Merry Christmas... Happy Birthday to the Ultimate Leader

What are the characteristics of a great leader?

I have spent the last few months writing about great people and football coaches. I have learned a lot from those guys. But, my ultimate role model for coaching never played a down of football and never carried a whistle.

I will acknowledge there are many different models for leadership. For me, the 10th chapter of John’s gospel is the best blueprint for the right leadership model and that ultimate leader is Jesus Christ.

When I was growing up, one of my dad’s books I read frequently was Wes Neal’s The Handbook on Coaching Perfection. The purpose of the book is to explain how Jesus would coach a team and how a Christian should coach a team. It seems hard to believe now, but when my dad was growing up, he asked my grandmother, is it possible to be a football coach and a Christian?

In 2014, there are over two billion Christians in the world. At the time of his crucifixion, Jesus had 11 living disciples. They were terrified.

How did 11 cowards grow into two billion people? They saw the living Christ after the crucifixion. But, it was a lot more than just that he rose from the dead, it was that he did it for them.

In the 10th chapter of John, it says the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. I don’t know about you, but I am compelled to follow leaders that put my best interest and the interest of others ahead of their own. Those leaders motivate me to give my all and to give my very best effort.

Self-centered leaders, and I have been around a bunch of them, usually motivate through fear and intimidation. And that can work, but usually only in the short term and often the end is a crash and burn. I can tell you this, it doesn’t work well with me or the guys I work with.

As a leader, it is great that you put your people first. But, the leader has to be competent and capable. Christianity falls apart if there is no resurrection. It would have meant that Jesus had great intentions, but that is where it would end.

But human leaders are not perfect. How is a human leader able to follow this model? Even a competent and capable leader will make a ton of mistakes.

Surprisingly, the Christ-like leader has a lot of freedom. That freedom comes from phrases like the following:

“I am sorry.”

“I was wrong.”

“Your way is better than my way.”

“You know more about this than I do.”

“I could have handled that better.”

I have had to say those phrases often over the past 22 years as a head coach. If you never say those things as a leader, you have no credibility.

Everyone that follows you know you are not perfect. To pretend otherwise is foolish.

I can follow someone who will admit when they are wrong. If they can’t do that or won’t do it, they are not a good leader and following them would be a poor decision.

In 1 John 4:19, it says, “We love each other because he loved us first.”

It reminds me of Coach Sharpe on that mountain in the summer of 1986. For your team to love each other, he said, “You love them first!”

Can you lead without loving the people you lead? You can. I have seen it done but I don’t believe it’s the best way.

I don’t think it is the route to go for sustained success. I don’t want to lead that way.

Chuck Smith, Larry French, Steele Harmon, Bill Arnsparger, Vince Lombardi, Blanton Collier, even my own dad have been great men, coaches and role models for me. The list is much longer but it wasn’t a guy in black shoes and white shoestrings that had the best blueprint for being a high school football coach.

It was ultimately a carpenter from Nazareth that knew what was best to do when there is a whistle hanging around your neck.

• Click to print (Opens in new windo
• 
  

Getting Tougher.... Playing Hard

Former Harrodsburg HS Legendary Coach, Alvis Johnson, presenting the Titan Captain Awards named in his honor. Coach Johnson is the Patriarch of football in our community. He constantly does things behind the scenes, everyday, helping people that no one sees. Truly a great man and inspiration.

We had a joint MS & HS staff meeting this week that was very productive. Most staffs I talk to want to make their kids tougher and play harder. Here are some thoughts on that subject. If you have other ideas, please email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.

Organizational Purpose: To pursue excellence each day and in every detail to build a championship caliber program and mentally tough young men of the highest character, discipline and determination.

General Responsibilities:

-  Be loyal to the school, program, head coach, administration, players, and other coaches in our program (5-12).

-  Complaints, concerns and criticisms should be handled behind closed doors with the VARSITY or MS HEAD COACH.

-  Assist head coach in off-season as available and as needed.

How to make our kids tougher:

1-      Model toughness for our kids.

2-      Design your drills so that they have a fast tempo and players get as many reps as possible. Make drills demanding. Football is a tough game to play. If it is played properly, it should develop toughness.

3-      Demand, expect, & hold them accountable for running to the ball every snap in Team Defense & Perimeter Defense.

