Stone Age Coaching: Avoiding Narrow Minded Pitfalls

Most of us at some point in our life, probably in our youth, have thought we had it all figured out. Often times we've had view points that were so strong that we can't see any other way of doing things as being the a viable route, the "My Way or The Highway" or "World is Flat" approach. Everything was black & white, cut & dry. As we get older, generally, those view points either change or vary to a certain degree. Perhaps because of certain situations or events in our lives that show us that maybe things just aren't that simple. Experience is a key factor in this, but most of the time it's because of the information that we come across that expands our horizons or causes our minds to be open to new ideas.

We have all witnessed, worked with, or even ourselves been narrowed minded individuals that only see one direction to the end result. In coaching, we can be frustrated by players who at 16 or 17 years old believe that their knowledge of the game is higher than those who have donned a whistle for more years than they have been alive. We have all known parents that believe that given the opportunity, they could take your team to the glory of a state championship with all of their valuable knowledge, after all that group of athletes won the Super Bowl in the 5th grade. Perhaps you have even worked under an administration that gets swept up in the current of "this is the way is has always been done around here." Still, there is an important thought to consider. Have we, as coaches, gotten caught up in the same, one track, narrow-minded mentality?

What I have witnessed from others and continuously learned in coaching is: the more I learn, the more I realize I do not know. As a young coach, I didn't even realize the scope or broad spectrum of what I did not know. At first, this thought was extremely intimidating, almost to the point that I didn't know where to begin. The issue that I found I struggled with is that I was letting the fear of not knowing "everything", or not knowing "enough", stop me from even trying to expand my knowledge of the game, of different ideas, of different strategies. I was content to stick with the small amount of information I did possess for fear of contaminating the principles of what I believed in. What I missed out on was the thirst for knowledge I would develop as I was exposed to different ideas. That thirst can become somewhat of an addiction. It's exciting to discover a new play wrinkle, practice drill, or workout.

As coaches, we all have a certain offensive or defensive system that we swear by, a system that often times in our eyes gives our players the best chance to win. Gus Malzahn is a hot name in the ranks of college football coaches right now. What is interesting to see is the progression Coach Malzahn's offense from his days at Shiloh Christian to his offense now at Auburn, and his numerous stops along the way. Coach Malzahn became famous for his hurry-up, no-huddle offense in a variety of spread formations. Now, he has implemented many "Wing-T" concepts and an extremely effective "quick huddle" that has propelled Auburn's offensive production to near the top of the college football world. Coach Malzahn has used his extensive knowledge base to build packages into his offense from schemes that aren't primarily ones he's used in the past.

We all have concepts, schemes, and principles that we firmly believe in, but we shouldn't let those beliefs and principles hinder us from branching out and being innovative. There are many parts of the game of football, or anything in life, that we will never fully know or understand. However, we can't allow that to let us fall victim to the same actions and mindsets of others that make us cringe. It applies to anything within the realm of the operation of our program from schemes, to leadership, practice habits, drills, workouts, competitive situations, and team building activities. What worked in 2003, may not translate to 2014, especially when it come to motivation of today's athletes. The best advice I can offer to young coaches (including myself) is to dive in. Gather as much information from as many sources and coaches as possible, to create and mold your own philosophy. There is no "One Way" to build a successful program or product on the field. Much of the same can be said for the game of life. Have an open mind. Be creative. Most importantly, be fearless in your exploration of the game. Better to find that out sooner than later.

Why I Love Football...

It's been said that if you do what you love for a living you will never work a day in your life. Most people have some hobby or release that gives them a great deal of joy, but what separates a hobby from a passion? Is it the ability to make money dabbling in a hobby? I like to think of a passion as hobby that someone immerses themselves in. It's no longer just simple enjoyment, but a deep love for a certain activity. Often times a person's passion creates a great challenge for them, that consumes them, and eludes them. However, most often the reason someone is consumed with their passion is because of what it gives back in return, and some times in big ways.

