A Plan for Prayer

8th grade night, 2017

Several months ago in one of his sermons, Pastor Greg Warren at Carpenter's Christian Church in Harrodsburg talked about making a plan for our prayer life. Since that time, Trosper and I have developed a prayer plan for each day of the week when we ride to school. We have a different topic for each day, and take turns praying as we leave the driveway.

It sure isn't real fancy, but it has been good practice for us to bring our concerns, joys, and the people we love to Christ on a daily basis.  It has helped us grow closer to Christ and to each other. I just wish I had thought of it when John Combs and Emma were little.

And, yes, when we pray, I DO keep my eyes open when I am driving.  :)

Clinics in the 21st Century

When I was a little kid, a recurring event on the calendar every winter was that my Dad would be gone a few days to THE clinic. I think the first clinics were the Kodak Coach of the Year Clinics that he attended in the early 70s.  Usually, he attended that clinic and one that would be hosted by the University of Kentucky during their spring practice.

When I was a young coach, I was excited to finally attend THE clinic which was held annually at the Galt House in Louisville. 

Coach Gruneisen, a Louisville native, always took us to Bearno's when I was on his staff at Paris HS when we would attend the Galt House clinic. We continued the tradition @ Paris & Mason Co., eating lunch there on Friday when the clinic began.

Many of the big names in college football would speak at that clinic.  And, in my Dad's era, if you were not attending THE clinic, you were not serious about football and coaching.

Coaches still attend those clinics. And, the Galt House Clinic is still a prominent & quality clinic. But, clinics have exploded across the country. You can find one every weekend. There is still value in attending those clinics. 

Another option has evolved because of technology..... the online clinic.  Over the past few years, I have really enjoyed Gridiron Strategies, American Football Monthly,  X & O Labs, and now First Down Playbook.  The first two are more like a conventional clinic. X & O Labs offer an extra level of depth over a wide range of topics. First Down Playbook is, the best I can describe, a huge and manageable data bank of college and NFL plays.

The amount of information they offer is overwhelming. The sites are a bargain for the content you receive. And, as my children get older and have a multitude of events, attending a clinic gets tougher every year. Add in Emma's birthday (2/10), Stephanie's birthday (2/15) & Valentine's Day..... February clinic attendance some year's, depending on how the calendar hits, might be what we called at Mason County a "rookie husband mistake."

Bottom line.... if a coach wants to learn and get better, there are a multitude of options. And, I still probably get the most benefit by visiting other programs, their staffs, and watching their practices and workouts.

I will miss attending the Galt House clinic this year. But, I won't miss the snoring that shook the room back in 1987. I never could figure out how a freight train got on the 10th floor of a hotel. 😃

Leadership Development.... trying something new

For 26 years as a head football coach, I believed that the culture of our football program would be strong because we had a quality staff of assistant coaches and we ran our program the right way. In 2017, I realized that was no longer enough. And, as I talked to other long time head coaches, they shared some of the same things over the past few weeks.

I still think your staff and running your program are the foundation to have a strong culture, but I am also convinced it takes a more deliberate effort to get the leadership needed in your program in the 21st century.

The last two weeks, two different groups of players have come to our home to eat together and then discuss Jon Gordon & Mike Smith's book, You Win in the Locker Room First.

After eating, I give the group an overview of why we are meeting.... although our team is made up of good people and we have a good culture, it is not where we want it and where it needs to be for us to be the best.  Leadership has been a deficiency that must be corrected.

We begin by picking out passages from the book and specifically highlighting the one day at at time/process approach, and an in depth look at the leadership models early in the book (Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez, Ray Lewis).

Then we divide the book into sections and have smaller groups read those sections. After reading, each group discusses their section. Finally, each group presents to the larger group what they found that will make our team better. We will then compile that and use that information to help us focus on being that culture and being those types of leaders each day.

Tonight was our 3rd session and we will have one more group. All of the sessions have gone well. Our guys WANT  a great culture and they WANT better leadership for our team. One day at a time, I believe we will get where we want to be. And, we will do it together.