I have always hated the phrase.

The implication is, of course, that if you are working hard, you are not smart… that working hard is a negative thing… something to be avoided.

I am all about working smarter, more efficiently… but also working hard.

The two things are not mutually exclusive…. you can work “smart” AND “hard”…

#HardWorkPaysOff

You Can Do More!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

• Bullet points (see I am doing it)…
• Netflix on demand…
• Instant weight loss…
• Disneyworld FASTPASS…
• Immediate success…
• Miracle strength gains…
• Instant Messaging
• Amazing body transformations…
• Spectacular turnarounds.

The thing is, that doesn’t happen often in athletics or real life.  More often it is small, consistent, incremental growth that takes place.  But that growth over an extended period of time leads to BIG changes.

Seth Godin described it this way last week in his post, Gradually, then suddenly:

This is how companies die, how brands wither and, more cheerfully in the other direction, how careers are made.

Gradually, because every day opportunities are missed, little bits of value are lost, customers become unentranced. We don’t notice so much, because hey, there’s a profit. Profit covers many sins. Of course, one day, once the foundation is rotted and the support is gone, so is the profit. Suddenly, apparently quite suddenly, it all falls apart.

It didn’t happen suddenly, you just noticed it suddenly.

The flipside works the same way. Trust is earned, value is delivered, concepts are learned. Day by day we improve and build an asset, but none of it seems to be paying off. Until one day, quite suddenly, we become the ten-year overnight success.

This is the way it works, but we too often make the mistake of focusing on the ‘suddenly’ part. The media writes about suddenly, we notice suddenly, we talk about suddenly.

That doesn’t mean that gradually isn’t important. In fact, it’s the only part you can actually do something about.

We speak to our athletes all the time about consistency…

• Winning the small battles each day….
• Winning each day…
• Win enough days and you have won the week…
• Win enough weeks and the season is yours….
• Win enough seasons and a great career is possible.

Small battles… incremental growth… then “suddenly” you are a champion… “suddenly” you have a championship season… “suddenly” you have a championship program.

We know, of course, that it does not happen suddenly…. It happens gradually…. then suddenly.  The suddenly gets notices… the gradual is the reality of it… the daily grind.

Other posts that might interest you on this topic:

• Drip, Drip, Drip – a previous post of mine on the subject
• The Guaranteed Shortcut – a previous post of mine on the subject
• Incrementalism – Get Better Every Day – a post from Coach Grabowski

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Here are some reasons why:

1)  Most of the work is typically done in small groups – with normally 2-4 students in a group working together.  Studies have identified, and we probably all can cite anecdotal examples of the advantages of learning in small groups:

• Students come to a more complete understanding by comparing themselves with others.
• Having to explain to others encourages elaboration.
• Students with better skills serve as models.
• There is more opportunity to develop skills in communication (listening, responding, interacting) and interpersonal relations
• Motivation comes from peers in addition to coming from the instructor.

I have noticed all of these things taking place in a high functioning Strength and Conditioning class.

2)  Peer tutoring

Peer tutoring has been defined as students from similar social groupings whom are not professional teachers that help each other to learn and, in fact, learn themselves by teaching.  This happens daily in good strength and conditioning classes.  Peer tutoring is beneficial to both the Tutor and the Tutee:

Tutors

• Tutoring helps students increase their own understanding of the subject matter as they teach students
• Tutors can practice their communication skills with junior students
• It allows tutors an opportunity to develop their own leadership skills

Tutees

• Tutees receive individualized instruction
• Tutees receive more teaching
• Tutees (may) respond better to their peers than to their teachers
• Tutees can obtain companionship from the students that tutor them

3)  It is easy to catch someone “Doing Something Right”

I think this is the most significant reason that a Strength and Conditioning class can be every effective for “At Risk” students.  Lets say the students in class are doing a workout that consists of 3 sets of 8 repetitions on 3 different lifts.   During the course of that classroom session you as a teacher (or a peer tutor) has the opportunity to watch and catch them doing something correct as they attempt nearly 75 repetitions!  Almost any student will find a way to do at least 1 and probably several reps correctly… and that gives you, as an instructor, an opportunity to praise them and give them positive feedback… something many “At Risk” students seldom hear.

I see it nearly every day… a quick “that was awesome” or “great technique on that last rep” and their faces light up.

4) Students get a sense of accomplishment.

I have never had a student get weaker during the course of a Strength and Conditioning class…. most see significant gains.  These gains typically come weekly or even daily early on in a program, and are displayed prominently on their workout card (see post The Workout Card) as they “break” (see post Breaking – It’s a Good Thing).  Many students, even those that have never been involved or successful in athletics, can achieve some degree of success in Strength and Conditioning class.  With that success comes confidence.

