit is low-maintenance and easy to assemble.

Circle No. 572

by T

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New Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 NSCA (Sport-Specific Conference) . . . . . 10 Oakworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 PlayBreaker (TD Sports Videoware) . . . 70 Power Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Powernetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Professional Kicking Services . . . . . 69 Ray Guy Kicking Academy. . . . . . . 55 Rogers Athletic Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Russell Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Samson Weight Equipment . . . . . . 46 Schutt Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Seating Services, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 54 Stromgren Supports . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Talent Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 U.S. Sports Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Voron (Cutting Edge Video) . . . . . . . . . 52 Webb Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Wizard Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 XOS Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Xvest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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Adams USA (chin strap buckles) . . . . . 64 Adams USA (shoulder pad) . . . . . . . . 64 Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 American Football (goal posts) . . . . . 67 American Football (kicking shoe) . . . . 64 Austin Plastics & Supply . . . . . . . . 75 Barry University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Bassco Sporting Goods (athletic equipment)63 Bassco Sporting Goods (game jerseys). . . 63 Best Western. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Card Emporium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Coach’s Office (championship solutions) 54 Coach’s Office (video editing) . . . . . . 59 CoachComm (championship solutions) . 53 CoachComm (video editing) . . . . . . . 58 CompuSports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Cutters (The Reinforcer) . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Cutters (Wrist Coach) . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Cutting Edge (championship solutions) . 56 Cutting Edge (video editing) . . . . . . . 58 Digital Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Earth & Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Football Green Book . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Game Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Gear 2000 (championship solutions) . . . 53 Gear 2000 (chin straps) . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Gear 2000 (shoulder pads) . . . . . . . . . 64 Heartline (championship solutions) . . . . 53 Heartline (Dual Core Rack) . . . . . . . . . 68 HQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Hurst Enterprise (Cool Draft I) . . . . . . 76 Hurst Enterprise (Evolution) . . . . . . . 76 IM&M Exercise Equipment . . . . . . 68 Jump Stretch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Life Fitness (Dual Adjustable Pulley) . . . 71 Life Fitness (Multi-Jungles) . . . . . . . . . 71 Life Fitness (Power Rack) . . . . . . . . . . 68 LRSSports (championship solutions) . . . 55 LRSSports (video editing) . . . . . . . . . . 59 M.A.S.A. Products . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 McDavid (Hexpad) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 McDavid (special offer) . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Neff (Celex digital banner) . . . . . . . . . . 76 Neff (championship solutions) . . . . . . . . 56 Neff (Dri-Tech) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 New Balance (cleated footwear) . . . . . 65 New Balance (three product segments) . 65 NSCA (championship solutions). . . . . . . 53

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NSCA (manual). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 NSCA (video) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Oakworks (championship solutions). . . . . 56 Oakworks (The Boss) . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Power Lift (championship solutions) . . . . 54 Power Lift (Combo Power Rack) . . . . . . 68 Power Lift (half rack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Power Lift (“Lever Action” bench) . . . . 71 Power Lift (Power Rack) . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Power Systems (catalog) . . . . . . . . . 76 Power Systems (kettlebells) . . . . . . . . 72 Power Systems (Leg Press) . . . . . . . . 69 Power Systems (Power Chains) . . . . . . 72 Power Systems (Pro Multi Station) . . . . 69 Powernetics (Bulldog and Attacker) . . . 72 Powernetics (Power Trainer) . . . . . . . . 72 Professional Kicking Services . . . . . 76 Pro Look Sports (football uniforms) . . . 63 Pro Look Sports (team sportswear) . . . 63 Rogers Athletic (championship solutions)55 Rogers Athletic (Lev Sled) . . . . . . . . . 67 Rogers Athletic (Zone Reactor) . . . . . 67 Russell Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Russell Athletic (uniforms) . . . . . . . . 63 Russell Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Samson (104HHUB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Samson (championship solutions) . . . . . 55 Samson (Double Power Station) . . . . . . 69 Samson (Power Stand) . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Samson (Triple Power Station) . . . . . . . 69 Schutt Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Schutt Sports (Field Pack) . . . . . . . . . 65 Schutt Sports (shoulder pads) . . . . . . . 65 Sorinex Exercise Equipment . . . . . 69 Stromgren (protective wear) . . . . . . . . 66 Stromgren Supports (5-Pocket Girdle) 66 Talent Sport (championship solutions) . . 54 Talent Sport (Rib Shield) . . . . . . . . . . 66 Talent Sport (ColdSport Compression) . 63 TDSports Videoware . . . . . . . . . . . 60 U.S. Sports Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 VertiMax (V6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Webb Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Wizard Sports (championship solutions) 53 Wizard Sports (kicking cage) . . . . . . . 66 XOS Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Xvest (Don Chu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Xvest (Fire Fighter model) . . . . . . . . . . 73

