Coach's Corner: Summer Prep

A Texas-Ex and former graduate assistant for the Longhorns, Bryan Erwin led La Marque to two state championships as head coach in 2003 and 2006. Prior to hanging up his whistle, Erwin also served as head coach at Flower Mound Marcus, Hillsboro and Italy. Erwin is now in private business in Central Texas, and is writing a new column for Inside Texas. We hope you enjoy The Coach’s Corner.

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The summer heat and months are upon us.  Outside the season, there is not a more crucial time for individual accountability and team maturation amongst a football team.  You cannot win a championship during the summer, but you most certainly can lose one.

Below are a few topics, objectives, and messages that we conveyed to our players as we finished up the spring semester and moved into the summer:

• NO DRAMA – Take care of your business.  We do not need any drama during the summer months.  We often referred to Tony Dungy’s five tenets to avoid in order to eliminate drama and keep your name out of headlines: 

*Out past 12 midnight 

*Going 15 mph over the speed limit

*Drugs or Guns 

*Alcohol

*Failing to treat women with respect

• Make tremendous gains in Strength and Conditioning – There are so many facets to strength and conditioning programs: strength, power, speed, conditioning, flexibility, agility, and mental toughness.  This is the optimum time of the year for your body to grow and develop without additional stress from full-time class loads, football practice, and sleep constraints.  (Side note: I was excited to read that Dana LeDuc is involved in a consultant role.  I served as a GA under Dana in 1991, and what I learned from him was invaluable to my career as a head football coach.  He is first class and has instant credibility within Longhorn circles.) 

• Football skills / schemes – Take advantage of the time allotted towards position-specific skills and learning/memorizing schemes.  Fundamentals such as pre-snap stance, efficient first steps, moving with low leverage, good hand placement, and proper eye discipline should be emphasized.  Situational football involving 3^rd down, 4^thdown, Red Zone, Goal Line, and two-minute can also be repped and improved.​​​​​​​

• 7 on 7 – Players must take the leadership role in this area. Coaches can focus on the details of fundamentals and situational football as stated above while allowing the players to manage their 7 on 7 work.  These sessions can be a time to work route and coverage concepts with a high volume of reps.

​​​​• Academics – Players should take advantage of this opportunity to improve their academic standing, get ahead in order to reduce their fall class load, or take a class that requires their full academic attention in a fast-paced learning environment.  Regardless of their academic objectives, players should get up and show up to class every day.

​• Rest – Get your rest.  Take advantage of this slower pace.  Sharpen the saw.  Go on vacation. Pursue your hobbies.  When you are not working out, going to class, or studying, make it a priority to rest and relax.  Your body will recover and grow while your mind will be sharpened with intentional rest and relaxation.

​​​​​​​​• Once again, NO DRAMA!

I could share dozens of examples of players who focused and excelled during the summer months that went on to have big seasons for us.  Conversely, I could share multiple examples of players who did not work hard and were not accountable to their teammates during the summer months.  These players often underachieved, did not live up to expectations, and were left behind.

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Coach Lou Holtz says that there are three questions every player has of their teammate:

1. Can I trust you?

2. Are you committed?

3. Do you care about me?

These three questions will be accentuated during and after the summer months more than any other time.  It’s easy to be focused and motivated during the season, but it takes self-discipline to be accountable during the summer months.  We often challenged our players on what kind of effort they are going to give when no one is watching.  No band.  No cheerleaders.  No fans.

The summer reveals the level of trust and commitment a football team has.  These intangibles often go unseen but are the hallmarks of championship football teams.