I started writing for MaxPreps in a new feature they call “Coaches Corner” in July 2016. I was honored to be asked to write for coaches.  This corner isn’t so much about xs and os, but about the program management side of football.

Here are the articles.  Enjoy!

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  Coaches Corner: Safety during a fight

  Being prepared for a fight doesn’t mean you condone it, but are proactive with player safety.

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  Coaches Corner: Handling keyboard cowboys

  Managing parents and criticism is just as much a part of coaching as the Xs and Os.

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  Coaches Corner: Dealing with a blowout

  Having a plan helps make a runaway game manageable.

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  Coaches Corner: Three meeting keys

  Being prepared and knowing how to put that knowledge into action are crucial to a productive meeting.

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  Coaches Corner: Navigating conflicts

  Most conflicts arise from dealings with parents, administrators and student-athletes.

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  Coaches Corner: Seven likeable habits

  Kids, parents and administrators all benefit when a coach comes off as likeable.

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  Coaches Corner: Building confidence

  Steering from negative talk is important for success of athletes.

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  Coaches Corner: Keys to motivation

  Applying societal trends to your coaching can produce wonderful results.

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  Coaches Corner: Get your players recruited

  Putting in time and work as a coach could pay off with the $29,000 email.

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  Coaches Corner: A decade of success

  Kris Richardson, Folsom football team enter 2018 with 10 years of success behind them.

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  Coaches Corner: Assistant buy-in

  Being a great leader requires a great staff.

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  Coaches Corner: The pregame routine

  Rancho Verde in preparation for its Regional Bowl game.

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  Coaches Corner: Will players remember you?

  Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells thanked high school coach during enshrinement speech.

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  Coaches Corner: Unconventional kickoffs

  Learn to take the squib or pooch kick and actually gain yards.

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  Coaches Corner: Dealing with selfishness

  Allowing the ‘Me’ mentality dangerous to success of team, individual.

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  Coaches Corner: Evaluating your coaches

  Use these steps to see if a coach should remain on board, or if you should go separate ways.

Coaches Corner: 6 Q’s with IL champ coach

Influencing what kids do away from football can have a great effect.

 

Coaches Corner: Same district for 43 years

Charter Oak’s Lou Farrar shares what has enabled him to stay so long at his alma mater.

 

Coaches Corner: 10 Q’s with IL champ coach

Maine South doesn’t put a time limit on workouts and also encourages players to play other sports.

 

Coaches Corner: 3 special teams essentials

Spending time on the third phase of the game is important for winning programs.

 

Coaches Corner: A look at 7-on-7 football

Club football can help talent evaluators reveal character traits, and possibly red flags, of an athlete.

 

Coaches Corner: Marketing your athletes

Honesty, originality and a phone call show college coaches commitment to your players.

 

Coaches Corner: ATL Falcons lessons

The Super Bowl participants’ race to the big game gives plenty of lessons to high school coaches.

 

Coaches Corner: Keys to motivation

Applying societal trends to your coaching can produce wonderful results.

Coaches Corner: 10 Q’s with Calif. champ

From 8-man to big glory, Sierra Canyon coach has won multiple California state titles.

Coaches Corner: Tips for pregame prep

These methods can maximize focus for your players ahead of kickoff.

Coaches Corner: No. 1 mistake coaches make with their pregame

Coaches weigh in on biggest gaffes prior to kickoff.

 

Coaches Corner: Pregame mistakes

Teaching, lack of organization, paying attention to weather, showing opponent your game plan are things to avoid during warm-ups.

 

Coaches Corner: Digging out of a big hole

You can take steps to help your team erase a large second-half deficit.

Coaches Corner: 7 Q’s with AZ champ coach

The leader of Arizona’s top high school program makes sure to test his players against the best of the best.

Coaches Corner: Create team-first mindset

Applying rules, making all feel important and growing student leaders creates environment where ‘We’ is stronger than ‘Me.’

 

Coaches Corner: How a girl got scholarship

Becca Longo of Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) goes from high school kicker to playing football and basketball at Division II Adams State.

 

Coaches Corner: Culture improvement part 4

Getting other athletes and students involved is key to your program’s success

 

Coaches Corner: Culture improvement part 3

Instead of treating it like a business or a top-down power structure, make changes to make your program feel like a family.

 

Coaches Corner: Culture improvement part 2

Get your players prepared for games by changing things up in practices.

 

Coaches Corner: Culture improvement part 1

See the first edition of a series on changing the culture of your football program.

 

Coaches Corner: 5 Q’s with HS

High school to Houston: Making the coach at the D-1 level.

 

Coaches Corner: How to replace a legend

Learn more about how one school went about choosing a successor to a 31-year legend.

 

Coaches Corner: 8 seed to state champ

San Clemente High in Southern California pulled off a 6-0 postseason to win a very unlikely state title.

 

Coaches Corner: 7 questions with AL champ

Competition in all areas helps players develop in the weight room, on the field and in the classroom.

Coaches Corner: Scheduling ‘up’

The example of La Mirada is one of rising up to the level of competition.

 

Coaches Corner: 10 ways to prepare defense

Looking at film isn’t enough. Take special notes to help with preparation.

 

Coaches Corner: D-2 recruiting insight

Azusa Pacific University coach Victor Santa Cruz talks about how his staff handles recruiting.