4-      Expect them to be able to line up properly, play fast, & execute our offense. Time the periods & hold them accountable for not running the plays in the set time.

5-      Demand good body language when they are tired.

6-      One on one isolation in the middle of Team Periods, Inside Drill, etc. Use sparingly to maximize effectiveness.

7-      WIN Drill & 3^rd Down Drill

8-      Coach them to be better football players. The better they become as football players, the more confidence they will have, the more success they will have on the field, and the tougher they will be.

How to make our kids play hard:

1-      Make sure the kids know you care about them. In general, kids play hard for a coach that cares about them.

DWS……#1 love hard & #2 coaches hard. #2 is not effective without the first.

2-      The kids will know you care about them by spending TIME with them OUTSIDE of football and talking about things important to them OTHER than football. (same as your kids @ home)

A.     Pick a different player to walk back from practice each day. Have a conversation.

B.     Talk to them at school, and as much as possible, stuff outside of football.

C.     Be creative. Many coaches miss this piece then wonder….”Why I am I not effective?” or worse, blame the kids.

3-      Sometimes you still need to coach effort. Use the same ideas for making guys tougher.

Football coaches historically take for granted their drill work, think it is the best it can be, etc. Constantly evaluate & tweak your drill work. Make it as demanding and precise as you can.  PREPARE for practice.  Think through what you will do. Don’t wing it or take it for granted.

Stay the course. We are on the right track. Invest little to no time and energy into those that are against us, that don’t believe in what we are doing.  That is a waste of our time.

Focus on helping our kids and program get better, ONE day at a time. Work to become a better coach, ONE day at a time. The rest is noise. Ignore it.

Titan Football..... Turf.... an Indoor, Full Scale, Practice facility

By adding this "turf" to the top, we will now be able to have a full scale football practice in the complex. The bulk of the project was paid for with football sponsorship money. Since ALL athletes will benefit and be able to use this area, Coach Smith used a small portion of bowl money to help us with the project. Thank you Coach Smith! 

The way this will work....this new top area will be split between two position groups. RBs & LBs on one end, OL & DL on the other end. WRs & DBs will be down on the main turf. When we go to team periods, we will go down to the main turf.

This is a great day for Titan Football and ALL Titan athletes!

Exit Interviews- getting to know your kids and seeing your program from their perspective

I got started with Exit Interviews today. It gives our kids a chance to say what is on their mind and also a chance for me to talk one on one with every single member of the team. Obviously that is tough to do inseason on a consistent basis.

Overall the feedback has been positive. Probably the most positive piece so far is that several have said that the way I can help them get better is give them access to the complex for individual workouts. That makes me believe our investment in the top level, additional turf area will help our kids reach their goals. I also like the idea that they want to work on their own to improve. Most of the GREAT players I have coached over the years were guys that went way above and beyond working on their own. One Christmas Eve, Chris Lofton showed up at the house wanting the key to the weightroom. I didn't have it because Dustin Grutza had beat him to it!

This desire to work on their own is hopefully a sign that our culture is moving more in the direction we want it to be.

The exit interviews give me a good insight into what our kids like and don't like about our program. And, when the same things keep coming up that are negative, we do make adjustments. I am always thankful for the opportunity to make corrections before we begin losing kids.

If any other coaches would send me their exit interviews, I am always trying to tweak what we do.  I like what we do, but we can always find ways to do it better.  If you have some good exit interview questions, please send them to me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.

Year 26.... plenty of Bad & Ugly, but much more Good, especially at the End.

Year 26 as a head coach was unlike any other. I am use to our teams playing their best football in November. But, this season was different because our September and October were so rough.

I love our kids, but practice for most of the preseason and regular season was a struggle. We fell into a cycle. They loafed. I yelled. We ran. Not good at all. To make it worse, we were hit with some rough injuries, losing 4 starters that played alot on both sides of the ball in September in one ballgame. Even the ones that were still playing were hampered by injuries. And, we were hit with a bunch of illness as well. It was brutal. The 2017 regular season was not fun. Fortunately, November was much more enjoyable.

When we walked off the field after losing on 10/13, we were at a low point and facing our open week.  We were not tough and we were not playing well.

