Coaches Toolbox

The following is a listing of all posts in the category of Program Building for our site.

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5 Tips for Dealing with Difficult Players

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Use these ideas to help manage players who challenge your team culture.

Most athletes do their best to avoid being disruptive, but every coach has encountered their fair share of challenging players. Next time this happens, consider using these tips to improve the situation.

Make sure everyone on the team is engaged

Kids, particularly younger ones, have a lot of energy and short attention spans. Keep your practices active and get every player involved. When running drills, aim to pair or group together players of similar skill levels. Every player will feel challenged, but not intimidated.

Also consider including small group work in your practices. This can bring shy players out of their shell while ensuring disruptive players are kept busy.

Every player is unique—your behavior expectations shouldn’t be

Getting to know your players is an important part of coaching. Everyone has different on-field and off-field strengths, motivations and unique personalities. But when it comes to behavior, your expectations should be standard across the board.

“You have to be consistent in your messaging. If that is your core principle, your core value, then everything has to be in alignment with that,” Gabe Infante, head football coach at St. Joseph Prep (Pa.), said. “I think it’s very easy sometimes to lose focus. Sometimes you become emotional about things and you lose the consistency of the message. It takes practice.”

It’s no secret good players sometimes feel like they can get away with subpar behavior because of their skill. At the same time, weaker players may take a lazier approach because they don’t feel like they’re contributing. It’s important everyone on the team understands how you expect them to behave. Be consistent, no matter who breaks the rules.

Reward good behavior with positive reinforcement

When players act out, it’s often because they want attention. So the best option might not be to call them out for it or make them run laps. Instead, pull them aside and have a one-on-one conversation to address their behavior. They won’t be the focus of attention, but you’re still addressing the situation.

You’ll also want to avoid only scolding players, unless they’re putting themselves or others at risk. Try pairing compliments with constructive criticism. Encouragement is often more effective than doling out punishment.

“A lot of young people can be resistant to coaching. They mistake coaching for criticism when in reality what the coach is trying to do is just help them get better. It’s really a partnership between the coach and the player,” Shaka Smart, head basketball coach at the University of Texas, said. Punishment has its place, just be sure players understand exactly what they did wrong so they know how to avoid it in the future.

“We’re the first time that a parent hears that their son isn’t good enough. How you deliver that and how you handle your players and how you develop respect and trust with your players is where it all starts.”Gabe Infante, head football coach at St. Joseph Prep (Pa.)

Don’t forget about the parents

Make sure your players’ parents understand the rules and expectations you have for the team. While parents can help keep their kids in line, you might find difficult parents just as common as difficult players.

Kids pick up a lot from the adults in their lives, so encourage the parents on your sideline to be good sports. Don’t be afraid to tactfully tell them if their behavior is a negative influence on your team. “A coach’s job, in my opinion, is very much the same as that of a parent—to prepare your children to live life without you,” Infante said.

The other key to strong parent-coach relationships is open lines of communication. Set ground rules such as ‘wait 24 hours after a contest to talk to me about it,’ but let them know you’re available to address their concerns.

Keep your cool even when you’re frustrated

Staying calm is easier said than done, but it can go a long way when it comes to dealing with difficult players. You’ll be able to make better decisions on behalf of your whole team.

Try to understand why the challenging players on your squad might be acting out without letting them monopolize your time. Listen to their concerns and consider the challenges they may be facing at home or at school. You may not be able to fix their problems, but they’ll appreciate your effort to meet them halfway.

And when it’s time to focus on the team, they’ll be ready. “We had a team meeting in the locker room and I said, ‘Guys, from this point forward we clear the mechanism,’” Steve Specht, head football coach at St. Xavier (Ohio), said.

“I don’t want to worry about what your grade in biology is or the issues you’re having with your girlfriend or any problems. When we set foot on this field, for two hours we clear the mechanism and we have fun.”

Want more tips on how to ensure players buy in to your coaching philosophy? Check out our comprehensive guide to reaching full program alignment.


Using Google Drive to Coach? There’s a Better Way

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Are you really getting the most out of your film with Google Drive? Check out all the advantages of using a software system instead.

Whether you’re an educator, or working in the corporate world, you’re probably all too familiar with the intricacies and benefits of a digital file-sharing system. They’re ubiquitous, and for good reasons. But when it’s time to put on your coaching hat, are they the most efficient option?

