2015
TEAM HANDBOOK
The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that Athletics is a privilege and not a right and those who chose to participate must obey rules set forth or be dismissed. Please read the rules in this book before you begin. It has been prepared to serve as the guideline for the Wando Football Program.
(This information and philosophy has been accumulated over the coaching career of Coach Jimmy Noonan – some information may not be pertinent to all levels of football.)
What’s
Important
Now
2015 Team Goals
Beat White Knoll – getting off to a winning start to the season is most important.
Winning Record – identifies any organization as a success. Every graduating class should consider this to be a critical quality.
Win District Championship Outright– Be the best in your own backyard, own the county.
Beat West Ashley – Beating your rival. Seniors, you will always have to live with the outcome.
Go Undefeated at Home – Defending the Home turf has been a survival necessity since the beginning of man…and no different for our program. We do not lose at Home!
Make the Playoffs – This is an expectation of any program with a winning tradition….an expectation of Wando Football. To achieve higher level goals…this must happen!
Win the Region Championship – We strive to be….to call ourselves…Champions! To be lord of the land…you must control the area in which you dwell!
Win a State Championship – go out on top; establish a new chapter in the history of Warrior Football!
FINISH!
1. Each player receives a diploma and an education. These are not necessarily the same. The diploma will come if you follow the plan set forth by the counselors and coaches. Education is the learning of how to pour yourself out, learning how to make a commitment to something higher and more rewarding than yourself. It is the learning of how to give; and the more you give the more you will receive. To learn is to give all you have and not be concerned with what others may think.
2. Establish an excellence in athletics. You must want to play at a level that our opponents cannot endure for the 48 minutes of play. Demand a higher level of intensity, aggression and perseverance than that of our opponents. We do not pay a price to play football; our opponents must pay a price for scheduling us.
3. Through the athletic experience become better people. It is the intent of the program to teach more than fundamentals of football. Players will develop or improve a genuine care and concern for other people. They should be more accountable and responsible. They will learn to be positive about this day, their school, their community and their country. They will learn the influence they have on younger people and use this influence in a positive manner.
4. They will have fun. Athletics is a game to be enjoyed. To be enjoyed it must be done correctly. Once learned how to play correctly, there is nothing more fun. A definite objective is the absence of tension or pressure. The player will know that his responsibility is to give his best physical and mental effort; and once he has done that, everything else will take care of itself.
5. Learn the Schizophrenic nature of Athletics. Between the white lines, we expect the most intense physically aggressive people. Off the field, we expect perfect gentlemen. Do not get these confused; each has its place. These are learned traits and must be practiced and positively reinforced. The ultimate compliment is for someone to comment on your off the field behavior as “He is too nice to be that guy I see doing what he does on the field.”
“Football is not a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.”
-- Duffy Daugherty
“There is something in good men that yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat.” -- Vince Lombardi
“Why is football my kind of game? Because it tells you something about the character and intensity of the people who play it.” -- Dick Vermeil
“When you find your opponent’s weak spot, hammer it.” -- John Heisman
It is important for student-athletes to understand the importance and value of developing life skills. Life skills such as goal setting and decision-making equip individuals with the ability to handle the demands and challenges of everyday life. For the student athlete, the development of these skills greatly increases their chances for success in academics, athletics, and life beyond high school.
GOAL SETTING – Setting goals contributes to good study habits and prepares you for your future.
S Specific – can clearly see what you want to achieve
M Measureable – Need a way to measure the progress
A Attainable – Goal in which you can see a realistic path
R Rewarding – Know why you want to accomplish the goal
T Timely – Set a time limit to reach the goal
Set both Short Term & Long Term goals.
Short Term Goals – ex. workout an hour a day, read 30 minutes a day
Long Term Goals – ex. go to college, play a sport in college
DECISION MAKING is a process of deciding what to do. Good decision making skills will help you achieve your short and long term goals.
· We make decisions every day
· Some decisions are small
· What kind of decision maker are you?
· Decisions can have long-term consequences and effects
· Decisions you make today can effect whether or not you get into college, play sports in college, or even get a job
· It is important to set goals and learn good decision-making skills
Good DECISION MAKERS gather information and follow a process:
1. Identify the problem
2. Brainstorm solutions
3. Identify the consequences of those solutions
4. Choose a solution
5. Evaluate the choice
6. Try another solution (if necessary)
Decision-making skills will help when you are making important life decisions. One very important decision you will be faced with is choosing a college. Using the decision-making criteria above will make the process much easier and more successful.
Assumption -- that which is taken for granted.
It is important that you understand that we are making four assumptions. The program is developed with these assumptions paramount in our mind. If you are not in complete agreement with all four of these assumptions, it is best for you not to ever begin the program because there will be constant problems. The assumptions explain to you where the coaches are trying to go with the program. If you are trying to go in a different direction, then you and the coaches will never be able to work together.
