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CONTENTS | FOOTBALL Edition | OFFseason 2012 | Vol. XX, No. 4
Coaching Management
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27 COVER STORY 18 SPECIAL DELIVERY
LEADERSHIP STRENGTH & CONDITIONING 27 ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE 33 READY FOR BLAST OFF
Kick returns and coverage are often underappreciated aspects of the game. Successful coaches offer their methods for making these units special.
At the University of Oregon, student-athletes are learning the art of teamwork and communication through a for-credit class called “The Leadership Challenge.”
Training explosiveness can include everything from Olympic lifts to plyometrics. Five top strength coaches go into detail on methods, specific exercises, and their philosophies.
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Q&A 14 PAUL WINTERS
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OFFSEASON
BULLETIN BOARD
Strategies for improving academics … Unique hiring process … High school hosts a college night … Three questions with Western New Mexico University’s Adam Clark … Colleges make use of smartphone technology … Excessive celebrations lead to penalties.
On the cover
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In his eighth year as Head Coach at Wayne State University, Paul Winters took the Warriors to the NCAA Division II championship game and set a single-season school record for wins.
West Virginia University’s Tavon Austin tallied 1,206 return yards for the Mountaineers in 2011-12. He also took two kicks back for touchdowns. Learn about developing special teams in the cover story on page 18. PHOTO: DANIEL L. FRIEND/WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
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Business Manager Pennie Small Copyright © 2012 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 self-addressed, stamped envelope. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Coaching Management, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, N.Y. 14852. Printed in the U.S.A.
Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012 1
BULLETIN BOARD offseason 2012
CONTENTS
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2 Success in the classroom
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4 Interviewing
with the media
academics
Raising the Bar At both the high school and college levels, academic eligibility requirements are getting tougher. Many school districts are enacting more difficult academic standards for high school athletes, and athletes who want to compete immediately at the NCAA Division I level will soon be required to post a 2.3 GPA in high school. In October, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted to raise the minimum high school GPA a college freshman athlete needs to play in games from 2.0 to 2.3, effective for the 2015-16 school year. Meanwhile, Division I student-athletes with high school GPAs between 2.0 and 2.3 will be required to take an academic redshirt year, making them eligible to receive athletically related financial aid during their first year on campus and practice with the team, but unable to compete in any games or travel. To meet these stricter academic demands, some high schools are experimenting with new ideas and progressive programs. One is Warren Central High
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6 Hosting a
college night
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8 Three Qs on overcoming adversity
School in Indianapolis, which has implemented an academic support program that uses grade tracking, study tables, coaches’ efforts, and motivational tools. School policy at Warren Central requires a student-athlete with a GPA below 2.0 or an F in any class to attend study sessions twice per week. Under the new program, the number of j.v. and varsity football players at or above 2.0 has risen from 61 to 82 percent in two years. And the freshman football squad more than doubled the number of athletes making the grade, jumping from 40 to 81 percent. So what’s the secret to the program’s effectiveness? “It starts at the top with the school leadership putting academics at the forefront and saying it’s important,” says Jennifer Jensen, a math teacher at Warren Central who conducts the grade tracking for the program. “And it continues with personal interaction. It is about the student-athletes understanding that we don’t care just about what they do on the field and winning a state title. We care about them as people.” In addition to pre- or post-school study sessions, struggling student-athletes
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8 Making use of smartphones
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10 Excessive
celebrations
are required to have individual meetings with their coaches. At these one-on-one sessions, the coach outlines expectations and provides a plan for improving. “As coaches have become more concerned with student achievement, we’ve seen our students’ interest in it grow,” Jensen says. “What tutors or coaches say makes a big impact on students. When kids know that you care and are concerned about them, they’ll run through a brick wall for you.” Another way that Warren Central emphasizes academics to its student-athletes is through its Leadership Kickoff event, which was held for the third time this past fall. The main component of the Kickoff centers on announcing the student-athletes’ past academic achievements. Each squad’s combined GPA from the previous year, as well as the percentage of members in defined GPA ranges, are shared with everyone in attendance. Prizes are awarded to the teams with the highest marks in both small- and largeteam divisions. “The event generates a sense of pride,” Jensen says. “The kids talk about it, and it has made them more excited about being good students. There was one situation where a team scored very low, and they were basically called out in that meeting. The next year, that team doubled the number of kids who achieved a GPA above 2.0. This event also makes the coaches more aware of academics, and has increased their support.” Another school that is stepping up its efforts to help student-athletes improve in the classroom is Bloomfield (N.J.) High School. When Mike Carter, Head Coach at Bloomfield, looked over the grades of his freshman players from the past few years, he noticed many of them were failing classes and needed help. So after talking with some of his assistant coaches, including the freshman team coach, he sought and received a grant through the Bloomfield Educational Foundation to help his first-year players. This past fall, the school created a mandatory in-season after-school proAt Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, a new academic support program has significantly boosted the football team’s collective grade point average. At left, wide receiver Kameron Utter (5) attempts to pull in a pass.
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BULLETIN BOARD gram for its 42 freshman football athletes. Before practice each Monday through Thursday, players gathered in classrooms for 50 minutes. Three teachers helped the student-athletes with homework and computer skills, and sometimes gave talks about time management, decision making, and other ways to succeed in high school. “We have found that our freshmen are traditionally eligible in the fall and winter, but come spring there are problems,” says Bloomfield Athletic Director Steve Jenkins. “A lot of them don’t understand the ramifications of their actions early in the school year and either put themselves into a big hole coming out of the gate in the first marking period, or they do well initially and slack off in marking period two. This program helps ensure they get off on the right foot and maintain what it takes to succeed.” The root of the issue is the transition from eighth to ninth grade. “We found that the kids needed some extra help in making the adjustment to high school,” Carter says. “This was not an optional program—all of the freshmen had to participate, whether they were struggling or getting straight A’s. We only excused kids if they were getting individual tutoring with one of their other teachers.” The grant covered payments to teachers who worked with Carter to develop the curriculum and then served as instructors in the program. “Our main focus was to give the kids time to get their homework done and make help available if they needed it,” he says. “We also wanted to get the point across that high school is about growing up, making good choices, and learning time management.” Carter and Jenkins hope to continue the program next year and possibly expand it to the off-season. “We always talk about shooting high—for example, trying to make the honor roll instead of just trying to pass,” Carter says. “This program helped show the players that the athletic director and coaches are committed to their success in the classroom, and they grasped that idea. I don’t know whether a kid will ever tell you they enjoy study hall, but they certainly appreciate it. For some of the kids, the structure and situation here are better than anything they’ll find at home.” coaching ladder
Meet the Press When Stacy Collins took the podium to publicly accept an offer to become the new Head Coach at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T), he did so in front of a collection of local media members who were 4 Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012
already very familiar with his philosophy, goals, and speaking style. That’s because Collins had been grilled by the group weeks before. As part of a unique and open interview process for the position’s four finalists, Collins was asked to participate in a press conference that included a question and answer session conducted by newspaper, television, and radio reporters from the Rapid City area. The idea was the brainchild of Dick Kaiser, the Athletic Director at SDSM&T, which is in the process of transitioning into NCAA Division II. Along with giving the media an opportunity to be involved in a more transparent hiring process, the press conferences provided the Hardrocker football program some much-needed positive publicity following a 1-10 season. It also gave Kaiser a great tool for evaluating each candidate’s ability to handle pressure and the media spotlight. Collins, who has made a number of stops during his 14 years in the coaching profession, admits that he’s never experienced—or even heard of—a press conference tryout. “Even at the NCAA Division I level, you don’t see them put candidates in front of the media,” he says. “The first contact usually comes after the hire has been made.” Before bringing the finalists to campus for their interviews, which were held a few days apart, Kaiser sent out a packet containing an itinerary that included information on the press conference structure. For that portion, he asked each candidate to prepare a short presentation that addressed four basic questions: Why he was interested in the position, how his background had prepared him for the job, his experience in recruiting high-quality student-athletes with high academic
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Athletic Director Dick Kaiser (right) introduces new Head Coach Stacy Collins, who was hired through a unique interview process that included a press conference with local media members.
demands, and what he brings to the job that makes him special. Those answers would serve as the introduction for their presentations, after which the media would have a chance to ask questions. “Having that prepared portion allowed each candidate to get in front of the camera, break the ice, and get comfortable before questions from reporters started coming their way,” says Kaiser. As a career assistant with little to no experience standing at a podium or in front of TV cameras, Collins knew he had to ready for the big stage. He started his preparation by thinking deeply about Kaiser’s questions. “I contemplated what type of message I wanted to convey as the next head football coach at the School of Mines,” he says. “So I wrote down what I wanted to say, created a presentation that I practiced in front of the camera on my iPad, and watched it four or five times to see how I could tweak my message and delivery. “Then I had a couple of people I trust watch it with me to offer their critiques,” Collins adds. “They offered some great suggestions on how to improve my presentation.” Along with being reported on by local media, video from the press conference appeared on the SDSM&T athletics Web site and YouTube. “I knew I had betCoachesNetwork.com
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BULLETIN BOARD ter be prepared and do a good job with it because the video was going to be out there for everybody to see—not just this community,” says Collins, whose interview received more than 550 hits on YouTube. “I knew that anybody could go online and take a peek at it. In fact, a lot of people who knew I was interviewing for the job were chomping at the bit to watch it.” The press conference portion of the interview came on the second day of each aspirant’s day-and-a-half-long campus visit. At precisely 11 a.m., Kaiser addressed the media—typically one to three TV reporters and a newspaper columnist—to remind them about the format and introduce that day’s finalist. The coach then stepped to the podium and gave his presentation, and fielded questions from the media on topics such as offensive and defensive preferences and coaching tendencies. Then the 20-minute or so press conference was concluded and the candidate was made available for one-onone meetings with the media. The entire event lasted about 45 minutes. A couple of weeks after the coaching search began, the interviews concluded and Kaiser offered Collins the opportunity to be the Hardrockers’ new coach. Kaiser says Collins’s preparation and press conference performance went a long way toward his selection. “When we made our choice, the big issue that decided it was that Stacy To view South Dakota had a great School of Mines & energy level Technology Head Coach throughout the Stacy Collins’s press entire process— conference interview, go including the to YouTube and search: press confer“SD Mines Head Football ence,” says KaiCoaching Candidate Press ser. “His presenConference: Stacy Collins.” tation was top rate and very professional. “Plus, the media loved the format,” he adds. “And so did our boosters and community.” Kaiser notes that he won’t hesitate to use the format again if another highprofile coaching position opens up at the school. “The process generated some excitement for both our new coach and our team,” he says. “Hopefully that carries over into the fall.” recruiting process
Going D-III For high schoolers hoping to play NCAA Division I football, a wealth of resources are available. But what about those targeting Division III? At Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, N.J., Head Coach Al Cappel6 Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012
lo addressed that need by organizing a Division III College Night for high school juniors and seniors in northern New Jersey. The College Night was held Dec. 8, 2011, at Passaic Valley, with the goal of making the recruiting process easier for college coaches, while also getting players’ names out and educating them about Division III college football. Student-ath-
letes from approximately 25 high schools were able to meet with coaches from more than 30 colleges. The inspiration for the event came from Cappello’s time as a coach and player at Montclair State University, a Division III school. He says his experience as a coach made him aware of the need for a College Night in the area. “I’ve recruited at a bunch of college nights in other areas,” he recalls. “But I noticed there was really nothing like that around here. So I thought it would probably be a good idea to start one—and a good opportunity to help my players, too.” Altogether, it took about two months to turn the idea into an event. To start, Cappello proposed the College Night to the school’s Athletic Director, Principal, and Superintendent, and then obtained permission to use the school cafeteria. Cappello then sent letters to 99 Division III colleges on the East Coast, from Maine to Virginia, with general information about the event and its location. However, Cappello says the College Night sold itself. The big draw was that it allowed coaches to get information from several high school players in one stop— something that is tough to do while visiting each school on its own. Getting a good turnout was critical to the event’s success. “If the colleges
don’t come, the event doesn’t work out well,” Cappello says. “But, we had a very good response from the colleges, especially being that it was the first time we had something like that here.” Once the date was set and responses from colleges were received, Cappello focused on getting other high schools on board. “The treasurer of our state coach-
Players from 25 high schools in New Jersey had the chance to meet with coaches from more than 30 NCAA Division III schools during an informational event organized by Passaic Valley High School Head Coach Al Cappello.
es’ association sent out a mass e-mail to all the coaches in the state,” he says. “I also announced it at the Big North Conference post-season meeting, and the Passaic County coaches’ meeting. And I got in touch with former college and high school teammates who are now coaching, along with other contacts I have developed. I also sent an e-mail to my contact at MaxPreps, who sends out a weekly newsletter, and he included information about our night in that.” The high school students in attendance did not have to register or pay to come to the College Night, but they were asked to bring transcripts, SAT scores, and any highlight videos they had. College coaches had a designated area to set up their materials, which included banners, helmets, DVDs, informational cards, and promotional pens. The student-athletes and their parents could walk through the cafeteria at their leisure and meet with the coaches. CoachesNetwork.com
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QUESTIONS
“With this format, the college coaches stayed at their table and the high school players walked up to them,” Cappello notes. “But there was table after table in a row, and we tried to snake through the cafeteria so they could have a nice easy flow.” The event lasted two hours, giving players ample time to talk to coaches. Both coaches and players appreciated the informal layout of the evening, and Cappello says the coaches were pleased with the caliber of players in attendance, while the student-athletes were impressed with the number of colleges that made the trip.
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With positive feedback received from all sides, Cappello plans on holding another College Night next year. In the future, he hopes to include junior colleges and possibly some Division II schools. Although it takes a lot of work, Cappello believes the night is worthwhile. “It’s really a great opportunity for players to put themselves out there and see some of the schools, and to find out what schools are looking for in terms of GPAs, SAT scores, and football abilities,” he explains. “It’s a chance for them to see what’s available for them in college football.”