After all, with a coach’s plate already way too full, convenience and comfort will always rule the day, right? But a file storage system like Google Drive doesn’t operate on the same level as fully customizable, cloud-based storage software.

We get it. Your setup isn’t ideal. You’d like to level up, but you’re worried about being overwhelmed, over-charged, or both. But more and more coaches are turning to programs like Hudl for getting the most out of their film. They’re compartmentalizing it in such a way that’s easy for everyone involved—and gives them more bang than they bargained for. Here’s a litany of reasons why.

Easy to Organize

Google Drive really isn’t meant to be used how coaches use it. It’s difficult to organize, filter and share. When you upload film, there are no tags, no playlists, and no attached notes for teaching points. You have to do all that heavy lifting on your own, which can take hours on end.

Want to see how efficient you are with a certain play? Want to see how your players are taking care of the little things that make the difference on the court? With a system like Hudl, you can arrange your film however you like, in a manner that’s easier for athletes to digest. And if your stats are on Hudl, it’s even easier to find and share the moments that matter most. (There’s definitely no way to link stats to video on Google drive.)

More Accountability and Clarity

Google Drive doesn’t show how much time athletes are watching film, so it’s hard to hold your athletes accountable. With Hudl, you’ll know who’s doing their homework and who’s not. You’ll be able to track how long your players are watching film, and what they’re watching.

Need to communicate your points with crystal clarity? Intuitive analysis tools let you draw on top of the film, or stop the action to call up notes that point out something on screen. Try doing this with Google Drive and you’ll end up shelling out big bucks just for the requisite video editing software.

Unparalleled Speed and Convenience

Unless you’re stopping the film periodically—which, in a fast-moving sport like basketball, runs its own risks—you’ll likely be spending some time cutting up the film before you upload it to Google Drive. That can sometimes take hours. If you only have a limited amount of time, you can’t afford to be handcuffed by the clumsiness of hitting the “forward” and “rewind” buttons over and over.

With Hudl, the film is ready for you to tag to your modifications. You can even eliminate the tagging with Hudl Assist’s interactive reports, which tie advanced statistics directly to video. Want to see how a certain set looked against a zone defense? You can create a playlist for it immediately.

As a coach, you not only want as much information as you want. You want it instantly, while that brilliant thought you just had is fresh in your mind. Say you’re preparing for an opponent that runs a complex defense you haven’t seen since last season, and want to see how you played it that last time. How long would it take you to go digging through your archives just to find the right game, never mind what you’re looking for from it?

Whatever your analysis workflow looks like, Hudl’s custom tools adapt. Distribution to your players and staff is as simple as the push of a button. You can simply call up a playlist, and text it out to all the necessary parties that need to see it, all without skipping a beat.

Support When You Need It

Have you ever heard this from your staff?

“Oh my God! I accidentally deleted it!”

Or maybe it’s, “S$*!! I didn’t mean to go in and delete that tab!”

We’ve heard it a lot. That’s why awesome technical support from a Hudl representative is only a call, email, chat or tweet away. Our experts think like coaches, so we’ll always have a good understanding of what problem you’re trying to solve.

Like sharing files. It hasn’t always been easy. But with a program like Hudl, everything you share with your staff and your players is essentially read-only. Only you can edit or delete what you put up there, leaving no room for error and more control over your film.

Maximize Your Recruiting Potential

“I tell my guys, if you’re trying to get a scholarship based on buckets, you’re getting nothing,” says University High (Orange City, Fla.) coach Robert Soler.

Nobody gets an opportunity to play at the next level based on stats alone—college coaches want the whole body of work. That means game footage and advanced data. Pace-adjusted stats like turnover percentage, rebounding percentage, plus-minus and points per possession can tell a lot about a player’s efficiency when they’re on the court, especially in limited minutes. Hudl Assist tracks all of these stats and more, plus they’re tied right to the video, making it easy for any coach to comprehend.

Set Them Up for a Bright Future

Just like holding a basketball doesn’t make you the next LeBron, merely sharing game film with your athletes doesn’t make them film buffs. If your athletes want to play at a higher level, they’ll need to know how read stats and watch film. If they don’t have that discipline, they’ll fall behind quickly.

College conferences are heavy on the film-sharing. Subsequently, the best college athletes routinely find themselves combing through video clips and scouting reports, trying to study up on how they’ll defend the next player they’re guarding. High school athletes need to be doing this, too.

