WHEN JIM MOORE took over as the head football coach at his alma-mater, Rhinelander High School in Rhinelander, Wis., he had his worked cut out for him. The school’s football program had only 5 winning seasons in the 30 years since he had graduated.
Only two things were set in stone for Moore — that he was in it for the long haul and that he going to do things the right way. As his program takes baby steps toward his ultimate goals, Moore shares a few critical components of his rebuilding plan.
Delegate Authority To Assistants. Let your staff have responsibility and input into all facets of your program. This develops a sense of ownership, devotion and pride among everyone on the staff.
Establish Trust. Having a reputation for past successes at other programs will only take you so far. Creating structure and displaying confidence in your coaching helps build on your initial trust. Follow through on any promises that you make.
Show Caring. Allow your athletes to have a voice in the program. When selecting new uniforms, the players were allowed to pick which styles they preferred. Preparing a breakfast for the team after a morning practice shows that you care about them. These seem like little things, but they mean a lot to players.
Develop A New Attitude. Work hard to get rid of any type of “woe-is-me” attitude that’s on your team. Create competitive practices that stress work ethic.
Motivate, Challenge The Players. Moore developed a “Century Club” for players who put in 100 strength-and-conditioning sessions and a “Cheetah Club” for attending quickness-and-speed sessions. These are competitive, team-bonding things that change a losing program’s mind set.
Unify The Strength Program. Have coaches from other sports on board with your strength-training program. Schedule quickness clinics for all the athletes at your school. This forms a complete, one-minded method of training.