Who takes the Strength and Conditioning classes at your school?  Are non-athletes encouraged, and are there sections open to non-athletes?  Do you as a teacher put the same type of effort into your non-athlete Strength and Conditioning classes?

Just asking….

I would love to hear comments or stories about your experience with At Risk students in a Strength and Conditioning class!

You Can Do More…. your brain is lying to you… Don’t Believe It! 

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

I received this email from Justin’s mom last week….

“Mary, Justin’s Mom… I had a conversation with Justin one day after he went running.  We were driving up a hill where he had run just hours before, (preparing for Navy PT)…. I was telling him how hard that Hill was for me to walk up, and that I just don’t feel like I can make it sometimes.  He said, “I know I can do it, when I get to that point, I hear Coach Floyd in my head telling me my body can do it, I hear ‘You Can Do More’, and I know I can get through it.”  That was an ah-ha moment for me!  Thank You!  I stopped worrying at that moment about Justin making it through Boot Camp!”

Justin played three years for me at Truman High School.  He did everything right (see post Do Things Right)  in our program…. worked extremely hard in the offseason… came to all of the summer workouts… I don’t think he ever missed or was late to a practice… did well in school… and was never in trouble.

Justin Hemphill played JV his sophomore year, and his junior season was on all of our varsity special teams.  He was a very important part of our District Championship that year.  He never started a game… he was a backup QB and DB.  He was one of those players that, as coaches, you are always trying to find the right position for him to get on the field.  We probably could have done a better job of that with Justin.

He worked very hard in the off-season and during the summer before his senior year.  Justin was one of our strongest players pound for pound (see post Pound for Pound).   We moved Justin to LB, and although he did play some for us there, his role was still pretty much as a special team player.  He never groused or complained about playing time… just continued to work hard and be a great “team player.”

We all have “Justins” in our programs.  In fact, we have far more players like Justin in our programs than the ones at the other ends of the spectrum… the “big time” players who are making all the headlines and plan on getting DI scholarship, or the others who are making headlines because they are in trouble.  As with many things, it is often the minorities at the extremes that get all the attention, while the majority… the “Justins”… the ones that are doing everything right, all of the time, plug away in anonymity and obscurity… not often (or ever) in the spotlight… just working, learning and being great team players.

We can’t forget about the “Justins”… they often are products of our best work.

I am so proud of Justin Hemphill… so proud that he was part of my program and my life.  I will also be able to feel very secure knowing that he will soon join his new team defending not a goal line, but our country.

Thank you, Justin!

Thanks again to PrepsKC for running this column both online and in their weekly print magazine. If you get a chance to go and visit their site and “Like” this post, I would appreciate it!

You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you.. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Stats

By far and away, the most popular topic (by number of views) has been the series on Defensive Game Planning.  That is in part due to a number of online football outlets posting links to the series – most notably:

• Coach and Coordinator – Coach Keith Grabowski ‘s blog
• PrepsKC.com – home of Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association
• Kansasprepsfootball.com – Kansas Prep Football site
• American Football Monthly – The Magazine for Football Coaches
• Coachhuey.com – The X’s and O’s of Football

Thanks to all of these coaches and sites for sharing this information with their readers.  These are all great sites, ones that I would recommend bookmarking.

The stats ….

So far there have been nearly 5,000 views on the defensive game planning posts, with the most popular two being Defensive Game Planning – The Call Sheet, and Defensive Game Planning – The Play Grid.  There has been almost 2,000 downloads of the various game planning tools that I shared in these posts, with the most downloaded being the Play Grid with over 200 downloads, followed closely by the blank Call Sheet with about 180 downloads.

Other popular topics have been the recruiting series, Recruiting – Gauging Their Level of Interest, and also the series regarding the Strength and Conditioning program, A Weekly (not weakly!) Workout

Thanks to all who have read and shared.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email or comment.  I will respond.  If you have enjoyed these posts, please share with a colleague.

I hit a minor snag with my iBook on Defensive Game planning…. A couple of the images were too small to read so the iTunes store rejected it until I correct those issues.  Hopefully I will have that (free) for all that would like to download it by the end of this month.  Until that time you can get find all of the posts at these links:

• Defensive Game Planning – All Posts, Forms, and Videos
• Flipboard Magazine – Defensive Game Planning

Remember… You Can Do More…. your brain is lying to you… Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Along with that philosophy, comes the importance of questions and checking for understanding.  I explain to my athletes that they can always ask “why”.   I also explain the caveat that there are correct times and ways to do the asking.  Having a confrontational debate about the value of taking a six-inch step, right in the middle of practice is not the correct way to ask a question.   On the other hand, responding to “why” we want something done in a specific way with, “because that is the way we want it done”, is probably a bit shallow.  Teaching young student-athletes how to have an adult conversation … how and when to ask a question… is an important skill.