I credit our staff for doing a great  job of planning our practices during the open week. Our assistants were precise in pinpointing the skills that needed improvement and then designing the drill work to make us better.  Instead of taking out our frustrations on the kids, our coaches simply coached to make them better and continued to hold them accountable. But, it was a POSITIVE week. It was not run our kids into the ground, who were already struggling, and were facing a very good Boyle County team in week 10 who would eventually be the state champions in 3A.

Another positive of the open week was it gave us a chance to work on a formation we had never used before. I have never seen anyone use it. It was very different. We had trips to one side, a center and two linemen on the ball, and two linemen split opposite of trips with a WR. We were in the shotgun with one running back. We were trying to create space for our skilled athletes and help our linemen with pass protection. And, Boyle County is extremely well-coached. The set allowed us to negate some of their coaching and preparation because it was so different. Although we didn't win the game, we were able to make it 7-7 early. We did some good things in a loss that helped our kids going forward. And, that set became a big part of our game plans going into November.   

We struggled stopping the run most of the season. But, beginning with the 2nd half of our 1st round playoff game, we began to play significantly better stopping the run. As an entire team, we began to play some really good football, reaching the state quarterfinals. 

 When the season ended, only 10 points separated us from the 4A State Champion, Franklin-Simpson. They defeated Collins by 4 points, who defeated us by 6 points the week before. On October 13th, Franklin-Simpson & Collins would have both put a running clock on us.... easily. The improvement our kids made in such a short time was incredible and it became one of my best experiences, ever, as a HS football coach.  Our kids and assistant coaches did a phenomenal job keeping the wheels on and making us a very good football team.

Going forward, I have to figure out a better way to navigate the early part of the season. I did a terrible job for our kids. We had no energy/juice in September. I have some ideas and we will work through those as a staff.

I also have to figure out a better way to navigate injuries and illness. Those are part of the game.  It is my job to figure that part out. There were many Friday nights that we looked like we had not practiced. That is because we had so many guys that had missed so many practice reps. It was not their fault they had been sick or hurt and not practiced. But, it was my fault for not coming up with better answers. I do believe if we can navigate the early part of the season better, that will help with the injuries as well.

Another change going forward is that I must be more deliberate in building the right culture. Previously, if you hired good men as assistant coaches and ran your program the right way, culture took care of itself. That is no longer true. We will take some steps as a team, involving our kids, including our incoming freshmen, to build the culture we want. I would not say we have a bad culture. But, there is alot of room for improvement.

A very tangible change / improvement is that we are going to "turf" an area in the top of the complex that will be 8 yards wide and 100 feet long. This area, combined with the turf we already have in the complex, will allow us to have a full scale indoor practice facility. We will have RBs/LBs on one end upstairs, OL/DL on the other end upstairs, and the WRs/DBs down on the main turf. Team offense and defense will be on the main turf.  I am excited about what this addition will mean to our kids and program.  Our offseason drill work will be enhanced and we will be able to have much more productive practices when we must stay indoors.

After we lost in the quarterfinals, the two weeks leading up to the state championship games were brutal. Those days get tougher every year. The only way I could cope with the fact that we were not playing was either spend time with my family or work to make our program better. The Saturday after our Quarterfinal loss (which came down to the last play of the game), Trosper, John Combs & I made the trip to South Bend for the Notre Dame - Navy game. It was our 7th year in a row for that trip and it has become one of the best things we do.  But, when I got up Sunday morning and there was no game plan to prepare, staff meeting, etc. ... it hit me like a ton of bricks that our season was over. I am a horrible loser and I hate it now more than ever. But, I am better at handling it on the inside and not allowing it to take such a terrible toll on my family, especially the greatest wife a football coach could have in Stephanie.

In fact, I asked Stephanie if she was up for 26 more years of coaching football. I would be 78. Her response was , "Sure!"  

I am still learning. One reason I want to keep coaching football is that I have been around the game my entire life and it is by far my best shot at being good at something. The maintenance guys at Mason County told me nothing else was in my brain because all it had in it was football. I have no hobbies.... unless football is both my hobby and my job. 

Coach Floro allowed me to speak at our Middle School banquet today. I suggested Christmas gift ideas for those young men.... Why We Can't Wait by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Dr. King's book explains that the only way to truly lead and bring about change is to change the way people think and what they have in their heart. Viktor Frankl's book helps us understand that no one can take away our freedom to choose our attitude, our reaction to our circumstances, and most importantly, our freedom to serve others.  If we want to have a great culture and achieve at a high level, we have to THINK differently.