Don’t have them look at film just to look—stoke the film geek in your players by having them understand how the numbers come together. Another reason there’s tremendous value in interactive reports that tie every data point directly to video.

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There are countless ways Hudl can create more efficiency for your staff during the season, not to mention the countless ways coaches are already using Hudl’s tools to win more. Ready to see the difference for yourself?

Learn More | Take a Demo


AD Insights: Winning With Video

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The Athletic Department Package gives Willis High School the teaching tape they need to win.  

In Michael Wall’s role as athletic director and head football coach at Willis High School, he’s constantly searching for ways to improve his athletic department. Obtaining and using video has been at the center of those efforts. “Video is extremely important in everything we do. We win with video,” he said. 

Wall chose Hudl’s athletic department package to give athletes across the program the tools they need to win. It’s been instrumental in getting them the quality video that they use to teach their players. They’ve even increased their storage capacity so they can retain and access film from past years. “We go back and evaluate things, or to remember an old play,” said Wall. “Just having that capability to help our teams win is a great advantage for us.”

A Streamlined Weekend
Not only are they getting the video that they need, they’re getting it in easier fashion. “Every practice and game we had was such a production to get someone to film,” Wall said. Hudl Focus has freed up managers who used to film the games to perform other important tasks. 

Hudl Assist has also been a massive time-saver for the Willis program. Having the Assist data broken down in a timely and accurate manner is a key complement to their Focus film, which can be sorted by categories like down and distance. Prior to having Assist, they had their middle school staff enter all that data manually. “It creates a more efficient system,” Wall explained. “It helps streamline our weekend and get the data to us faster.” 

Getting department-wide access to both Focus and Assist is one of the benefits of an athletic department package. It’s easy to see how a school like Willis that places such an emphasis on video would benefit from a full suite of tools that let them capture, analyze, and learn from their video. 

Getting Recruited with Great Film
Video is essential at Willis to teaching and prep, and also to athletes who hope to play at the next level. As a former recruiting coordinator, Wall is well aware of the impact that quality video has on recruiting. “One of the things we tell kids to [help them] get recruited is to have great film. Video is the most critical piece in the recruiting process.” 

That process is another thing that the athletic department package has made easier. “For kids to be able to create their own highlights and send them instantly is huge,” Wall said. “It’s a simple process. You don’t have to be an IT wizard.” At Willis, they include links to players’ film on their recruiting profiles to make it easy for college recruiters and coaches to access. “It’s so much easier than years ago. This is cutting edge.” 

A Receptive Audience

They’re also eager to get their video out into the community. “We’re going to try and livestream all of our indoor stuff,” said Wall. “That’s an outstanding tool for grandma in Wisconsin to watch their babies down here in Texas be able to play sports.” 

Hudl not only has advocates within the community, but also among the school administration. Wall has a receptive audience when he brings requests to increase the athletic department’s capabilities with Hudl. “How can you not want to spend some money on a product like that?”

Are you looking to bring the power of video and data to all your teams? Hudl’s athletic department package is your program-wide solution. 

Learn more about Hudl’s Athletic Department packages.


AD Insights: Work Hard and Work Smarter

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Hudl’s school-wide solution allows coaches at this Texas high school to work smarter.

Randy Barnes has a lot on his plate as head football coach and athletic director at Texas’s Farmersville High School. That’s why Hudl’s athletic department package was an easy choice for his program. “Hudl saves us time and makes us better,” he said.

Texas high school athletics are a competitive landscape, and developing a program starts at the junior high level—if not before. With that in mind, Barnes turned to the athletic department package to help even the playing field. “If you’re not top-notch in the premier package with Hudl, your kids are losing exposure, and the AD and head coaches are losing an opportunity to make money,” he said. “It’s just a no-brainer.”

Randy Barnes and other Texas coaches and ADs discuss the insights and time-savings benefits Hudl Assist has brought to their programs.

From Assist to the Athletic Department Package

Barnes started using Hudl Assist more than five years ago, and he’s been sold on Hudl ever since. Assist has been a crucial time-saver for him and his staff. He’s developed a routine—they’ll submit their two previous games on a Wednesday, and get them back fully broken down by Thursday morning.

