Here is a list of my 2016 Off-season plans. The off-season is an opportunity for youth football coaches to improve. Championships are won in the off-season!
Coaching Clinics
Every off-season I will attend 2-3 coaching clinics. I will attend one or two Glazier Clinics. They usually have a variety of different topics and speakers. Attending football clinics is an excellent way to network with other football coaches. It is an great way to learn from high level football coaches. Attending coaching clinics is probably the best thing you can do to improve as a coach.
Film study
I always take sometime during the off-season to re-watch our game film. I feel it is a good idea to watch the game film again because you will actually notice things you have missed the first time. During the season I usually watch our game film Monday night (Sunday’s game). During the off-season you will have a clear mind (no emotion) and you will be able to really notice and break down the game tape much better. The primary focus of the film study is to breakdown our offense, defense, and special teams. I want to know what worked well and what didn’t work as well in all three phases.
I also use this time to try to figure out tendencies. Here is an example- we run a bunch of jet sweeps, it’s our bread and butter. What I noticed is that many of the teams we played adjusted the same way. After we hurt the defense a few times with it, their kids would naturally widen out (to avoid seal block). Their coaches will either attack us with an outside blitz or have their DE & OLB would line up wider. It was almost like we were playing the same DEs & OLBs every week. If I notice consistent tendencies I can draw up plays or tactics to counter those defensive adjustments and ultimately improve my offense for next season.
Coaching Staff Evaluations
I don’t really have to do this because I have had the same coaches with me for years. We all know what we need to do. Even though I’ve had my same staff for years, I still do evaluations. I mostly evaluate myself (i’m head coach) and how well I feel I managed the season. I will also ask for feed back from all of my coaches. I always try to remember and evaluate our coaching performance during times of adversity. Anyone can be a good coach when things are going well. It’s when things aren’t going well that a coach’s true character & coaching resolve will reveal itself. Always evaluate performances during times of struggle. You always want to surround yourself with quality coaches.
Roster Improvements/Building
Building your roster is an all year job for a youth football coach. It is a good idea to keep in contact with your parents and players. You should check in every so often to see how they are doing. Ask them what they are doing to keep busy in the off-season. Even contact them to wish them happy holidays. Social media is also an excellent way to keep in touch with your players and parents. You can even go as far as creating a closed Facebook group for all your coaches, parents, and players.
Always look to recruit kids at other sporting events. If your son or one of your players plays baseball as well, see if you can get a couple of his teammates to sign up. Your returning players should be your biggest recruiters. Have your players recruit their friends. My goal is always to try and grow my roster and to find players that can make our team better.
Practices
I am ALWAYS looking to learn new ways to optimize practice. I will look to implement new drills every single season. It is always good to change things up. I will network with other coaches and ask them about their drills. Our main priority is to squeeze the most out of every single second of practice. We will look at ways we can get better before, during, and after practice. We want high tempo productive practices.
Practice Optimization Articles:
5 Basic Practice Optimization Tips
Youth Football Practice Planning