Both words sound alike to me, but for many, they are drastically different. This year, as you gather with your colleagues, community, friends, and family, try to be thoughtful about these words and their meanings. Instead of focusing all your attention on what “presents” you may give or get, consider giving the gift of your “presence.” Whether the soundtrack for “It’s a Wonderful Life” or the background for the “Ball Drop” on New Year’s Eve, “Auld Lang Syne” reminds us to recall special memories of relationships and occasions we cherish.
Those memories are born from attention and presence. Bring your full self to every conversation, handshake, or hug. Forget about yesterday. Stop thinking about tomorrow. Put your phone away. Know that every day is a gift and enjoy the moment for the moment’s sake. What your family and friends really want for Christmas is YOU.
Your presence is the greatest gift you can give your loved ones. Take in every sight, sound, and smell of Christmas whenever, wherever, and with whomever you gather. You may just find the gift of your presence to those you love, may also be the greatest gift you give to yourself. Merry Christmas.
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!
When Andy Williams sang, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” he was referencing the Christmas season. When ESPN plays his song, they are promoting Bowl Week which is now almost three weeks (making it even more wonderful in my opinion!) Including the NFL on Sundays, there are football games to watch every day from December 17 through January 4. For football fans, this is purely entertainment; but for football coaches, it is an opportunity for research and development.
A cornucopia of learning opportunity
Research and development is the generation of new knowledge. In the business world, it is the development of new products and services. In football, it is the creation of offensive, defensive, and special teams alignments, schemes, and plays. R&D is an essential function for many businesses. Launching new offerings or improving existing ones is a way for a business to remain competitive. Experimentation and innovation are widespread at this point in the season.
With upwards of a month to prepare for these games, coaches design new plays, blitzes, and returns. They mask common schemes with variations on formations, motion, and last-second adjustments. Many of the newest trends in football are first seen during these bowl games as coaches know opponents have been studying films and tracking tendencies. Coaches who want to remain competitive will be able to pick up ideas during this wonderful time of the year.
Even after more than three decades of focused study, learning, and practical application, I’m sure to glean something new we can apply to our schemes. Thankfully, I am blessed with a wonderful spouse who loves football and truly understands what it is to be a coach’s wife. However, even she is tested by too much football this time of year, so I will put the DVR to good use and watch some of these games after the New Year. She and our boys all have their own sense of what makes this “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and our ability to each enjoy it in our own way is also part of the fun!
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!
This weekend, we will gather for our year-end football banquet. Like most teams, we will thank our players, coaches, parents, and administrators. We will recognize those players who most exemplify the character and values our team holds highest. We will reflect on and celebrate the successes of the season. We will motivate returning players for next season and remind them of the dedication and sacrifice required in preparation. We will also hand out Varsity letters and pins to those players who earned them this season. As our staff puts together the list of lettermen, I am reminded of the poem “The Man on the Bench.” The poem recognizes the rewards of playing football far exceed the material things we may receive on the night of the banquet. An edited version of that poem follows:
The man on the bench is the man for me He’s not the star, but he’s the key. Without his aid and help each day, I doubt if there would be a play.
He comes to the banquet with a little prayer, Hoping this year the “letter” is there. As he squirms wishfully in his chair. And he suffers a little along with his coach, As the names are read and no approach Is made to him there is a wrench In his heart. But his teeth will clench, As he says, “next year”, this man on the bench. What happens to all the men like these. Who seem all elbows, thumbs, and knees. Don’t feel sorry for their frustrations, They are the men who head corporations, And sit on the councils of great nations
They learn the value of raw sheer grit, The determination that won’t say quit
To the man on the bench, I give my hand With the greatest respect, ’cause he’s my man, Please don’t worry, he’ll go far Somewhere in life, he will be a star.
I’ve seen many players overcome adversity over the years. In many ways, their grit, determination, and resilience amaze me more than “All-League Honors” or “Championships.” Some of my very closest friends and I share four years playing together with only a handful of wins. I’d like to think we found some of the same purpose, dedication, and resilience displayed by “the man on the bench” in overcoming our own adversity. If outcomes are any measure, amongst the players he and I both describe, the author’s forecast of success despite adversity, is right on target.
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!
One of the things a college football coach quickly learns is the office he occupies, the chair and desk where he spends countless hours… even the locker he hangs his coat in, are not his (or hers). Those resources belong to the school, and you are given the privilege to occupy/employ them as long as the school permits.
