TED Talk: Body Language

TED Talk: the impact of body language on communication by Amy Cuddy.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en

Offseason Coach Development: 12 For 12

One of the topics I've been asked to cover at the upcoming Glazier Clinics in Reno and Las Vegas is Offseason Development of Coaching Staffs.

This program is called, "12 For 12" and it involves a deep dive into one concept each month.  So if you have six coaches on staff each coach takes two months/two topics for the year.  Each month the coach leading that month's development finds one article, one short video (like an 18-minute TED Talk) and most importantly one key "take away" regarding that topic for the coaches' discussion. 

....keep it pithy to avoid burnout and avoid mission creep.  One article, one short video and one key concept each month. 

More info on Glazier below.  It's a great resource for coaches at the youth, high school and college level. 

www.glazierclinics.com

Coaching Library: One Last Strike by Tony La Russa

Offseason book 3 of 3 for coaches.   One Last Strike by former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.  Baseball, unlike a lot of other sports, is a daily grind filled with a lot more failure than success.  La Russa addresses the psychology involved in managing a baseball team of different personalities thru 6 months of competition - building and maintaining team unity thru slumps and clubhouse conflict, resiliency, and accountability.   

http://www.amazon.com/One-Last-Strike-Baseball-Championship/dp/0062207547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451403012&sr=8-1&keywords=tony+la+russa

Coaching Library: Mindset by Prof Carol Dweck

Good book for coaches to start the year by Prof Carol Dweck called Mindset.  What's the difference between a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset and the importance of developing a team culture that values process and effort over results. 

  http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Success-Carol-Dweck/dp/0345472322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451313887&sr=8-1&keywords=mindset

Christmas Gift for Coaches: Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Last minute Christmas gift for coaches - Start With Why by Simon Sinek.  Great stories about why some companies like Apple, Southwest Air, and Harley Davidson are able to build from within the company to create "buy in" and consistently beat the competition. $13 on Kindle.

   http://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450971749&sr=8-1&keywords=start+with+why

NCAA Recruiting: Text Messages

Multi-sport athletes get frustrated when they reach out to college coaches but don't hear back.  A big part of the problem are the conflicting rules and restrictions when it comes to how and when coaches and recruiters may contact prospective student athletes.  What's allowed in one sport may not be allowed in another.  And so it goes with the NCAA.

As of 8/1/14 these are the communication rules for "electronic correspondence" with basketball and football recruits:

Basketball:  Coaches can send the following directly to prospects and their family...
Email
Fax
Text
Instant Messages
G-Chat
Direct Facebook (no wall posts)
Direct Twitter (no "@recruit" blasts)

As for football?  Not so much. Unlike basketball, with football recruits the coaches are prohibited from sending text messages and instant messages.  So if a kid is being recruited for both basketball and football it can be confusing why the football coaches won't reply to text and instant messages.

Football:  Coaches can send the following directly to prospects and their family...
Email
Fax
Direct Facebook (no wall posts)
Direct Twitter  (no "@recruit" blasts)

NCAA Recruiting: Graduation Rates

Talk to your college recruiters about their school's graduation rates.  How does the school compare to others in the conference; how does your sport compare to the overall student body; what percentage of student-athletes graduate within 5 years?

A stat to keep in mind.  In the late 1990's, the men's basketball team at the Un of Cincinnati graduated....zero student-athletes over a three-year run.  That is arguably not good.

When 0.3% of high school basketball players are "drafted" to the NBA and .08% of high school football players are "drafted" to the NFL that college degree (even in philosophy or social studies!) may become important.

NCAA Recruiting: Official Visits

Prospective student-athletes are allowed a total of five official visits to Div I schools.  And a PSA can only take one visit per school and spend a total of 48 hours of "on campus" time during the official visit.  These official visits may be taken only during the senior year unlike unofficial visits which can be scheduled during the freshman thru junior year of high school. 

In Div II, the PSA may take unlimited official visits unlike Div I.

With only five visits allowed in Div I it's a good idea to really research what programs to visit.  And schedule the visits in order of interest (from least interest to most interest).  This will give the student-athlete some trial runs on creating a good impression with coaches.  

NCAA Recruiting: How to Lose $140K in 140 Characters

Examples of student-athletes losing scholarships from social media posts.

http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/3838474443158678075/how-social-media-behavior-of-high-school-athletes-can-negatively-impact-ncaa-recruiting-photos-polls-national-signing-day-2015/

NCAA Recruiting: The Right Bus

Nice article from Both Sides of the Table to keep in mind when it comes to recruiting (unofficial and official visits; contacts and evaluations).   Get on the right bus.  Proximity matters.

http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2015/12/06/stay-focused-on-your-goals-not-your-critics/

NCAA Recruiting: Time Management

One of the biggest challenges going from high school to college athletics is time management. 

Not many 18-year old kids are ready to balance the class schedule, social life, and demanding sports schedule.  Work with your student-athlete in junior high and high school to get them ready for the "typical" work week as a student-athlete on scholarship.  Yes...they are getting paid to play so this is a work week with expectations and consequences for falling short (loss of playing time; loss of scholarship)

Are they ready for these expectations during the season?

Full Time Classes:      15 Hours Per Week
Study Time:                30 Hours Per Week (2 hrs per 1 hr class avg.)
Athletics:                    20 Hours Per Week (practice, meetings & game)
TOTAL:                        65 Hours Per Week

Most adults work somewhere between 40-55 hours per week without the physical and mental toll of this kind of demanding pace.

Consider a time management course as a way to jump in front of this "culture shock."  It'll better prepare the athlete and show college recruiters that both the athlete and family "get it." 

NCAA Recruiting Academics: Head Start

Parents and student-athletes can get a head start on "core course" requirements.   While core courses "officially" start the freshman year of high school, if the student takes high school classes such as Algebra I or Spanish I in the eight grade, that may count toward the 16 core course high school requirement. 

These junior high courses must appear on your high school's list of core courses and it must show on the official high school transcript with the grade and credit.

....get a head start in junior high so the student-athlete can focus on recruiting in the senior year of high school.

Athletic Scholarships: Poor Play No Pay???

A lot of high school athletes and parents have the misunderstanding that a college coach can pull a scholarship once at school for "poor play."  That's not really the case.  While scholarships are renewed on an annual basis each summer, and a coach can ask a scholarship athlete to leave the team there are protections in place for student-athletes.  When not performing up to expectations it is the coach's responsibility to work with the athlete but the scholarship can't be yanked for poor play.

Here are the main valid reason for pulling an athletic scholarship:

* Failure to maintain the required GPA or full-time academic class schedule (12-15 units typically)
* Breaking team or athletic department rules
* Disruptive attitude (this one is subjective and can be grounds for argument)
* Failed drug test
* Violating team/department/school/NCAA policies

Student-Athlete Development: Pop Tarts

...a pretty good reason why Jerry Seinfeld is Jerry Seinfeld.  Good interview with Jerry on how and why he spent two years developing a single Pop Tart joke.  That's work ethic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itWxXyCfW5s