It takes a lot of hours over multiple days to meet 1-on-1 with every player on a 50-man roster, but it is time well spent and an exercise I enjoy every year.
This year’s meetings were held in our newly designed athletics conference room. I sat in one of four chairs surrounding a 4-foot round table. Interestingly, after several meetings, I noticed that more veteran players sat in a chair closest to me while younger players sat across the table in the chair furthest from me. It was a stark reminder of how uncomfortable a teenager can be in that type of setting with an adult.
Before the meetings, I messaged all players to be prepared to discuss their reflections on the season, their role on the team, how they were treated on the team by teammates and coaches, their plans for the off-season, their plans for next year, and finally, I asked them to be prepared for what I might say about them.
Providing them with an outline of how the meeting would go, I hope to better prepare them as well as allow us to be efficient with our time. Regardless of what was said during the meeting, the goal is to end every meeting on a positive and motivating note, reinforcing my belief in their potential so that they feel encouraged to work hard in the offseason and look forward to returning to the team for Spring Ball.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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