As high school football coaches, we also learn the players are not “ours.” When your season is over, they become basketball players, wrestlers, indoor track athletes or pursue other opportunities. Student-Athletes who do not play a winter sport, often shift their focus to preparing for Spring sports like baseball, lacrosse, Track & Field, or other interests.
Just like that office, desk, and chair, the players are not yours either. They (the players) all belong to the school and are led, guided, and directed by others after the football season concludes. While we would like to see them keep up with football-specific strength training programs and know if they did, they would be better prepared for next Fall, we have to leave training up to their in-season coach. If that coach does not understand the value of athletic performance training, speak to your athletic director. It is her/his job to ensure all coaches in the department are doing what is best for the athletes regardless of what sport they play, what season it is, or who their coach is at the time. Do not discourage the football player from being a multisport athlete because you think that is what is best for your program. In fact, as we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, most athletes (and ultimately most teams) benefit from the complementary skills and lessons learned in other sports. As coaches concerned about the overall growth, potential, and wellbeing of those in our charge, it is our obligation to help develop the “whole person.”
Playing other sports allow athletes to develop different muscle groups and movement patterns, avoid burn-out with the intense emphasis on only one sport, develop different skills that can be applied from one sport to the other, and increase socialization by having another peer group and further evolve the elements of character we’ve discussed this Fall. Lastly, go see them play. Encourage their success whether on the court, mat, or track, or in other endeavors like drama, debate, or music. Let them know they are important to you all year, not just in the Fall.
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!
Over the last 14 weeks, we have focused on the character traits underpinning leadership success. While we have largely focused on leadership in a sports team context, as we stated at the beginning, these traits underpin a broad variety of leadership in sports teams, businesses, families, and life in general.
Week 15 arrives alongside Thanksgiving. A holiday I hope finds you surrounded by those you love and appreciate. Therefore, “Gratitude,” is our bonus trait this week.
Leadership is a privilege. It is a privilege to have the opportunity and responsibility, to lead, guide, and direct a group of people to accomplish a goal or objective. I am grateful to have such a privilege, and even more so, I am grateful for the many blessings of health, family, friends, and a myriad of others.
The vast majority of us are who we are because someone (usually multiple people) cared enough to invest in us and help us see in ourselves the potential they saw, even when we often couldn’t. They were loyal, dependable, showed integrity, courage, and judgement. They dealt with us justly and unselfishly helped us grow. They shared knowledge, enthusiasm, tactfully pointed out areas for improvement in our judgement and decision making, and encouraged us to maintain a positive outlook and bearing despite enduring adversity.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to think about who those people may have been in your life and to thank them. Whether face-to-face, phone, text, or perhaps even a prayer to those who have passed, let the important people in your life know how much they matter. How you are better off for having met them and quite simply; you’re grateful.
Thanks for reading and being a part of the Olineskills.com Community.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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!
The 14th and final leadership trait in our series A Leader in Every Locker is Endurance. Endurance is mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, adversity, and hardship. This quality allows one to withstand physical and emotional discomfort, pain, and distress while persevering to achieve a goal, objective, or desired outcome.
Endurance; A Riveting Story!
(Many years ago) When I was a player, coaches often quoted the legendary Vince Lombardi who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” When I was speaking at a Nike Coach of the Year Football Clinic several years ago, I attended a session presented by a United States Marine Corps Captain who shared a complementary phrase that I have embraced ever since: “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Football is a game of mental and physical adversity and stress. Either can be a lot to bear, but the combination is even more daunting. Hot or cold, tired and sore, bruised and sometimes bloodied, combines with mental and emotional pressures to perform against a determined foe, and an unrelenting clock. This is the type of mental and physical pain players who lead by example, must endure to stay on the field of play and contribute to the good of the team. It must be noted if a player sustains an injury, they must be evaluated by a certified athletic trainer before their status is assessed determining their ability to return to play. We try hard to help our athletes make a distinction between pain and injury and would rather err on the side of caution and safety.