YOUTH

Many people would say it's just a game, and in many respects they would be 100% correct. However to me, football is much more than a game. I can attribute most of the important things in my life to the game of football or the direct relationship between football and what is dear to me. From the time I was young I was consumed with sports. I liked all sports, if they were football, basketball, & baseball. I can remember from an early age though that most of my favorite moments playing as a child were revolved around football. When I was 5, an older teen from a different church would bring a football to our revival and throw passes to the young kids. He used to have his dad come watch me dive for catches and tell me how great I was. It made me feel like Jerry Rice until he showed up with a girlfriend one year. Every Sunday afternoon during football season, my dad and I would take on my two older brothers in the backyard even if dad was tired from harvest. I loved those afternoons. It's something I can't wait to do with my kids someday.

INFLUENCE

During middle school, football was of marginal importance since we played together with our rival schools within our own district. We never really had great chemistry on those teams. However, that changed dramatically in high school. I've been extremely blessed to have been around many of the coaches I played under. My high school football coach had a profound effect on me during those four years. I had made a choice to speed home one night that left me with a broken ankle, mashed up face, and no drivers license for a year. During summer weights my parents would drop me off at Coach's house to ride the rest of the way there. An opportune time for him to lecture me or come down on me, but he never did. Of course he told me to be smart, but then he talked with me about how he had many some dumb decisions as a youth as well which shocked me quite honestly. He was such a good Christian man, I wouldn't have ever thought he made any similar mistakes. What got me the most is that he was willing to openly share those things with me. Something that I have no shame in sharing my players and students now. Needless to say, my high school football coach was the reason I wanted to coach one day as well because I wanted to be able share and impact the way he impacted me. If it weren't for football, I would never have had a mentor to guide me in that time of my life.

I had the great pleasure of coaching with him on his staff for three years.

FRIENDSHIP

Football has given me friendships that are still standing to this day. When my classmates and I were sophomores, many of us started on our varsity squad. We went a dismal 2-7 that season. However, we were a close knit group who knew the value of hard work. We weren't a privileged group, just a group of blue collar kids. At that time no football team in our school's 43 year history had ever won a playoff game. Our experience and perseverance led us to the first playoff win in school history. Coming into our senior year we had developed great chemistry and we had become a brotherhood. We had each other's backs. We bickered and argued, but it was a special thing to be a part of when we would band together in times of adversity. We ended that senior year with a one point loss in the state quarter finals. Best season in school history. It was excruciating to walk off the field hand-in-hand with one of my brothers who is still a great friend to this day & was in my wedding last summer. Another one of my best friends who was also a groomsman in my wedding was on that team. After college we became roommates, and at my first head coaching job I had the chance to bring him on our staff. Those were two great years of late night film study, and personnel & philosophical discussions. Football not only helped solidify two friendships that are still strong today, but gave me a chance to compete again alongside one of my best friends.

LOVE

I wasn't kidding when I said that if it weren't for football that I wouldn't have many of the things I cherish today. It probably even sounded like I didn't love my wife, if you already knew I was married. Pitt State football is huge in Southeast Kansas. My wife and I both attended Pitt State at the same time, but in four years we had never met even though she was good friends with my cousin. She was living back with her parents two hours away after graduation. But on September 18th, 2010, God's plan came to fruition. My cousin had invited me over to his house to grill steaks after the Pitt State game....and there was a beautiful girl there that I simply couldn't take my eyes off of who liked red dirt country music. I was hooked! Even though apparently when we first met my wife thought I was a little too confident, just under three years later we tied the knot. Had there never been a Pitt State football game that day, she never would have been in town. So I literally have the Pitt State football game to thank for our small new family. 

RELATIONSHIP

There is nothing more that I value in coaching than developing relationships with players. Football gives me the outlet to develop relationships and hopefully somewhere along the way impact a young person like my coach did for me. I think in many respects, I've learned as much from players as they have from me. As coaches we always preach about battling through adversity, but we face the demons of defeat just like the players do. One group of young men hold a special place in my heart because they confirmed many things I believed, but not yet witnessed. The Class of 2013, and the two classes below them, at Southeast High School, my alma mater where I came back to coach, taught me what rising through adversity truly meant. In their first two seasons in high school, while I was still an assistant, they had a combined 4 wins. My first year as a head coach it got worse when we went 1-8 and got beat by an average of almost 50 points per game. I was tired of losing, and so were they. They committed themselves to an idea, to a principle. After an offseason of hard work, they started the next season 6-1 while beating two teams by 28 points who had beaten us by 28 & 50 the year before. That season and those kids confirmed so many things for me and I'm deeply indebted to those young men, they gave me hope in a dire situation. I loved those guys like every other player I have and they loved me, and we weren't afraid to tell each other that. Perhaps the greatest surprise I have ever received came this fall at my first game here in Hesston, when before the game I looked into the stands to see a blob of Columbia Blue. Seven of my former players had driven 3 1/2 hours for my first game as a Swather. That is the power of football. The bonds it forms are unexplainable and uniquely special to me. I've now started to form some great relationships with my players here in Hesston this year and that will always be my #1 goal. I am extremely blessed to be around the great group of young men we have here, and look forward to continue building a brotherhood with the young men in our Swather Football family that will last beyond their playing days.

