[Football1]

What are the keys to building the type of program that consistenly goes out and wins football games, establishes a tradition of excellence, and becomes a source of genuine community pride?

[NEXT]

Kids or access to kids, then coaching, then coaching stability, then community support, in that EXACT ORDER.

[nky]

1. Great coaching and coaching stability is a key- Not only head coach but assissants all on same page

2. getting kids out to play

3. great support system/community support

4. hard work in the offseason

[king360]

1. Good Coaching
2. Dedicated players
3. Good weight program in the winter.

[bubs72]

It all starts at the top. You have to have a great head coach, someone who the kids want to play for, someone who is able to generate community support, someone who hires and can keep or find great assistant coaches and at the same time provide the type of leadership that inspires your kids to play hard and want to win. If you have that, then you can build or sustain a great program.

[BIG TONY]

1. Great coaching and coaching stability is a key- Not only head coach but assissants all on same page

2. getting kids out to play

3. great support system/community support

4. hard work in the offseason

Also, administrative support. The people at the top have to want a good program. Some could care less.

[zaga_fan]

1.) Good Coaching Staff
2.) Support
3.) EMPHASIS ON DEFENSE AND RUNNING GAME lol

[hawg laig]

1. community support
2. good, consistent coaching staff
3. a feeder system reaching all the way down to 1st graders playing flag football.
4. an expecation of excellence for and of all involved.

[RoShamBo]

Also, administrative support. The people at the top have to want a good program. Some could care less.

This! I was waiting for someone to say it.

[Stardust]

1. community support
2. good, consistent coaching staff
3. a feeder system reaching all the way down to 1st graders playing flag football.
4. an expecation of excellence for and of all involved.

:worthy:

[A_Ray #5 :]]

Also, administrative support. The people at the top have to want a good program. Some could care less.

This is very true.. The aminstrative/staff support at SCHS is very amazing!

[Tica]

It also takes victories.

Montgomery County has all of the qualities mentioned here, plus great facilities, yet they do not win.

[BIG TONY]

It also takes victories.

Montgomery County has all of the qualities mentioned here, plus great facilities, yet they do not win.

I would have to say that good athletes make good coaches. The old saying" Jimmy's and Joe's, not x's and o's!!

[Againstme!]

1. Great coaching and coaching stability is a key- Not only head coach but assissants all on same page

2. getting kids out to play

3. great support system/community support

4. hard work in the offseason

:Thumbs:

[charlie22]

I would have to say that good athletes make good coaches. The old saying" Jimmy's and Joe's, not x's and o's!!

I've heard that old saying before. Usually from coaches that haven't been successful and aren't very good coaches. :biggrin:

I've seen a lot of teams with great athletes not be great football teams. In my opinion it takes great football players (as opposed to great athletes) to have a great football team. Great coaches develop, create and make great football players. Great football players win championships.

The importance of quality coaching should never be discounted one iota. Quality coaches not only develop the players needed to win, they spend time out in the community creating the needed community support; they get kids out of the hallways and onto the field; they get involved in their youth leagues so that the leagues are ran in a manner that helps the high school; and they work with their administration to get the needed support (and if that isn't enough to convince the administration, they use their contacts in the community to lean on the administration to make it happen. School board members like getting re-elected. You have enough community members calling up the school board members and voicing their displeasure about the lack of administration support and things will change or new school board members will get elected). If those things happen, it's just a matter of time before a great program is built.

Being a quality football coach takes much, much more than what happens on the field and in the locker room.

[Football1]

I think King360 nailed it with number 3 - when he mentioned the great winter lifting program. Football more than any other sport has evolved to the point that if you don't get strong you are just not going to win.

And such training programs come from great coaches who know the game and where it is today. So for me here is the list in order:

1. A great head coach with vision to win and managment skills to excecute on a plan.
2. Kids who will commit to a hard regimen of training in the off season.
3. A feeder program that ideally teaches fundamentals and is not "daddy ball" where all the backs are chubby coach's kids...
4. Community support that includes parents and businesses so kids feel connected to something that is important to those outside the locker room.
5. A connection to a college program or two that kids on the team can feel. Not everyone can or even wants to move up - but having a defined path for those who do will make you better.

Thanks for your insights.

[BaseballIsLife]

If you really want the answer to that, go ask Beechwood, Fort Campbell, NCC, Danville, Bell County, Boyle County, Central, Highlands, Trinity and St. X. These schools are by far the most consistent teams from year to year so they obviously have figured out the answers by now...

[CanYouLiveWithoutIt]

1.Discipline
2.Athleticism
3.Hardwork

[nky]

I would have to say that good athletes make good coaches. The old saying" Jimmy's and Joe's, not x's and o's!!

If that was the case then Covington Holmes would win more than they lose.

[Football1]

If you really want the answer to that, go ask Beechwood, Fort Campbell, NCC, Danville, Bell County, Boyle County, Central, Highlands, Trinity and St. X. These schools are by far the most consistent teams from year to year so they obviously have figured out the answers by now...

Indeed - they are great programs. But we don't have access to their coaches, their players (past and present), their fans, the administrations in the schools - unless they happen to be on this board - let's hope.

[charlie22]

I think King360 nailed it with number 3 - when he mentioned the great winter lifting program. Football more than any other sport has evolved to the point that if you don't get strong you are just not going to win.