In previous posts, we’ve talked about the ways team sports “inoculate” student-athletes against fear, loss, and adversity. From both my own experience, and from decades of witnessing others encountering circumstances requiring “endurance” and the willingness to push through the “uncomfortableness” of physical, mental, and emotional stress, it’s clear a little “uncomfortableness” now, seeds the ability to endure more later in life. I have a close friend who gave me Alfred Lansing’s book “Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage,” which recounts Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic expedition and their 24 months locked in an ice flow, battered by the Southern Ocean, and yet undaunted, they endured returning to England without any loss of life.
Football is said to be a game of inches. Those inches are earned by the team who finds a way to give one more try, one more ounce of strength, and who (after every possible consideration) admits defeat last. The game is often won by those who persevere one run, block, tackle, or catch longer than their opponents. The game of life requires endurance as well.
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!
In week 13 of our series A Leader In Every Locker, we focus on the leadership trait of Loyalty. Loyalty is the quality of faithfulness to team, teammates, coaches, friends, and family. Though difficult to put the good of the team above one’s own interests, one’s commitment to the team and teammates enables a player to set aside his or her personal feelings for the good of the team.
(Photo by Paul Hayes)
A player who sincerely wants to play quarterback or running back is asked to fill a role on the depth chart where the team needs him. Although he will not receive the recognition due the positions he wished to play, he does his best to deliver on the responsibilities of the new position and support the betterment of the team.
Sometimes a player’s role is to be a backup and provide depth at a position. A sign on the locker room wall at a small high school in South Texas reads, “I’ll practice and get ready, and then my chance will come.” Despite a player’s desire to take a starting role, he remains loyal to the team and coaches, practices hard every day, gets ready, and is able to deliver when called upon.
Such sentiments are easy to think or talk about but are much harder to deliver on. In the vast majority of cases, we find ourselves visualizing the impossible catch, the unfathomed run, or tackling a speeding giant just short of the goal line. Many aspire to be the player everyone depends on, yet few realize it may very well be the second-teamer, or even the freshman a coach reaches for in a moment of necessity whose loyal preparation makes all the differnce.
Practice, get ready, and when your chance comes, be the teammate who studied, prepared for, and took care to deliver when called upon. Loyalty to teammates, to purpose, to ethics, and culture leads to a calling higher than oneself, and is a leadership trait to which we can all aspire.
I would be remiss If I don’t note today (Nov 11th) is Veteran’s Day. Given this week’s trait is loyalty, it’s hard to think of loyalty without recalling the men and women who served our country so we could enjoy a day like today… Men and women whose selfless sacrifice placed the rights of our citizens and society above their own safety and security. Who spent holidays like today away from family and (civilian) friends while setting an example of loyalty to missions and causes bigger than themselves. Who espoused and adopted all 14 of the leadership traits we’re teaching and discussing in this series, and who regularly place the interests of others above their own. The Marine Corps’ motto is “Semper Fidelis,”… “Always Faithful.” I remain in awe of the loyalty demonstrated by friends, family, former players, and colleagues who have served over the years, and hope by teaching traits like loyalty and so many others, I can in some small way, contribute to our team, and their mission. Happy Veteran’s Day.
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!
Our Week 12 Leadership Trait is Knowledge. Knowledge is the information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. Think about “what we know” and “how we know it.”
Knowledge is also the understanding of self and responsibility. Knowledge, as it pertains to the student-athlete, is the range of one’s perception, perspective, and context in light of responsibilities, information, and assignments including academic, athletic, and sport-specific knowledge and the understanding of oneself, one’s team, and one’s teammates.
Football is a game of interdependence. On any given play, 11 players depend on each other to understand and deliver on the responsibilities of their respective roles for the good of the team. One must understand his/her responsibilities, how they relate to teammates’ actions, and then act in a complementary fashion to achieve success. This requires knowledge of responsibilities, contingencies, and the willingness to make decisions and deliver.
While studying his responsibilities, an offensive lineman also learns how the other linemen’s blocks complement his efforts to achieve the team’s goals. Working with his coaches in preparation for a particular opponent, the offensive lineman considers his Man, Zone, and Gap scheme blocks and potential decisions versus the variety of defensive fronts the opponent may present. The lineman accumulates and applies his knowledge and understanding to make good decisions, execute his blocks and support his teammates. This knowledge of individual and team responsibilities allows our linemen to be interchangeable so they can play any position on the line. Further, this flexibility allows us to sub in our next best lineman if any of the 5 starters should have to come out of the game for any reason.
