MOTIVATIONAL, FOCUSING

IN PORTRAIT ORIENTATION

Success is not final,

failure is not fatal:
it is the courage
to continue that
counts.
- Winston Churchill

Think twice
before you speak,
because your words
and influence
will plant the seed
of either success or
failure in the mind of
another.
- Napoleon Hill

Try not to simply

become a man of
success, but rather
try to become a
man of value.
- Albert Einstein

Defeat
is not the worst
of failures.
Not to have tried
is the true failure.
- George Edward Woodberry

It is not the critic who counts:

not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have
done better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who
errs and comes up short again and again, because
there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but
who knows the great enthusiasms, the great
devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of
high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he
fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that
his place shall never be with those cold and timid
souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt,
26th President of the United States

Its what you learn

after you know it all
that counts.
- Coach Wooden

"Never mistake activity for achievement."

"Be quick, but don't hurry."
"If you don't have time to do it right,
when will you have time to do it over?"
"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."
"Do not let what you cannot do
interfere with what you can do."
"Don't measure yourself by what you have
accomplished, but by what you should have
accomplished with your ability."

The coach is first of all a teacher.

If you keep too busy learning the tricks of the
trade, you may never learn the trade.
"It's not so important who starts the game
but who finishes it."
"It's the little details that are vital.
Little things make big things happen."
"Be more concerned with your character than your
reputation, because your character is what you
really are, while your reputation is merely what
others think you are."
"Be prepared and be honest."

They call it coaching but it is teaching.

You do not just tell them
you show them the reasons.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase
perfection we can catch excellence.
The leader can never close the gap between
himself and the group. If he does, he is
no longer what he must be. He must walk a
tightrope between the consent he must win
and the control he must exert.
The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion
to their commitment to excellence,
regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
Practice does not make perfect.
Only perfect practice makes perfect.

My philosophy?
Simplicity plus variety.
There are few secrets in football.
So execute.

Nearly all men

can stand adversity,
but if you want to test
a mans character,
give him power.
Abraham Lincoln

A team should never

practice on a field
that is not lined.
Your players have to
become aware
of the fields boundaries.
- Coach Madden

Some yards
is better than
none yards
- Coach Madden

If I am through learning,
I am through.
- Coach Wooden

The only discipline that lasts

is self-discipline.
Two kinds of ballplayers aint worth a damn:
One that never does what hes told,
and the other who does nothin
cept what hes told.
How do you win?
By getting average players to play good
and good players to play great
thats how you win.
Winning is only half of it
havin fun is the other half.

Theres two kinds of coaches:

them thats been fired,
and them thats gonna be fired
- Coach Phillips

You are not entitled to an opinion.

You are entitled to an informed opinion.

No one is entitled to be ignorant.

- Harlan Ellison

1. Do not point out all of the mistakes your athletes are making.
How would you feel if someone was watching over your coaching session pointing out all of the things you
could improve on? Yes, honesty and constructive criticism is important, and many athletes appreciate it, but
constantly highlighting ones mistakes only serves to discourage. Instead, highlight and reinforce the good
things they are doing, and look for openings to provide an appropriate coaching cue that addresses a
technique error.

2. Do not use fitness as punishment.

It is maddening (and saddening!) how commonplace this philosophy still is. Numerous studies show the
overwhelming majority of young / teenage athletes have a negative association with fitness due to its use as
a threat and as punishment. Using fitness as punishment only feeds this negative mindset, creating a
massive barrier for both coach and athlete (especially specialist strength & conditioning or fitness trainers
who want athletes to connect with fitness in a positive way). Fitness CAN be achieved through positive,
sport specific technique related and reinforcing methods, it all depends on how you shape and present it.
Result - a win for both coach and athlete.

3. Do not underestimate the importance of quality demonstration.

Many young athletes are visual learners and will take cues off demonstration by of coaches as well as other
athletes. Ideally, youth coaches should be able to perform all of what they ask of their younger chargers,
however, the quickest way for coaches to lose credibility with their athletes is to attempt to demonstrate a
skill, drill or exercise beyond their capability, and fail. If in doubt, ask a competent athlete to demonstrate.

