20 Questions to Measure Your Youth Football Coach

"No written word nor spoken plea

Can teach young minds what they should be

Not all the books on all the shelves

but what the teachers are themselves."  

-Elbert Hubbard

These profound words define what it means to be a great teacher or youth football coach.  Inspired by Hubbard, we want to look deeper and provide a platform that helps parents evaluate their child’s coach. 

Coaching has many facets and even great coaches have weaknesses.  Hopefully, this comprehensive series of questions gives you the tools to fairly evaluate your youth football coach.  

ASK THIS:  Does your coach?...

CHARACTER and PERSONALITY

1. have high integrity?

2. build strong, positive relationships with people?

3. have the character to change a person, program and culture?

4. have a healthy perspective of competition?

5. display discipline, poise and focus?

6. love coaching and who they coach?

PLAYER MANAGEMENT

7. recognize great talent and potential in others?

8. know how to get the best all team members?

9. affirm and encourage those they coach?

10. care about the whole person and all that they do?

11. show strong organization and attention to detail?

PROGRAM BUILDING

12. understand how to build a program, tradition and legacy?

13. give credit and success to others?

14. focus on the big picture?

15. have others gravitate towards and want to play for?

16. look forward to the challenge of competition?

SYSTEMS AND STRATEGY

17. know their methodology and system with no apologies?

18. love to strategize and implement.

19. manage complexity well.

20. adapt and change easily.

Hopefully you answered “yes” to at least 15 questions, with high success in the Character category.

For Football Skills, Life Skills and Fun,

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience for Kids

http://www.prosportsexperience.com/

Energy Drinks are not Sports Drinks or Water



New York Giants Youth Football Camp Hero and Coaches
gather to discuss life skills such as proper hydration.

With all it's terminology, youth football can be confusing. 

Terms like "the flat," "cover-2" and "deep post" can leave some parents stumped.

And so can sports fitness terminology. 

Give me an "energy drink" or "sports drink."

They are the same thing, right? 

No, wrong.

Specifically, the term "energy drink" is often lumped in with any source of re-hydration, including water or a sports drink like Gatorade.   But they should never be considered in the same category and usually have significantly different health effects.

As a sport parent, you should know the difference.

Do some homework.

1. See the National Federation of State High School Associations "Position Statement" for Energy Drinks by Youth Athletes.   Among highlights, they state energy drinks should never be used for hydration.

2. Check out the MomsTeam blog by Lindsay Barton.  She provides significant details for those concerned about the health benefits within energy drinks.

3. The American Academy of Pediatrics Report States Kids "Should Not Consume Energy Drinks."

At our youth football camps, we teach kids about the importance of maintaining hydration.  It's more than a football skill, it's a life skill you will keep for your entire life!

And know, above all, you can almost never go wrong with water.

For Football Skills, Life Skills and Fun,

Tom Finks
Executive Director
Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company of Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

Is Your Child a True Leader Among Youth Football Players?

More than the Head Coach, it's the youth football players themselves that have the most influence over the team's culture. 

Chicago Bears Youth Football Campers take the coaches
message and get on the same page.

The best "policemen" for players are other players.  While a good coach never disconnects from a team problem, he becomes much more effective when he has strong leadership within the ranks. 

If he does not have team leaders, his message will be rejected--no matter how valid.  The coach will work harder and shout louder in order to have his points made.  Without leadership, the coach may be defined as a "hot head" or "blow hard" as his message never takes hold.

We appreciate and need leadership at all of our youth football camps. 

Do you wonder if you are a true team leader?    Look in the mirror and ask yourself these questions.

1.   Do You Listen to the Coaches Instructions?

Simple enough, right?  After the coach describes a football drill, do you know exactly what to do? Does the coach need to re-explain it?  Do you help make sure others pay attention while the coach is talking?  Or would you rather be funny and cool than ready to play? 

Green Bay Packers Youth Camp Hero Johnnie Gray would absorb the coaches directions and also help teammates with additional details they did not understand.  Johnnie Gray was a leader. 

2.   Do You Go Full Speed--All the Time?

Going full speed at New York Giants
Youth Football Camps last summer.

The only way to practice is full speed-- as if in real game conditions.   

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camp Hero Robin Earl said Walter Payton ran every drill at 100% speed and through the finish line--every time!  As the NFL's greatest player, his example forced teammates to practice with the same level of perfection.