Testimonial

Circuit Training of Champions “Since going with Powernetics in our training program, we have attained a record of 131-11 with four state championships. There is no debating that our great success must be attributed to the developmental benefits our athletes have experienced from this kind of conditioning. Powernetics machines have definitely taken us to another level in our training and conditioning program.”

Don Shows, Head Football Coach West Monroe H.S. West Monroe, LA “Presently, our complete training program at Meridian H.S. consists of the Bear, Bulldog, Attacker, Dominator, and High Stepper from Powernetics. What I have seen during the past two years in the total body development of our athletes relative to their speed, explosive power, quickness, endurance, and work ethic is beyond amazing.”

Ed Stanley, Head Football Coach Meridian H.S. Meridian, MS

Powernetics P.O. Box 329, Riverside, TX 77367 800-829-2928 sales@powernetics.com WWW.POWERNETICS.COM

Strength Training Jump Stretch, Inc. 800-344-3539 WWW.JUMPSTRETCH.COM

NSCA 800-815-6826 WWW.NSCA-LIFT.ORG

Squats and squat thrusts done with Flex Bands® are a safe and highly effective way for athletes to train explosively, which improves performance in any sport.

Flex Bands can also add significant resistance to leg presses and other traditional machines. Sorinex even makes “Flex Band-compatible” equipment, like the Hurricane. Jump Stretch has been helping pro, college, and high school teams improve vertical jump, speed, and power since 1980.

Circle No. 574

The NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Manual for High School Coaches is produced by the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, and provides information for high school coaches to use in designing complete strength and conditioning programs for their athletes. The book covers topics like warm-up, stretching and flexibility, plyometrics, speed development, and agility, plus a special section on exercise physiology and nutrition. Coaches will also find sample programs, and over 80 featured exercises and drills with photographs.

Circle No. 577

Life Fitness 800-634-8637 WWW.LIFEFITNESS.COM Life Fitness’ new Cable Motion Multi-Jungles consist of three tower platforms with eight different strength stations, allowing facilities to custom-configure workout stations to meet their space requirements and their users’ needs. Each station has its own weight stack, so exercisers can work out independently. The units feature a new, contemporary design, which integrates well with other Life Fitness strength lines. Available stations include an adjustable crossover, adjustable pulley, dual pulley row, dual pulley pull-down, fixed crossover, pulldown row, and triceps push-down.

Circle No. 575 Life Fitness’ Dual Adjustable Pulley provides more than 200 exercise options, making it one of the most versatile strength-training machines available. Equipped with Cable Motion Technology, users define their own paths of motion, allowing unlimited training opportunities and facilitating advanced strength training.

Boasting a new, contemporary design, the unit has a 1:4 resistance ratio, 20 vertical adjustment positions, an integrated storage rack, and an accessory kit.

Circle No. 576

Aside from sports skills, agility can be the greatest predictor of athletic success. Speed, Agility, and Quickness is a 35-minute video produced by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning.

It is intended for strength and conditioning coaches, sport coaches, and athletes who would like to gain an advantage on their competition. It includes the correct starting technique for the 40-yard dash, plyometric techniques, ladder and reactive drills, and more.

Circle No. 578

Power Lift 800-872-1543 WWW.POWER-LIFT.COM The innovative, patented “Lever Action” bench is designed to fit into all of the Power Lift racks.

The front handle and wheels allow for easy center positioning into one of two locking positions on the spotters’ platforms. The spotters’ platforms are now located on the racks, making for a step-through design. The “Lever Action” bench can be adjusted horizontally while locked into position.

This allows users to easily position themselves under the Olympic bar in the incline positions.

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Strength Training The Power Lift half rack is ideal for facilities that are lacking in space, since it takes up less room than the multi or power rack. Lifts that can be done on the half rack include bench press, incline press, squat, hang clean, push press, and lunge. Standard features for Power Lift racks include patented “Rhino Hook” bar catches, safety spot bars, weight storage, dual grip chin-up bars, and weight storage.