 

Coaches Corner: People are most important

Getting tasks done isn’t the only role of successful coaching staff. The human element plays a role as well.

 

Coaches Corner: Choosing captains idea

Mike MacIntyre at Colorado found an interesting method of picking captains for his team.

 

Coaches Corner: 3 ways to get discipline

Discipline doesn’t just happen. Make sure to follow these guidelines to ensure it takes effect.

 

Coaches Corner: Stay as assistant?

Becoming a head coach is a titanic change. Make sure to ask yourself these questions if you are considering making the leap.

 

Coaches Corner: How to announce leaving

It isn’t easy telling kids and coaches that you are moving on.

 

Coaches Corner: Creating turnover culture

A turnover circuit can help defenders get in the habit of gunning for turnovers.

 

Coaches Corner: Walk-on coach keys

Having a presence on campus is tougher when the head coach does not work as a teacher.

Coaches Corner: Should you be a head coach

There are clues out there if you are wondering if you can handle the job.

Coaches Corner: Building numbers

Coaches Corner: Four clinic tips

Clinics are supposed to be about fun and learning – make sure you are taking advantage of all the opportunities.

 

Coaches Corner: Prepping for recruiting

Openness, honesty, involvement are keys to getting student-athletes going on recruiting process.

 

Coaches Corner: Recruiting timeline

A look at what to expect throughout high school in the college football recruiting process.

 

Coaches Corner: Bond with college coaches

Being honest and accommodating to college coaches will help you form strong bonds.

 

Coaches Corner: Season-ending survey

Talking around can provide coaches with insight into ways to improve the program.

 

Coaches Corner: End-of-year meetings

1-1 players meetings after the season can be crucial for the program’s health as well as ensuring you and team are on same page.

 

Coaches Corner: Overblowing scholarships

Sometimes the quest for a college spot can have negative effects on high school.

 

Coaches Corner: Cameras in the locker room

Get ahead of any potential issues with live streaming and get a social media policy drawn up.

Coaches Corner: Social media presence keys

Having an account is not enough. Follow these tips to get the most out of social media.

 

Coaches Corner: 5 ways to know time to go

Is your job still making you yearn to be a better coach? Check out these five signs that it might be time to look elsewhere.

 

Coaches Corner: 10 questions with TX champ

The coach of the Texas Class 3A, Division II champions provides insight into what he does for his program.

 

Coaches Corner: Day with finalist coach

A look at the biggest game of the year for La Jolla Country Day and its coaching staff.

 

Coaches Corner: End-of-year evaluation

Be sure to assess areas in special teams with numbers to see where you may have lost advantages.

Coaches Corner: 3 things for rain games

If you aren’t planning ahead when it’s wet, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage.

 

Coaches Corner: Fight late-season fatigue

The cold weather and week-by-week pounding make it harder for players to stay in peak condition. Check out how to fight back.

 

Coaches Corner: The 4 fights of a team

Following these policies will make your team better.

 

Coaches Corner: hostile environments

You might need to prepare differently for that hostile environment.

 

Coaches Corner: Kickoff 10 commandments

Set the tone with a great kickoff team, and make sure to heed these tips.

 

Coaches Corner: 21 years in one place

Here are some keys and insight into being in one place for the long haul.

Coaches Corner: Film watch time wasters

Make the most of your time with film by paying attention to these details.

Coaches Corner: Facing parent criticism

Coaches Corner: 5 post-game speech rules

Coaches Corner: Avoid 3 halftime mistakes

Make the most of your 15 minutes, it’ll help in the second half.

Coaches Corner: Be a great assistant

Every program needs great assistant coaches who are there to serve the head coach and program.

Coaches Corner: The bad snap drill

Failure to prepare is preparation for failure. Get your punter ready for that bad snap.

 

Coaches Corner: Preparing, the day before

Treating the day before a game as more of a mental practice can pay big dividends.

Coaches Corner: Help media, help yourself

 

Coaches Corner: Being a better leader

Working to raise others to your level can have stellar impacts for any coach.

 

Coaches Corner: 10 commandments of punting

Punting is confusing to some teams, and there is a huge potential for disaster if not done right.

 

Coaches Corner: How to talk to officials

Treating officials how you would want to be treated can avoid nastiness on the sideline.

 

Coaches corner: Never-punt philosophy

A coach who gained notoriety by never punting was bitten by the strategy in a big game. But does it still work?

 

Coaches Corner: Talking to recruiters

How Arkansas State uses a total team effort to find the best 25 recruits for the Red Wolves’ football program.

 

Coaches Corner: How to get parents engaged

Two simple perspectives can help get manpower and donations to your program.

 

Coaches corner: Lessons via expert witness

All coaches can learn a few things when told about situations where coaching staffs face lawsuits.

 

Coaches Corner: Special teams organization

Special teams shouldn’t be an afterthought. Make time for your program to focus on punts, kickoffs and returns.

 

Coaches Corner: Games as community events

Increasing attendance at your football games is not easy. Get your local community involved!

 

Coaches Corner: Coaches lose sleep on this

This week we reveal those things that worry coaches ahead of their debuts.

 

Coaches Corner: Maximize organization during scrimmages

Use your scrimmage as a chance to make sure your coaching staff is ready for things that can arise during the regular season.