Having data like down and distance, play type and formation has been invaluable for the Farmersville coaches. So has the precise nature of Assist. “They begin to know our formations—we don’t have to change anything by week 8,” he said. Getting this level of timely and accurate data allows them to reinvest their time to prepare for their opponents down the road.

A Solution for All Sports

With his position as both head coach and AD, he has a wide-ranging perspective on the benefits that the athletic department package has brought. For him and his fellow coaches, the full complement of products have allowed them to allocate their time more efficiently. “As coaches, we’re gonna work hard, but we’re also gonna work smarter. And that’s what Hudl has allowed us to do,” he said.

When he puts his athletic director hat on, it’s clear that the benefits of the department-wide package extend to sports beyond football. Coaches across the program have especially raved about the ease with which they’ve been able to film practices.

“I want every sport to be treated the same,” Barnes said. “I want the volleyball, basketball coaches to have the same access that I do. And they do. Because video is the best coaching tool that we have.”

“I want every sport to be treated the same. I want the volleyball, basketball coaches to have the same access that I do. And they do. Because video is the best coaching tool that we have.”

Livestreaming as a Fundraiser

With video being such a point of emphasis at Farmersville, the Focus camera has been exactly the filming and livestreaming solution the Fightin’ Farmers were looking for.

“It gets out into the community,” Barnes explained. “Grandma in Ohio can watch Johnny Joe play 7th-grade B team football. Do you know what a big deal that is? It’s huge!”

This community outreach also brings potential fundraising benefits. “Now, when we want help for our programs, Aunt Gracie won’t have a problem sending that [check] in.” They’re looking to monetize their livestream—they plan to start selling sponsorships for both the indoor and outdoor cameras in 2022.

Having quality video readily available has also been critical to the growth of Farmersville’s athletes. “Our kids are watching film on their own every night. And I can track that, “ Barnes said. “It helps us.”

Hudl Is on Our Team

Barnes paints a picture of the athletic department package as an all-encompassing solution that uplifts all areas of his program—from the X’s and O’s to the Johnny Joes.

“We’re selling Farmersville High School in everything we do and Hudl is a huge part of that,” he said. “Hudl is on our team at Farmersville.”

Is your school looking to level up your athletic programs? Hudl’s athletic department package is the one solution for every team.


Coaches and athletes working together to eliminate the stigma of mental health afflictions

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This article was originally published on www.sidelineinteractive.com

This post is a summary of our key takeaways from Volume 2 Episode #85 of The Educational AD Podcast, hosted by retired high school Athletic Director Jake Von Scherrer.  This summary of the podcast episode is posted with permission of Coach Von Scherrer.

You can watch the 35 minute interview on YouTube at this link:  Joanne P. McCallie Interview

Joanne P. McCallie is the former Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Maine, Michigan State, and Duke.  Coach P’s Career Division I coaching record was 628-243.

Since retiring from coaching, Joanne’s new mission is build a foundation and to be a consultant and advocate and messenger through public speaking and writing to reduce the stigma that often surrounds the discussion on mental health.

Our hope in posting this summary of and encouraging readers to listen to or watch the podcast in it’s entirety is to inspire you to do all you can with your team, school, and community to have open discussions of the importance of being attentive to mental health and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

She believes that post pandemic, up to 50% of our population have suffered some form of anxiety or depression.  Her cause is not just about manic depression, it is about everyone’s brain health.

 This is not intended to say that coaches can or should offer professional advice regarding mental health.  As coaches, we need to encourage our athletes and work with parents to provide support and encouragement to our athletes to seek professional assistance when it is needed.  And, to encourage all athletes to practice positive habits regarding mental health, just as we encourage positive physical health habits.

Here is a summary of our takeaways from Coach McCallie’s interview on the podcast episode:

A mental health affliction is something that and individual suffers from.   It is a part of who they are, but that affliction doesn’t define them as a person.  No one is “bi-polar,” it is and illness that they suffer from.

As a coach at Michigan State, she began collaborating with professionals in the field of mental health to help improve the mental health of the coaches, players, and support staff in her program.  Along with sports psychologists, they worked together to spin negative perceptions that athletes have of their environment or themselves.

Administrators and coaches need to be proactive and not reactive. As much as possible, therapy needs to take place before there is a mental health emergency.  Administrators and coaches should openly discuss the importance of both physical and mental health.

