Professional Documents
Culture Documents
"If at the end of the play, the man you blocked is still standing,
there's room for improvement"
Author: Aristotle
"We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then is not an act, but a habit"
Author: Freebism
Almost means not quite. Not quite means not right.
Not right means wrong. Wrong means the opportunity to
Start over again, more intelligently, and get it right.
"... You can't just go out there wanting to win and expect the other guy
not to feel the same way! You must HATE TO LOSE - hate it like you never
hated anything ever before or ever will again! You gotta hate so much that
two blockers can't beat you, that three tacklers can't take you down,
that your blocks become inescapable - do everything you can to
keep from losing! It's not enough to want to win.
You gotta hate to lose!"
Emotion vs Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is an upbeat approach to a given task, it is consistent and focused, you have a love for what you
are doing, enjoy doing it and strive at all times to do your best because what you are doing has meaning to
you. Because you feel this way your attitude is always positive through good and bad, you are enjoying
yourself and will let nothing change that feeling!
Emotion is a reaction to the situation you are in, when something great happens you are on top of the
world, when something bad happens it can devastate you if you let it. Football can be an emotional sport
but you can not be controlled by those emotions. No game is over till the final gun and until that time the
outcome is always in doubt, never accept defeat or celebrate victory until the game ends!!
Our mental approach will be to play with consistent enthusiasm and controlled emotion at all times!!!
Enjoy the good things that happen during a game and learn from the bad but never dwell on either. When
the next play starts you will be focused, enthusiastic, and confident that this play will be your best of the
game with no memory of the last play. This approach will be our key to success! Never too high, never too
low, expect success!
Making Football H.A.R.D
Hustle-Practice is a time for affirmative action, it is a time to develop fundamentally as a unit and
individually, it is a time to develop mental discipline and Positive habits. All players are expected to Hustle
during drills, between drills, to breaks, returning from breaks, to the huddle, to their position, on and off the
field, and MOST IMPORTANT SNAP TO WHISTLE. Remember this, "if your on the GRASS give it the
GAS!"
Attitude-Maintaining a positive approach in practice and games, towards teammates, coaches, officials,
and opponents. Giving nothing more and nothing less than you are capable of at all times. We don't ask for
110% because that is not a reasonable request, when you continually try to perform at a higher level then
you are capable of you break down, cars cant do it neither can players. Just give your best because no
contribution is too small and EVERY player has an important role in the success of the team!
Respect-This builds the character of our team, Treat others the way you would like to be treated, Respect
their feelings, Respect their effort, Respect who they are! Everyone who plays this game deserves respect,
Respect those who came before you and those who will follow, we are all one family playing the greatest
game in the world!
Discipline-In order to be successful you must be mentally disciplined at all times. Mental discipline gives
us focus, poise, and confidence, it gives us the ADVANTAGE. Developing and maintaining concentration
during practice and games helps to eliminate mental mistakes and penalties. Physical mistakes are part of
the game and sometimes no matter how much we practice can not be avoided, we do not worry about these
mistakes because over the course of a game they will even out for both teams and we can overcome them.
Mental mistakes are the sole responsibility of us, as individuals and as a TEAM! If we eliminate mental
mistakes we eliminate our worst enemy and maximize our enjoyment and success as a team!
• H- ustle
• A- ttitude
• R- espect
• D- iscipline
One of the hardest parts of high school football coaching is motivating young athletes to practice. To do
this effectively, the coach has to foster an understanding of the relationship between training, practice and
peak performance. He must encourage the athletes, provide structured training, and help them gain the self-
discipline necessary for success and excellence on the field.
Effective motivation flows from the partnership between coaches and athletes. As coaches, we must
understand our athletes as individuals and as a team gain their trust and respect.
We must remember that we're coaching people, not machines. We must teach youngsters the mechanics of a
sport, but we must also assist in building their character. Showing support and interest in all facets of their
lives helps build an effective coach-athlete relationship.
A good way to demonstrate such personal interest is by working out with the athletes. It will show them
that you've been where they are, that you know it's hard work, and that you're willing to sweat, too.
At fundamental football.com, we think in terms of attitude, motivation, performance, and success. Success
is a journey, not a destination. Success is realized the moment an athlete gains a winning attitude, is
motivated to set a worthwhile goal, and begins to move toward that goal.
A winning attitude is the best motivator. If athletes believe they can achieve their goals, they'll try harder
and increase their likelihood of success.
A positive coach-athlete relationship lays the groundwork for this attitude, and the setting of clear-cut goals
helps establish it. Coaches should help the athletes set long-term goals and encourage them to achieve these
goals through a series of short-term goals.
The incremental goals will keep motivation high, while giving the athletes an ongoing sense of
achievement. Once the athlete begins developing a sense of accomplishment, he will be motivated to try
even harder.
At Fundamental football, we have our athletes write down a goal and the obstacles they anticipate in
reaching it. We then identify the steps to take and the short-term achievements leading to the goal.
For example, if a football player wants to play wide receiver but isn't fast enough, we set short-term goals
to increase his speed. Each tenth of a second improvement in speed will motivate him to try even harder. If
he increases his speed enough, we will give him a chance at wide receiver. If he doesn't, we will examine
why and set up a new workout schedule.
Incentives As Motivators
Incentives (material rewards for good performance) are commonly used for motivation, but may only be
effective on a short-term basis. Athletes may become satisfied once they achieve rewards, such as helmet
stickers or plaques, and the rewards will lose their power to motivate. We often have to increase the value
or quantity of incentives to motivate players on an ongoing basis.
Fear Motivation
We do not believe that fear motivates. Fear motivation, or punishing players to "motivate" them, is only a
temporary expedient. After repeated exposure to fear tactics, athletes become immune to threats, and
continued punishment may destroy their desire to participate. It's difficult to justify using fear to motivate
young players.
T-E-A-M
It's important to remember that athletes can motivate one another. We usually split the players into drill
groups and score them as a team rather than as individuals. These training sessions help build team morale
and make the players feel they have invested in one another. Each player has a responsibility to the team.
We share the short-term goals of improving attitudes and basic skills with the long-term benefit of overall
improved performance.
Summary
Motivation is simply a means to an end. If we provide exposure to positive ideas over a long period of time,
we will produce a successfully motivated athlete.
To summarize, this is our Credo: Attitude controls motivation; motivation controls performance;
performance controls success. And there's no I in T-E-A-M.