As I spoke today, I got a little wound up, and somewhat loud. Some of Trosper's teammates wondered why I was mad! Some even told him,  "Your dad needs to be a preacher." He explained to those guys, my dad is not mad, but he is excited and that is when he starts getting loud.

 I am thankful that I am already excited about Year 27.  

Thank you Arpan Dixit of the Harrodsburg Herald for the photos!

My 3 Bosses.... pay attention to how you treat others

Spencer Tatum, Donald Smith, Dennis Davis

As you walk along the path of your life, you might want to pay attention to how you treat others.  My three bosses are currently, Donald Smith (Athletic Director), Spencer Tatum (Principal) & Dennis Davis (Superintendent) .

In 1982 when I was a senior at Mercer County HS, the freshman tailback at Harrodsburg HS broke off a long run at the end of the game. That would be Donald. In 1987 I coached the quarterbacks at Mercer County HS and the freshman team. Since we didn't have many coaches, our manager went to the away freshman games with me.  It was fine because he was more responsible than me. That would be Spencer. And, my senior quarterback that season was Dennis.

I had no idea 30 plus years ago  that these guys would someday be my boss.  

An additional blessing is I have been fortunate to coach their sons!

Spencer, Donald, & Dennis have remained good friends of mine over all these years and I am really glad they are my bosses now.  It is also a great life lesson.... on a daily basis, do we treat others the way they deserve to be treated?  You might want to be careful. You may be talking to someone who will be your boss someday! 

Halloween Party for the football team....We are still kids

Today we had our annual Halloween Party for the football team. I started this a few years ago when I was still at Mason County. Our team meeting starts 5 minutes early on Monday, the week of Halloween. Every kid gets one piece of Halloween candy (tight budget) and we watch this video:

Monster Mash

Today the candy of choice was a Tootsie Pop. I like the old fashioned peanut butter candy, but you have to watch it with all the allergies in the 21st century.

October is a great month of football.  Halloween is a fun holiday that fits well with the game of football, especially on a cool, dark, windy Friday night.   Halloween has some large, scary, hairy, weird characters..... have you ever been in a football locker room... or worse.... the coaches' office!?  

Of course, I enjoy being around those characters and that has been true my entire life. 

The party lasts five minutes. Then, we are moving on to preparing for our next opponent. It doesn't take long, but I think it is a good thing for our team and kids. We are going into the playoffs and need to make the most of the opportunity. I think a good reminder of how much we enjoy being together and our times together as a team is a subconscious incentive to practice and play well. And, even if it doesn't provide that incentive, it is ok for all of us to be kids for just 5 minutes. The time for these guys to be kids is running out when you hit October, especially your seniors. If we can make that time last just a little bit longer, it is worth doing.  

On the Same Side.... Fighting for Football

One of the best things we have done in our program over the past 20 years has been our freshman/JV conference. We find schools similar in size to ours and play freshman/JV doubleheaders on Monday night. We started this at Mason County when my good friend Dan Gooch, then the head coach at Montgomery County, suggested it.  The quarters are very short, but it allows our kids to get quality reps against kids the most like them. These conference games are a key component in the development of our players. Obviously, player development is a priority for our program.

Over the past couple years, it has been a struggle for many of the teams in our conference and surrounding area to field a freshmen team. Although our record was not very good, we are excited that we began the season with 22 freshmen and have kept those guys together. We are also excited because our current 8th graders will be another strong group of freshmen.  In 2017, it is a huge accomplishment to field a freshmen team, even though several of their games this year had to be played against teams that included some upperclassmen. 

All of the coaches in our conference are committed to fielding freshmen teams next season. It will be rough and there may be nights that we can only play JV games, but we will all do our absolute best to play freshmen games. 

If we want to keep our freshmen, we have to have freshmen teams and freshmen games. When we give up on that, our numbers will decline.

In many ways, even though our conference teams are opponents on the field, we all share a common goal and interest.... to keep the game of football alive & healthy in our area for the kids in our schools. We all believe that football can make a large & positive impact in the development of young men and in the overall school culture.  I am the football coach at Mercer County. It is in the best interest of Mercer County football that Boyle, Lincoln, Anderson, Franklin & Western Hills are able to field freshmen and JV teams.  

You won't find me wearing a Rebel(Boyle County) football sweatshirt, but we need those guys!

