Coaching your coaches: the things that coaches have to know to stay on top of their game.

One of the few things that athletic directors never have to worry about is the paucity of responsibilities. These always abound, and high up on the list of "things that have to be done" is the coaching of the coaches.

We are not playing on words. Although almost every coach has been an athlete, has a knowledge of strategy, and has some background in the coaching of skills, many coaches need guidance and help in other areas.

In coaching, for example, there are procedures and rules that have to be observed always and high expectations from the athletes, parents, media, and community.

Coaches will appreciate help when dealing with these constituencies. Coaches who haven't been around that long will have problems cutting a squad, formulating team rules, and developing a system for awarding letters.

At Eastern Tech, we believe in providing education and guidance for all of our coaches. We start with a meeting of the coaches at the beginning of the school year. The meeting is planned for two hours and has a detailed and focussed agenda.

A typed copy of everything that will be discussed is sent to all the coaches. Anything which the coaches will need to meet their responsibilities and help them with their season is covered in this meeting.

We never assume that anything is ever totally understood or retained. We spell it out and then repeat it whenever necessary - just the way we teach students or instruct athletes. Since learning continues throughout life, repetition is an important part of the process.

The immense value of weekly memos should never be overlooked. Time is too valuable and usually limited, and one of the best ways of managing it is by communicating through memos. Memos are very efficient and can also be very productive.

We use memos to keep our coaches updated on (1) league and regional meetings, (2) new directives from our state association, and (3) the latest developments within our school and athletic program.

We urge our coaches to keep these memos on file and thus retain an accurate record of what has been covered. This is important for accountability and future reference.

Also as a reminder and for future reference, we regularly publish an "Upcoming Dates" sheet that includes the deadline for eligibility forms, award lists, and even the dates of the department fund-raisers. If you computerize the document, you will be able to amend it within minutes and reissue it. There is no reason for a coach ever to forget an important date.

We similarly distribute a "Coach's Check-Off" list to all of our coaches (See Illustration), enabling the coaches to keep track of their many responsibilities. If one of the deadlines for an item is missed, the athletic director can use this form to remind the coach of his dereliction.

It is also important, we feel, to photocopy and to share pertinent articles from professional publications with our coaches. These articles may deal with safety, motivation, relationships with parents, requirements to earn a letter, or possibly tips on cutting a squad.

The distribution of such helpful articles on current issues and developments represents continuing education at its best.

Throughout the year, we also distribute various written guidelines and direction sheets. We provide comprehensive and standardized written procedures on such materials as:

1. Instructions for fund-raising, including all of the pertinent information that coaches have to explain to their athletes.

2. Procedures for running awards banquets. Prior to each banquet, the coaches are given a copy of these procedures to ensure a smooth operation.

3. Guidelines for our pre-season parents meetings are also distributed prior to each season. As with most of our documents, we seek suggestions for improvement and revise the guidelines annually.

Fortunately for us, most of our coaches also teach within our school. The memos, upcoming dates sheet, coach's checklist, photocopies of pertinent articles, copies of guidelines and directions, are placed in their faculty mailboxes.

For those teaching in other schools, we regularly send this information through the interschool mail. For coaches who are non-teachers, we provide a faculty mailbox for this purpose. Our communication system is designed to include all of our coaches.

In addition to our group or collective effort with our coaches, we individually mentor coaches. We take a coach under our wings and provide one-on-one guidance. Mentoring is not always in reference to a problem. It is also a pro-active teaching technique, not only for the new and beginning coaches (although they represent the largest segment), but for all coaches who can benefit from some advice and wisdom.

Typically, our head coaches, mentor their young or new assistants. Everyone within our athletic department thus operates with the same information, procedures, and expectations. The hope is that a uniform effort will emerge.

The last step in the coaching of our coaches is a yearly coaching evaluation. This kind of coaching evaluation is instructional in nature, listing the areas in need of improvement as well as positive aspects of one's coaching.

The better we instruct and guide our coaches, the better they will lead their teams. Obviously, "coaching our coaches" has a direct effect on our athletes and programs. This effort is, therefore, vital to the ultimate success of our programs and the welfare of our athletes.

Among the other charts distributed by the athletic department: Fall Practice Information, Guidelines for Pre-Season Parents' Meetings, and a reminder sheet for team candidates.

TABLE 1

Upcoming Dates

MOUNDAY, AUG. 17 Fall sports Parents' Night - 6:30 pm MONDAY, AUG. 24 1st Fal Fund Raiser - Pizza Sales - starts TUESDAY, AUG. 25 Fall eligibility forms due THURSDAY, AUG. 27 Team photos for fall sports - 2:30 pm FRIDAY, SEPT. 4 1st Fall Fund Raiser - ends MONDAY, SEPT. 28 2nd Fall Fund Raiser - candy sales - starts FRIDAY, OCT. 9 2nd Fall Fund Raiser - ends THURSDAY, NOV 5 Candidates' meetings for winter sports in Gym #1 - 2:30 pm TUESDAY, NOV. 24 Team photos for winter sports - 2:30 pm MONDAY, JAN. 4 1st Winter Fund Raiser - Pizza Sales - starts FRIDAY, JAN. 15 1s Winter Fund Raiser - ends MONDAY, FEB. 1 2nd Winter Fund Raiser - candy sale - starts FRIDAY, FEB. 12 2nd Winter Fund Raiser - ends MONDAY, APRIL 12 1st Spring Fund Raiser - candy sale - starts FRIDAY, APRIL 23 1st Spring Fund Raiser - ends MONDAY, APRIL 26 2nd Spring Fund Raiser - pizza sale - starts FRIDAY, MAY 7 2nd Spring Fund Raiser - ends

TABLE 2

Coach's Checklist

NAME: DATE:

PRE-SEASON

1. Attend County Coaches Meeting 2. Team eligibility form 3. Permit Blanks 4. Informed Consent forms 5. Medical forms 6. Copy of team rules 7. Criteria for earning a letter 8. Method for cutting the squad (in written form) 9. Team roster for faculty members 10. Team roster for media and other schools 11. Other

SEASON

1. Vouchers - due 7:45 am the following day

2. Score sheets - due 7: 45 am the following day

3. Call 828-SCOR - immediately after the game

4. File report for injuries or behavioral problems - due the following day

5. Application & team photo for State Tourney - due as indicated in the MPSSAA Bulletin

6. All-Academic list and Minds In Motion - due as noted on the form

POST-SEASON

1. Inventory 2. Awards list 3. Keys 4. Baltimore County Policy Manual & MPSSAA Rule Book 5. Missing uniforms/equipment list 6. Distribute team awards 7. Store uniforms & equipment 8. Other