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| Down 17-0 @ half/ 24-12 with 5:41 to play; 27 yards rushing.... and WON |
This time of year, most KY teams are getting into district play. In some of those districts, the teams at the top seem permanent. Those looking up at them can feel like they are facing insurmountable odds to get over the hump and beat those teams. And, the feeling is understandable. Beating those teams, some times, for the first time ever, is TOUGH!
When we got started at Mason County in 1996, there were three really good teams in our district... Russell, Newport & Erlanger Lloyd. Mason County had never beaten any of the three. I definitely picked up on this mindset.... everyone else on our schedule, we can beat. Those three.... never and no way.
Confidence comes from preparation and hard work. Without those pieces, the chances of success drop dramatically.
But, in addition to the physical work, the proper mindset goes a long way in doing things that have never been done before.
One day in the locker-room, I asked a scary question that no one wants to truthfully answer. "How many of you believe we can beat ______________ (Russell, Lloyd, Newport...fill in the blank)?" They tried to look through the tops of their eye brows, but heads pointed down, and a few hands, slowly went up, because they thought that was the right thing to say. A few were honest and never started to raise their hand.
I said, "Ok forget that question. How many of you think we can win ONE play?" They sat up and looked straight ahead. You could tell the wheels were spinning. Eventually, slowly, all hands up. All heads up. It was unanimous.... the answer was, YES!
I told them, "Great. Don't even think about winning the GAME. That is too big for us. Just focus on winning, one play at a time. After we win that play, get ready, and let's win the next play. If we can keep stacking plays together that we win, the rest of it will take care of itself. "
The other phrase that I used with them often, I told them, "We are going to MAKE you do it right, over and over again. Some night, no matter how hard you try to screw it up, we are going to win ANYWAY!"
I thought that perspective was important. I KNEW that even when we would finally win those big games, we were going to do some dumb stuff during the game. I wanted the thought to go through their mind, "Coach said we would screw up, but we are still going to win."
And, I wanted to give them some CONTROL of the situation. When you face teams that historically are much better than you, there can be a feeling of hopelessness that no matter what you do, you are going to lose. By saying that we are going to do what we do, over and over again, they now know there is a direct link between their effort/reps in practice everyday and winning on Friday nights.
In some of those early, big wins, it would look like we were trying to throw the game. Our guys, at times, were overwhelmed by the moment and they lost their focus on doing what they were coached to do. But, eventually, the overwhelming amount of reps kick in and your guys begin to execute.
Why do some programs turn around and others don't? The ones that turn it around are stubborn and they keep doing what they do. They get good at what they do. Are adjustments and tweaks part of the process? Absolutely. We had several of those that paid off big time. But, the overall plan, the base offense, defense, etc. remain a strong foundation.
In 1996, we lost to all three of those good teams. In 1997, we beat every one of them in tough, close, ballgames. There are no quick fixes (legal ones, within the rules). But, the proper mindset will get you on the right track. And, that mindset will pay off for them as adults over and over again because they will no longer view any task or problem as impossible.
After we won those three games, our guys never doubted that they could win. Now, that brought on a whole other different set of issues. But, I'll sure take that over the alternative.
The right mindset can go a long way in helping anyone do something they have never done before, no matter how big the challenge.
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