Overcoming Adversity
On Sept. 16, 2011, Adam Clark, Head Coach at Western New Mexico University, received a phone call he’ll never forget. Seven hours into an eight-hour trip to Durango, Colo., for a game against Fort Lewis College, an assistant coach phoned Clark, who drove separately and was a few minutes behind the bus picking up supplies at a nearby store, to tell him that the team bus was on fire. Everybody on the bus was able to evacuate safely and nobody was hurt, but the fire claimed all of the team’s equipment and many of the players’ personal belongings. Thanks to many helping hands and sturdy leadership from Clark, his coaching staff, and school administrators, the team made it to the game. After their harrowing experience, and despite playing with unfamiliar equipment, the Mustangs pulled off a 26-17 victory. We talked to Clark about how he handled the situation and kept his players focused. After Western New Mexico University’s bus caught fire on the way to a game, all that was left of the vehicle was a charred frame.
New media
Mobile Technology Scores Big It’s no secret that more and more fans are bringing a small accessory with them to games—their smartphones. In response, athletic departments are working hard to create mobile applications and sites that satisfy fans’ thirst for cutting-edge access to teams and enhanced gameday experiences. Stanford University is at the forefront of new ideas in this area, starting with a
CM: What was your reaction when you arrived on the scene of the fire? Clark: When I got there, it was surreal. It took me a few minutes to believe what was happening. Once I grasped the situation, I was immersed in trying to figure out how we could still play the game. I was on the phone for about a day straight. The first thing I did was gather each player’s size for a helmet, shoulder pads, cleats, and uniform. Nearby Bloomfield (N.M.) High School came to our aid and sent a bus to bring the team to its school. We spent the next seven hours there, eating and watching a high school volleyball tournaADAM CLARK ment before going to Durango late that night. Our replacement equipment came from a variety of sources. For example, extra gear left behind at WNMU was transported by our golf team, which was on its way to a tournament, and Durango (Colo.) High School provided helmets and shoulder pads. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Commissioner J.R. Smith personally delivered replacement cleats. How did you keep your players focused? When we arrived at Bloomfield High School, I sat the team down and told them that this is what sports is all about: overcoming adversity. We were in a very challenging situation, but we had an opportunity to persevere and learn a valuable lesson about ourselves. I told them that no matter how difficult the situation, I still expected each of them to do their job. What did you learn from the situation? The biggest thing I took away—and what I hope our players did as well—is that bad things are going to happen in life. It’s how you react to those situations that defines you. You have to work hard and keep fighting and find a way to be successful. I hope how well they handled the situation goes down as a lasting memory for all of our players and coaches.
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Taking advantage of new technology, Stanford University is providing fans who have smartphones with in-game video replays and live statistics.
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can share, unlike printed programs, and we can rest assured the information is current and up-to-date.” sportsmanship
Cancel that Celebration Before the start of the 2011 season, the NCAA added a much-debated rule which made unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on scoring plays punishable from the spot of the foul, rather than on the ensuing kickoff. Now, a player costs his team points if he celebrates a touchdown before crossing the goal line. Though the rule was meant to curb taunting at the college level, its effect has trickled down to high schools as well. The state athletic associations in Massachusetts and Texas follow the NCAA football rule book, and high school players in both states lost critical touchdowns last season as a result of celebrating too early. In the case of Cathedral High School in Boston, a celebration penalty helped cost the team in a big game. Trailing Blue Hills Regional Technical School 16-12 in the Massachusetts Eastern Division 4A Super Bowl with about six minutes to go, Cathedral quarterback Matthew Owens broke free for a touch-
Cathedral High School’s Matthew Owens leaps over a defender during the 2011 Massachusetts Eastern Division 4A Super Bowl. Owens would later have a touchdown negated by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
new online venture that begins with free wi-fi at athletic venues such as Stanford Stadium. Once they have logged in, fans have access to a mobile device-friendly Web site called “Stanford Gameday Live!” (www.stanfordgdl.com) that provides ingame video replays and updated statistics from the contest. A second aspect of Stanford’s fan enhancement push is the free iCardinal mobile app that works with iOS (iPhone) and Android operating systems, the two most popular for smartphones. In addition to integrating with the Gameday Live Web site, iCardinal links to the school’s social media platforms—such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—allowing fans to share their own photos, videos, and comments. The app also includes tools that provide fans with convenience during events. For example, the school ON THE WEB invites hunStanford’s Mobile Initiative gry specwww.gostanford.com/ot/ tators to mobile-initiatives.html “Skip the Concession Gallaudet University QR Code Lines, Not www.gallaudetathletics.com/ the Game!” news/2011-12/qrprograms by placing a food or drink order from their seat using a mobile device and paying for it using a credit or debit card. Once their order is ready, a text message is sent notifying them that their food can be retrieved using a dedicated “Bypass Lane” located at one of the venue’s concession stands. “We are excited about these mobile technology initiatives and are proud that they support the spirit of leadership and innovation that characterizes Stanford
University,” said Stanford Director of Athletics Bob Bowlsby. “From a business perspective, our athletics department recognizes the need to evolve our methods alongside broader changes in technology and consumer preferences.” In a move to both improve gameday experience and cut printing costs, the athletic department at Gallaudet University has been experimenting with Quick Response (QR) code technology to replace traditional game programs, which they are printing in limited numbers. A QR code is a computer-generated two-dimensional black and white square that can be read by smartphones and tablets (such as an iPad) to immediately link to a mobile device-friendly Web site. Starting in September, the Gallaudet sports information department began displaying posters featuring a QR code—and instructions on its use—at game venues. Once the code is scanned, it is stored in the mobile device and fans have access to that team’s game program for the entire season with information updated before each contest. The stored code also allows fans who can’t attend a game to have access to real-time stats and live video from an event. “It is important for us to utilize mobile technology,” Gallaudet Sports Information Director Sam Atkinson said. “We have noticed over the past two years the large amount of printed game programs not being used and later recycled. Now we can send our fans to our Web site where we have set-up a Game Day Program area with links to the information they want. Plus, now we are not limited to the amount of information we
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BULLETIN BOARD down that would have put the Panthers in the lead. But before he crossed the goal line, Owens raised his arm in celebration, resulting in a flag being thrown and the touchdown being called back. On the next play, Owens was intercepted, and although Cathedral eventually recorded a safety to pull within two points, the Panthers were unable to score on their final drive and lost the game, 16-14. Then-Cathedral Athletic Director James Lynch didn’t like the call, telling the Associated Press, “I just give people the in 2 analogy: imagine a basketballProtectors player makcolors to replace ing a clutch three-pointer right at the end get-back line. of the game, and he turns around and just kind of shakes his fist in the air. And it was simply that and nothing else…I don’t think it was anything further than just excitement on the player’s behalf.” Despite opposition to the call, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) stood by the ruling, noting that every team in the state had been informed of the rule at the start of the season. Furthermore, the MIAA stated that game officials reminded both squads before the contest began there would be zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike behavior, a message also made
clear in the pre-playoff game administrative meeting, as well as the MIAA’s Super Bowl breakfast with coaches and captains. Despite losing out on the Super Bowl win following the controversial call, Cathedral found a somewhat silver lining in the incident. The Panthers’ story garnered sympathy in the Boston area and the team was feted with a luncheon hosted by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino that featured former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, Boston College Head Football Coach Frank Spaziani, Boston Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino, and Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine. At the lunch, according to Boston. com, Bruschi told the team, “A lot of the talk is about the call. The call during the game. But guys, it’s not about the call. It’s about how you move on from the call. Because this is what sports is. Sports is winning and sports is losing. Sports is about winning championships and losing championships ... It’s how you move on from that.” For Aledo (Texas) High School senior running back Johnathan Gray, an early celebration didn’t cost his team a game,
but it might have cost him a handful of national records. During the third quarter of his team’s 33-0 win over Stephenville High School in the Class 4A-II regional final, Gray high-stepped just before reaching the end zone on a touchdown run. The resulting flag took his state record-setting 60th touchdown of the season off the board, and because it was his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game, resulted in a mandatory ejection. Fortunately for Gray, Aledo’s victory ensured his season would continue and give him additional chances to break the state record. Gray took advantage and led his team to a state title, finishing with 65 rushing touchdowns on the season. He also set the national record for career touchdowns with 205, breaking the mark set by former Onondaga (N.Y.) High School running back Mike Hart. But the call and subsequent ejection might have cost Gray some other accolades. The Aledo running back missed out on being the national leader for career points by just 14, trailing Hart 1,246 to 1,232. He also finished one score shy of the national single-season record for allpurpose touchdowns, which was 71. CM
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Q&A
BUILDING A PROGRAM
Led by safety Jeremy Jones, a D2Football.com First Team All-American, last season Wayne State University advanced to the NCAA Division II championship game for the first time in school history.
Q&A with paul winters | WAyne state university In his eight years as Head Coach at Wayne State University, Paul Winters has focused on building a program that competes on the national level in NCAA Division II. That goal might have seemed far-fetched after the Warriors finished 1-9 in Winters’s first season at the helm, but any doubters have surely been silenced now. After finishing the 2011 regular season 8-3, Wayne State made the most of the program’s inaugural postseason appearance. The team reeled off four consecutive road playoff victories to advance to the Division II national championship game—just the second unranked team to ever do so— before falling to Pittsburg State, 35-21.
Management OFFSEASON 2012 14 Coaching Management
CM: Was there a point this season when the team started gaining momentum?
Winters: It actually felt like it started the year before, when we finished 9-2 but missed the playoffs. Coming into this season, I felt we needed to improve on that. We ended up finishing a game short of that mark in the regular season, so I wasn’t sure we’d even qualify for the playoffs.
But once we got in, that’s when we got more energy, and we started to get healthier as a team, and had some success. I think during the regular season we were so focused on making the playoffs and winning the championship that we overlooked a few teams along the way. When you got to Wayne State eight years ago, did you have a long-term plan in mind?
The idea was to build a winning program and to compete on the national level. How long it would take, I had no idea. But I felt if we did it the right way, the success would eventually come, and come consistently. In 2008, we finished 8-3 and from that point on, the program and the strength of the team grew. To what do you attribute that success?
A lot of things. It’s support from the athletic director, it’s recruiting, it’s a great strength and conditioning program, and it’s the fact that we redshirt most of our incoming freshmen to build them up physically and CoachesNetwork.com CoachesNetwork.com
JASON CLARK
Wayne State finished the year with a schoolrecord 12 wins and Winters was named the 2011 American Football Coaches Association
NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. Not surprisingly, Winters was a hot commodity in the off-season, and he was offered the head coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Akron, where he played from 1976-1979 and served as an assistant during two separate stints. But after much deliberation, Winters decided to remain at Wayne State and continue to build the program, signing a contract extension through 2016. In this interview, Winters talks about his team’s playoff run, his coaching philosophy, recruiting against larger schools, and why he decided to stay at Wayne State rather than return to Akron.
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Q&A get them acclimated academically so that they’ll have success and stick around for four or five years. Has the redshirting been an issue during recruiting, since many players want to play right away?
We do a little bit. There are some D-I schools in the area—Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan—and there are a lot of D-II schools in the area as well. But what we have going for us here at Wayne State is we are a top-notch academic institution. We’re a Carnegie 1 research insti-
“Over the years, i’ve worked with a number of different coaches who have influenced me. the biggest influence was jim dennison, who talked about positive mental attitude, or pma. that’s what we’ve carried over to this program.” I don’t think it has worked against us. We don’t necessarily plan to redshirt everyone who comes in. But it becomes pretty evident to incoming freshmen that they’re not ready to compete yet once they get here. So they’re willing to work hard and wait until they’re prepared to go. What are the keys to recruiting at the Division II level? Do you compete with the D-I schools at all?
tution, and we’re not competing against other Carnegie 1 institutions aside from Michigan and Michigan State, so we have a pretty good recruiting niche. Did you always want to coach?
I earned my degree in business and personnel management, and after graduation I had offers from Goodrich, Goodyear, and General Tire for management training positions. That’s when I decided that I didn’t
want to do that. I wanted to coach. So I went back to get my master’s and started coaching as a graduate assistant at Akron. How did you develop your coaching philosophy?
Over the years, I’ve worked for a number of different head coaches who have influenced me. The biggest influence was [Former Akron Head Coach and current Walsh University Head Coach] Jim Dennison, who talked about Positive Mental Attitude, or PMA. That’s what we’ve carried over to this program. The idea that, “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.” Why did you turn down Akron and stay at Wayne State?
It was an extremely hard decision, but there were a number of factors. First, I have a lot of respect for coaches like Larry Kehres at Mount Union, who have developed programs and won consistently. Having that opportunity here has always been attractive to me. I also feel responsible to the players I’ve recruited here. I talk to them about loyalty, so it was a chance to show them the same loyalty that I expect them to have. CM
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COVER STORY
special
delivery Kick returns and coverage are often underappreciated aspects of the game. Successful coaches offer their methods for making these units special. | By Patrick Bohn Entering its 2011 regular season finale, West Virginia University needed a win over the University of South Florida to seal its bid for the Big East Conference crown and the automatic BCS bowl berth that goes with it. With the Mountaineers clinging to a 13-10 lead early in the second half, West Virginia return man Tavon Austin picked up a bouncing kickoff at the 10-yard line, cut across the field, and darted down the sideline for a momentum-seizing touchdown. The Mountaineers eventually won the game, 30-27, and went on to rout Clemson University, 70-33, in the Orange Bowl. At first glance, Austin’s return might simply seem like a pivitol play from a talented athlete who was named to CBSSports.com’s All-American team as a special teams performer. But West Virginia Returns Coach Daron Roberts says Austin’s season-changing return was due in large part to a mistake. “If you watch the tape, one of our blockers missed his primary assignment,” says Roberts. “But rather than give up on the play, he turned
around, found two other members of the coverage unit, blocked them both, and sealed the edge. That’s what gave Tavon a path to the sideline and the end zone.” Austin’s touchdown is an example of the impact a good return unit—or struggling coverage unit—can have on a game. But special teams success will be difficult to find unless all eleven members of those units are properly prepared and equally committed to their roles. In this article, coaches of successful coverage and return squads share how they get the most from those units.