Football has led me to events, places, and people I would never have had the opportunity to experience without it. So you see, it's not "just a game" to me...

RISE - Darkness is your Ally

Everyone at some point in their life has had events or periods of time in their life that have seemed bleak and without promise. You've been knocked down and the walls were closing in around you. Maybe you are in a similar place now. Life has a way of kicking us when we're down, finding ways to pull us to a new low. Our only resource at that time, no matter the support system from those around us, is our approach to adverse circumstances. Often times we dwell on our misfortunes that have left us in a dark place. What we often fail to realize is that those situations in our life, our darkest moments, are perhaps our greatest blessings.

I was very fortunate as a youth to grow up in a Christian household with two of the greatest, most loving parents a child could ask for. I was blessed with great mentors and role models throughout grade school and on into high school. The only adverse circumstances I encountered were those that were created by my own poor choices and decisions. I had the ability, and in most cases the curiosity, to test the borders of right and wrong. As I reflect on my life from the age of 18 to about 22, it is now apparent to me that I was in a bleak, dark place. I carried the burden of personal insecurity, complete lack of confidence in myself, and at worst a feeling of utter insignificance. I did my best to mask the internal wars my conscience waged on a daily basis. Many times my efforts to mask those insecurities showed to the outer world a pompous and arrogant adolescent, not ready for what was ahead. Indeed I was not ready. It was a time of uncertainty. A time in which I really wasn't sure of the direction I was meant to take.

In the winter on 2009, I received my education degree and was fortunate to land a technology position at my high school alma mater. That next summer at the age of 23, I accepted the head football and athletic director positions, both of which my mother wasn't sure I was ready for. Our first football season was full of disappointments and the pain of overwhelming defeats, finishing with a 1-8 record and an average loss per game of over 40 points. We had won four games in the past three seasons. My mother was usually correct in almost every situation, and seemingly so in this case as well. The defeats in my professional career fell in line with the defeats in my personal life at that time. The consistent theme and perhaps my greatest fault at that stage in my life was the refusal to fully commit myself to something, a person, or an idea. My girlfriend and I had split up in the early stages of that football season. It was simply an act of selfishness and insecurity. I'm not sure there was a darker point in my life than at that time. I had been searching for a life-long companion. I had been searching for reasons to why we couldn't build a winning football program. I was TIRED of losing personally.  I was tired of losing professionally. What is my purpose and why is it not revealing itself to me? Perhaps the depths of my darkness had been hiding me from my true purpose all along? A purpose that had been right in front of me all along.

The only shackles in life are the ones we clamp on ourselves. Life may thrust us into the pit of despair, but, in reality, it is upon ourselves to find a way to climb out of the abyss. What this realm of darkness had revealed to me is that those who have been starved from the light, anguished in failure, suffered from heartbreak have been given a training some people never receive. You can train in the dark, but until you have felt the agony of the shadows, been molded by the blackness, you cannot prepare yourself for the struggles it will bring. Your darkness, the lowest place you have ever been, is your greatest ally. A decision had to be made, and I was at a crossroads.

When I look back on the heartache, the blackness I dragged myself through, I now know that is a place I never want to return. I'm prepared for ANY struggle life throws my way. I made a decision to fully commit myself to those around me, and to this day it is the most rewarding decision I have ever made. The girl I foolishly broke up with is now my beautiful wife. The next season our football team went 6-3 and had the best regular season the school had seen in the past 12 years. Our players had felt the pain. Our seniors had won 4 game in their first three years, but...they made a decision, that their pain was their greatest friend, their despair was going to be their newfound strength. Rays of light stream into the darkest of places. Hope abounds in the bleakest of circumstances. Your fear is your strength. Your darkness is your ally...Rise...Rise...