Inseason Prep planning.... after the game on Friday....GO!!

Our Mason staff preparing for  the state quarterfinals in November of 2013. Photo by Zack Klemme

Last Sunday, 8/6, was my last day off either until the season ends or we might possibly get one day during our open week. Beginning this weekend, the grind of game preparation has begun. Eat your Wheaties and get to work.

This plan has evolved from the days of my Dad's Sunday night meetings in his basement office at our house.  Those meetings were so well-established, one Sunday night, the opposing staff showed up to get the game plan!

As soon as the game is over on Friday night, we will view the video, individually as a staff. Some time over the weekend, position coaches will share Hudl notes with their position.

I try to be very efficient with my time. When watching the game video, if something did not work, I find out why. The answer to those questions will drive my team preparation for the week. And, of course, the things that we are good at doing will become more important. By the time I go to bed on Friday night, I want to be 100% done with that game, win or lose. If I can get in bed by 2 AM, that is a very efficient night.

In the morning, I will begin working on our opponent. I want to get their base defense and best personnel. I also gather down & distance information, as well as information in regards to the area of the field. Once that information is gathered, I will put together a playlist on Hudl which will serve as the scouting report for that defense.  Hudl notes are a big part of this scouting report. I really enjoy being done with paper scouting reports. Those were not as efficient or as visually effective as seeing the video.

At this point, I will begin to gameplan based on the scouting report. I will then do a self scout of our offense using Hudl. My objective is to mesh the gameplan with an effort to break tendencies AND add formations our opponent has never seen or rarely seen.

From lunch time until Sunday morning, I will start to put together the script of plays. We also have down & distance scripted, situations, defensive fronts/personnel to attack, etc. Basically, what ever fits our opponent and our team at that point in the season.  We will have any where from 30 to 40 base plays scripted. This script allows us to be very multiple in our sets. I would like for opposing defensive coordinators to have at least 50 formations to break down when they prepare for us.

On Sunday our staff comes in and we review the previous game. We make gameplan adjustments for all 3 phases of the game, discuss  personnel, etc. It is also a time for our staff to get stuff off their chest.  It is not unusual for there to be some significant disagreement & arguing.  But, that is why the foundation always must be that you build your staff with great people. We always work through it and come up with a plan, together.

We will plan practice that week and script every offensive period. It takes more effort for the DC to script all of the defense and he works that out as needed on  a daily basis.

On Sunday, we should be done between 5 & 7 most weeks. In 2017, we are making our Sunday meeting window from 2-5 pm.  We all have been doing this for a long time. If we can't get it done by 5 pm on Sunday, we are struggling.

And, that is another important point.... I NEVER meet just to have a meeting. They are short & efficient. These guys are husbands, fathers & teachers. They are professionals. We get our work done and go home. Some staffs like to hang out and talk all day, and pretend they are working hard. I can't stand that model for coaching HS football.  That is a great way to alienate a coach's wife. Do that enough, and you are looking for coaches, and they won't be as good as the ones that just quit.

The heavy work load on the weekend is driven by the fact that on Monday morning, our staff is back in the classroom and teaching. Our teaching job comes first and we need to excel in the classroom. But, my Monday morning, all of the plan is in place and we should be ready to go.

Bill Walsh said to make every important decision that can be made before game time, in a calm, thoughtful process/setting.  We try to make 100% of those types of decisions well before the game. That process has served us well over the past 20+ years.  I also find that I ENJOY football practice and games much more the better I am prepared.  Football is fun and anything I can do to keep it that way, I try to do it.

I hope this can help a coach, staff, and even the family of a coach as the season gets started in 2017.  Friday nights are almost here. Enjoy them!

PS- I took my little girl to college today. Very tough.  For an old football coach, there is nothing like your little girl. There have been many Saturdays after a loss, especially when she was little, that she was the only one that could put a smile on my face.  I am really glad that I spent as much time with her at home as I could. I never cut corners on the job, but I also never wasted time I could be with her, her mom & my boys.  Coaches....keep first things first this fall.

Ownership... our dilemma, our solution, our TEAM

 Mercer County Practice Field.... 5:45 am

A few years ago at Mason County, our district began faculty meetings every Wednesday that would start at 2 pm and go to 4 pm. That meant that our kids would be released early from school and we would not be able to practice until at least 4:15. We couldn't have those guys unsupervised.  It was also very hot.

