Football is a simple game complicated by simple people. It is nothing more than two teams, both of which are trying to make the other as uncomfortable as possible so that they cannot perform to their full potential. Quite often it is the team that can perform comfortably in an uncomfortable situation the most that wins. In order to best prepare our team to face these challenges, I want to create adversity and difficult or uncomfortable training situations so that the players can better learn how to stay focused on what it is they are trying to accomplish and perform at an optimal level both individually and collectively as a team.
When properly implemented in training, these adverse and uncomfortable situations will promote communication, leadership, competitiveness, and accountability to one another. In addition, it will also encourage discipline and sacrifice amongst teammates for the betterment of the team. It identifies in a team setting who can be counted on, and helps to instill confidence amongst teammates. Equally as important, adversity in training will identify and expose those who are selfish and soft, and not ready to put the team before themselves.
-Chris Dawson, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Kansas State University
Football has afforded me opportunities that I would have NEVER had without it. If it wasn’t for the sport of football, I most likely would have never attended College…who knows what I would be doing today had it not been for this great sport.
I have been training football players for over 25 years now. Over this time, I have always expressed my love for this game to my athletes. The Bigger picture however, is that football instilled in me, very specific work habits, attitudes, and expectations of both myself and those around me. During my coaching career, I have always attempted to instill work ethic and pride in our preparation in hopes that these qualities will continue on with my athletes long after they are done playing. That hopefully we are not just ‘building better athletes’ …..hopefully we are actually ‘building better people‘.
I recently came across a tremendous article in Training and Conditioning Magazine this month by Kansas State University Strength & Conditioning Coach Chris Dawson titled “Strength in Unity“. In this article, Coach Dawson so eloquently states what I have felt for many years but had never wrote down with paper and pencil.
The concepts of teamwork, accountability, self sacrifice, and an entity bigger and greater than than the individual truly have a long lasting effect throughout all of our lives. Sure he’s talking about preparing for the sport of football but we can quite easily transfer these traits, values, and habits into our jobs, our friendships, and our family. These are the things I always talk about to my athletes…..the ‘BIGGER PICTURE’ in all our training.
Here is a great quote from the article…
“Football is a team sport, in which one player is reliant on the other 100-plus players in order to achieve not only his individual goals, but also our collective goals. Therefore, it is imperative that our players understand that the needs of the team will always take precedence over the day-to-day comforts and wants of the individual player. In order to emphasize this, we must create an environment that does exactly that, in addition to one in which players want to continually work to improve.”
From my experience, this is one of the concepts that seems to be tougher to find with my athletes in 2013. Much of the concept of ‘collective goals’ has seemed to fade over the years in favor of a “I want to get MINE” mentality. It is my job to make sure all my athletes understand ‘the collective good’.
When I read the following quote, it reminds me of the qualities I would seek not just in a teammate but also in a partner or a best friend…
“Everything that we do from a training standpoint for our athletes at Kansas State University is geared toward making our players better teammates. A better teammate has done everything he can to prepare himself mentally and physically, is selfless, is coachable, understands and embraces his role on the team, and always puts the team before himself. If they are the best teammates they can be, then we will be the best team that we can be.”
In terms of accountability, Coach Dawson really nails it when he talks about attitude and effort having the greatest impact on our development…..This is not unlike what we desire, expect from our work team or even our Gym members and the culture that we try to build.
“Finally, we want to establish accountability amongst the players through training. It is important that as teammates, they understand that they are a part of something larger than themselves, and that their attitude and effort have an impact on more than just themselves. We want to create a situation in which the players feel a responsibility to their teammates to perform at a high level with a winning attitude. Ultimately, it is the player’s choice. Their attitude and effort are the two things that we have the least control over, but have the greatest impact on their development. There are no excuses–we either get better or we get worse. All we ask is that our players take ownership of their daily performance and the team’s results.”
I appreciate coaches like Coach Dawson. I appreciate all of my athletes who buy in and thrive in our environment of adversity. I love seeing my athletes go on to become great, productive, successful post-athletics-individuals. I love this game, the coaches that I have had, the amazing coaches I have worked with, and my athletes.
Thank you football.
Please watch this….
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-iPiN_YHjY[/youtube]