James Vint

Estacado High School

Lubbock, Texas
coachvint@gmail.com
Twitter: @coachvint
 Developed by Frank DiCocco, a passionate
football coach who saw an opportunity to help
develop student-athletes off the field.
Frank wanted to see young people reach their
full potential.
He developed the R.E.A.L. Man program for
the sole reason of helping our young people to
succeed in life.
 To equip coaches, teachers, parents, and
mentors to become better role-models and
develop an understanding of how to expand
their influence to positively impact the lives of
young people.
The objective is to better the coaching
profession, so that the proud individuals who
call themselves Coach can increase their
impact and expand their sphere of positive
influence.
http://www.hopefoundation.us
Frank founded The HOPE Foundation For A Better
Tomorrow
The Hope Foundation distributes The R.E.A.L.
Man Program and materials
The HOPE Foundation provides scholarships for
athletes in programs using The R.E.A.L. Man
Program
HOPE stands for:
Helping Other People Excel
That is what we do as coaches
We help the people around us excel!
 R-ESPECT ALL PEOPLE

E-SPECIALLY WOMEN

A-LWAYS DO THE RIGHT

THING.
L-IVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.
 Dictionary Definition: The attitudes and
behavior characteristics of a particular
group, team, or organization
Your CULTURE Exists whether you
build it or not!
You must build your CULTURE with
INTENT
Your culture is being built by design or
by chance
 Clear and Compelling Vision
Core Values/Covenants
Standards of Performance and Behavior
Compelled Team Members

*The R.E.A.L Man Program gives you the

tools to build a championship culture*
 The vision must be articulated
Everyone in the organization must be
compelled to buy-in to the vision
You must share your vision with your
organization
How will you get there if there is no there?

Your vision will UNIFY your organization to a

common direction
 What do you stand for?
You build off your core values
Your core values give you a foundation
Example:
Toughness
Honesty
Accountability
Trust
Love
 Everything matters
Coach and correct the details
Clearly define the standard
Everyone is accountable
If you say start behind the line, and someone is
one the line, hold them accountable
The whole staff must be on board
 Team members need a reason to buy-in
They want structure and discipline
They want to be held to a higher standard
They want someone believe they can do more

The REAL Man Program gives you this

foundation!
 Your character is your culture
Great character is the foundation of success at
any endeavor
Our job as coaches is to do much more than
simply win games
We must use our position of influence to help
grow our student-athletes into men of character
Great character will be on display when you
face tremendous adversity
Our kids need us to!
 Character doesnt show up when its 78 degrees
and sunny, and you are running routes on air.
Everyone has a great attitude when you are doing
a set of 3 on the bench with 65% on the bar.
Character shows up when you are running 400s
after a squat workout in the middle of July and its
105 degrees.
Character shows up when its 4th and goal on the 1
against the number one team in the state in the 3rd
overtime.
Have you prepared your team for that moment
 Teaching character has many extrinsic benefits
Better Team GPA
Less Students Ineligible
Better School and Workout Attendance
Better Attitude
Reduce Stupid Penalties
Less mental errors on the field
Better effort in the fourth quarter
The field house will have a different feel
Your Talent Sets the
Floor, Your Character
Sets the Ceiling
 17.4 million young people under 18 in the US are
being raised without a father
43% of children live without their father
71% of pregnant teenagers come from fatherless
homes
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
85% of incarcerated youths come from fatherless
homes
Fatherless boys and girls are: twice as likely to
drop out of high school; twice as likely to end up
in jail; four times more likely to need help for
emotional or behavioral problems.

WHO IS GOING TO FILL THE GAP?