I told our guys they had a choice. They could practice before school every Wednesday at 6:30 am, or, we would have to go in the evening at 8 pm to avoid the heat and Wednesday night church. I thought the best choice was 6:30 am. But, I also knew that if I walked in and told everyone we WILL practice at 6:30 am, there would be significant pushback and it would not be well-received.   I had to be willing to go with the 8 pm practices if that is what the players chose.

They chose the 6:30 am practices...and it became their favorite practice of the week. They enjoyed getting it done and the extra 12 hours of recovery. The temperature was much cooler. It was "cool" to practice under the lights until the sun came up each morning.

Wednesday morning at Mason County, November 2013.....20 degrees

Several years later when the school ended those teacher meetings, our kids still wanted to stick with the Wednesday morning practices and we did so.

This past week at Mercer County, we had to adjust practice times due to teacher meetings. This time, our player council and staff met to discuss our options. As a group, we chose to go with 6 am practice times. Mercer is a larger county geographically than Mason and it was going to be a major adjustment for our kids. But, they did great. The 6 am practices were our best practices of the week. And, I think our council and staff made the best decision.

Once again, had I decreed that practice would be at 6 am, it would not have gone well.

As a leader or coach, next time you are facing a tough issue or need to make a major adjustment, try to include your staff and players in the decision. You can still say what you think is best. But, listening & learning makes you a better and more successful coach.  There is a good chance that someone in the room may have a better idea. And, even if your idea is the best one, this process leads to substantially more support and "buy-in" as opposed to forcing your will on everyone else.

Being a head coach has been different than I expected.  There is much less telling people what to do and much more listening than I anticipated.  The more ownership  our staff and players have in our team, the better we will be....and I need to remember that in 2017!

One Dad & Two Words

I just dropped off Trosper for his first scrimmage of the season. He will be an 8th grader and play QB for his team this fall.

I told him to remember two words....HAVE FUN. I also told him I will not be coaching him this fall. He has a bunch of coaches, but only one dad. I am going to enjoy being his dad. The next four years I will coach him in HS. There will be plenty of opportunities to correct mistakes and get after him as needed. 

Right now, I don't have to do that. His MS Coach is Mike Floro.  Excellent leader and coach. High character guy that knows his stuff and cares about kids. He can handle Trosper and I will stay out of the way while he does it. I am really thankful for Mike Floro. 

To all the KIDS getting ready to start playing football..... HAVE FUN.

To all the Dads..... be Dad!

Pr1de shorts....earned, not purchased

Getting ready to distribute Pr1de shorts to the guys that have EARNED them this summer. This is a great tradition that I copied from Coach Randy Reese and the Paris Greyhounds. Thank you to Larry Harris who got me going on this when we were both at Paris. In some programs, guys bring in cash and buy their gear. In our program, those items are earned. 
PS- If Jeff Reese, Larry or Chris Haney want to come run with us Tuesday night, we will give you a chance to EARN Pr1de shorts one more time! :)

Friday Night Under the Lights Camp

One of the best things we have done in our program over the last 20 plus years is host our Friday Night Under the Lights Football Camp.

Our first three camps (two at Paris, one at Mason) were all day on a Friday.  It was hot. I realized that all I was getting accomplished was convincing the kids that football was hard and hot. In 1997, we moved our camp to under the lights on a Friday night. Our numbers immediately improved and the kids had alot more fun escaping the heat.

Over the years, there have been a couple times we went over 100. This year, we were in the low 90s. 

We divide the camp in two. Kids under 9 do an overall football skill camp. Kids 10 and up go with the HS coaches and players and practice their position.  We also introduce strength & speed training. In 2017 we even had yoga!  We have some fun stations at the end followed by Titan Football (ultimate frisbee style). Through the night, campers also will participate in a Punt, Pass & Kick contest and we award the prizes at the end of camp. 

Farmers National Bank sponsors the camp and that helps with t-shirt expenses. Our bowl sponsor, Little Caesar's, provided pizza as part of their bowl sponsorship.

Kids have a bunch of choices these days. Football is still a GREAT game, but we have to work harder to get the message out there. Friday Night under the lights football camp has been a very effective way to get kids excited about football!

Thank you Jeremy Schneider & Congratulations Brian Deem!