4. Do not have unrealistic expectations.

Not all children are cut from the same cloth in regard to their up-bringing, environmental influences and
sporting experiences. So it is unrealistic as a coach to expect all young athletes to house certain physical
abilities and share the same motivations toward training and competition. If youre frustrated at an athletes
apparent lack of ability to execute a skill or drill, perhaps its your coaching thats not facilitating their
development according to their needs. Sometimes stepping back and re-adjusting your expectations is a
necessary and worthwhile process.

5. Never substitute winning now for the learning process.

Skill development, whether it is movement oriented, strength oriented or technical sports skills, lays the
foundation for future success. The primary role of a youth sports coach or trainer is to foster a belief that
they [young athletes] can achieve and succeed at high levels, plus develop a platform for future success.
The important phrase being future success, meaning, as the coach it is your responsibility to provide the
best environment, and transfer the most appropriate knowledge that offers young athletes the opportunity to
be the best they can be - in the future.

6. Dont be deterred by teenagers unique ways of communication.

In responding to a question, if you get one grunt, youre doing ok, two grunts, youre doing well, if you get
three grunts, youre doing exceptional! Ok so not all teenagers talk in grunts, but they certainly use some
unique terminology, and will often converse with their peers in what appears to be another language. Its not
that they dont understand sometimes, they just may have decided that talking in full sentences wasnt cool
that day. Dont allow yourself to get too frustrated at their lack of response though, persevere and they will
eventually open up.

7. Do not go into ANY coaching sessions without a plan.

A good plan provides guidance, a point of reference, and ensures consistent progressive delivery. Have a
Grand Plan (long-term), a Working Plan (medium-term), and Mini Plans (short-term). Good plans are born
out of good systems. Dont be the coach caught looking skyward trying to think of what drill to do next as
your athletes twiddle their thumbs. Plan Plan PLAN.

8. Dont forget they are still YOUNG athletes.

This may sound like stating the obvious, but often our coaching and programming suggests we still blanket
pre-teens and teenagers as little adults. Whilst you may use exercises, drills and teach skills that adults
perform, one easy way to differentiate the two in coaching is through your teach to train ratio. The younger
the athlete, the higher the teaching component needs to be, as the age increases you can incorporate more
of a training component into sessions. As with programming, the younger the athlete the more of a
developmental approach is required, as the age increases, a shift to a more performance orientated
approach occurs.

Effective coaching
is
efficient coaching.
Often times, better coaching
isnt about adding more,
but taking away whats not needed.
Many times, recognizing what
not to do will lead us toward
doing what we need to do.

Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase

perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it because nothing is perfect. But, we are going to
relentlessly chase it, because - in the process we will catch excellence.
I am not remotely interested in just being good.
And excellence - true excellence, in any endeavor is achieved by the mastery of fundamentals.
If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the
determination, the dedication, the competitive drive
and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life
and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile,
it can be done.

- Coach Lombardi

One may know how to conquer

without being able to do it.

- Sun Tzu

Strategy without tactics

is the slowest route to victory;
Tactics without strategy
is the noise before defeat.

- Sun Tzu

A superior man, in regard to what he does not know,

shows a cautious reserve.
If names be not correct, language is not in accordance
with the truth of things.
If language be not in accordance with the truth of things,
affairs cannot be carried on to success.
When affairs cannot be carried on to success,
proprieties and music do not flourish.
When proprieties and music do not flourish,
punishments will not be properly awarded.
When punishments are not properly awarded,
the people do not know how to move hand or foot.
Therefore, a superior man considers it necessary
that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately,
and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately.
What the superior man requires is just that in his words
there may be nothing incorrect.
From The Analects of Confucius, Book 13, Verse 3
(James R. Ware, translated in 1980.)