West Virginia University return man Tavon Austin helped his team to an Orange Bowl victory in 2012. Returns Coach Daron Roberts believes in testing his special teamers by putting them in tough situations in practice. Photo by Daniel Friend/West Virginia University
COVER STORY MOTIVATING FACTORS
While a great return man like Austin can find himself in the spotlight, obscurity is typically the reality for the majority of the players who comprise coverage and return units. So how do you motivate players to excel in these often under-appreciated roles? The first step is easy to overlook: be involved. “The head coach needs to be at the forefront of the special teams units,” says Ithaca College Head Coach Mike Welch, who has had a return man named to the D3Football. com All-American squad three of the past five years. “I firmly believe—and I tell my players—that the punt is one of the most important plays in football. But that message won’t get through unless I’m heavily involved with that unit.” Even if an assistant is in charge of the special teams squads, the head coach’s attitude goes a long way toward determining
the success of the unit. “If you have a head coach who views the return and coverage game as just the transition between offense and defense, your kids won’t see the importance of those aspects,” says Dustin Cluff, Special Teams and Wide Receivers Coach at Show Low (Ariz.) High School. “But if your head coach views special teams as a weapon and says, ‘I expect you to go out and make big plays,’ the kids will play harder because they understand their play can swing a game.” However, talking a big game in practice won’t do any good if, off the field, special teams players feel unappreciated. Andrew Kremer, Head Coach at Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Ind., says it’s important to find ways to motivate your players in the locker room as well. “In years past, we’ve named units after branches of the military,” he says. “For example, we’d call the kickoff team ‘Delta’ or the punt return unit
FIGHT ANOTHER DAY When facing a talented kick returner, sometimes a coverage team is best served by just kicking the ball away from him. But can a coach basically wave a white flag and still show his players he has confidence in them to make plays in other games? Dustin Cluff, Special Teams and Wide Receivers coach at Show Low (Ariz.) High School, knows this can be a tough balance to strike. “I like to have faith in my players to make a tackle, because that’s the only way they’re going to give you 100 percent,” he says. “But sometimes, the results speak for themselves. We played a team from Florence last year and their kick returner brought a kick back to our 40-yard line the first time he touched the ball. We wanted to kick away from him the next time, but the kids asked me to give them another shot, so we did. Well, he ran it back to our 40 again. After that, we avoided him.” If you do need to kick away from a player, Cluff suggests talking to your players about it and laying out the reasons why in plain terms. “I told our guys that there
is a time to be aggressive and there’s a time to be smart, and now it was time to be smart,” he says. “They understood that.” Ithaca College Head Coach Mike Welch says reminding players about the ultimate goal can be important. He was an assistant coach at Ithaca in 1988 when the Bombers played Ferrum College in an NCAA Division III semifinal. Future NFL All-Pro running back Chris Warren was running kicks back for Ferrum. “He took an early kickoff back 50 yards, and as a coaching staff, we decided we were going to kick away from him the rest of the game,” Welch says. “We reminded the players that we weren’t afraid of him, but they needed to trust us—this strategy would help us win. We went on to win that game and the national championship.” Building that trust, says Welch, starts at the beginning of the season. “You tell your players that you’re all working towards a common goal, and that you believe they can make plays when you need them to,” he says. “At the same time, they need to trust that the coaching staff is going to put the team in the best position to win the game.”
would be the ‘SEALs.’ Even small things like that get players fired up to fill those roles.” At Ithaca, where the athletic teams are called the Bombers, Welch created “The Bomb Squad” to promote and reward his return and coverage units. Every player on the punt and kickoff teams is awarded points for achieving team goals, such as downing a punt inside the 15-yard line, or averaging 10 yards per punt return for a game. As players accumulate points, they earn magnets of various airplanes to put on their lockers. “Every time a player moves up a level, we announce it in a team meeting,” Welch says. “The players realize that they can move up pretty quickly if they play on multiple units, and before you know it, lots of guys want to get involved with all aspects of special teams.” Even something as simple as letting the players on your coverage and return units eat first at team meals can emphasize the importance of those squads. “At every team meal, the starting punt team eats first,” Kremer says. “It may sound silly to some people, but those players take it as a badge of honor that they get to eat first. I have kids who are chomping at the bit to be on the punt unit for that very reason.” If these ideas don’t get players to appreciate the importance of special teams, coaches say that playing time is the ultimate motivator. “We have a lot of offensive and defensive backups on our return and coverage units,” says Paul Knox, Head Coach at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. “Our staff is always telling them, ‘We’re going to notice if you’re blocking hard or making tackles on special teams, and that’s going to make us look harder at finding ways for you to contribute on offense or defense.’” Kremer says that taking playing time away from players who feel they are above being on special teams can be a wake-up call. “I tell our players that if they can’t play on our return or coverage teams, whether it’s due to ability or unwillingness, then they won’t play on offense or defense either,” he says. “It’s not about threatening them, but emphasizing how much we believe in the value of special teams.” PHILOSOPHICAL PLAN
Once all of your players are on board, you need to decide the tactical approach you’re going to use for returns and coverage. There are a number of different ways you can be successful, but the first step is to evaluate the skills and abilities of players on your roster. PATRICK BOHN is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: pb@MomentumMedia.com.
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COVER STORY
“The most difficult things for us to find are players who can block, run, and tackle, which are all the things guys on traditional punt coverage units have to do,” Kremer says. “With a limited number of players who excel at the blocking component, we spread out the members of the coverage team on the line of scrimmage and have our punter kick the ball rugby-style. That makes it harder for the other team to go after the punter and lessens the amount of time our players need to block. This allows us to emphasize their athleticism and ability to run and tackle, rather than asking them to do something they struggle with, like blocking.” Kremer takes a similar route with his kickoff coverage unit, where speed is emphasized over tackling. “I think speed alone is enough to be disruptive,” he says. “If your coverage guys get down the field quickly, you can force the return man to move east and west, which is what you want. But if I put my best tackler on a coverage unit, and he’s not that fast and only gets halfway down the field when the ball is caught, he’s not going to make many plays.” When it comes to setting up returns, Knox also prefers speed and avoids using bigger line-
men as blockers. “We have more wide receivers and defensive backs than we do linemen, so I’m more likely to use backups at those positions as blockers on the return team,” he says. “They’re able to get greater depth on the kick, and frankly, I don’t think you need devastating blocks on kick returns. You just need to get a body on a body, and that’s easier to do with a more athletic player.” While speed is important when it comes to covering kicks, when choosing a return man, coaches should resist the temptation to prioritize speed over everything else. “Too many coaches stick a fast player back there to catch kicks and ignore whether or not he can actually field the ball,” says Welch. “The first thing I look for is players with good hands. Once you have players who can reliably field kicks, then you can identify the guy from that group who can best make plays in the open field.” Knox agrees. “The cardinal sin for our return men is to muff a punt, or not be able to field it and let it roll backward another 10 yards,” he says. “So I will sacrifice speed in order to have a player back there with good hands. Our return men spend a lot of time in practice fielding kicks. Whenever they aren’t working with their position coaches, they’re
catching balls. We even stick them behind the goalposts during field goal and extra point drills to get them more reps.” When it comes to returns, especially on kickoffs, Cluff believes it’s important to emphasize consistency and to remind your returners they don’t have to be heroes. “We had a game where we had a left return on, but the ball was kicked over to the right, and it was lying on the five-yard line,” he says. “The return man picked it up, but rather than just going forward and getting 10 yards, he tried to run all the way across the field to where the blockers were set up in hope of making a big play, but instead he was tackled inside our five-yard line.” DRILLING DOWN
The seeds for the block and return that helped propel West Virginia into the Orange Bowl were planted in spring practice, where Roberts likes to test the players responsible for blocking on kick returns by placing them in challenging spots. “A lot of coaches use drills that mimic the ideal situations players will face, in order to get them comfortable,” he says. “But how many times are you going to see those scenarios in a game?”
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Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012 23
In one such drill, Roberts places a return team blocker at midfield and tells that player to pretend he has missed his initial blocking assignment. When the whistle blows, the blocker chases after his missed assignment, located seven yards downfield. Several other
Of course, all that blocking will be for naught if your returner can’t make a play once he has the ball. To teach a returner to be elusive, Knox will put him out there with no blocking scheme during coverage drills. “If we’re working on keeping our punt and
opposite sideline. The player on the nearest hash mark holds a stand-up dummy, and the one on the far hash has a handshield. Another player stands on the opposite sideline. The coverage players then work their way across the field from one sideline to the other.
“In the game today, there’s a lot of glory in offense, and it seems like that’s where everyone wants to play. But I believe special teams is the quickest way to win or lose a football game, and I tell my players that every day.” Andrew kremer, guerin catholic high school
coverage players then follow a few yards behind the return team blocker. When the whistle blows again a few seconds later, the return team blocker stops his pursuit of the missed assignment, turns to locate a different member of the coverage unit, and then blocks him. “We call it the ‘find work’ drill, and the guys love it, because they don’t know where the players they’ll need to block are coming from, which makes it difficult,” Roberts says. “This scenario is pretty close to what occurred in the South Florida game.”
kickoff coverage teams in lanes, a lot of times I’ll stick a return man back there to field the ball,” he says. “This puts him in a situation where unblocked defenders are closing in on him and he has to avoid them by making a move.” For members of coverage units, one of the most challenging aspects of the job is working to shed a block before making a tackle. To help his players learn how to do this, Kremer sets up a gauntlet on the field. Coverage players stand on one sideline, with a return team blocker located on each hash mark and the
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“The coverage player uses the first zone to build speed before the first blocker turns to one side,” Kremer says. “The coverage player avoids the block by going to the backside of his opponent. “Then the coverage man gets to the ‘engage’ zone,” he continues. “When he gets to the blocker with the handshield, he explodes into the blocker’s pads, locks his hands out, and rips off of the block. Finally, he gets to the last man and he tackles him low, from the side. It’s a wide-open drill and the players really get into it.”
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COVER STORY Film Study
Even the best drills in the world won’t always prepare players for what an opponent does in a game. A careful study of game film can, however, provide coaches with the information needed to predict their opponent’s moves and reactions. So what should a coach look for when studying film? “Your first goal should be to identify the opposing players who are least likely to hurt you,” says Roberts, who worked for the Kansas City Chiefs under Herman Edwards in 2007 and 2008. “Coach Edwards told me when I first started working with him, ‘BLT: Body Language Talks.’ There are some players on special teams units who really don’t want to be out there. The key is to identify guys who are always around the ball, but never actually make the play.” With that knowledge, Roberts can use a number of strategies to gain an advantage. “If I identify a player who’s not very willing to make a tackle in a one-on-one situation, I’ll have our return man run right at him, because I know we can beat him,” he says. “Or if it looks like a player doesn’t like contact, I’ll have one of our guys ‘show’ a block, and when the other player slows down to avoid it, our guy will break off and double team someone else.” Beyond identifying specific players to attack, film can be used to spot tendencies that tip off what a team is about to do. “Let’s say I’m going up against a team that usually returns the ball to the right side of the field, and I notice in film that’s the side the best players are on.” Cluff says. “If those players suddenly move to the left side during a game, I can tell the team has switched to a left return.” Welch used film to identify a soft spot in rival SUNY Cortland’s kickoff coverage unit before the two teams met in 2006. “I noticed that when they kicked the ball to one side of the field, the players on the other side were collapsing in too far and not holding the edge,” he says. “I knew that if [return man] Kelly Gordon went to one side and then cut back across the field, those players would be caught out of position, so I told him to give it a shot. On the second half kickoff, Kelly did exactly that, and ran it back for a touchdown.” While it may not get the attention that the offense and defense do, special teams units can swing games in your favor, making it critical that your players can produce results when it matters. “In the game today, there’s a lot of glory in offense, and it seems like that’s where everyone wants to play,” Kremer says. “But I believe special teams is the quickest way to win or lose a football game, and I tell our players that every day.” CM CoachesNetwork.com
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LEADERSHIP
univeRsity OF Oregon athletics/Eric Evans (Hoffman, lokombo & kaddu) & Steve Dykes (weems).
Justin Hoffman, Josh Kaddu, Darrion Weems, and Boseko Lokombo (clockwise from top left) were four of 10 football players who took the University of Oregon leadership class last summer.
ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE At the University of Oregon, student-athletes are learning the art of teamwork and communication through a for-credit class called “The Leadership Challenge.” By Katie Harbert
CoachesNetwork.com
At every institution, student-athletes are expected to be leaders. Coaches demand it and society expects it. But leadership is not a quality that magically appears. Rather, it must be taught, developed, coached, and critiqued. That’s why, here at the University of Oregon, we have developed a for-credit course specifically to help student-athletes further their leadership skills. Called “The Leadership Challenge,” it is a way for our students to gain self-awareness, become part of a network of leaders, learn more about the process of leadership, and have fun while they’re at it. Leadership skills can be taught through a myriad of ways based on each institution’s needs, goals, and resources. The class we developed uses experiential learning, which we feel best fits the culture and resources we Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012 27
have at Oregon. Rather than getting lectured on what leadership is, students explore the idea, play with it, and try to figure it out for themselves. STRUCTURE & SETUP
The class began in 2003 under the direction of Karen Nelson, who was the Assistant Athletic Director of Student Services and has since retired. It was a four-day intensive course and largely used activities, speakers, breakout groups, and reflection to teach and develop leadership skills. The class was held again in 2009 and 2011, with the curriculum, structure, and activities changing somewhat based on new leadership literature and the personnel involved. In its current form, the Leadership Challenge course is offered for three credits and
takes place over two weekends in the summer. Having the course on the weekend ensures it does not conflict with studentathletes’ other classes and workout schedules. While it is geared towards leadership development among student-athletes, the course is open to all students on campus. The curriculum is designed to teach participants a variety of leadership theories, styles, skills, and practices. It then challenges students to apply the principles they have learned. The teaching tools we use include assigned readings, breakout sessions, a number of hands-on activities, speakers, reflections, presentations, and a final paper. Students have the opportunity to work individually and in groups, while also interacting with each other, facilitators, administrators, and speakers.
on the field One student-athlete’s perspective on Oregon’s Leadership Challenge class.