1. We assume you want to be the best athlete you can be. This is important because when our coaches look at you, they see what you could and should be and will push you to achieve your maximum. Our coaches understand that “Permissiveness is neglect of duty.” You will never be allowed to settle for less than your best.
2. We assume that you want to play on a Championship team. Our practices, our off -season, and our summer program are designed to produce a champion. You understand that decisions made are made with the priority being the team, and the individual must come second. Players must understand the position they play is where they help the team the most and cannot be sometimes be where they or their parents want them to play.
TEAM: Our most important social unit is the family. The future of our civilization is dependant upon the strength of the family and its ability to endure. Every individual develops first and foremost from the experiences one has as a family member. Our schools, communities, cities, and nations are a result of the family. People acting together as a group can accomplish things which an individual acting alone could never hope to bring about. In football, the family is the team. This inner circle of players and coaches must be as a family. There should be no closer group than the team, every member respecting the other, letting no outside source interfere with team success. Key words used by winning teams are: we, unselfish, us, etc.
Law of the Jungle
Now this is the law of the jungle
As old and as true as the sky;
And the wolf that keep it may prosper
But the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk
The law runneth forward and back
And the strength of the pack is the wolf;
And the strength of the wolf is the pack.
‘It is amazing what can be accomplished, when it does not matter who receives the credit’.
TRADITION: What is tradition? Tradition is defined as the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, etc., from generation to generation. What is the Wando tradition? Tradition is hard to explain unless you come from a program that has none. We are fortunate to be at Wando and become part of the Warrior tradition. We must never forget it is a privilege, not a right, to play for the Warriors. The burden to carry on the tradition rests on our shoulders. There have been many great football teams and many great players before us. We owe it to them, as well as the players that follow us, to uphold the Warrior winning tradition.
3. We assume you expect to graduate with the highest grades you are capable of making. We will not simply try to get by, as you will be pushed to make the highest grades that you are capable of making. You will be responsible to the team to turn in all assigned work….on time.
WORK: No champion has ever achieved his goal without working harder than the other person, without showing more dedication than the other person, making more sacrifices than the next person, training and conditioning himself more than the next person, studying harder than the next person and enjoying his final goal more than the other person. Hard work comes from within you. The intake of food, rest, etc. are the fuels to help provide your work effort for success. Your dedication to the game of football determines your work effort in the game or practice session. There is no reward without hard work. Practice is hard work. You must practice until you think you have done your best and then practice some more. The top player is not always the most talented but always the player who has worked the hardest – paid the greatest price. You have to practice when you’d rather be doing something else. Everyone likes to win, but how many want to prepare to win. To lose means to not prepare thoroughly. Vince Lombardi said the dictionary is the only place success come before work. Hard work is the price we all pay for success. We can accomplish almost anything if we are willing to pay the price. The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and the determination that we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
WORK
If you are poor, Work. If you are rich, Work. If you are burdened with seemingly unfair responsibilities, Work.
If you are happy, continue to Work; idleness gives room for doubts and fears. If sorrow overwhelms you, and loved ones seem true, Work. If disappointments come, Work.
If faith falters and reason fails, just Work. When dreams are shattered and hope seems dead, Work, Work as if your life were in peril; it really is.
No matter what ails you, Work. Work faithfully, and Work with Faith. Work can be the greatest material remedy available. Work will help cure mental and physical afflictions.
Author unknown
4. We assume you want to become a better person. You understand that you represent our team and you may very well be the only athlete some people ever know. Your character is a direct reflection of our program. We assume that you understand that you will always be a member of our football program. You will understand that there are many benefits that go along with being a member of the program and you will be held accountable for your actions. We will help you become all you can be off the field as well as on the field.
The Psychological Profile of a Champion
Ambition - Desire for high goals. Hates to lose. Cannot stand failure.
Puts goals above ability.
Coachability – Takes advice and is easy to coach. Eager to learn.
Easy to approach. Follows rules and regulations.
Aggression – A Warrior! First place belongs to me! Asserts himself.
Leadership – Shows the way and sets a good example. Respected by
team members. Mixes well. Others follow his example and takes
his advice.
Take-Charge Guy – Will take over when things go wrong. Under
pressure, he does something about the problem.
Hard Worker – One of the first to practice – the last to leave. Does
extra work. Never misses practice and follows instructions.
Physical Toughness – Develops toughness by hard work. In great
condition. Keeps training rules and trains year-round.
Mental toughness – Never gives in to his feelings. Has never-give-in
attitude. Ignores heat, cold, pain.
Psychological Endurance - Stays with the job until the end. Will do
his best against top competition. High endurance all season.
Reliable.
The Psychological Profile of an ‘Also-Ran’
No Drive – Does not care whether he wins or loses. Goes with the tide.
Know-It-All – Never listens and will not accept new ideas. Rebel,
griper. Works by himself.
Mouse – Never talks back. High on self-abasement. Always kicking
himself.
Follower – Will go with the crowd and generally behind him. Introvert,
generally.
A Watcher – Joe Milktoast. If there is an incident, he watches or runs