Available options include the “Lever Action” bench, technique trays, rack dip attachments, adjustable bumper plate storage, and rack step-up devices.

Circle No. 580

Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM Develop dynamic power, strength, balance, and muscle endurance with the Power Systems cast iron kettlebells.

Kettlebell training is centuries old and was developed to strengthen and condition the body’s complete muscular structure.

Perform squats, pulls, overhead throws, and clean and jerks while incorporating them into explosive sport-specific and core-training programs. Power Systems offers a wide range of kettlebells from 20 lbs. to 50 lbs. For more information on kettlebells or other strength products and programs, call or visit Power Systems on the Web. Circle No. 581 Sometimes the simplest training tools are the most effective. Power Systems has added solid steel Power Chains to its new 2005 catalog. It’s a simple idea that delivers real results.

These galvanized chains provide progressive resistance when attached to any Olympic bar and can be used for bench presses, squats,

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Company News inclines, and more. As each link lifts off the ground, the total weight being lifted increases, stimulating maximum muscular contraction throughout the entire range of motion. Power Chains are sold in pairs and are available in three sizes: 20 lbs., 34 lbs., and 48 lbs.

Circle No. 582

Powernetics 800-829-2928 WWW.POWERNETICS.COM Powernetics offers many products for the strength training of your football players, including the Bulldog and the Attacker.

The Bulldog isolates the hamstrings and glutes without putting stress on the knees and back.

It also offers an explosive hack jump exercise that develops power in the hamstrings, glutes, and quads—all from one exercise. The Attacker allows the athlete to fire and roll his hips while moving up and out into a full hand separation. Because of the explosive movement, power is developed from the feet through the hands.

Circle No. 583 Powernetics offers the Power Trainer, which for more than 10 years has made the power clean a safe exercise for athletes from junior high to the collegiate level. The Power Trainer enables an athlete to not only do cleans safely, but also to reverse the clean. The unit can be used to perform seven different exercises: the clean, reverse clean, dead lift, lift jump, high row, bench press, and shoulder press.

The Power Trainer has proven over the years to be the safest and most effective way to perform the power clean.

Circle No. 584

Power Systems Exclusive Off-season doesn’t mean time off if you want to keep your team in peak condition. This often means that athletes need to be challenged to keep moving and focused.

Power Systems has always been a leader in supplying teams with innovative and effective training equipment, and the new 2005 Power Systems catalog has an extensive selection of “Exclusive” training products to add variety and interest to off-season training.

The new Adjustable Lateral Plyo Box adds a unique dimension to developing explosive change of direction as well as lateral and foot-speed challenges. The side supports quickly change from 25 to 35 and 45 degree angles to target multiple patterns of movement. Improve the power, endurance, and balance of your athletes during these offmonths by using the Adjustable Lateral Pylo Box with its protective rubber bottom either indoors or outdoors.

For more diverse alternative training, incorporate the Agility Maze into foot-speed, agility, and balance training by creating custom footwork patterns. The 50’ long cord has 12 small weighted bags attached to the line, two fixed and 10 adjustable, allowing you to configure the maze in any pattern and providing visual cues for change of direction. Use it to train groups or individuals of any skill level.

Power Systems’ new 2005 catalog also has plyo boxes, agility ladders, hurdles, speed trainers, and much more to help your team run faster, jump higher, and win! Visit the Web site or call to order the new 2005 catalog and for more information on these and all Power Systems’ products and programs.

Samson Weight Training Equip.

800-472-6766 WWW.SAMSONEQUIPMENT.COM Samson’s 104HHUB is a great new addition to the company's outstanding plateloaded line. The unique design allows the athlete to combine unilateral and bilateral movements from seven different

Power Systems, Inc. P.O. Box 31709, Knoxville, TN, 37930-1709 800-321-6975 fitness@power-systems.com WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM

Strength Training positions. It’s fully equipped with easy-toload weight horns, adjustable handles, and adjustable framework, all designed to fit athletes of every size. Work everything from the chest to the shoulders, bilaterally and unilaterally, with comfort and ease. Combine variety and quality with one of the best names in the business.

Circle No. 585 The Samson 111PSS Power Stand provides a great way to perform multiple exercises in one compact unit. Athletes have the ability to perform everything from bench press and incline to shoulder press and squats, simply by adjusting the safety catches and cups to the desired height. The Power Stand comes equipped with adjustable safety catches, cups, and weight storage for easy use. Equip your athletes with this quality equipment from one of the industry’s leading manufacturers.