And such training programs come from great coaches who know the game and where it is today. So for me here is the list in order:

1. A great head coach with vision to win and managment skills to excecute on a plan.
2. Kids who will commit to a hard regimen of training in the off season.
3. A feeder program that ideally teaches fundamentals and is not "daddy ball" where all the backs are chubby coach's kids...
4. Community support that includes parents and businesses so kids feel connected to something that is important to those outside the locker room.
5. A connection to a college program or two that kids on the team can feel. Not everyone can or even wants to move up - but having a defined path for those who do will make you better.

Thanks for your insights.

Strength is important no doubt and I agree with you that a winter lifting program is crucial, but from my experience and observation, it can often be over emphasized. Off season conditioning and working on speed and quickness is just as important in my opinion as pure strength. There are only so many hours the kids and coaches can devote to the off season lifting and conditioning programs. If a large majority of the time is spent on weight lifting, then conditioning, quickness and speed will suffer.

Maybe it's just Highlands system, but I've seen the Birds beat and sometimes dominate teams with much bigger and stronger players that have obviously placed a great emphasis on strength lifting and not enough emphasis on conditioning, quickness and speed.

So yes I agree with your point about strength being important, but only to a point.

[bigcoachallen]

Kids coming out has been low for them.

[bigcoachallen]

Kids coming out to play has always been a challenge in Montgomery Co.

[Jackson05]

It also takes victories.

Montgomery County has all of the qualities mentioned here, plus great facilities, yet they do not win.

If that's the case then they must not have very good coaches. I've never seen good coaches with good kids and good facilities and a good administration with good community support not win. I've seen good coaches win without those things, but never struggle with them.

[Football1]

If that's the case then they must not have very good coaches. I've never seen good coaches with good kids and good facilities and a good administration with good community support not win. I've seen good coaches win without those things, but never struggle with them.

Good point. When you have all those indgredients - winning is the natural result. When you don't - it is a bigger challenge. While I love our community, I get really tired of playing in front of 100 people becuase it rained 10 minutes and hour before the game. I grew up in VA playing fb at a single A school where the stands were packed every Friday night. It felt good to know the town was behind us. Things are getting better here - but slowly.

[Football1]

Strength is important no doubt and I agree with you that a winter lifting program is crucial, but from my experience and observation, it can often be over emphasized. Off season conditioning and working on speed and quickness is just as important in my opinion as pure strength. There are only so many hours the kids and coaches can devote to the off season lifting and conditioning programs. If a large majority of the time is spent on weight lifting, then conditioning, quickness and speed will suffer.

Maybe it's just Highlands system, but I've seen the Birds beat and sometimes dominate teams with much bigger and stronger players that have obviously placed a great emphasis on strength lifting and not enough emphasis on conditioning, quickness and speed.

So yes I agree with your point about strength being important, but only to a point.

Great point. All elements of fitness are essential for football these days. Stenght, cadio, speed, flexibility are a must.

[WhoYaWith]

I think the foremost important part is a great feeder system. The kids have to want to play at an early age and have the opportunity to play. I know that here in this county not Boyle) kids are told that they are not needed. The system here is very political. If you know or are friends with the little leauge coach, then you play. The coaches are the dads that of course want their children to the QB, with or without the skill set. Other more skilled players are sent home or just set on the bench. Kids need to suit up and earn their plaing time. Look at the number of kids that Boyle had last year. Well over a hundred. I don't think they send anyone home. This also affords them to play varsity aganist JV. This probably helped their defense just a little. GO REBELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Football1]

I think the foremost important part is a great feeder system. The kids have to want to play at an early age and have the opportunity to play. I know that here in this county not Boyle) kids are told that they are not needed. The system here is very political. If you know or are friends with the little leauge coach, then you play. The coaches are the dads that of course want their children to the QB, with or without the skill set. Other more skilled players are sent home or just set on the bench. Kids need to suit up and earn their plaing time. Look at the number of kids that Boyle had last year. Well over a hundred. I don't think they send anyone home. This also affords them to play varsity aganist JV. This probably helped their defense just a little. GO REBELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Daddy Ball" is a problem everywhere. Try to find a league that uses coaches who are not parents to a child on the team. Otherwise, you will see this every time.

[BlackcatAlum]

It all starts with the feeder schools and flag football leagues. If you can get these kids in 1st grade to start playing flag football then you've made a football player out of them. Anyone who plays football for eight years before they even play a snap of high school football will probably be a pretty darn good ball player.

Coaching also plays majority of the role in a good football program. Any coach who is dedicated 365 days of the year to ensure that their players are in tip-top-shape are the ones who coach the teams that go deep in the playoffs.

The off-season is also where winners are separated from the losers. If you can have 3/4's of you actual team in the weight room all off-season then you are going to have some kids that can play 48 minutes off football without really missing a step. Another advantage for teams is having a track & field program at your school. A lot of Prestonsburg's football players run track and they go into camp in shape.

Last but not least, you have to have full support from your community. Look at all the top football programs across the Bluegrass, they each have a overwhelming amount of support from their fans. Whether that's holding fundraising events, cookouts, etc. Just basically anything to get the folks involved and to get everyone in your community to come out each and every Friday night to support their team.

[Beetle01]

1. Community Support, keeps the kids wanting to play
2. Strong Feeder system, kinda ties into #1
3. Good coaching, using players to their best ability, sometimes you have a team that can power run down your throat, some years you got players better suited for opening it up more. Having a coach who recognizes that instead of trying to fit square pegs in round holes, will help with having long stretches of good seasons.
4. Strong S&C program, in HS if the talent level is close for both teams, most of the time the team who put more work in the off season will come away the victor.
5. Facilities, gotta stay up to date with facilities.