April 29, 1920 November 30, 1991

David M. Nelson was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, author, and
authority on college football playing rules. He served as the head football coach at Hillsdale College
(19461947), the University of Maine (19491950), and the University of Delaware (19511965),
compiling a career record of 105486. During his 15 years as the head coach at Delaware, he tallied a
mark of 84422 and gained fame as the father of the Wing T offensive formation. From 1951 to 1984,
he served as Delaware's athletic director.[1] In 1957, Nelson was named to the National Collegiate
Athletic Association Football Rules Committee and in 1962 became its Secretary-Editor, a position he
held for 29 years until his death, the longest tenure in Rules Committee history. In this role, he edited the
official college football rulebook and provided interpretations on how the playing rules were to be applied
to game situations. Nelson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1987.
Nelson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Upon graduation from Northwestern High School in
1938, Nelson enrolled at the University of Michigan. As a 5'7", 155-pound halfback, Nelson played
football for Fritz Crisler in the same backfield with fellow Northwestern alumnus, Forest Evashevski, and
1940 Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon. In 1941, Nelson led the Wolverines in rushing, averaging 6.3
yards per carry. Nelson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1942 before serving as a lieutenant in
the United States Naval Air Corps during World War II. He was awarded three battle stars for his service.
After the war, Nelson returned to Michigan as assistant baseball coach, earning a Master of Science
degree in 1946.
Nelson was head football coach at Hillsdale College in Michigan from 1946 to 1947, assistant football
coach at Harvard University in 1948, and head football coach at the University of Maine from 1949 to
1950. While at Maine, Nelson began to develop the Wing-T formation. When he took over at Delaware
in 1951, Nelson continued to develop the Wing-T along with his assistant coach, Mike Lude, and
eventual successor, Tubby Raymond, who joined the Delaware staff the fourth year of the Wing-T
offense. Delaware's success included winning the Lambert Cup, awarded to the top small-college team
in the East, in 1959, 1962 and 1963. The 1963 team also finished the season as the top small college
team in the nation in the United Press International poll. When Nelson retired from coaching after the
1965 season, his career record was 105486.
Nelson's Wing-T formation was adopted by a number of other teams, including Evashevski's Iowa
Hawkeyes, who won the Rose Bowl in 1957 and 1959 using the formation. Others who used the Wing-T
with success included Paul Dietzel with LSU, Frank Broyles with Arkansas, Ara Parseghian with Notre
Dame, Jim Owens with Washington, and Eddie Robinson of Grambling State. Nelson also brought a
unique football helmet design to Delaware. In the 1930s, Nelson's future college coach, Crisler, was the
coach at Princeton University and was looking for a way to allow his quarterback to easily locate pass
receivers running downfield. At the time, there were no rules requiring schools to wear jerseys of
contrasting colors, and helmets were dark leather, so distinguishing teammates from opponents at a
glance was difficult. Crisler hit upon the idea of a helmet with a winged pattern on it and had the leather
dyed in Princeton's black and orange colors. When Crisler moved to Michigan in 1938the same year
Nelson arrivedhe used the same design with Michigan's school colors. Nelson brought the same
design, in the appropriate school colors, to Hillsdale, Maine, and Delaware. Delaware continues to use
the "Michigan" helmet design to this day.
Nelson authored a number of books on football, including Scoring Power with the Winged-T Offense
(co-authored with Evashevski, 1957), The Modern Winged-T Playbook (with Evashevski, 1961), Football:
Principles and Plays (1962), Championship Football by 12 Great Coaches (1962), Dave Nelson Selects
99 Best Plays for High School Football (1966), Dave Nelson Selects the Best of Defensive Football for
High Schools (1967), and Illustrated Football Rules (1976). Nelson's final book, The Anatomy of a Game:
Football, the Rules, and the Men Who Made the Game, was a year-by-year chronicle of how the
collegiate football playing rules evolved from 1876 to 1991. It was published posthumously in 1994.
Nelson's awards include the National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award (1984) and the
American Football Coaches Association's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1989). He was inducted into the
Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 for
his coaching achievements.

 Standardize rules, protocols and procedures

Establish expectations and boundaries
Manage consistent follow-through for all in every
circumstance and situation

Treat everyone in a principled manner - not

necessarily in an identical one - in accordance
with team rules, standards, protocols and
expectations

Be straightforward, truthful and free of deceit in

explanation, practice and enforcement of team
rules, standards, protocols and expectations

Establish and maintain a high standard of

expected behavior for understanding - and
adherence - to all team rules, standards, protocols
and expectations

Be thankful for defeat.

Be thankful for failure.
Be thankful for frustration,
for heartbreak,
for foolish mistakes,
for frailty, for hard luck,
for doubt, for longing.
These are the things that gauge
the robustness of the challenges
we choose, that sound the depths
of our bravery and fortitude,
that measure our worth.
Only those intimate with the
pain of loss feel - in full the sweet euphoria of triumph.
- Laura Hillenbrand