Circle No. 586

VertiMax 800-699-5867 WWW.VERTIMAX.COM No matter what kind of lower-body strength and speed training you are doing, it falls into one of three categories: heavy resistance, plyometrics, or low-load, velocityspecific training (the VertiMax).

If heavy resistance were 10 on a scale of one to 10, and if plyometrics were one, VertiMax would be five. It’s plyo with overload: the best of both worlds. VertiMax offers maximum transfer to the field.

Circle No. 587

“Only the VertiMax V6 incorporates upperbody loading into an already highly-effective explosion training device. Training the upper body to improve the lift aspect of vertical jump is a giant breakthrough. You can use it for arm action in the running phase, jam techniques, or combine all resistance bands for run-into-jump maneuvers. I can say without hesitation that this device can be of great importance in any training program.” —Garrett Giemont, Professional Football 2002 Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year Circle No. 588

Why do more than 13,000 unique users each month rely on AthleticBid. com?

Xvest 800-697-5658 WWW.THEXVEST.COM “I have found the Xvest to be an excellent tool for providing overloads in plyometric, strength training, conditioning, and rehabilitation programs. The fit and adaptability are excellent.

The Xvest allows freedom of movement and doesn't interfere with any of the agility, bounding, or running programs that I write for a wide variety of athletes, collegiate and professional. The Xvest has proven itself in my programs. Thank you for all your efforts and help in improving my capability as a strength and conditioning specialist.” —Donald A. Chu, Ph.D., PT, ATC, CSCS, author of Jumping Into Plyometrics.

Circle No. 589 Xvest has a new weight configuration, and it's heavy: 84 pounds of heavy. The new Xvest, known as the Fire Fighter model, was developed especially for fire fighters and their rigorous training. It has the same basic design as the original Xvest, but internally it has a new weight configuration that allows for 84 pounds of weight. Because of the ability to adjust weight like the original Xvest, everyone from body builders to military personnel are buying them. For more information on all the Xvest models, call the company or visit its Web site.

Circle No. 590

With AthleticBid’s online Buyer’s Guide, you may: O View

the complete product lines of companies listed.

O View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top companies.

O Read a profile or description of select companies.

O Send an e-mail directly to a supplier or make a request to be contacted by a company representative.

O Request catalog and sales literature from companies.

Quickly find the products, services, and deals you are looking for

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

Training To Win The sled is an important training tool for the development of a football team. Here’s how one coach has incorporated the Lev Sled from Rogers to create innovative drills for his players.

position. All of the players break into groups by position, and the quarterback calls a play behind the one group that’s pushing the sled. The other groups sprint behind them and then rotate in between plays to push the sled. Each group will drive the sled for approximately five to seven seconds, simulating the length of a normal play. Each group only has a 3040 second break between pushes, and they’ll work together to push the sled the length of the field and then back. It’s a great conditioning drill. The quarterback will also change snap counts on each rotation to simulate game-like conditions.

Drill #2: Lateral Blow Delivery (LBD) Line up your players in single file and

and then extending the arms. This makes the sled extremely realistic to game-like situations.

Drill #3: Sting & Tackle The players are in their position stances.

Each defensive player must deliver a blow (sting) with the proper technique to release the latch behind the pad. Then, after completing the blow, the player sheds the pad, releases, and runs through the sled to make the tackle on a simulated ball carrier. We’ll either use a tackling dummy as the ball carrier so players can execute proper tackling technique, or have a coach hold a shield and have the players hit the shield to finish off the play. From the drill, the players learn

By Mark Torgerson, Head Football Coach, Kentlake High School, Kent, Wash.

It has been my experience that players on your team, whether they are on offense or defense, will benefit greatly by using sleds as part of their practice work. We use the Lev Sled from Rogers Athletic Company and it is a multi-functional piece of equipment. We use the sled to teach proper blocking technique, improve the conditioning of our athletes and work on blocking schemes.

Without tools, the Lev Sled converts from drive sled to leverage sled.

Listed below are some of the drills that we do at Kentlake High School involving the Lev Sled.

have them shuffle down the length of the sled, delivering a blow sufficient to release the latch behind the pad, then lifting the pad to properly finish the block.