Questioning does not need to be an adversarial or authority challenging venture. An open, Socratic Seminar type of atmosphere not only will increase your athletes understanding of a concept, but also help you in checking for understanding. If athletes are afraid or uncomfortable to ask questions, it makes checking for understanding a little tricky.  It is often easy to ask, “OK, did everyone get that?”; you often have no idea how many of your players are thinking to themselves, “No, I have no idea what you are talking about, but I am not about to let everyone know I am confused.”

About a week ago I received an email from a colleague who asked this question:

“Just read your blog article on making a screencast.  How would you capture video on an iPad?”

It was an excellent question that showed me that I omitted an important consideration in my post.  I discussed using a Mac or a PC, but did not mention how to capture from a device that more and more coaches are using… an iPad.  It was actually a problem and a workaround that I had encountered myself a few months ago.  This question not only showed me there was a void, but made it easy for me to fill it in.  To make a screencast from in iPad, I use an app called Reflector (see my post Apps for the Coach), which will mirror anything (video included) that is running on your iPad to your Mac.  While the video (or App, or anything else) is running on your Mac, you can make a screencast as you normally would. (See my post Making a Screen Recording)

If this question had not been asked, I would not have realized my omission.  The question helped me check for understanding with my readers.  It allowed to clarify, explain… to teach better.

How do you check for understanding with your athletes?  How often do you check for understanding with your athletes?  Are your players comfortable in asking why?  Are you comfortable explaining why?  If we are waiting until Friday night to “see if they got it”, it may be too late.

The new issue of PrepsKC is out… both in print and online.  My column can be found at this link … You Can Do More – PrepsKC  … if you get a chance pick up a copy or head over the their site and “Like” todays post.

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

We will begin the Strength and Conditioning program at Bridger this fall.  It is the current plan that every Bridger student, 6^th – 8^th grade, will have a 6-week strength and conditioning unit this school year.  It is an ambitious program, but one that we are looking forward to.  I will keep you posted as the year progresses!

The Bridger Middle School students will soon be realizing that ….

You Can Do More…. your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

• The first group did planks alone.
• The second group had a partner who was an expert at planks but remained silent.
• The third group had an expert partner who offered lots of verbal encouragement: “Come on. You can do it. You got this.”

The second and third groups of partnered plankers both performed better than those that were solo.  The group that performed best, though, was the group with the silent, expert partner.  Why? Irwin says,

“… having a higher-performing partner is clearly motivating – people are competitive. But the motivational chatter may be seen as condescending or be mistaken for the partners encouraging themselves, suggesting that maybe they weren’t better after all. …What works best of all is leading by quiet example and addressing people’s needs directly. “

In a second study with stationary bikes, Irwin confirmed that people performed better with expert partners… improving about twice as much.  He and his researchers also discovered another factor that was even more powerful.  When bikers were told that their performance was contributing to a team score, they improved threefold.  Irwin states,

“What we think is that the feeling of being indispensable, which results from the shared goal, makes you work harder, especially when you know you’re the weaker link of the team,” says Irwin. “The bond becomes stronger.”

Irwin went on to state his belief that

“group cohesion is a key motivational factor – feeling that your efforts are important to your team’s success.”

As a teacher and a coach how can you best apply this information?  As I mentioned in my post the other day, there is Strength in Numbers.   As we are heading into our Fall seasons, what can you, your staff, and your team leaders do to insure that everyone on the squad feels like they are part of the team and that their performance is important?  Is there a strategy that you can use when pairing athletes together in stretch lines, as workout partners, in drill work, in the locker room?

Tomorrow…. “well, back in my day …….” <==== said in a grumpy old man voice.

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Goal Card

My former players often share with me how much the goal setting process that they went though as a player in our program not only helped them in their collegiate career, but in their life after football.  We would complete this process with our players a couple of times a year.  I believe going through these steps is what made a lasting impression on our athletes.  Like anything else, the more you do something, the easier it becomes, and eventually develops into a habit.

At the beginning of the goal setting process, we ask our athletes to think about their goals, not only in their sport, but also academic, and life goals.  We asked them to keep those goals in mind as we go through the parameters of what constitutes a good goal.