Buchanans Happily Lend Name to Coaching Award

Thank you to Jeremy Schneider for making this gesture and congratulations to Brian Deem!

Brian Deem directs Rebels to superb seasons for John Buchanan Memorial Coach of The Year award

Practice Schedule #1, August 4th, 1969

There has been discussion in Kentucky regarding when football should start. When my Dad coached, they would lift 3 days a week all summer and then start practicing the first Monday in August. 

My Dad saved his practice schedules from his first season as a head coach. Here is practice #1, Monday, August 4, 1969.  The practice began at 7:15 pm and they ran conditioning at 9 pm.

At the bottom, that means they ran 12 20-yard sprints, and 6 40-yard sprints. 

Workouts vs. Practice: Balancing Commitment & Fairness

My Dad's first Boyle team in1969. In the old days, football practice began on August 1st.

In the past couple days I have talked to two very successful coaches and at very strong programs who were having trouble getting their kids to attend practices/workouts. We have tried to build in some flexibility in July and this is how we do it.

From the end of the dead period until we start official "practice" , we have "workouts."  For our guys to earn their Pr1de shorts, they must have no unexcused absences from workouts in July. In early/mid July, we will still allow our guys to miss for church camps, family vacations, and other legitimate reasons, as long as they communicate with us ahead of schedule.

Also, for the first two weeks, we only go 3 days a week. Each workout is 3 hours and they are pretty intense....county fair agilities, lifting on the whistle, and then Coach Duffy's jingle jangles. We will also hit all 3 phases of the game and do as much as we can without any pads.  I also like the extra recovery time they get because of how our workouts are spaced out while are kids are getting acclimated to the heat, humidity, & work load. We have already had one young man have significant dehydration issues. He is fine and he is safe, but it is taking his body time to adapt. The extra rest and recovery time will benefit our guys.

On the 3rd week, we have a 3 hour workout on Monday, conditioning test on Tuesday, and finally official PRACTICE begins on that Wednesday. Now, to miss, it generally means a death in the family or a serious illness is all that will excuse a young man. Why do I say generally?  Because there can always be exceptions. I try not to put myself in a corner where I would be unfair or make a decision that I know is wrong.

Why are we flexible with workouts?  I have a hard time telling a kid he can't go to church camp in mid-July. Some of our parents work in factories. They have no control over when they have vacation. I have had kids that were earning college basketball scholarships in July. I am going to work with those guys because it is important to their future. A college degree is a game changer for a young man and his family.

This is the format with a few tweaks here & there that we have used for 26 years. Most of the time it has worked well. I think the kids & families appreciate our attempt to be flexible and fair.

Besides, my Dad always told me, "If you can't get them ready in three weeks, you aren't a very good football coach!"

If any coach has a better way to navigate July, please email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.

OTA- speeding up the process, breaking up the monotony

We had an OTA here today with Danville, Mason County, & Woodford County. We originally got the idea from some high schools in south Alabama who had copied the NFL style workout. 7 on 7 is part of the OTA, but we also incorporate inside drill, 11 on 11, punt coverage and returning punts.  This is a noncontact event. It involves all areas of the game and the kids enjoy an NFL style workout.

I also like the OTA because it really pushes our kids after only having two workouts. We run multiple sets. They don't like so many sets and us pushing them to play fast. But, I could show them with my watch that as the day progressed, we played faster and better. We still have a long way to go, but overall it was good progress.

Working our punt protection today, our guys got to see several different looks for punt rush. We corrected a bunch of mistakes.  We also had to field punts with guys running down and getting in our face.

I was especially pleased with our linebackers today. They worked hard to do the fundamental things we want done. They were very coachable and did well getting to the right spot.

The report I got from our linemen work was also positive.

To a HS football player in 2017, July 10 until the first game on August 19th is a long time! The OTA workout breaks up the monotony of workouts and practices. If anything, we may add another one next year.

If any other HS coaches have experience or ideas on OTAs, please send those to me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.

OTA = Organized Team Activities

"Around the Pole!"

I still look at this pole and cringe. I hated running around it. 

When I was in High School, between every period in practice, Coach French sent us, "around the pole!" I hated it and thought it was a waste of time. When my Dad had been the head coach, he did the same thing.  Coach French had been an assistant for my Dad and the tradition lived on with him.