Last spring, I was told about a class called the Leadership Challenge, which would be offered during the summer. I was interested in improving my leadership skills, so I signed up. That proved to be a great decision. What I found most helpful about the course was interacting with other student-athletes on the topic of leadership. By sharing past experiences, we grew to better understand when and how By Boseko Lokombo we could each step up and be leaders on our teams. Sophomore linebacker and journalism major at the University of Oregon
I also appreciated the feedback we got through the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). I was able to discover my strengths and weaknesses, and realized I am most comfortable leading by example. But I also came to understand the importance of being a vocal leader, and have been working on that. This fall, it felt great to use what I learned to help my team. I was more confident providing a hand to others and speaking up. When an underclassman did something wrong, I was comfortable correcting him. Another thing I learned is that being a follower is just as important as being a leader. For example, we had a team meeting this past season during which seniors talked to the team and asked us what we can improve. By practicing similar situations through the Leadership Challenge course, I had enough confidence to offer my point of view. A year ago, I would have said nothing in that situation. I also think the class helped make our team stronger as a unit. Ten of us participated in the course, and we all took what we learned back to the team. We communicated better and understood when to lead and when to follow. Everyone is a leader, but not everyone knows how to lead. This class helped me and my teammates develop leadership skills we used on the field this year—and will continue to use throughout our lives.
As mentioned above, we utilize experiential learning, which is a process of activity and reflection that is personal to the participant. Students experience a concept through an activity, then are asked to reflect and process the questions of “What? So what? And now what?” We’ve found that when discussions are relevant to the real-life situations studentathletes find themselves in, they are more open and honest in their discussions, which leads to better learning. The process also allows the students to explore potential solutions together rather than in silos, making group trust and open discussion a vital part of the course. The class is designed to accommodate 20 to 26 students, with some activities involving the full class and others using smaller breakout groups. We have discussed opening the class to 40 or 50 students but always conclude that greater numbers would compromise the ability for the group and individuals to go in-depth with their leadership training. Another benefit to the small number is that students are able to get to know each other on a deeper level. Most years, I am the lead instructor for the course, and we divide the class into two separate “teams,” each led by two facilitators. Our staff of facilitators has included academic advisors, directors of operations, assistant athletic directors, and learning specialists. These facilitators volunteer to participate and are trained in the curriculum and the role of facilitation. When recruiting students to take the class, we start with junior and senior student-athletes recommended by coaches. Once this group has had the opportunity to register, we begin recruiting younger students who might be interested. Ideally, most class members are entering leadership roles on their teams and have some leadership background. Each year we’ve taught the class, we have ended up with a widely diverse group by age, sport, gender, and race, which has provided for a rich learning environment. The course has been the starting point for many diverse lasting friendships. The opportunity for students to go into in-depth conversations provided by the experiential learning atmosphere has been key to this important dynamic. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
There are so many wonderful ideas and dynamic activities that have been developed around teaching leadership, it’s easy for a course to be a hodge-podge of items. But it’s KATIE HARBERT is Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development at the University of Oregon. She plans and implements the Leadership Challenge course at UO and can be reached at: kharbert@uoregon.edu.
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LEADERSHIP
better if a curriculum has specific learning objectives that tie together. We developed five objectives for our course, and then put together instruction that would support those goals. 1. Understand and apply relational leadership and the skills necessary for effective leadership in campus, community, and organizational settings. There are many books and articles about leadership. While we feel it’s important to introduce to the students the many theories of leadership, for the purpose of this class we wanted to narrow in on one definition. We chose the Relational Leadership Model as defined by Susan R. Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy McMahon in Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to
2. Increase awareness of their own personal leadership style, including their skills, values, and personal philosophy of leadership. A main goal of the class is to teach students to apply leadership concepts to their own lives. To bring this idea to the forefront, we start the course by having each student assess their own leadership style and abilities. Part of this process is self-evaluation, in which students take an in-depth look at their own beliefs and clearly define them. They are given a list of values and asked to circle all those they claim as their own, then asked to narrow it down to their top three. From there, we have a discussion about our personal values and how they come to be. Another part is feedback from others. Each student is asked to complete the Student
Student-athletes find themselves in a wide variety of groups where they may need to exercise leadership skills, from their sports teams to campus groups to classes. Learning about group dynamics helps them to be more effective members of those groups. The text we use to highlight this is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni. The five dysfunctions he defines are: Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability, and Inattention to Results. Although its content is geared towards the business setting, it can be easily transferred to the world of college athletics. We teach the text using several activities and by having small groups teach one of the five dysfunctions to the larger group. We also ask students to further their
”Cultural awareness and competency is a core concept of relational leadership and is woven throughout the class.” Make a Difference, since it can be applied in organizational structures like athletic teams and is very transferable to student-athletes. Relational leadership is a vision-driven, collaborative process where personal relationships and ethics provide the foundation for making positive change. Selected chapters from this text are used as reading assignments, and class activities support the Relational Leadership Model by focusing on group dynamics and allowing students to interact with experienced leaders. In addition, we are lucky enough to have one of the authors, Timothy McMahon, on our campus and have been able to use him as a consultant to advise us on the learning objectives, process, and structure of the class.
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LPI (Leadership Practices Inventory), a 360-degree assessment administered online. This inventory includes a self-assessment but also gets feedback from observers, which may include coaches, teammates, peers, teachers, mentors, and anyone else involved in the student’s life. Student-athletes enter the e-mail addresses of the people they want to complete it on their behalf and then a report is compiled summarizing feedback in five core areas: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. These are completed before class commences. 3. Learn the basics of group roles, dynamics, and decision making in order to function constructively in group settings.
group dynamic skills through an assignment. All participants are placed in groups in which they work to address critical issues in leadership and intercollegiate athletics, and then develop a 10- to 15-minute presentation to be delivered on the last day of the course. A key part of the activity is individuals working together as a group. (And to put a little extra pressure on the students, we invite all of the class speakers, athletic department staff, and sport coaches to attend the presentations.) 4. Understand the importance of cultural awareness and its role in effective leadership and successful groups. Cultural awareness and competency is a core concept of relational leadership and is woven throughout the class. Because our
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LEADERSHIP
group is always quite diverse, it is not difficult to have meaningful discussions about inclusion and diversity. Additionally, most of the experts who join us speak about this topic within their presentations so students do see it is an important piece of leadership. They get the idea that cultural awareness should be a part of everything we do as leaders. Students also learn about cultural competency from one of our speakers, Johnny Lake, who is a local educator and leadership trainer. Dr. Lake captures the students’ attention by speaking about his personal experience as a black youth growing up without much interaction with white people. He then makes his presentation more personal by asking students to define and share experiences that have impacted them, asking them to question stereotypes and recognize how they affect others. 5. Develop a personal leadership vision and action plan that demonstrates critical thinking about the application of leadership theory.
three through an ice-breaking game. They are then given a backpack with a GPS device and several resources and let loose in “Amazing Race” style to discover and answer clues, reach various checkpoints, and eventually find their final destination. After the EcoChallenge, the group reconvenes at the hotel. They debrief, share a meal together, and then learn about some leadership ideas, such as the Johari Window, the DiSC assessment, relational leadership, and group dynamics. This piece of the curriculum is taught by lead instructors and facilitators and complemented with activities and discussion to help students digest the material further. After about 8:30 p.m., they have free time to get to know their new friends and make use of the hotel pool. The following day, the group has a morning session about LPIs with Rich Burke, a seasoned leadership development professional who has worked with executive teams at Fortune 500 companies. Burke brings the
The second weekend begins with a review of the first weekend, followed by a discussion about the group presentations. Student-athletes then split into groups to work on topics for their presentations, which are to address a “big issue” that they find important and want to create change around. Facilitators assist each group to narrow their focus to topics that they could directly impact with their plan of action. This past year, topics included stereotypes and student-athlete perception and redefining amateurism. Next, the full group comes back together for several activities, including those on decision-making, cultural awareness, and visioning and action planning. The students also work more on their presentations, and have a facilitated discussion with three professionals who are considered leaders in their fields of work. On the last day of class, students do some wrap-up activities and listen to a final speaker. Last year, our speaker was former NFL
”Evaluations from students about the class last year were very encouraging. They appreciated the balance of hands-on activities with classroomlike learning and the diversity of the speakers.” One major assignment is to create a leadership vision and action plan, which is to be based on students’ learning in the class, the feedback they receive, and their Student LPI. The idea is for them to put on paper their philosophy and vision of leadership, how they expect to continue developing and exercising their leadership, and a specific action plan they want to implement using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal-setting method. Students are asked to apply relational leadership and other core concepts learned to their vision and action plan. FOUR ACTION-PACKED DAYS
With the above five learning objectives as our compass, we break our two-weekend course into specific activities. Class instructors look at the learning objectives and spend a lot of time making sure each piece of the class supports one or more of those goals. The first weekend of the course is intended to build trust among students and to create an environment that allows for in-depth discussion and personal development. To do this, we take the group to Bend, Ore., which is a two-and-a-half hour drive east from our campus. Upon arrival in Bend, the class participates in a GPS EcoChallenge in the high desert guided by an outdoor adventure company. Students are divided into groups of 30 Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012
group to a new level of vulnerability and bravery by asking each student to stand up and answer two questions: n What are you most proud of? n What do you want to be remembered for? Burke then walks students through the theory behind the Student LPI, how to read their reports, and what to do with the feedback they receive. This is one of our students’ favorite activities of the weekend. They are able to obtain others’ opinions about their leadership from their coaches and teammates in a safe and productive way, which allows them to develop a plan to work off their strengths and to improve upon their weaknesses. The culmination of the weekend is a whitewater rafting excursion on one of Oregon’s most pristine and powerful rivers, the McKenzie. The class is typically split with half the students having been rafting before and the other half thinking they never would! This is a great time for people’s leadership skills to surface, as the veteran rafters get the opportunity to encourage and teach the novices. Though very busy, the students thoroughly enjoy the short stay in Bend. Attitudes are great, smiles and laughter abound, and the student-athletes are genuinely engaging with the material in a personal way. The stage is set.
head coach Tony Dungy, whose son plays football at Oregon. To end the class, students deliver their final presentations. Evaluations from students about the class last year were very encouraging. They appreciated the balance of hands-on activities with classroom-like learning and the diversity of speakers. They said they learned a tremendous amount and were eager to put their new ideas into action. It is rare after completing a class that students take the time to send a thank you note. But two students from the 2011 class did just that. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for such a great leadership class,” said one student. “I absolutely had a blast and I wish that the class was still going on. I learned a lot and I’m so anxious to tell my parents about it and put my new skills to the test!” The Leadership Challenge doesn’t completely fill the gap in leadership development among student-athletes, but it is a start. To other administrators who are considering developing a leadership program of their own I strongly suggest taking a collaborative approach and using all resources possible, especially from the department and campus. CM A version of this article appeared in our sister magazine, Athletic Management. To access more articles from AM, please visit: www.AthleticManagement.com. CoachesNetwork.com
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Shannon Turley, Sports Performance Coordinator for Football at Stanford University, works with senior wide receiver Chris Owusu on his explosiveness.
ready for blast off Training explosiveness can include everything from Olympic lifts to plyometrics. Five top strength coaches go into detail on methods, specific exercises, and their philosophies. By Dennis Read
rod searcey
Tune in to the NFL draft or read the scouting reports and you will be surprised how many times the commentators use the word “explosive.” If you catch a game on television, you’ll hear the announcers talk about how explosive a running back is as he bursts through the CoachesNetwork.com
line, or the explosiveness a wide receiver shows coming out of his break. Athletes and strength coaches talk about explosiveness, too—and better ways to train and develop it. But specifics on how to train explosiveness are harder to find than examples of it. To get the answers, we talked to five top college strength and conditioning coaches and asked them their thoughts on training this vital area. (Their bios can be found on page 34.) They offer their approaches to explosive training, share the training methods they like best, and reveal common problem areas coaches should watch out for. Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012 33
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
THE PANEL JENNIFER JONES is in her seventh season as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Texas A&M University. She works primarily with the women’s basketball team, which won the 2011 NCAA Division I title, and the men’s and women’s track and field teams, which have both won the last three NCAA Division I outdoor titles.
MICKEY MAROTTI was Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Florida, where he worked closely with the football team, at the time he was interviewed for this story. In December 2011, he became Assistant Athletic Director for Football Sports Performance at Ohio State University. In 21 years as a collegiate strength coach, he has trained 12 first-round NFL draft picks and six first-round NBA picks.
CM: What does explosive training mean to you?