 Teaching character and education in your
program will help to improve the statistics on
the previous slide
Our young men need guidance and they trust
their coaches
The person with the GREATEST influence on
many of our athletes lives are COACHES
In just 10 minutes a day we can change the
lives of the athletes we coach and the students
we teach
Sports dont teach
character, great
coaches teach
character
Imagine a young man whos mother is in prison. He has
never met is father and is being raised in a foster home
with 9 other foster children. He is separated from his
biological siblings. He shares a bedroom with 3 younger
children and sleeps on the floor. He rarely eats a well-
balanced meal and sometimes does not get to eat at all. He
has very little encouragement at home and no one is
pushing him academically. He lives in a neighborhood
full of drugs and violence, where there are very few
positive male role models to look up to. This young man
gets into trouble in school and struggles in his classes. He
is often late to practice and sometimes doesnt show up at
all What influence can we have on this young man?
What if we could be the difference maker in this young
mans life?
 We have an opportunity to change the course
of this young mans life
Our influence, if used the right way, can give
this young man hope
We can equip him with the tools to be
successful in school and in life
We are the only stable, positive male role
model in this students life!
 We have a tremendous opportunity to change
the lives of our student-athletes
We can break the cycle that is destroying our
families, our schools, and our nation
We can use our influence to help kids make
better decisions now and in the future
We can help our young people to see
themselves and their true self worth!
 A man can only ascend as high as the limits of his
character.
A man of high character can achieve great things
and reach great heights.
"Character, not circumstances, makes the
man." ~ Booker T. Washington

YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT DEFINE

YOU!
 Is a great resource for teaching character
Building Mental Toughness
Character and Mental Toughness are the two
most important elements of your culture
 Mental Toughness

The Ability to Face

Adversity and Failure With
An Positive Attitude and
Enthusiasm
 LEADERSHIP
Leadership is not an accident
Leadership is something we can
and need to teach with Intent!
Leadership starts with having
strong character
 Angela Duckworth did a study on the number
1 factor in determining success over the long
term
It was NOT Talent
It was NOT Ability
It was NOT Physical Attributes
It WAS GRIT
GRIT is Mental Toughness
 Mental Toughness is developed through our
character
What goes into a man comes out of a man
when he is squeezed
We need to teach our players how to be
mentally tough
The REAL Man Program Does just that!
Without character you cannot fully
development mental toughness
Your attitude simply your
outward actions based on
inward beliefs
www.coachvint.blogspot.com
 Low Self-Esteem/Poor Self Image
Negative Attitude
Fear of Failure
Constant Broken Promises At Home
Acceptance of Low Expectations
In Many Of Our Schools, Mediocrity Is the
Norm: This Is Dangerous!

*The R.E.A.L. Man Program addresses each of

these barriers!
To give our young people
the tools they need to be
successful in sports and in
life.
 Consists of Four Resources
A toolbox to use with your student
athletes
Transformational Material
THE REAL MAN THE REAL MAN
PROGRAM WORKBOOK
PLAYBOOK FOR THE 2-MINUTE
MANHOOD DRILL
 Our goal as a coaching staff goes far beyond
winning football games
The number one determiner of success is GRIT
Having GRIT comes from having great character
We will help you to be able to overcome
adversity on the field, in the classroom, and in
your lives
This program will help you to be a better father
and husband
We love each and every one of you
unconditionally!
 We spend 10 to 15 minutes a day on the program
Each Lesson is divided into 5 parts
1st Down
2nd Down
3rd Down
4th Down
Overtime
We will meet in small groups and as a team
We rotate coaches to lead large group discussions
Everyone must be ALL-IN to the program
 There is more than one way to implement the
program
I recommend 10 to 15 minutes a day, at least 3
days a week
If there is a specific issue in your school,
program, or community, you can incorporate
that issue into your lesson
Dont worry about doing this the wrong way-
the only wrong way is to NOT do it!
 We teach them the definition of a R.E.A.L Man
Each day we will have a different coach speak
for 5 minutes
RESPECTING ALL PEOPLE
ESPECIALLY WOMEN
ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING
LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS
Week 1 sets the foundation for the program
 The first day gives you an opportunity to
introduce the material
We define what a R.E.A.L. Man is
We give them the why behind the program
We outline how the program works and
logistics
We reiterate how vital the program is to their
success
We will have a discussion on Respect
 You dont
have to invent
the wheel
You can use
the lessons as
they are
provided
You can tailor
them to your
specific needs
 YOU RESPECT PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHO
YOU ARE, NOT BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE

This is an important component of respect

It is about being your best, regardless of
circumstance
Stooping to someone elses level doesnt help
you in any way
Time is also an important element of respect
If you set a time for something, be early!
Call if there is an issue
 We dont love you for what you do
We love you for who you are!
We dont love you only when you do well
We love you at your worst as much as we love
you at your best
We WILL BE HERE FOR YOU
Twitter: @coachvint
 There will often be discussion that will carry on
through the lesson
If this happens find a stopping point
Pick up the next day where you left off
We often have Day 1 take 3 days
That is a good thing!
Rarely do you want to go over 15 minutes
 We have a coach present on the definition of
being a R.E.A.L. Man in their own words
We talk about why we should respect women
We talk about that girl being someones
daughter, sister, girlfriend, mother, wife, or
cousin
How would you want them treated?
NEVER RAISE YOUR HANDS TO A WOMAN
 We talk about Always Do The Right Thing
We have a coach present for 5 minutes on
mistakes that have changed lives
We hand them the 1st and 10 handout on the 10
Myths About Manhood
We break into our small groups and read
through this
Is the decision I am about to make going to
help me get closer to or farther from my goals?
 A coach presents about Living a Life That Matters
We talk to the kids about how they are looked up
to by young people everyday
They are role models whether they want to be or
not
That 8 year-old wants to someday wear your
number
He wants to be like you
He will not do what you say, he will do what he
sees you do!
We talk about the impact they can have on people
We read the Joe Girardi Story
 We review what the The R.E.A.L. Man
Program Stands For
We define mental toughness
We talk about how their decisions make up
their character, and how their character will
dictate their future
We reiterate how we love them
unconditionally
We will be there for them
 This is a big problem our young people face
They have had promises broken by the adults
they are supposed to trust
They wont trust you because you ask them to
They wont trust you because you tell them
you can be trusted
They will trust you when they believe you care
about them as more than an athlete
We must not become a broken promise
 We meet Monday through Friday
We meet before practice immediately after the
bell rings
Mondays we meet as a team
Tuesdays and Wednesdays we meet in small
groups
Thursdays and Fridays we meet as a team

*If you are going to meet 3 or 4 days a week you

can adjust accordingly*
 Your why determines how hard you will
work towards something meaningful

What is the reason you do what you do?

Money and fame is superficial and wont last

What is the real reason you are willing to

sweat, sacrifice, and persevere?
 Do what youre suppose to do, when youre
suppose to do it, the way it is suppose to be
done

Be where youre suppose to be, when youre

suppose to be there

Dont do it for a reward or to avoid a

punishment Do it because its right!
 Face Life now!
Meet lifes challenges head on.
Attack your problems and overcome
your adversity
Be prepared to fight lifes battles but
most importantly, Be prepared to finish
and win EVERY battle you fight!
 Be consistent with your players
Be Yourself
Love Your Players Unconditionally, not
because they are a good athlete
When they make a mistake coach them and
correct them
Remind them you believe in them
Hold them ACCOUNTABLE!
 We want to give our players
confidence
We want them to believe in
themselves and in each other
Our words are powerful, and they
can build up or break down
 The only one who can stop you is you!
The person who we most have to overcome is
the one we look at in the mirror each day
Greatness is a choice we must make
consciously, regardless of circumstance
We must exceed our own self-imposed
limitations
 Turn-key system to teach your student-athletes
character and leadership
We can fill a void that needs to be filled
Our student-athletes will make better decisions
Improved academic performance
More of our young men will be prepared to
further their education
Better performance on the field
Helps create a championship culture
 8 to 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week
On Monday we meet as a team
On Tuesday and Wednesday we meet in our
groups (8 to 10)
On Thursday we meet as a team and share
what we learned in our groups
Friday is competition day- Bring in A Speaker-
Review theme of the week
 We have a tremendous opportunity to impact
young people each day
We can change the trajectory of their future
The REAL Man Program will help our student-
athletes to have better attitudes
We can use The REAL Man Program to build a
championship culture!
 Clear and Compelling Vision
Core Values/Covenants
Standards of Performance and Behavior
Compelled Team Members
If you mention you saw
Coach Vint at the Glazier
Clinic when you order you
will save $10! Call: 203-
206-4801