Expectations

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for football (and all) coaches is managing expectations.

What should you expect 7&8 year olds to be able to do?  9&10 year olds?  If a coach sees that the opposing team is able to instill a certain style of play, shouldn't he be able to do that with his team?  That depends on the athleticism and mind-set of his players.  I suppose expectations like this are gleaned from years of coaching experience.  For example, at what age can you expect linebackers to consistently "stay home" and wait for the play to develop before charging at the ball carrier from across the field?  It is important to have a good feel for this, because it dictates whether or not you press your players to perform a skill. 

Also what does our community expect of our football program?  Are these expectations compatible with how our program is being run?  I've gone through my first year of reviewing parent feedback on the coaches' surveys.  Parents have a variety of expectations.  Generally, people feel that playing time should be equal, and of course, the obvious is for their children to have fun.  How important is winning?  It may not be the top objective, but it sure does make things a lot more enjoyable.  Some parents commented on how nice it was to see the team win a few more games - that the players were really jazzed up about it.  Perhaps, this came with a little bit of sacrifice - allowing skilled players to play a few more downs than usual.

With the youngest group of players (grades 2-4), I think it's mostly about getting the players used to the game and keeping them engaged.  They have tons of natural enthusiasm.  Our goal is to keep them fired up and loving the game.  I remember the time when our young quarterback threw an interception at a critical point in the game.  He was in tears.  The coach reassured him and said, "It was my fault.  That was a terrible call for me to make.  Blame it on me."  The youngster brightened up, wiped away his tears, and got back to playing the game.

With 7&8 graders, we're getting them ready for high school football - where winning IS the top priority.  This is a transition time, and we need to prepare them for what is to come.

I'm not sure yet what we should expect of 5&6 graders.  It seems as though in some years, we have expected maybe too much (or maybe not), and we lost some players.  Then again, compared to our opposition, maybe we are not expecting enough.  All I know is that we have had a tough go of maintaining complete teams at this level.  Definitely an area for improvement.