Mickey Marotti: Explosive training should be the intent to produce maximal force or effort in a given skill, exercise, or drill. But the movement doesn’t necessarily have to be done fast. An offensive lineman blocking a defensive lineman is explosive, even though the forces working against him prevent him from doing it quickly. Even though he may not move fast, the intent of the central nervous system, muscular system, and skill system is to move explosively. For example, if an athlete is bench pressing and you want them to move the bar explosively off their chest but
JIM RADCLIFFE is in his 26th season as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Oregon, and works closely with the football team, which won the 2011 Pacific-12 Conference title and reached the BCS championship game during the 2010 season. JED SMITH is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Northern Iowa. A two-time national
the weight is really heavy, the bar is not going to move very quickly. But the athlete is still training explosiveness because the central nervous system and the fast twitch muscle fibers are stimulated in a fast fashion. Shannon Turley: It doesn’t matter what exercises you use as long as you perform them as fast as you can. When training explosiveness—which is really the rate of force production—you also have to keep the volume very low. You need athletes to be fresh, so I suggest only one, two, or three explosive efforts at a time followed by recovery. Jim Radcliffe: Explosive training requires focusing on the total body to increase its abil-
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weightlifting champion, he was the Explosive Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Vikings before joining UNI. SHANNON TURLEY is the Sports Performance Coordinator for Football at Stanford University, where he oversees performance enhancement training, nutrition education, and sports psychology for the team.
ity to produce more force (strength) in the least amount of time. It also means having a plan to capitalize on the complete blend of strength, speed, and agility capabilities. Emphasis on one without the others misses the mark on complete power development. What are the best exercises for training explosiveness?
Radcliffe: To develop the concepts of synchronized strength, speed, and agility, we
Dennis read is an Associate Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: dr@MomentumMedia.com.
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adhere to the Olympic lifts—specifically progressions into and variations of the snatch and the clean and jerk. In addition, dynamic progressions of jumping, bounding, hopping, tossing, swinging, and throwing are applicable in most areas of lifting and conditioning, including explosive training. Turley: I think plyometrics are time-tested and invaluable, and they’re never going to stop being my primary form of explosive training development. In most sports, performance comes down to applying explosive power potential in a specific vector and that’s exactly what a plyometric exercise is.
The lineman who gets his hands inside of the breastplate of his opponent’s shoulder pads first is the one who’s going to win that battle in the end, whether they’re trying to create contact or avoid contact. So a medicine ball chest pass is good, a plyometric pushup is better, and a plyometric pushup to a box is better than that. We use these kinds of plyometric progressions because they will lead to high-threshold motor-unit recruitment and serious power development. Jed Smith: People will always try to come up with a lot of gadgets and gimmicks to train explosiveness, but I’m old school and
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the primary staples of our training are the Olympic lifts. There is a lot of research on which strength training exercises allow you to generate force most rapidly and it has convinced me the Olympic lifts are the best. One of the reasons I like the Olympic movements so much is that they are also the most athletic. A full clean and jerk and a full snatch are the most athletic lifts you can do in a weightroom because there’s so much happening in such a short period of time. You need strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and speed. You also get the triple extension and rapid contraction of the ankles, knees, and hips. It requires a very skilled and talented athlete to be able to do the full movement rapidly. However, it takes a lot of time to teach these lifts, and when there are up to 90 football players in the weightroom, it’s hard to make sure they’re all smooth and proficient. All of our athletes learn the full lifts, but we focus more on the power clean and power snatch because they’re easier to teach and be successful at.
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Marotti: I like to use a lot of plyometrics and jump training. We usually focus on horizontal jumps—like broad jumps and bounding—once a week. We do single-leg bounds into double-leg bounds, then regular bounding, then switch legs. The second day we do vertical work, which usually focuses on box jumps, hurdle hops, and resistance jumps. What are the best types of equipment for training explosiveness?
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Turley: I think bodyweight exercises are the best because that’s what you’re going to be moving in a sport. Medicine balls are the next best option—you can get a lot of uninhibited power potential with them because the external load is minimized. When you get into standard strength training movements, you’re going to want to use a barbell, dumbbells, and maybe a piece of accommodating resistance equipment. The Keiser racks are great because the air compressor resistance is consistent throughout a movement. And bands and chains de-load and accommodate the strength curves differently, but are also a good choice. Jennifer Jones: I don’t get into all the
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fads and the latest equipment that’s coming out on the market. Plyometrics and Olympic lifts have been tested time and again, and they work for me and that’s what I’ve stuck with. But I do some work with bands and chains, especially with our female basketball players because of their relative lack of experience in training. Marotti: One of the things I like to use is a Tred Sled from Rogers Athletics that has a blocking dummy on the front of a man-powered treadmill. I control the resistance of the tread so I can make it harder or easier for the athlete. I may have a lineman train for explo-
siveness when doing specific skill work by having him perform four- to six-second bursts of maximal effort against the dummy. I also like the Vertimax for vertical training, and I use a progression of single-response jumps followed by multiple-response jumps. We start with five warmup jumps with a focus on landing in an athletic position, followed by one set of 10 single-response jumps loaded with the bands. Then we load them up on the hips and do a set of 10 where they explode as high as they can and then stick the landing. Then we do it all again from an unloaded position.
Should athletes in different positions be training for explosiveness in different ways?
Turley: Within a sport, especially football, you have a lot of different body types and skill sets to accommodate, so there needs to be a large degree of specificity of training. For example, quarterbacks should focus on shoulder stability and keeping their throwing mechanics fluid and integrated through their core. But much of their power potential comes through the ground just like a baseball pitcher. Marotti: There’s certainly a difference between training explosiveness for a sport like football and other athletic tasks like the throwing events in track and field, which are closed skills. In football and other team sports, there are many more repetitions in a game, and players have to react to things that happen on the field quickly. So we use more plyometrics when training those types of athletes.
How do you maintain explosiveness during the regular season?
Radcliffe: We like to progress our lifting and plyometric drills to a point where once the season begins we are able to complex two or three of the areas necessary to keep developing strength, speed, and agility. The beauty of utilizing the Olympic lifts is that you are able to pull, squat, push, jump, toss, and throw in sets of one or two exercises, rather than several that would make the workout twice as long. Turley: During the season our explosive development occurs at football practice. It’s a specific application in the athletes’ sports skills and that’s why we’re training them to begin with. It’s not something we try to develop or even pretend we can improve in the weightroom in-season. But it is something we want to be able to evaluate in the weightroom to determine if the athletes need to unload. I use a Tendo unit to measure their speed on the bench press and the squat. They have to be able to create the speed I’m looking for, and if they can’t, that tells me that their explosive potential is diminishing. Then I know I need to lighten up on the heavier movements and focus on more recovery and corrective work. That way, they can get their power production out on the field where they need it. Smith: Volume should drop during the season, but intensity should stay up so the athletes can maintain peak power. You want to make sure that your staple exercises are still there. You can do cleans, squats, bench presses, and maybe some pulls, but you should be able to get the workout done in 30 minutes. Marotti: We usually don’t do any explosive training during the season because of the demands of practice. We’ll do a little bit
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of medicine ball work, but most of the time we just use a platform and a barbell. With the rigors of a football practice schedule, the players’ joints are pretty beat up and for me to give them more work that involves jumps seems ludicrous. They’ll keep their explosiveness as long as they use it, and they’re doing that on the practice field. Instead of pushing against weights and resistance, they’re pushing bodies on the field. How do you test for explosiveness?
Radcliffe: The clean and the snatch are good lifting tests. Good jumping tests include mainly the vertical jump and standing long jump. Short sprints of 10 to 20 yards give us feedback on an athlete’s explosive development as well. Jones: In my experience, the athlete who has the highest vertical jump usually also has the fastest 40 time. You can test power cleans, but it’s such a technical exercise that most athletes are constantly making improvements based on their technique, which means that an improvement doesn’t necessarily equate to increased explosiveness. I also use weighted ball throws, both overhead and underhand. Turley: Football players, and their strength and conditioning coaches, are judged based on the combine tests. In keeping with that practice, I think the broad jump is the be-all end-all test for explosive power. If a football player can create power in the broad jump, then he has a chance to be an explosive player.
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Turley: They’re thoroughly intertwined. There is no way I would ever consider training these things differently because they support each other so much. It’s the chicken and the egg argument—Does the explosive training make you faster or does sprinting make you more explosive? One difference between explosive training and speed training is the number of reps you’re going to do. Speed is a more complex equation because it has two variables—stride length and stride frequency—over a given distance. Speed training in football is reflected by the 10-, 20- or 40-yard dash, depending on position. So we count the number of steps in the 10, 20, and 40 and then use those numbers in our explosive plyometric moves. With explosive training, we’re talking about just one rep. Smith: The new research on speed is very interesting. The old idea was that horizontal force production was the key to maximal sprinting. But you can’t alter stride length too much without overstriding, which causes braking and slows the athlete down. Altering stride rate can also reduce ground force
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Coaching Management OFFSEASON 2012 39
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
production, which would slow the runner as well. The new school of thought is that we can actually do something with vertical impulses, and the fastest sprinters are the
focusing on the quantity of work rather than the quality, introducing explosive training too early and too often in a developmental plan, and overestimating your role as a coach.
don’t become efficient at anything and as a result, they never get really strong. It takes time and practice to correctly perform those staples like the Olympic lifts and squats.
”Football players, and their strength coaches, are judged based on the combine tests. In keeping with that practice, I think the broad jump is the be-all end-all test for explosive power. If a football player can create power in the broad jump, then he has a chance to be an explosive player.” ones generating the most vertical force. The Olympic lifts are some of the best movements for increasing vertical force. Jones: I have asked our track coach, Patrick Henry, the best exercise I could use to help his athletes increase their speed. His response was, “By far, squats. They increase explosiveness, which means the athletes can apply more force on the track, and the more force they can apply to the track the more distance they can cover at a faster rate.” What are some of the problems that strength coaches run into when training explosiveness?
Turley: I think the biggest mistakes are
When it’s time to play a sport in-season, let the athletes go do that. When it comes to explosive power, my job developing athletes is essentially over once their season starts. Some coaches also try to develop explosiveness so much and work athletes so hard that they end up overtraining them. Then you get to test day and the athletes do worse in their vertical jump. They haven’t had a chance to accommodate and bounce back, so it’s no wonder they can’t produce the power you want. Smith: I see some coaches throwing too much in the mix. They use 50 or 60 different exercises, but nobody is going to be proficient at that many exercises. The fact is the athletes
Jones: I think the biggest problem is coaches not understanding the technical aspect of the Olympic lifts. I’ve told high school coaches, “If you don’t understand the technical aspect behind a power clean, do plyometrics. It’s safer for the athletes, and you won’t have to worry about them dropping a bar or hurting their back—and you’re going to get the same outcome.” Unfortunately, I think a lot of new coaches don’t understand that plyometrics work. CM A version of this article appeared in our sister magazine, Training & Conditioning. To access more articles from T&C, please visit: www.Training-Conditioning.com.
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A comprehensive guide on concussions specifically created for the parents of the athletes you work with.
CONCUSSION: AN EDUCATIONAL DVD Information on concussion and post concussion syndrome for athletic trainers, coaches, and educators.
CONCUSSION POLICY GUIDE A step-by-step approach to developing a successful and comprehensive concussion program in schools. SPORTS CONCUSSION: FROM THE PLAYING FIELD TO THE CLASSROOM This tip card on concussions in sports helps coaches, athletic trainers, parents and school personnel recognize and monitor early and late concussion symptoms in student-athletes.
CONCUSSION EDUCATION: IN THE STUDENTATHLETE’S NEIGHBORHOOD This tip card provides Subtotal $ Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or + Shipping $ Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 NY residents add sales tax $ = TOTAL $ Circle No. 128
checklists and practical strategies on educating everyone on the signs and symptoms of concussion in student-athletes with tips for support and accommodations.
Football Facilities A Professional Look
OakWood Sports is a premier custom wood locker builder, with experience in design, construction, delivery, and installation. For new builds or renovations, the company takes care of your locker needs from start to finish and beyond with LEED-compatible finishes, glues, and veneers. OakWood has completed more than 500 locker rooms since 1991, and their experience and knowledge ensure that your locker system will be visually stunning and highly durable. OakWood understands the construction requirements of athletic lockers and prides itself on applying that expertise to the specific needs of each customer.
OakWood Sports, Inc. • 517-321-6852 www.oakwoodsports.com
Circle No. 532
Enhanced Functionality
GearBoss® team room lockers strengthen program pride and enhance team room functionality. This product features more than 1,000 possible configurations—sizes, features, and accessories—with either metal or wood construction, and is available in a variety of colors/finishes—from school colors to wood-grain laminates. Metal AirPro™ lockers feature an open grid design that promotes airflow, sanitation, and visual inspection. The integrated, hinged seat saves valuable floor space and is lockable over a security box and footlocker. Wenger Corporation • 800-4WENGER www.wengercorp.com
Circle No. 517
Won’t Smother Grass
BenchZone® Sideline Turf Protector features the Vipol® Matrix mesh, which is constructed from an openweave vinyl-coated polyester that cleats cannot penetrate. Rain, sports drinks, and more will drain through and are not absorbed like mats that triple in weight, and this leads to odors in thse mats while in storage they are in. The matrix fabric allows air and sunlight to get through to the turf so it does not smother and compact grass like other covers. The low-profile edges are reinforced and double lock-stitched. Grommets are installed every 18 inches all around. Simply hose off to clean. M.A.S.A., Inc. • 800-264-4519 www.sportsadvantage.com
Circle No. 519
New Brand
Lasts For Years
The Tuffy ® Windscreen will last for years because it’s made of Vipol® Matrix. This windscreen is used by high school, NCAA, and NFL teams. It is available in 20 standard colors, including purple, brown, burnt orange, and scarlet. The super durable Chroma-Bond Imprinting technology produces multi-color logos that do not fade like digital printing. This product comes with a five-year warranty. It’s the Official Windscreen of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, is super-premium, and surprisingly value priced. Sold only by Aer-Flo dealers. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com
Circle No. 518
Affordable Messaging
Many high schools have found that BigSigns.com has unique and affordable products for displaying sponsorship messages. Covering chain-link fencing with Dura-Mesh or Dura-Fab sponsor banners is an excellent way to boost sponsorship revenue, as well as the Modstar A Frame Sign System, which was specifically designed to allow sponsorship messages to be placed on sidelines in the end zone, or anywhere you would like them. BigSigns.com makes sponsor advertising easy by offering design-team services—whether the customer has pre-made designs or just an idea for their sign, they receive a high-quality ad that really pops. BigSigns.com 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com
Circle No. 515
Durable Stencils
The Football Stencil Kits from M.A.S.A. are some of the most durable stencils available. They feature industrial grade polyethylene that will not break, warp, or crease. The stencils are available in two grades of durability: premium is 1/8-inch thick for extra-high use, and the standard is 1/16-inch thick for normal application. The flexible design means excess paint can’t build up. Simply roll it up for storage and the paint flakes off. All stencils are precision machine-cut for crisp and accurate lines. M.A.S.A., Inc. • 800-264-4519 www.sportsadvantage.com
Circle No. 516
Best of Both Worlds
Pivotal Health Solutions proudly announces its newest brand: The Athletic Edge. With 20 years of experience manufacturing wood/laminate products, Pivotal has been supplying schools, students, and professionals with quality products in therapy, massage, medical, chiropractic, and now athletic training. The Athletic Edge product line features: taping stations, treatment tables, portable tables, mat platforms, benches, split leg lift tables, lasers, lockers, and more.
