As camp is about a week away , the real work is done and the hope for any coach is starting camp with a large majority of his players being better than they were the last time they were on the field as a team. Pre-season 7 on 7 , lifting, running, working with personal coaches , working on footwork ,, explosiveness , speed , technique, strength , endurance et al is ending. Have a lot of the players made those strides that are imperative to success year in and year out .
Coaching is teaching , the best coaches I had were also good teachers. In the academic realm they like to measure a 'year of academic growth" , the best school districts have the highest percentage of students who have that full measurable goal of academic growth. The lesser performing districts have more kids who lag a bit behind and don't consistently achieve that full year of growth.
Football players also can grow in a way that measures a FULL year of that improvement . The year starts in camp and the growth goes until cap starts the next year . There are a few ways this growth can be measured. Size is an obvious one, as some kids do get taller , fill out a bit naturally but of course can add size by lifting , eating right , taking care of themselves well etc. Strength gains are easily measured in the context of how much weight you are lifting in your workouts m but also functional strength than can't be seen until you perform on the field .
Linemen's Leg drive and increased ability to drive kids off the ball , hold blocks, finish blocks and footwork are all things that can be improved year to year. Running backs' leg drive which makes them harder to bring down on contact. You see a big jump from say Sophomore year to Senior year in this respect. Quick feet , stronger feet , more stable base better balance , FINISH runs stronger .
Full years growth means putting in the work iiiin the weight room in the off-season, working on your feet and technique , running and agility , hands , QB's arm strength that comes with better footwork and a stronger base which is only gained from work with weights and reps on the field .
Defensively , increased ability to get off blocks , better initial punch{ O-Line too obviously } and overall strength and agility improvements that help with these things. The full year of growth shows I the mental part as well as you become more confident in the schemes , your alignments, knowing your assignments that allow you to play faster and with more confidence. You recognize things a bit more quickly which can be the difference between a first down and a punt , a completion or a pass break-up .
Many NFL players say there is a 'Sweet spot" in their careers where they are in or very close to their physical prime AND they have the experience that allows them to play faster and or the game slows down for them. In a HS career the journey is quicker and players don't often lose physical capabilities unless they suffer major injuries and even then unless it's multiple they usually recover . But there is definitely that point where kids can reach a point by getting that years growth consistently , are coachable , work hard and are focused where it comes together. They have a breakout type season where things click and they up their level of play.
Last year you saw some of the kids really get better and break-out a bit . This year we will find out soon , but in see some of the top end Juniors { Williams Kirk , Threats among others} to have breakout years after very solid Soph years but were interrupted by Injury or in Threats case the transfer rule . Rocks had a nice 11-2 year that didn't come without some adversity injury wise. Three big tome performers missed significant time . Kirk missed 3-4 games, Diallo 5,, Williams 4 , Threats Kirk and Diallo all missed the Davidson game which really was significant . { Davidson was missing Keys} Other games could have gone the other way but were secured without some of these guys .
Which brings us to a breakout guy last year. Drennan will always be the first FOUR year starter in Coffman history { Kirk will join him next year being number 2 } Mike has a solid Frosh year , but had a injury plagued Soph. Season . Last year he came in stronger and more explosive and with the injury to Diallo had to play a lot more RB and take a lot more hits. He was the team MVP as he consistently make big difference making plays . Pick North he was a workhorse running the ball , Against Olentangy he made a few key plays late , Marysville game he was the guy when a paly was needed either in the running game or passing game. He took a huge leap in his development both mentally and physically and took big strides in his maturity and leadership within the team. MVP .
I see a few of the Juniors to make the jump Mike made from Soph. to Junior year. NFL camps opening up, College and HS not far behind, it's about time.