As one player moves to the next pad, the next player begins—as a result it is a very rapid pace. Each player must push the pad back six inches or the latch won’t release. The LBD is even more effective when you have position challenges, such as offensive line vs. defensive line. You can make these position challenges even more competitive by giving a point to the opposing position when a player on the other side isn’t able to release the latch by using proper technique.

Drill #1: The Drive Drill The varsity linemen, linebackers, running backs and quarterbacks do a conditioning drill with the pad locked in the drive

The Lev Sled is the only one with the special release mechanism so that players learn the proper way to block by exploding through the defender, rolling the hips

We have a five-man sled, and it gives us a great deal of flexibility. We can reconfigure the equipment in two-player stations, or one three-man station and one two-man station. If your program has budget constraints, you can buy a smaller unit and then add more stations in future years.

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to keep their head up and look straight ahead.

Drill #4: Zone Drill The drill is designed for two offensive linemen and/or tight ends to double team a pad on the sled, executing proper zone blocking footwork and upper-body technique. On the coach’s cue, one lineman releases up to a linebacker standing behind the sled; the linebacker is holding a shield so that the lineman can complete the block sequence. This drill teaches each player to keep his head up and look downfield while zone blocking, and to communicate in order to determine which one releases to the linebacker.

For information and a free Training Video on the Lev Sled, call Rogers Athletic at (800) 248-0270.

More Products Austin Plastics & Supply 800-290-1025 WWW.ATHLETICRECORDBOARDS.COM Athletic record boards are an effective tool for motivating your athletes to do their best. Visit Austin’s Web site to view examples of footballrelated boards, such as for off-season

strength and conditioning, player of the week, goals, and team records. Engraved nameplates are available, or you can print your own using perforated card stock supplied

by Austin. Custom boards are also available.

Circle No. 592

Bareham & Saunders, LLC 800-909-0010 WWW.FOOTBALLGREENBOOK.COM The Football Green Book is the most complete football directory available. It includes all college programs and schedules, including Juco and Canadian, all professional leagues, clubs, scouting staffs, bowl games, media organizations, and associations. It has been published every September since 1992.

Circle No. 593

Barry University 800-756-6000 WWW.BARRY.EDU/HPLS Barry University’s MS program in Movement Science offers a variety of specializations to prepare you for a future in athletic training, biomechanics, exercise science, or sport and exercise psychology.

You can also choose the new general option, which allows you to customize your MS program with classes from all four specializations. Whichever specialization best meets your needs, you will benefit from stateof-the-art laboratory

and research facilities, internationallyrespected faculty, and Barry’s ideal South Florida location, which offers access to challenging opportunities for graduate clinical placements. Call today to learn more.

Circle No. 594

Best Western 866-661-5437 WWW.BESTWESTERN.COM From tournaments to meetings, booking hotels for your team can be challenging.

Thankfully, Best Western makes life easier, and with more than 2,300 locations in North America, they’re practically everywhere. Each property features amenities like breakfast and free local calls. Most offer special group amenities and meeting facilities.

The company even has dedicated group consultants to help you with all the details. Call the Best Western sports hotline for details.

Circle No. 595

Card Emporium 877-521-7632 WWW.CARDEMPORIUM.COM Looking for a new and exciting fundraiser that students will love? Wristbands are sweeping the nation in popularity. They’re a great way for schools to raise awareness for a cause, or just like the letterman’s jacket, the custom wristband can be a fun way to show off the year a player graduates.

Custom wristbands can be de-bossed or imprinted. Class of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 de-bossed wristbands will be available to ship in mid-January.

Circle No. 596

Digital Scout 800-249-1189 WWW.DIGITALSCOUT.COM New Version 3.0 of Digital Scout’s marketleading Scoutware™ is a major advance that boosts productivity. Version 3.0 generates reports with more detailed information. A new data entry design saves time, and now you can enter data on your handheld,

laptop, or PC computer. Scoutware can be integrated with the Pinnacle Video Editing System, distributed by CoachComm.

Circle No. 597

eFundraising 866-825-2921 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM Try eFundraising’s On-line Fundraising Program, a new way to raise money quickly and easily. With your free, personalized Web site, complete with a magazine store, your supporters can purchase magazine subscriptions on-line and 40 percent of each purchase amount will go back to your group. Simply enter the site and send emails to friends and family across America, inviting them to visit your on-line store and buy, renew, or extend their magazine subscriptions to help support your group.

They’ll save up to 85 percent off the newsstand price on over 650 magazine titles while you earn 40-percent profit.

