In the good old days, we were tough! If you don't believe me, just ask an old guy.
How tough we really were, or we were not, we could debate that all day. And, the three-a-day practices that served us so well in getting ready for the season, those are no longer permissible. They took careful planning, an ocean of Gatorade, and we never did them for more than two days in a row( Wednesday & Thursday, one practice on Friday; Monday & Tuesday the next week were three-a-day... after that, we were one practice a day). Our guys were acclimated and ready to roll when that first Friday night or Saturday night under the lights in August took place.
But, a couple things that will never change... cold is cold and early morning is early morning. Both are GREAT opportunities to help our kids get tougher. Anytime our guys can learn not to allow the circumstances to determine their effort and performance, we help them. Anytime they can give their best effort for their teammates when they don't feel like doing so, they grow as young men and teammates. The team gets stronger. It is tough to have a great team without having great teammates.
One spring practice day, the temperature was in the high 30's. Before we got started, I asked our guys, "How many young ladies do you think are out in the sun today?" They looked at me like I was crazy and said, "None!" I told them, "Exactly! We are doing spring practice when it is cold! When the weather gets better, and the young ladies are out and about, the other schools will be doing spring football, but you can hang out with the girls!" They liked that thought. We had a good laugh and went on to have a great day of football and getting better.
On a very practical note, before school practice became the best time to have a productive day the longer I coached. Before school, sharing the facility was not an issue. Most of the time, other sports practice after school. And, most faculty meetings are after school. In the 21st century, people are busier and busier. But, if you start practice at 5:55 am, there is a good chance that most people have nothing else on their schedule... other than possibly sleep. The only negative of early morning practices is that kids have to find transportation to practice. But, that is also an opportunity for team building. Our kids and families step in to help each other get to practice on those early mornings. The huge positive in regards to transportation is that the kids can ride the bus home after school.
In the 21st century, we can still help our guys be tougher. We may need to be more creative. And, some of the methods used in the past were not good and need to be left behind. But, yes, we can still help our guys get tougher and be successful.
Cold weather and early mornings can be a coach's best friend. Besides, EVERYBODY plays football in warm weather. The BEST teams play when it's cold!
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