One time I told my Dad I hated, "around the pole" and I thought it was a waste of time. In one of those moments when you realize your Dad knows more than you thought, he explained the pole to me.

The purpose of running around the pole was to get some extra conditioning while the position coach set up the next drill.  It was a more efficient use of time than having the players stand there and watch the coach set up the next drill. It made alot of sense to me. And now some times if I need extra time to prep a drill... you guessed it.... I tell the kids to run around the pole (goalposts since now we are fortunate to have a practice field and no longer practice in the baseball outfield).

I took that picture of the pole tonight. It seems like that thing comes alive in July, reminding me of the past. To show the impression it made on me, I can remember the songs running through my head as I ran around the pole for the first practices in full gear my junior and senior seasons. I think it is absolutely insane that I remember those moments.  For the old guys out there, here are my "around the pole" songs for practice #1 in 1981She's a Woman in Love- Tom Petty & 1982  Urgent- Foreigner.  Since I was really slow, I could get through most of the song in one trip!

Preseason Staff Meetings

Some of our staff members after a couple of our guys received awards in the spring of 2016

Before we begin workouts on Monday, I will have met with every member of our staff through June and early July. In our meeting, we will look at job descriptions, game duties, & practice duties.  Bill Walsh's Finding the Winning Edge made it clear  to me that these documents & meetings were a level of organization and detail we needed for long range success. 

 In beginning year three as a staff, we still need to be deliberate in making sure we are all on the same page. And, I meet with each coach individually as opposed to as a group. It takes a little more time, but we can speak more freely. There may be things we need to say that would not be best to say in front of the entire group. It gives me a chance to communicate my expectations and for each coach to communicate his thoughts, input, and questions. 

I have tried to be intentional and take notes from each meeting and follow through on ideas that are shared from our assistants. Our staff members are good men & quality coaches. We are fortunate to have them on our staff. I try to pay attention to their insights to make me and our program better, and our kids more successful.

If you want to see our job descriptions, game duties, or practice duties, email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us. If you have ideas for staff organization that are unique and/or effective, please share those with me.  This is a great time of year and we are excited to get started!

21 Minutes of Sports....getting our kids through the tough times

This past week I enjoyed watching parents play with their kids on the beach. Some of those kids could play all day. Others would have been content to sit down and be left alone.  Helping our kids be active is sometimes necessary.

When John Combs was little, he was not much into sports or being active, although he did love being around my football teams and the players/coaches. To get him to be more active, we came up with "21 minutes of sports."  Each day, he and I would play basketball for 7 minutes, baseball for 7 minutes, and football for 7 minutes. We had variety and it went by fast. It was also a deliberate way we would spend time together.

John Combs as the waterboy & later as linebacker

Later, he would play football in little league, middle school, and high school. Although I certainly encouraged him, he chose to run indoor track in HS to improve his speed for football. He would tell you now that he is very glad he chose to play football. Individually and as a team, he enjoyed alot of success on the field.   I am really glad we encouraged him to be active at a time he did not really want to go outside and do much.

Trosper, on the other hand, has lived outside playing sports. The number of sprints, passes, punts, kicks, catches, shots, etc. are through the roof. The only thing that ended some of his days outside was that the sun would finally go down.  There will be several Friday nights for him that he will be reliving scenarios that he imagined and already played in the front yard.  "21 minutes of sports" would have been his warm up.

Trosper's birthday present one year was a football field painted in the front yard

As we get ready for preseason football, get ready to hear.... "it is not fun anymore", "my heart isn't in it", etc. The toughest part of football season is right around the corner. There will be times that many kids will feel like quitting. Don't let them. No one wants to "make" their child do something. But, the reality is that many kids do WANT to be football players and they want to experience Friday nights. But, because of the grind & heat, there are those moments that are tough and not much fun.  When our kids get to those points, don't let them give into their feelings. HELP them get through the tough time so they can have that experience. They will be glad you helped them.  And, what a great life lesson and concept for them going forward as adults.

I am 52 years old and the son of a HS football coach. The first football season I remember well I was 4 years old. In 48 years, I have heard many guys say the regretted quitting football. I have never heard one guy say they played football and it was a mistake.

Help your son over the next few weeks when things get tough. Don't let him give into those moments he is tired, hot and overwhelmed. Those Friday nights will be here, and gone, before you know it.