Circle No. 598

Gatorade 800-88GATOR WWW.GATORADE.COM Gatorade® Thirst Quencher’s optimal formula contains electrolytes and carbohydrates. It is based on more than 30 years of scientific research and testing. Nothing rehydrates, replenishes, and refuels better than Gatorade Thirst Quencher—not even water.

REHYDRATE—Gatorade has the flavor to keep your athletes drinking, and a sixpercent carbohydrate solution that’s optimal for speeding fluids back into their systems.

No fluid is absorbed faster than Gatorade.

REPLENISH—If your athletes don’t replace the electrolytes they lose when they sweat, they risk becoming dehydrated, which can take them out of the game. By putting electrolytes back, Gatorade helps athletes drink more, retain fluids, and maintain fluid balance. REFUEL— Unlike water, Gatorade has the right amount of carbohydrates (14 grams per eight ounces) to give your athletes’ working muscles more energy to help them fight fatigue and keep their mental edge.

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More Products HQ, Inc. 941-721-7588 WWW.HQINC.NET Assessing core temperature on the field is critical for the prevention of exertional heat illness. Proven by more than 15 years of use in medical, military, and research applications, the CorTempTM core body temperature monitoring system recognizes elevated core temperature during practices and games. The system features the patented CorTemp ingestible temperature pill, which wirelessly transmits the athlete’s core temperature harmlessly through the body to a monitor. The ATC gains immediate knowledge of the vital physiological status of an athlete—wirelessly, comfortably, and with the highest degree of accuracy— every time. The system can monitor up to 99 athletes at a time.

Circle No. 600

Hurst Enterprise 812-853-0901 WWW.HURSTENTERPRISE.COM The portable Cool Draft I is one of the most popular misting fans for sidelines.

This 18-inch fan produces 5,800 cubic

feet per minute of fan-propelled mist, which can reduce the surrounding temperature by up to 30 degrees. The 10-gallon cooler allows operation for up to five hours. Electricity is all you need to combat heat stress with this selfcontained unit. Visit Hurst’s Web site or call for pricing.

Circle No. 601

unlimited colors at no extra cost. Unlike typical vinyl banners, the colors and images on the Celex are embedded into the banner, eliminating the cracking and peeling of “applied” letters. The company also offers team photo banners and realistic mascot photo banners.

Circle No. 603

At the 2004 NATA Convention, Cool Draft Scientific introduced the Evolution highpressure evaporative misting fans. As a distributor, Hurst Enterprise offers these affordable, high-quality misting systems that meet your needs and budget. They’re the same systems used by the NFL and college teams.

The 24-inch oscillating master fan is fitted to supply two satellite units. Visit Hurst’s Web site or call for pricing.

Circle No. 602

Oakworks, Inc. 800-558-8850 WWW.OAKWORKS.COM

The Neff Co. 800-232-6333 WWW.NEFFCO.COM Neff is the nation’s leader in banner technology. The Celex digital banner offers

The Boss is a great treatment table designed specifically for ATCs. Its lightweight design and protective carrying case make it easily transportable from training rooms to sidelines. The unique aluminum understructure is tough enough to support 600 lbs. (UL weight-load rating), and the sealed seams and removable field feet make the Boss ideal for use in rain or shine. With its easy height adjustments, the Boss is the ergonomic answer for every ATC. Circle No. 604

Catalog Showcase Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM

Professional Kicking Services, Inc. 775-626-5425 WWW.PELFREYKICKINGCAMPS.COM

Since 1986, Power Systems has been a leading supplier of sports performance, fitness, and rehabilitation products and programming. The company prides itself on being the one resource for all your training needs. The 2005 catalog has a new look, with better graphics and photos. It includes sections on core strength, medicine balls, speed, plyometrics, agility, strength equipment, strength accessories, and fitness assessment. The catalog features hundreds of new products and dozens of products available exclusively from Power Systems. The company has even lowered some of its prices, enabling the customer to get premium products for less. Call or visit the company Web site for your free copy.

Circle No. 606

Professional Kicking Services is football’s only full-time kicking education program. Order all your kicking needs from the company’s catalog or on-line at its Web site. Professional Kicking Services has 51 summer kicking camps, including 19 private sites, three college-only sites, and in December, “Off the Ground” certification for graduating high school seniors.

Professional Kicking Services is football’s leading pro training and placement program. Schedule and registration information is available on-line.

Circle No. 607

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Request No. 147