In our personal lives, we have knowledge of roles and relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances… Knowledge of subjects, concepts, and ideas… The “Leader In Every Locker,” program is intended to support knowledge of the concepts of character and the traits displayed by successful leaders. We hope the study and discussion of these traits will help our student-athletes and others develop the knowledge of themselves, their character, and the characteristics of success.
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!
Courage is a mental quality recognizing the fear of physical injury and danger or the emotional fear of criticism and humiliation, yet courage enables one to proceed in the face of danger or concern with calmness and resolve.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the recognition of its existence, and the willingness to take decisive action in spite of it. Note: The Hero and the Coward feel the same feelings, the distinction between the two is the decisions and actions one takes despite the fear.
This past weekend our entire team faced the fear of criticism and perhaps humiliation as we played one of America’s oldest high school football rivalries. The 116th playing of “The Game” between St Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute; a rivalry reaching back to 1894. In the past 6 seasons, the Academy has accumulated a comfortable 388 to 48 scoring margin winning those six games by an average of 55-7. No Academy team wants to be the one to end the winning streak. This year the Vikings brought in a talented team, bigger and stronger than ours, but we were able to come out on top 31-14 in a game actually far closer than the score reflects.
During the game, we had several players returning from injuries having missed the previous game and multiple practices. While they were all medically cleared to play, each faced understandable concerns of being reinjured or whether their performance would be worthy of the trust of their teammates. Despite their fears, they played well and contributed to our victory.
We also had several physical mismatches on the line of scrimmage. Our 176 lbs Sophomore Left Guard, who lives in Lyndon but chose to attend the Academy, faced a 300 lbs Senior Defensive Tackle all game. Knowing the opponent was bigger, stronger, more experienced, and understanding the threat of harm, our Sophomore Guard showed great resolve to do his personal best, utilize the techniques he has been taught, and relied on communication with his fellow offensive linemen to get help when needed.
Undoubtedly we will all face situations in life calling for courage. Sometimes physical, sometimes moral… The physical actions of first responders and our military are often top of mind, but many also show the courage of compassion while helping a friend or colleague in need, or the courage of conviction while taking a stand on moral issues where opinions significantly differ. Athletics offer student-athletes opportunities for small inoculations against fear (physical or moral) and helps prove their resilience, increasing self-confidence, reinforcing the importance of discipline and sacrifice, and ultimately readying them for much of what may lie ahead.
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!
The week 10 leadership trait in our 14-week series A Leader in Every Locker is Unselfishness.
Unselfishness is being willing to give your time and effort for others; of not putting your own interests first. Looking out for the needs of teammates and the good of the team before one’s self is the essence of leadership.
Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage… and we amongst it are only players with many parts…” On a team of eleven interdependent student athletes, each of us has a part to play, and some are more visible than others.
Unselfishness should be the number one trait listed in the job description for offensive linemen, the position group nearest and dearest to my heart. They relentlessly run block for their backs and pass block for their quarterback despite the often absence of recognition for their efforts. Their reward comes with the success of others and the team. As a coach I have to ask players to find and fill roles best suited to the team’s benefit.
It’s natural for any athlete to want to contribute to the team. For many high school football players who have grown up with parents, friends, and others cheering for those who make a big run, or catch a clutch pass, it’s a dream to finally land a starting job and think about being the target of all those cheers, all that excitement, and to feel the satisfaction of a tangible contribution to victory.
After my youngest son, Trey, earned the starting position at Split End in his Junior season, we had a very frank conversation. In our offensive scheme, and with a very talented quarterback and our two leading receivers returning, I informed Trey that he was not going to be targeted. (He would not likely be thrown to often). The team needed him to be a decoy who could take the top off the defense and clear zones for the other two receivers. I told him that he would run Fades and Posts all game (essentially asking him to run a 30-40 yard sprint on nearly every play with little hope of catching a ball) and if, and only if, the defense dropped coverage would he get the ball thrown his way. He simply replied, “I can do that.”
His act of unselfishness helped our QB to be awarded Gatorade Player of the Year, our two receivers to compile over 1,000 yards each, and our team to advance to the state semifinals. His personal reward came halfway through the season in game 5 on the road when a Free Safety from Brattleboro came down to jump a Dig route leaving Trey one-on-one with the Corner. The result was a 40 yard touchdown reception in the back of the endzone.
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!
O Line Skills 