The discussion begins by differentiating between short-term and long-range goals.  Typically, we defined short-term goals as the period covering the next 3-6 months, or their next competitive season.  We asked our student-athletes to think in the 2-4 year time frame for their long-range goals.

Goal Setting Tips

We use the SMART mnemonic device for setting these parameters.

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Ambitious
• R – Realistic
• T – Time specific

Here are some examples of each attribute.

• Specific – The goal should not be general, vague or nebulous.  Instead of “I want to be a good football player”, focus on the skills that you can develop that will make you a good football player.   Maybe it is running a 4.8 40 yard dash if you are a defensive lineman, or having a 70% completion percentage if you are a QB
• Measurable – Instead of “I want to knock it out of the park my senior basketball season” what factors can be measured that will enable me to have a stellar senior year.  It might be averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds a game, or a free throw percentage of 90%
• Ambitious – Set “Stretch” Goals.  If your hang clean max is already 225 pounds, then setting a goal of 230 before next season is not a stretch.  Setting ambitious goals will force you to ramp up your work habits.
• Realistic – This is the flip side of Ambitious.   You want to set your goals within reasonable reach, or you are inviting frustration.  If you currently run a 5.2 40 yard dash, then setting a goal of running a 4.2 next season is probably not realistic.
• Time specific – Time stamp your goals – this will impose a sense of urgency, and eliminate just drifting aimlessly.  Instead of “I want to be in the 1000 pound club”, set a time for completion – “I want to be in the 1000 pound club by next July.”

In addition to the SMART attributes we also talk about these additional tips.

• State each goal as a positive statement.  The power of positive thought is amazing.  Give your brain something positive to digest.  Instead of “I don’t want to jump off-sides any next season”, state it as “I will fire off the ball on the correct snap count 100% of the time next season.”
• Set performance goals, not outcome goals.  Try to set goals regarding things you have control over – “I want to average 100 yards rushing a game”, might be a better goal than “I want to make All-Conference Running Back”
• Write goals down.  This is the next step for us – and what we will end up doing after discussing good goal attributes.  Writing their goals down gives it importance… permanence.   I liken it to making a contract with themselves. The student-athletes get two cards (connected and pre printed).  On the front of the card are blanks to record 3 short-term and 3 long-range goals along with their name.  On the back of the card we have printed these goal-setting tips.  They will keep one, and turn one card into me.
• Put the card where you will see it DAILY.  I suggest putting their copy on the bathroom mirror, where they will see it every morning.  It is a reminder of their contract and serves as motivation to do the work needed to achieve those goals.

I keep one copy of their goal card, which I often use in discussions with them over the course of their career.  It becomes very easy to congratulate an athlete when they have reached a particular goal, which moves to additional discussion regarding setting new goals. It is also easy to use their goal card (and their goals) as a reminder regarding the type of work they need to be putting in to reach those goals.

Here is a link to the Goal Card we use.

• Goal Card Front
• Goal Card Back

It is a Word Document, so you can download it and make any changes to suit your needs.  It prints 4 to a sheet and fits on Avery 8387 postcard paper.  We then split it in two, giving two cards to each student-athlete to fill out.  As mentioned above, they will keep one copy, putting it where they will see it daily, and give one copy for me to keep on file.

For more goal setting information, you can read these posts:

• Training Mental Toughness
• Sample Mental Training Plan
• Championship Habits
• It Works Both Ways

Thanks for reading!

Questions or Comments are always welcomed!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Imagine …..

• If everyone on your squad got just a little stronger
• If everyone on your squad improved even a little on their ball handling skills
• If everyone on your squad became just a little better at tackling
• If everyone on your squad got just a little faster
• If everyone on your squad became just a little better at bunting
• If everyone on your squad improved his or her free throw percentage just a little
• If everyone on your squad became just a little bit better technicians
• If everyone on your squad improved his or her mental toughness even a little
• If everyone on your squad reported to camp just a little better conditioned than last year
• If everyone on your squad improved their batting average even slightly

You get the idea.

If everyone improves, even just slightly, it adds up to big team improvements… In strength, ball handling, tackling, speed, bunting, free throw percentage, technique, mental toughness, conditioning, or batting average.

Which leads to better team performance.

The key, of course, and the trick is, the “everyone” part of the equation.  Great teams have it figured out… Every team member has bought in and understands that their teammates are counting on them to improve, even if it is just a little…. the old “weakest link” adage.

As we are heading into our Fall seasons, what can you, your staff, and your team leaders do to insure that everyone on the squad feels the need to improve… even just a little?

You Can Do More (even just a little)… your brain is lying to you… Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com