A-Turf, a national synthetic turf field builder, introduces A-Turf Titan. With alternating rows of Mono and Premier XP fibers, this dual-fiber construction offers the best of both fibers–durability and aesthetics. A-Turf’s dense fiber construction, combined with ideal infill volume and grade, provides the perfect balance of traction and foot release. With a comprehensive choice of infill–rubber and sand or rubber-only--the surface meets your needs. Ask about the 12-year warranty.
Pivotal Health Solutions, Inc. • 800-627-2387 www.pivotalhealthsolutions.com Circle No. 533
A-Turf • 888-777-6910 www.aturf.com
42 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012
Circle No. 551 CoachesNetwork.com
Football Facilities Increase Program Pride
GearBoss® offers a variety of team room lockers designed to strengthen program pride and enhance team room functionality. More than 1,000 different possible configurations are available with various sizes, features, and accessories. Wood lockers are constructed of a durable, easy-toclean wood laminate, incorporating antimicrobial nanosilver technology.
Wenger Corporation • 800-4WENGER www.wengercorp.com Circle No. 514
Make a Bold Statement
Quality and Performance
With over twenty years of experience in the synthetic turf industry, Shaw Sportexe turf systems are engineered for quality and performance. The company’s systems yield low gMax ratings (safety), yet have vertical deformation (foot stability) and force reduction (lower extremity protection) values in the range of highquality grass. By designing systems around both athlete-surface and ball-surface interactions, Shaw Sportexe can ensure your field is functioning at its highest level of performance. Shaw Sportexe • 866-703-4004 www.shawsportexe.com
Circle No. 552
Custom Athletic Interiors
From wrapping a small bleacher to covering the back of a large stadium, BigSigns.com has the bleacher-back banners that will impress fans and ensure maximum exposure for sponsors. BigSigns digitally prints to its proprietary DuraMesh vinyl using UV-protected UltraBrite inks, to keep an organization’s investment looking great for years. And the strong mesh is finished with BigSigns’ Dura-Guard reinforced hems.
BigSigns.com 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com Circle No. 521
Vipol® Matrix Material is a non-absorbent mesh that does not retain water and body fluids like felt-type fabrics, and can be cleaned with water/antimicrobial spray. It helps in the fight against MRSA, and with 50 percent more micro-fibers than conventional mesh, this extraordinarily strong material protects grass from football/baseball cleats, plus makes the world’s toughest windscreen for courts and fields. Available in 20 colors, Vipol Matrix is used in Aer-Flo products such as Bench Zone® Sideline Protectors and Tuffy® Windscreen. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com Circle No. 520
Lockers
Extraordinarily Strong
Consulting Designs Construction Delivery Installations
1025 Clark Road Lansing, MI 48917 Phone: (517)321-6852 ◆ Fax: (517)321-0975 Email: OakWoodSports@aol.com
www.oakwoodsports.com Circle No. 129
CoachesNetwork.com
Coaching Management OFFseason 2012 43
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Directory
® ho-Pat P F A L RODUCTS
OR
CTIVE
IFESTYLES
THE FACT IS THAT WE ARE NOT ALL ALIKE. At Cho-Pat, we understand people are different and that is why our Americanmade supports are available in a range of sizes. The choice is yours!
DUAL ACTION KNEE STRAP Patented strap gives an added level of support which helps stabilize & strengthen the joint.
Advertisers Directory Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
113. . . A-Turf®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 105. . . Active Ankle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 106. . . Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 107. . . American Public University. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 131. . . Athlete’s Guide to Nutrition. . . . . . . . . . 46-47 139. . . BigSigns.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC 138. . . Blueprint For Better Coaching. . . . . . . . . . . 54 130. . . Cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 134. . . Cool Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 111. . . Cramer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 101. . . Gatorade (G Series). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 102. . . Gatorade (Prime 01™). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 103. . . Gatorade (Perform 02™) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 104. . . Gatorade (Recover 03™). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 100. . . Gearboss® by Wenger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC 115. . . K&K Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 110. . . Longhorn Locker Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 132. . . M.A.S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 108. . . MilkPEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 118. . . Mueller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . Mueller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
112. . . Multi Radiance Medical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 123. . . New York Barbells of Elmira . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 129. . . OakWood Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 128. . . Parents’ Guide to Sports Concussions. . . . . 41 125. . . Porta Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 119. . . Power Lift®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 122. . . Power Plus 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 124. . . Power Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 121. . . Powernetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 141. . . Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 109. . . ProGrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 136. . . QB-Tee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 120. . . Samson Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 140. . . Shaw Sportexe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC 116. . . Sports Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 114. . . Stromgren Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 127. . . Tendo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 137 . . . The Athletic Edge by Pivotal Health Solutions. 53 126. . . TurfCordz™/NZ Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . 39 135. . . Wizard Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Products Directory Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
501. . . A-Turf (Guide to Synthetic Turf). . . . . . . . . 45 551. . . A-Turf® (A-Turf Titan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 523. . . Active Ankle (Excel lace-up brace) . . . . . . . 55 524. . . Active Ankle (T2 rigid ankle brace) . . . . . . . 55 518. . . Aer-Flo (Tuffy® Windscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 520. . . Aer-Flo (Vipol® Matrix Material). . . . . . . . . . 43 526. . . American Public University. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 521. . . BigSigns.com (bleacher-back banners). . . . 43 515. . . BigSigns.com (sponsorship). . . . . . . . . . . . 42 525. . . Cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 547. . . Cool Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 509. . . Cramer (950 tape) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 508. . . Cramer (ESS Ankle Compression Sleeve) . . 48 522. . . Gatorade (Energy Chews). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 527. . . Gatorade (Recovery Shake). . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 519. . . M.A.S.A. (BenchZone® Protector) . . . . . . . . 42 516. . . M.A.S.A. (Stencil Kits). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 548. . . Mueller (Kinesiology Tape) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 549. . . Mueller (The One ankle brace) . . . . . . . . . . 49 546. . . Multi Radiance Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 504. . . New York Barbells (kettle bells). . . . . . . . . . 51 506. . . New York Barbells (loading chains). . . . . . . 52 532. . . OakWood Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 533. . . Pivotal Health Solutions (The Athletic Edge).42 534. . . Porta Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 539. . . Power Lift (4 Way Neck) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
537. . . Power Lift (RS2 Power Rack). . . . . . . . . . . . 53 544. . . Power Plus 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 502. . . Power Systems (HydroPower™ Bag). . . . . . 52 505. . . Power Systems (HydroPower™ Ball) . . . . . . 51 535. . . Powernetics (Bulldog/Attacker). . . . . . . . . . 52 536. . . Powernetics (Dominator). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 507. . . Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 500. . . ProGrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 550. . . QB-Tee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 513. . . Rawlings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 529. . . Samson (Functional Training Rack Series). . 52 528. . . Samson (Sprinter). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 553. . . Samson (Belt Squat). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 540. . . Shaw Sportexe (Guide to Synthetic Turf). . . 45 552. . . Shaw Sportexe (turf systems) . . . . . . . . . . 43 538. . . Sorinex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 512. . . Sports Attack (Snap Attack). . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 511. . . Sports Attack (universal cart clamp) . . . . . . 49 531. . . Stromgren (Flex Pad III 1535T). . . . . . . . . . 49 530. . . Stromgren (Model 329 brace). . . . . . . . . . . 55 503. . . TurfCordz™/NZ Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . 52 517. . . Wenger (GearBoss® Metal AirPro™ lockers).42 514. . . Wenger (GearBoss® wood lockers). . . . . . . 43 542. . . Wenger (product launch). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 510. . . Wizard Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
®
SHIN SPLINT COMPRESSION SLEEVE Cho-Pat’s unique approach to help alleviate the pain and soreness caused by shin splits.
CHO-PAT TENNIS ELBOW SUPPORT Designed to relieve the pain and discomfort associated with tennis elbow.
SIZE US UP!
www.cho-pat.com 1-800-221-1601 Circle No. 130 44 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012
CoachesNetwork.com
Guide to Synthetic Turf
Synthetic Turf Solutions ProGrass LLC, provides the nation’s finest synthetic turf solutions for elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as colleges, universities, and professional fields. The company has worked on more than 350 fields from the Arctic Circle to the Texas border. ProGrass doesn’t want to be the biggest turf company — it simply wants to be the best company. Recent Installations: Grand Valley State University Hiram College Churchill High School, OR Finlandia University Concordia University Hurricane High School, WV
Engineered for Peak Performance
Bringing Quality and Innovation to Turf
A-Turf is an experienced sitework contractor and synthetic turf athletic field builder. The company has built hundreds of recreational, practice, and competition fields for all types of sports and levels of play coast to coast. Buffalo, N.Y.-based A-Turf is part of Pennsylvania-based Ecore™ Group, North America’s largest processor and user of scrap tire rubber.
A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Shaw Sportexe is one of the leading synthetic turf companies in North America. Shaw Sportexe has represented quality and innovation for more than two decades with more than 900 successful installations, including an impressive list of high-profile field installations. Primary Advantages:
Primary Advantages:
A-Turf ® Titan is engineered for peak player performance and constructed for long-term durability. It’s the only turf system that comes with a 12-year warranty. Premium XP and Mono fibers are tufted into the same stitch for an amazingly plush surface that holds infill in place better, reducing infill movement during play. A-Turf ® Titan with a ShockPad is the safest synthetic turf playing system on the market throughout the system’s life. Recent Installations: Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson Stadium SUNY Cortland Sahuarita High School, AZ Bluffton-Harrison High School, IN Camden High School, NY McDonogh School, MD
ProGrass, LLC 866-270-6003 www.prograssturf.com See ad on page 16 • Circle No. 500
CoachesNetwork.com
Shaw Sportexe engineers high performance synthetic turf systems that more closely parallel natural grass in terms of aesthetics, safety, and performance. Its systems yield low gMax ratings (safety) yet have vertical deformation (foot stability) and force reduction (lower extremity protection) values in range of high quality grass. By designing systems around these athlete-surface and ball-surface interactions, the company can ensure your field is functioning at its highest level of performance. Recent Installations: University of North Texas Georgia Tech Western Oregon University Humboldt State University Cheshire Academy, CT Ringgold High School, GA
A-Turf, Inc.
Shaw Sportexe
888-777-6910 www.aturf.com See ad on page 23 • Circle No. 501
866-703-4004 www.shawsportexe.com See ad on back cover • Circle No. 540
Coaching Management OFFseason 2012 45
HelP Fuel Your AtHletes to success IntroducIng:
The Athlete's Guide To Nutrition From the Publishers of Coaching Management
7
$ 95
Topics covered in The Athlete's Guide To Nutrition include: • the amount and kinds of calories athletes need • How to make sure athletes are properly hydrated • "When" athletes eat is as important as "what" they eat • recovery nutrition • A close look at nutritional supplements
Greater discounts available for orders of 20 or more. call 877-422-5548, ext. 11 to receive more info. note: We can customize the cover and content of the guide for your team or athletic department.
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MAG, Inc. 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850
CM20.04
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ITEMS TITLE The Athlete’s Guide To Nutrition Performance Nutrition for Football The Nutrition Edge
PRICE $7.75 $18.95 $16.95
Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
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ALSO AVAILABLE
From Coaching Management
Performance Nutrition For Football Author Lisa Dorfman provides athletic trainers, strength and conditioning professionals, coaches, and football players with cuttingedge information on how to gain a competitive edge in this demanding sport. 264 pages. 2010 Price: $18.95
The Nutrition Edge
Learn how proper nutrition can help your players reach their true potential through the valuable information presented in this collection edited by Susan Kundrat, Sports Dietitian for the University of Illinois. 180 pages. 2010 Price: $16.95
ATHLETE’S GUIDE TO NUTRITION
CONtENts The AThleTe’s Fuel .................................................................. 3 Understanding carbohydrate, protein, and fat needs, as well as the basics of recovery nutrition, can get athletes started on the right foot.
Timing iT RighT ....................................................................... 8 Making the most of your nutritional intake is as much about when as what. Here’s an in-depth look at nutrient timing and nutrition periodization.
Fully hydRATed .....................................................................13 One of the most important dietary requirements for athletes is staying hydrated. But that’s easier said than done.
BAck on TRAck .................................................................... 20 Chocolate milk may be the answer to your nutritional recovery needs.
RecoveRy WindoW ............................................................. 22 Only the right mix will refuel and replenish the body efficiently after a hard practice or game.
choices And moRe choices ............................................ 28 As the number of nutritional supplements on the market keeps growing, athletes can easily get lost. An expert explains how to steer clear of risks and toward real performance gains.
BuRsT oF eneRgy ................................................................. 33 It seems like almost every athlete is using energy supplements for a pick-me-up. Here’s what you need to know about how these products work and the ingredients you may find in them.
The lATesT Buzz ................................................................... 38 Whether it’s consumed to enhance performance or as part of the daily diet, caffeine can be a negative for today’s competitive athlete.