She motivates players differently depending on the personality and needs of each individual.

Mental health issues are diseases of despair.  With mental health impairment, there’s no intention.  You’re simply ambushed. You can’t defend yourself.

Unfortunately, we can’t prevent all crises that are brought on by mental health afflictions, but you can work very hard to create an environment where a young person might think twice about doing something drastic.  We need to have some discussion about the subject of mental health and they know that there is somewhere to go and someone to see to get help.

Provide the opportunity and encourage anybody who has a question or concern about mental health to discuss it privately with the coach or Athletic Director.  The coach can help by listening and directing the athlete to a trained mental health expert.  The coach is not equipped to help the athlete in the way that the athlete needs.

The coach can still be demanding of that athlete.  It does help the coach to be able to coach the individual better if you understand that they have some issues with anxiety or depression.  The coach can help the athlete find a therapist because any individual with those issues should be seeing a mental health professional.

Another plus to being an advocacy for positive mental health is that If the coach understands the mental health problem, they can more effectively communicate with and collaborate with the athlete’s parents.  Together they can privately come up with a plan that helps the athlete to have a more positive athletic experience.  Confidentiality is extremely important.

As a young person experiencing her bipolar affliction, Joanne didn’t want to approach her parents because she felt so badly about what was happening, was ashamed, and blamed herself.  She felt better with someone who was close and cared about her, but not as close as her parents.  Keep in mind that your athletes may have similar feelings.

Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, and many, many others were still champions while dealing with mental health problems.  Joanne was a Division I athlete and then a highly successful coach while dealing with her own mental health affliction.

We need to spread that message that mental health diagnoses do not mean that an individual cannot be successful in athletics or in any other area of life.  We can still succeed in spite of these diseases.  How you deal with and overcome your issues can allow you to become your best self.

Coach P’s message is that you can challenge yourself to be what you want to be and choose difficult, impactful careers without being intimidated by others or by a mental health disorder.

An example of a written message that Coach shared with one of her players: “There are no promises, but dreaming big is the way to go.  Knowing full well that things may not go your way.  That is the risk we assume for greatness.” This was to an elite student/athlete coming off a severe injury and working to get back to the high level of play that she was performing at prior to her injury.

Coach P did not want her to be satisfied with just coming back from the injury, but to strive to become even better than she was prior to the injury.  Joanne’s purpose with the note was to redirect the athlete’s thinking and get her into a better headspace.  Dreaming for the highest levels is what it is all about.

Coach McCallie  does not focus on the outcome.  She focuses on the process. To go after the highest levels of achievement, you have to commit to the process and commit to accepting the results that your process leads to. And, sometimes things work out, but not in the timeline that the athlete or coach has established for themselves.

Athletic Directors Toolbox segment of the show.  This is a segment at the end of every episode of the podcast where the guest is asked what three things they can she share with the audience that she would put in her toolbox if she were an athletic director starting a new job.

Coach P actually gave us four items for the Athletic Director’s Toolbox 🙂

1. Get to know the people in the athletic department as individuals.  They don’t work for you, you all work together.

2. Be a “coaches Athletic Director.”  Support the program by giving the coach confidence.

3. Dig out the problems before the surface and support the coach.

4. Loyalty is something that can never be underestimated.

Joanne also shared her ideas of best practices for conduction practice for coaches of any sport. (In addition to creating her own success, she had the privilege to learn from coaches such as Tom Izzo, Nick Saban, and Mike Krzyzewski.

1. Every minute of practice is accounted for and planned in advance.

2. You have to practice the way you are going to play.

3.There is no room for generalities.  You must be specific about what outcomes you are looking for in all areas.

4. She has a “Thought for the day” every day to share with her team.

5.  Coaches must constantly ask themselves, how are we going to use our philosophy to better us in practice.

6. The players and the coaching staff must provide each other with positive energy and feed off of each other.

7. In order for your practices to have the best opportunity for individual and team improvement,  the head coach must delegate duties to the assistant coaches and to the players.

8. The coaching staff must make time in practice to nurture one on one personal relationships with each student-athlete.  One on one and team motivations are different and a coach must be able to effectively do both.

9. The feeling of being completely absorbed in practice is a great feeling for both coaches and athletes.

Joanne  is the author of the book “Secret Warrior.” that details her journey as both a student athlete and a very successful coach who continually had to battle impaired mental health.