More Chuck Martin goodness!

I was lucky enough to see Coach Chuck Martin speak at our State Clinic. The now Head Coach of Miami University was, as always, in rare form! His presentation was Program Development.
Here are my notes (with help... THANKS Coach Randy H.)

Good Players, Good Staff, Good Program

I want players that...

Must love to compete 

and 

Out prepare their opponent

The problem with today’s kids?

“We gave them everything, but taught them nothing”

Best Weekly Team Goal is

“Make ONE more play than your opponent”

1. Be a great teammate

• Care more about the guy next to you than your own success.
• Stress thus every day!
• Give them examples.
• There were years where this was the only rule…an all-encompassing concept.

2. No Stars

• You should be afraid to challenge your best players.
• He can watch you practice for 30 seconds and know who your start players are because you coach them differently. His goal is to coach his best players the hardest.
• Understand that you are nothing without your teammates and staff.
• We and our, NOT I and My.
• Selfish Behavior- ask: Is that being a great teammate?

3. Accountability in Academics, Football, and Personal Lives

• We must learn from bad choices.

4. Leaders are made, NOT born

• Challenge them everyday!
• Coaches should lead their position group, then teach them to lead.
• **Create suffering (opportunities to rally around each other).
• Push up position hold, wall squat…not a prolonged conditioning session!
• Go Best on Best, Competition!

5. Develop Relationships

• Developing someone as a student athlete starts with knowing everything about them.
• You gotta have a great relationship to be demanding!
• Put high demands on players in practice; try to get them to "wilt".
• Relationships start with knowing everything about the player- all aspects of life- cannot push them without a relationship. Promise kids that they will be able to compete for a starting position

6. Sacrifice

• Doing so in the off season, creates a bigger sense of investment in the program.
• Players want to be better and willing to sacrifice more.

7. Be Realistic

• It is important that each player understands where he fits into the program.
• Don’t make a weekly goal that could back fire at the start of the game. (No turnovers, Negative yards, Shutout).

8. Process over Product

• The players must be focused on the details and work necessary to reach the goal, Don’t point fingers at kids, even in difficult times…stick to your plan and if you are doing the right things right, things will break for you!

9. The Best Prepared Players Play

• More games are lost than are won, We value preparation over ability…Believe in what your doing!

10. Immune to Momentum

• This is the most overused “theory” used in sports, mostly by writers! If momentum is so important then why aren’t we all looking for it when we lose it! Absurd…
• Players need to focus on the next play…not the last one…we gotta make one more play…momentum as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher.

11. Practice 11 on 11

• The best approach to getting better at football is playing football!
• Put your players in as many different situations as possible. You can work situations every day.
• Coach Martin’s favorite is going out/coming in drill.
• Start with the ball on the 1 yard line ball coming out, we are up 3 points, they goal is to get ONE first down. If the offense is forced to Punt? Then turn it around at the 40 and put the onus on the defense.

 At the end of season they have a 1 hour 15 min practice, 1 hour could be 11 on 11.

Other articles from the archives

Coach Martin's Favorite Concept

ND Clinic 2012 nuggets

ND Clinic 2013 nuggets