It's been a pretty good winter so far for our football team. The guys look great, are running well and our injury report is basically non-existent (besides some of the kids that had surgery back in the fall).
One of the things I've done this winter is to really try to get variety with my assistance work (I may have mentioned this in a previous post). What I've come across is that I believe my intentions were good, but my execution was flawed.
I caught myself spending too much time trying to play with all kinds of ideas and exercise pairings. I expended far too much mental energy figuring all this stuff out. In my attempt to "have a little fun" I may have strayed from a core philosophy of keeping it simple and effective. Nothing beats the basics. The other great lesson (Which I already knew, but seemed to forget) is that variety doesn't have to happen in one workout. I got caught up trying to do too many different movements in one workout instead of just getting in different movements in separate workouts.
Despite my blunder, the guys seem to be progressing well. This, to me, is more evidence that it's not the program that matters. It's how well you explain it and how much the team believes in what you want them to do. If they're drinking the Kool-Aid the program is genius.
If I have to "figure out" how to explain it, it's way too complicated. If it's easy to explain, it's easier to understand. If it's easier to understand, it's easier to believe in. If they believe in it, it's the greatest program ever written.
We have this week and three more before we start Spring Ball. I'll right my wrongs and keep this train rolling.
When we (coaches) start a new program or implement ideas we all go in with the belief that it's going to work. I think the good coaches can be honest with themselves and watch a new idea unfold and realize that this idea sucks. I want the idea to work. I put it in with the belief that it would work. But sometimes it just doesn't work as I had hoped. If you can separate what you want to happen from what is actually happening you can "save" a training cycle. Just because I wanted my idea to work doesn't mean it did. It also doesn't mean I'll trash the idea. I might just have to re-examine it and see if I can implement it in a different way.