The Countdown to Fall Camp: Preparation & Self-Assessment

 My first season as a DC is closing in, and as anybody who knows me will attest that I err on the side of OVER-preparing. In fact, the first expectation I will list for myself and the defensive staff reads as follows: "I will NEVER be out-prepared by my competition."

There are a lot of things we can't control. But one thing we can be sure we do is prepare at an elite level. Average teams can overachieve with excellent preparation. And excellent preparation begins with coaches. We should hit our Monday meetings with great enthusiasm and confidence. That will end up rubbing off on our players, even if it takes some time. As a new DC, it will take time for me to settle into a routine, for the kids to acclimate to my style, and for the routine to become second nature. 

I have the incredible good fortune to be part of a stellar defensive staff that are experts at their positions. I have a ton of confidence in those guys and their ability to study and scout an opponent. How then, can we begin to inch our players toward that same level of commitment to preparation? I firmly believe Fall Camp is a massive opportunity to instill certain ways of thinking. Chief among this is self-assessment and self scouting. Coaches have to do it to be effective, even though at times it isn't fun to relive your mistakes. Players have to do it as well, within their own orbit. 

My plan is to have a required self assessment for our players defensively, for each day of camp:

• What did I do well today? BE SPECIFIC.
• What did I struggle with today? BE SPECIFIC.
• What will I do tomorrow to improve on my performance today? BE SPECIFIC.

This will be a new policy, and like most things, making it a habit will take some work. But by requiring the kids to self-assess early, we have a real opportunity to try and instill new habits. And when you are in year 2 of rebuilding a program as we are, new habits are a huge part of the landscape of improvement. 

There are no guarantees that any strategy developed in the summer will be successful. As teachers we know full well that we will have to monitor and adjust. But by making a priority of instilling self-assessment as a value, we can set our kids up for success as athletes and as people.