Team Equipment Custom Caps
The Double Vertical Stripe Cap is custommade using premium dry fit materials and the sharpest 3D embroidery available in the industry. Available in either a Flex or Velcro® closure, this cap accentuates your school colors in a way that few other caps can. Just call the company factory’s toll-free number to start working on your design. In this economy, why pay an extra mark-up to a sporting goods store?
Prep Gear • 800-279-7060 www.prepgear.com
Circle No. 507
Feel the Wave
Designed to help increase the natural blood flow around your muscles, Mueller Kinesiology Tape features a revolutionary wave pattern adhesive that moves with the skin and muscles to reduce muscle pain, increase mobility, and enhance recovery. Designed to aid in the treatment of ligament injuries, muscle conditioning, fascia repositioning, and even carpal tunnel syndrome, it is applied to the skin in patterns to mimic muscles. The 100-percent cotton tape is latex-free and water-resistant. One application lasts up to three days. It is available in four colors. Mueller Sports Medicine • 608-643-8530 www.muellersportsmed.com
Circle No. 548
Clear Communication
Comstar is a revolutionary “All In One” wireless headset that features a miniaturized transceiver built right into the earcups. This breakthrough system is more affordable than traditional wireless systems because it operates without complicated belt-worn radios. Comstar wireless headsets operate in full duplex mode, which means that coaches communicate simultaneously and without pushing buttons. The system will accommodate the needs of high school and college football staffs with up to 18 coaches. Porta Phone • 800-233-1113 www.portaphone.com
Circle No. 534
Unrestricted Movement
The Cramer ESS Ankle Compression sleeve’s patented articulated ankle joint allows for unrestricted movement while providing mild compression and support to the joint. Compression provides a performance enhancement benefit as well as mild muscular support. The unique knitted design allows for lightweight fit and exceptional stretch and comfort. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com
Circle No. 508
Circle No. 132 48 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012
CoachesNetwork.com
Team Equipment Significant Reductions
Cool Draft’s portable misting fans will significantly reduce unsafe playing or practice conditions due to heat by reducing ambient air temperatures as much as 35 degrees, thus reducing heat-related injuries. The 360 series of misting fans are self-contained, completely US made, and provide a convenient and safe way to transport the fans. All of this without the high price tag associated with high end misting fans.
Cool Draft Scientific, LLC • 877-676-1140 www.cooldraft.com
Circle No. 547
The One You Need
Designed to be extremely light and low-profile, The One ankle brace is comfortable to wear in shoes or cleats during competition. Offering all the traditional benefits of taping, but with all the adjustable flexibility of a soft strap brace, The One protects against inversion and eversion ankle sprains. Anti-slip criss-crossing side straps can be adjusted at any time—even while the shoe is on the foot— to help prevent slippage and ensure a tight, comfortable fit. Side-pulling stirrup straps imitate the effects of taping while cushioned, breathable tongue keeps the brace comfortable. Mueller Sports Medicine • 608-643-8530 www.muellersportsmed.com
Circle No. 549
Perfect for Athletic Trainers
Every roll of Cramer 100-percent cotton porous tape is like the next, which means you can count on it to unwind consistently, conform better, and adhere longer. Cramer 950, constructed with a latex-free adhesive, is perfect for athletic trainers or athletic programs looking for a high-quality, economically priced porous tape alternative. Cramer Products has been the industry leader in sports medicine and athletic training room supplies for more than 85 years. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com
Circle No. 509
Padded Protection
The FlexPad III ™ football compression girdles feature Shock Cone™ segmented, high-impact absorbing pads and dual-layer hip pointer protection. The new 1535T has five pads, including Shock Cone™ hip and tail pads, plus hard thigh pads. This product is made of 80-percent nylon and 20-percent spandex and utilizes anti-microbial and moisture-wicking fabric. It is available in a number of sizes from small to 4XL and comes in white and gray. Stromgren Athletics • 800-527-1988 www.stromgren.com
Circle No. 531
Coaching Aids Great Training Target
The new QB5 Quarterback Passing Net is now available at Wizard Sports. This product is a great quarterback training target net and features five 12” x 12” target pockets. It also has easy and quick set-up and take-down, an included small durable Cordura carry case, and an affordable price. Wizard Sports Equipment • 888-964-5425 www.wizardsports.com
Circle No. 510
Good at Everything
The new Snap Attack Football Machine with solid polyurethane football throwing wheels (no air pressure) provides tight spirals, long distance, and accuracy. In the elevated position using the universal ball cradle, it can pass, punt, or deliver the perfect kick-off. In the lowered position at ground level, it can snap the ball to any depth for shotgun or pistol formations, extra points, and punts. Pre-set locations make any change (left- to righthanded spirals or spirals to end-over-end) quick and easy. Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com
Circle No. 512
Versatile Practice Tool
Improved Quarterback Play
Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com
QB-Tee • 330-750-0086 www.qb-tee.com.
The Snap Attack Football Machine is a snap, pass, and kick machine that will maximize time on the most difficult-to-practice phases of the game. The universal cart clamp is designed to fit any round or square mounting post or pedestal from 2 1/2” to 4”. The clamp securely attaches Snap Attack to the cart, allowing the operator to swivel the machine in any direction for punts, passes, and end-overend kickoffs. Detach Snap Attack quickly and easily for use in snapping drills.
CoachesNetwork.com
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The QB-Tee is a great training tool that can help quarterbacks at any level improve their skills. With the QB-Tee’s unique timing mechanism, the coach can focus on the player and not the stopwatch. Players can do more repetitions with greater intensity, and can work on individual objectives on their own. QB-Tee can help quarterbacks improve three-, five-, and seven-step drops, as well as timing, during the off-season. QB-Tee is also great for passing drills and 7-on-7 practices and games. The timer can be programmed to tenths of a second. QB-Tee is made of helmet grade plastic and is highly durable. Circle No. 550 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012 49
GOT HEAT!
Product Launch
Get Cool Draft…
HEAT related injuries and illness can kill!
Protect your student athletes.
Cool Draft has been building misting systems for fire fighters, military and athletic programs for over 14 years. Now your athletes can have the highest levels of protection from the effects of HEAT. An affordable, portable and high performance misting fan system is now available for your athletic program. The Cool Draft 360 Series easily out performs misting fans at twice the price. • Reduces ambient temperature by as much as 35° • Completely portable..weighs less than 50 pounds • Fan stores in base when not in use • Powerful 22 inch fan • Stainless steel construction • Choose between High Pressure and Mid Pressure Models • Cooler case holds up to 40 gallons of water • Provides up to 11 hours of continuous misting • Economical...fits into any athletic training or Booster Club budget • Set up in minutes, runs for hours
Impulse Football Helmet Rawlings www.rawlingsfootball.com 800-RAWLING Circle No. 513 Unique features:
Benefits for the user:
• Ultra lightweight design for high-performance athletes • C3 comfort liner: The Impulse uses a high-impact VN foam with two air inflation ports
• Heat exchange: Padding system designed for maximum temperature control by strategically placed pads to create optimal air flow
AirPro™ Lockers Wenger Corporation www.wengercorp.com 800-4WENGER Circle No. 542
Watch complete product videos at www.cooldraft.com Mention this ad and get a FREE wheel kit with your misting fan!
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50 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012
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Unique features:
Benefits for the user:
• Rugged construction, mounted off floor, with open grid design • Integrated seat and lockable storage • Antimicrobial paint
• Promotes airflow, sanitation, and inspection • Saves floor space and enables easy cleaning under and around • Enhances team room functionality, aesthetics CoachesNetwork.com
Strength & Conditioning Sprinting Toward Strength
A New Element
The new Samson Sprinter is yet another way the company is leading the way in heavy-duty custom equipment. This unique piece allows your athletes to perform a sprint motion while in a biomechanically sound running position. Adding resistance is made easy with the plate-loaded weight horns that are designed to prevent any plate movement. Created with comfort, durability, and adjustability in mind, the new Samson Sprinter will fit every athlete comfortably, and just like any other Samson piece, it will last a lifetime.
The HydroPower™ Ball adds an entirely new element of instability and core engagement to your workout. Easily change stability and resistance by simply adding or removing water. The HydroPower™ Ball is available in three sizes: small (green 30-centimeter ball that holds up to 33 pounds of water), medium (blue 40-centimeter ball that holds up to 55 pounds of water), and large (red 50-centimeter ball that holds up to 88 pounds of water). This product is not designed for slamming.
Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com
Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com
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Specially Designed
Unbroken Line of Strength
New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 504
Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
These kettle bells with wide handles are specially designed with large openings to prevent bruising of the back of the hand and wrist. The company offers kettle bells in five-pound increments from 10 to 100 pounds, and monster bells in 25-pound increments from 125 to 200 pounds. You can make your purchase in either a three-, four-, seven-, or nine-piece set to save money. Kettle bell hand covers are also available.
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CoachesNetwork.com
Powernetics offers a line of strength training machines that develop power by providing a consistent ratio of speed, resistance, and intensity. The Dominator builds strength in one unbroken line from the feet to the hands. The machine’s ground-based torquing motion works both sides of the body, while also providing an explosive chest punch. The unit will more than double strength in the 90-degree torso rotation.
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Strength & Conditioning Super Training Tools
The TurfCordz™ Super Bungie Kit features interchangeable elements to help enhance performance through resistance. Elements include the Super Bungie Belt for comfort and security and a Super Bungie Handle designed to maintain comfort during strength and stretching exercises. The kit also includes three eight-foot (2.4-meter) Super Bungie Cords with 75 pounds (34 kilograms), 150 pounds (68 kilograms) and 200 pounds (90 kilograms) of pull. Contact the company for more on its full line of TurfCordz resistance products—designed to meet the extreme demands of high-level athletic fitness training.
NZ Manufacturing • 800-866-6621 www.turfcordz.com
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Progressive Powerlifting
These 60-inch-long loading chains for progressive powerlifting come with end hooks, and one or more chains can be added to improve your blasting power. Made of heavy-duty forged steel, there are four different chains available for any level of lifting: light duty (25 pounds per pair), medium duty (40 pounds per pair), heavy duty (55 pounds per pair), and extra heavy duty (88 pounds per pair). The company can supply chains up to 200 feet long and can add attachment weights of up to 100 pounds to each chain. Call for more information or prices. New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 506
Total-Body Power
Powernetics offers many products for the strength training needs of your 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 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 intense movement, power is developed from the feet through the hands.
Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
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Ideal for any Facility
Power Lift’s Pro Plate Load 4 Way Neck is an ideal equipment piece for any strengthtraining facility. Standard features include: two-peg weight storage on the work arm side and three-peg weight storage on the nonwork arm side, rubber floor bumpers (that are non-marking), an oversized adjustable seat pad (that allows users to position themselves correctly into the machine), contoured face pads (that naturally rotate with the user’s body through the exercise), an adjustable chest pad, and a cam and belt design that reduces the fly-away effect.
Power Lift ® • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com 52 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012
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Changing Training Forever
The Tendo unit easily hooks to the barbell, plate stack, or athlete and measures average and peak velocity in meters per second up to a 2.6 meter range of motion. If proper mass of barbell or athlete has been entered into the microcomputer, the unit gives velocity as well as power output measurements for up to 99 reps before having to reset. These units are very popular in the college and NFL market. Sorinex • 877-543-8667 www.sorinex.com
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A Whole New Level
The HydroPower™ Bag can take your strength gains to a whole new level. Easily change stability and resistance of your activity by adding or removing water. The HydroPower™ Bag is available in two sizes and includes removable handles that increase the functionality for Olympic-style lifts, curls, rows, and more. The handle(s) can be configured to use one or both depending on the exercise. Small - Red 29.5” L x 7” Dia., holds up to 44 pounds of water. Large - Blue 29.5” L x 10” Dia., holds up to 77 pounds of water. Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com
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A Unique Design
The new Functional Training Rack Series from Samson Equipment is setting the world of strength and conditioning ablaze. This unique design combines a fully functional Power Rack with not one but two adjustable cable column machines all within a compact area. Never before has an athlete been able to perform all the core lifts a rack/ platform provides with the multifaceted capability of a fully operational functional training unit. This product is extremely easy to adjust and use quickly, getting your athletes in and out of every facet of a workout much more effectively. The new 111FTR Rack Series is only from Samson Equipment. Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com
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Build Teamwork and Strength
Now you can build powerful teamwork and strength like you have never imagined. Rapidly and easily fix the weak links by building unity, trust, confidence, communication, and strength with a team-building factory. The Power Plus 2 Two-Person Teamwork Lifting Machine does all the major lifts and more, while creating a team-first mind-set. Former Ohio State Coach John Cooper calls it a breakthrough for team building. Explosive Athletes Institute says it’s the number-one thing any coach can have to take a team to the highest level possible. PP2 will give you a huge edge that you can capitalize on now, before the competition does. Power Plus 2 • 888-772-9272 www.powerplus2.com
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Strength & Conditioning Latest Innovation
Power Lift® introduces its newest innovation: the RS2 Power Rack. Standard features include: twoinch adjustment positions, one pair of bar catches, one pair of spot bars, weight storage, one dual grip chin-up handle, spotter’s platforms, hanging bar storage, and band and chain storage. Optional attachments can be added to create an ideal working station. These items include: band attachments, band shafts, rack dip attachment, bar catches, rotating chin-up handles, side mounted chin-up handles, single-leg/glute ham attachment, high rotation attachment, squat/step up platform, rack squat handles, wrist roller, and additional sport bars. Power Lift • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com
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Ideal for Everyone
The Samson Belt Squat’s brand new design limits the amount of floor space needed for this unique piece while making it easy for athletes of all sizes to use. It features adjustable handles, a unique load-release that brings athletes’ hands closer together while performing the exercise, an adjustable yoke that allows the hips to stay in their natural range of motion, and an adjustable chain with three different size belts.