3.   Do You Act with Humility and Help Others?

True team leaders don’t take all the privileges and benefits.  Instead, they humble themselves and show a willingness to do difficult but necessary tasks.  For example, we love campers that help coaches clear the field of cones and footballs.   We never ask them--but when they do, it just stands out!

New York Giants Youth Football Camp Hero Bill Ard said the players he respected most were the ones that treated the trainers, equipment managers and support staff with courtesy and respect. Truly great leaders act with humility and help others whenever possible.   

4.  Do You Ignite the Group with Positive Reinforcement?

It’s easy to talk about what is wrong with your team.  Good leaders are able to identify positive progress within the team and build excitement in a challenging practice.

“This train is rolling!” shouted Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camp Hero Garry Cobb at a recent youth camp.  “This groups is improving with every turn!  These guys are working hard and getting better.  I like this group of Eagles Youth Football Campers.”
At this moment, Cobb saw slight improvement with every youth camper and turned it into a fantastic motivation for the football skill sessions.  It carried over to the entire day’s attitude. 

Coaches, let your team know you admire leadership more than anything else.  Tell them you are looking for the traits mentioned above.  Watch the spirit of your team change.

For football skills, life skills and fun,

Tom Finks
Pro Sports Experience, LLC
Official Management Company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.
http://www.bearscamps.com/
http://www.packerscamps.com/
http://www.nygiantscamps.com/
http://www.eaglescamps.com/

Jobs in the NFL: What We Tell Youth Football Campers



New York Giants Youth Football Camps



To get a job in the NFL, you have to be smart, competitive, proactive, qualified, lucky, connected and tougher than a nine mile detour.   

And I am talking about getting jobs in an NFL office, not on the playing field.

At Pro Sports Experience Youth Football Camps, we talk to the kids about “jobs in the NFL” and frequently have team employees visit the camps. 

Youth football campers want to know what “jobs in the NFL” are like. 
Here’s a brief summary of what we tell them.  

Team President

Most Fun:  Providing coach, highly competitive individuals with tools to get job done. 

Most Challenging:  Education required (legal, business or financial), time and sacrifices to do job.

General Manager

Most Fun:  Dream maker for young, ambitious men; authority and final say for team structure.

Most Challenging:  Agents; the media; second guessers; indirect responsibility for player behavior.

Coach:

Most Fun:  Outdoors—every day;  Dress code;  Feeds competitive fire; Inspiring men to be better people through football.

Most Challenging:  Long hours; second guessed by public; cutting good people; failed execution.

Media Relations Director:

Most Fun:  Being in atmosphere loaded with compelling, positive human interest stories.

Most Challenging:  On call 24-7; Coercing young, stressed and moody players to speak to media.

Community Relations Director:

Most Fun:  With team resource, significantly helping less fortunate people or organizations.

Most Challenging:  Inability to satisfy all the requests; coercing moody millionaires help cause.

Corporate Sales Director

Most Fun:   Many cool, valuable and high visibility platforms that other companies want to purchase.

Most Challenging:  Pressure to deliver big dollars in order to help cover significant team expenses.

Game Operations Director

Most Fun:   Entertaining live audience; motivating fans and players; huge creative platform.

Most Challenging:  Entertaining fans when team is getting walloped.

Announcer:

Most Fun:  Great work hours and freedom; access to all team resource;

Most Challenging:  Facing players you criticized on the air;

Trainer

Most Fun:  Camaraderie with team; great reward assisting players to recovery and saving career.

Most Challenging:  Extreme hours and need be available and assist every injured player.

Scout

Most Fun:  Freedom for time and travel; Uncovering a hidden star; excitement of discovering star.

Most Challenging:  Risk of predicting the future of immature or poorly raised young man.

Chairman George McCaskey at
Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS:  We tell youth football campers that there are many industries that provide the same reward and satisfaction as working in the NFL.  Before anything, you must be qualified and therefore you must be educated.  When kids hit the books hard, options increase and so do the chances of a rewarding future.   

May everyone find fruitful, rewarding employment and the resources to care for yourself and family.

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

http://www.prosportsexperience.com/

http://www.bearscamps.com/

http://www.packerscamps.com/

http://www.nygiantscamps.com/

http://www.eaglescamps.com/