Samson Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com
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CoachesNetwork.com
Web News
More From The Ultimate Team Builder Go online to see how Power Plus 2 is the ultimate team builder. Check out video of events and testimonials from former Ohio State Coach John Cooper, former Pittsburgh Steelers player Franco Harris, Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Kurt Angle, and many top coaches, athletes, and athletic trainers from high school to professional sports. You can also hear Coach Michael Bradley, who says the PP2 instantly took his entire team to their highest potential and talks about how the Trojans became 5A state football champions after they started using PP2 mid-season with a 3-3 record. The site also features articles, including one from the American Football Coaches Association titled, “The Two-Person Teamwork Lifting Machine—Revolutionizing Athletic Performance & Teamwork.” You’ll see why you need the Power Plus 2 in order to compete at your highest possible according to Explosive Athletes Institute.
www.powerplus2.com
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Circle No. 137 Coaching Management OFFseason 2012 53
Announcing a new book for coaches of all sports Coaching involves so much more than teaching skills, calling plays and winning games. This book provides practical ideas to help coaches become the best possible professionals in education-based athletic programs.
1695
$
136 PGS
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ORDER FORM PLEASE PRINT INFO. MAG, Inc. • 20 Eastlake Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 Name: Street Address: City:
Blueprint for Better Coaching
State:
includes concrete tips to help coaches in the following areas: • Short-range and long-range planning • Communication with athletes, parents, athletic administrators, and media • Risk management responsibilities • Administration tasks
Daytime Phone:
Zip: (To be used if there’s a problem with your order)
Email address: PAYMENT METHOD
SHIPPING PRICES
❑ U.S. check made payable to MAG, Inc. enclosed (sorry, only US orders)
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= $8.00 = $9.00 = $10.00 = $12.00
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From the publishers of Coaching Management
For more information, go to www.coachingmanagement.com
Cardholder Signature: ITEM QUANTITY
ITEM #
111003
TITLE
Blueprint for Better Coaching
Fax this order to 607-257-7328 or Mail this order to MAG, Inc., 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 Circle No. 138
Subtotal $ + Shipping $ NY residents add sales tax $ = TOTAL $ Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
PRICE
More Products Protection for Active Lifestyles
Energy to Fuel Athletes
Active Ankle T2 provides exceptional ankle protection for active lifestyles during exercise or athletic activity. The Solid U-Shaped design relieves pressure from the ankle and provides superior inversion/eversion protection. With a bi-lateral anatomical hinge, T2 allows freedom of motion in plantar flexion/dorsiflexion. The T2 also has a single quick-fit strap that adjusts for high or low top shoes and custom molded EVA padding for a comfortable fit and firm support.
Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
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Greater Relief
Cho-Pat’s patented Dual Action Knee Strap provides an extra dimension of relief for painful and weakened knees. First, it applies pressure on the patellar tendon below the knee to reduce instability and improve patellar tracking. Then, it applies pressure on the patellar tendon above the knee to further strengthen and provide an additional level of support and stability. It’s easy to apply and comfortable to wear, and the fabric-covered neoprene construction allows for full mobility. This American-made support is available in five sizes to provide more specific and effective results.
Cho-Pat • 800-221-1601 www.cho-pat.com
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Protein to Rebuild Muscles
G Series™ Protein Recovery Shake delivers 20 grams of protein that contains essential amino acids to help support muscle rebuilding after training or competition. It also contains 45 grams of carbohydrates to replace depleted fuel stores and to help muscles use protein more efficiently. G Series Protein Recovery Shake should be consumed within 60 minutes after exercise for maximum muscle benefit.
Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com
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Great Value
American Public University offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of specialties. Whether you are working in a municipal, commercial fitness, school, or military setting, APU offers a flexible and affordable program to fit your lifestyle. APU’s tuition is far less than other top online universities so you can further your education without breaking the bank. American Public University System • 703-334-3870 www.studyatAPU.com/cm Circle No. 526 CoachesNetwork.com
G Series™ Energy Chews are a pre-game fuel in a convenient form, with 25 grams of carbohydrates and 20-percent DV of B vitamins. Carbohydrates before activity are important to top off fuel stores in the muscle and liver, providing energy to help optimize performance. B vitamins aid in energy metabolism as part of a daily diet. G Series Energy Chews are designed to be used in the 15 minutes before training or competition. Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com
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Best of Both Worlds
For athletes looking for the best of both worlds, Excel lace-up brace provides the comfort and mobility of a lace-up with the support and security of a tape job. With its circumferential strap that helps stabilize the brace and lacing system that tightens all the way around, Excel provides a conforming and comfortable fit. Excel is also lined with neoprene for maximum comfort and fit with nylon eyelets to reduce pressure points. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
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Complete Ankle Protection
The Stromgren Athletics model 329 brace offers complete heel-lock ankle protection without tape, yet it has outstanding compression and moisture-management features. A Spandex sock applies comfortable and even compression to the entire foot complex, yet stays cool and dry because of the moisture-wicking properties of the fabric. Permanently attached heel-lock straps help control severe eversion and inversion of the ankle complex. This support fits both the left and right foot and is available in black or white. Stromgren Athletics • 800-527-1988 www.stromgren.com
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Deepest Tissue Penetration
Offering smarter technology as the smarter choice, the ULTRA package from Multi Radiance Medical Super Pulsed Laser Therapy delivers the highest photon density with the lowest thermal effect. The company’s synergized cascade of multiple radiances with magnetic field allows for the deepest tissue penetration while its LaserSweep™ technology changes frequencies to prevent body tissue from adapting allowing for better absorption. The LaserStim™ helps a practitioner quickly identify areas needing treatment and then automatically delivers an appropriate dose of Super Pulsed Laser Therapy. Multi Radiance Medical • 800-373-0955 www.multiradiance.com
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Coaching Management OFFseason 2012 55
COACHING IS MORE THAN X S AND OS INTRODUCING NEW COACHING GUIDES from
For every decision about lineups and strategy, there is another one about dealing with parents, developing leaders, and handling budgets. That’s why Coaching Management is producing a series of Coaching Guides addressing these important off-the-field topics. Topics will include strength training, leadership, nutrition, management, and sports medicine. Read advice from experts and other coaches about handling these vital, yet often overlooked, areas. For a limited time, we are offering a sample guide that will include articles on each of these important subjects. You can get your e-version by submitting the form below or going to coachesnetwork.com. Use this form for your free sample guide. LEADERSHIP them. Throughout these discussions, let your leaders know how important they are to the program. Don’t be afraid to tell them how much you will rely on them to set the standards, keep the team focused, and handle conflicts. You may even want to tell them that it is “their” team. You will be there to help them, but ultimately it’s the athletes— particularly the leaders— who determine how far the team will go.
Here is a sample list of responsibilities coaches can give to team captains:
School: _______________________________________
issues like how to best discipline a teammate who has broken team rules. Whatever the case, we will expect you to add your insight to help our decision making.
Lead warmups and drills: We expect you to get your LEAD R S H I P Talk with struggling teammates organized andE keep everyone in line, literally and teammates: We expect you to figuratively. talk with teammates who might be struggling with their depend you for leadership, pageperformance and leading together as Set the right toneon for or role on the team. It is your guidance, and a unified front, great things can the team: We expect you to support as they job to understand them, support up the to their happen in your program. start practices step off with rightchallenge. They them, challenge them, and figure their coach to create a attitude, focus,rely andon work ethic. out how to get them back on You must also refocus team positivethe and productive environtrack. when practicesment get sloppy, that iscreate conducive to helping a positive momentum going into Handle conflicts: WeStarting may on them lead. competition, and recharge the ask you to get involved with team Provide the Right Foot In other great conflicts team capteam when needed. We words, expect you when they arise. If a Opportunities tains made whensmall both problem roles crops up, we may to be the mental andare emotional catalyst for theofteam. you to find out exactly what is the coach-captain ask equation goingeason and develop a workable are tended to. What can Spending time at the very start Keep coaches informed: solution. While talking about their of the season working with your We expect you ily to occur, keep ushowever, is that one becomes frustrated withteam the activities: responsibilities is important, captains builds the basis for informed aboutside issues that impact Plan the success andother. psyche of the We will ask you to and your captains need conthisplan leadership team. To be on team. We want to know who coordinate various tinual opportunities to make theevents same so page, you need to Somewith coaches’ stem might be in conflict whom,frustrations your teammates can better getwhat to being a team real leadership decisions. talk through a belief that theknow athletes whether playersfrom are accepting each other.captain We willmeans rely on and how to be an It often works well to start of todaysocial don’tlife seem to have the these events and their roles, if anyone’s you to initiate small and build up to more effective one. leadership theysure dideveryone is invited and is getting out ofstrong control, and so skills make complicated tasks. forth. Of course, in we thedon’t past.need I often hear coaches involved. Step number one is to clarify to know every lament, little thing. You’ll “Kids today don’t un- Understand For example, let them your expectations Be loyal: that we of them. Many have to use your discretion to it means to be a derstand what oversee warmups before coaches simply capare putting a tremendous amountsay to their cap decide which issues might a nearly as voleader. Theyhave aren’t practice and make any tains, “You’re our leader. I expect of trust in you. For example, negative impactcal onas thethey team. Be need to be.” Another team announcements. Have to that stepwe up and lead.” But this we may tell you you things careful to respect the trust of your not tell youralone teammates. frequent complaint is,will “They them contact teammates is too In vague to give proper teammates as well. You don’t want return, we expect you to respect willing to stand up and to inform them of scheddirection. to be viewed asaren’t a tattletale. and support confront their teammates when the decisions we ule changes. You can even Rather Provide input on team make for the team. You than may assuming your necessary.” let them lead some praccaptains their du dudecisions: We will ask your disagree with them behindunderstand closed tice drills, or take it a step And captains don’t always ties, as well opinion on a variety of decisions doors,feel but we will expect youas to your philosophy further and let them plan a that will affect they the team. show a united front the team. sit down and have This the necessary guidandtoexpectations, practice from time to time. could include minor decisions also will insist on yourclarify loyaltywhat you need ance or support fromWe their carefully like what gear toAwear that you never badthem. mouth us a job descrip coaches. recent polland I conductIt’s teams also key to solicit your great leaders. from Create descripGreat always include But itwarmup doesn’t happen magically. coaches or where the team to eat. torevealed your teammates. ed ofprefers student-athletes captains’ inputinon team de- roles, providing tionThere of themust eightbeto 10 priorities must invest time explaining opportunities, giving afeedback. Or it could involve more and serious sacred trust between us. that over 60 percent of captains cisions. These can be minor you expect them to handle. (See By Jeff Janssen felt their coaches needed to do a “Job Description” on next page.) Jeff Janssen is director of the Janssen Sports Leadership center, in cary, N.c., better job of working with them. Clarification of their roles and and a former athletic administrator at the University of arizona. This article is In essence, captains complain responsibilities on the front end an adapted excerpt from his book, The Team captain’s Leadership Manual. that too many coaches preach will prevent misunderstandings the need for athlete leadership as the season goes on. but don’t teach it. Next, discuss the risks and chal chalRather than both sides blaming lenges of leadership. Let your Your team captains the other, they must make the captains know that this new re recan make or break effort to work together and forge sponsibility might be difficult and your season. a strong coach-captain partdemanding at times. They will nership. I like to think of it as a encounter many gray areas and f that sounds an overstateleadership team.like When coaches bumps along the way, and they ment, thinkare back your and captains onover the same should understand that these coaching career. during your most successful seasons, I bet you had great team leaders. Now consider your most frustrating years. did they include poor leaders?
_____ _____
_____ _____
LeaderShIP
Name: _______________________________________
JOB DESCRIPTION
Leader Of The Pack
I
Title: _________________________________________ challenges are a normal part of leadership. Most importantly, let them know that you will be there to support them through thick and thin.
E-mail: _______________________________________
From there, ask your captains to describe what they think it means to be an effective leader. Their ideas of leadership might be quite different than yours. Ask them to talk about the leaders whom they respect in their lives and why, and the ones they don’t respect and why. This will give you insight into their model of leadership and can start great discussions that get you both on the same page.
Phone: _______________________________________
It can also be helpful to provide your captains with an assessment of their leadership style. Just as each athlete has certain physical strengths and weaknesses, so do leaders. I use a two-part evaluation that rates how a person leads by example and vocally, in several areas, from composure to team building. (Click here for a Web link to the survey.) This type of analysis can help make the captains aware of their strengths and weaknesses in their leadership qualities. Encourage your captains to utilize and maximize their strengths and acknowledge areas to improve in. For example, some of your leaders might have a hard time confronting their teammates when necessary. Or, some of your leaders may be too blunt and lack the necessary tact to get their messages across well. Whatever the challenge, encourage them to make sure that their weaknesses are not a leadership liability as they work to improve
Would you be interested in receiving a complimentary digital copy of An Athlete’s Guide to Nutrition? ____________________ Fax to: 607.257.7328 Mail to: Coaching Management, 20 Eastlake Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
and not only do your captains have a huge impact on your team’s success, but also on your sanity and your satisfaction as a coach. You’ll usually remember a year you had fantastic team leaders with a smile, regardless of the final record. You rely on your captains to help set and uphold the standards of the squad, monitor team chemistry, and be your voice in the locker room and on the weekends when you’re not around. You need your captains to consistently reinforce the team’s standards and hold their teammates accountable. at the same time, your captains
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You can also request your FREE sample guide by going to www.coachesnetwork.com
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Big Graphics. Big Impact. BigSigns.com If you are looking for big graphics for your stadium or facility that make a big impact, BigSigns.com is the place to go. We are experts at designing, manufacturing and installing creative, impactful, stadium graphics that revitalize even the most tired facilities. We have an array of products to meet almost any need and a creative staff that will make your brand stand out. If you are looking to elevate your athletic program’s profile, improve recruiting success and enhance the fan experience with big, dynamic stadium graphics, BigSigns.com is your only choice. Visit our website to see why.
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