Coach’s Corner: The Other Ninety Percent — The Final Product

Posted at 6:00am — 6/5/2008

Coach’s Corner: The Other Ninety Percent — The Final Product

Those who only follow the success of a favorite program and have not actually participated in the development and management of an athletic program hold the assumptions that program development and improvement is straightforward and can be accomplished quickly. This is not so, please note the many big name universities who have struggled for decades to get to the top tier with little success. The coaching names and publicity change, but the results stay the same. There are coaching destinations that successful coaches avoid (applying for jobs) like the plague, while the “hot” new names with recent, but minimal, overall success, readily accept. The payday is bigger, but the task is daunting.

Developing a program that has been at ground zero and remained firmly entrenched in mediocrity, regardless of the temporary custodian, is past challenging. The task is fraught with naysayers who are typically filled with negative expectations, replete with energy and time necessities that can tax even the most vibrant, and is dependent on the patience and perception of others, who can see the progress more so than the struggle.

It is exceptionally difficult to take a program to new heights, but this happens enough times that such an accomplishment is not mistakenly labeled a miracle. This phenomenon of upward success is less common than the recycled failure that continues to surround familiar programs. It is the opinion of the author that rebuilding/developing a program at the major college level is exponentially more difficult than a similar challenge at the high school level, and even slightly more difficult than rebuilding a professional program.

Being difficult does not mean impossible. And so, this final article in the series ties the themes of change, cognitive functions, and success together in a discussion of program development. There are assumptions that must be stated beforehand. First, all facilities and talent are not equal. Second, some institutions have an academic climate historically more hostile to athletics and the associated university programs. Finally, the vision and logical progression of program development must be addressed rapidly upon taking over a program. Perhaps, even as an initial task upon employment.

The above premises are related to the executive functions discussed in article two, cognitive functions. Except this time it is the coaching staff who will be challenged for solutions, not the players. Any coaching staff developing a dead horse program comes in with a vision, but the vision must be implemented. Assuming adequate, not superior, resources, the king of any executive function in developing a program is clearly management. Management is always talked about, but fans assume most coaches have the same approximate level of management. This is patently incorrect. Just like some coaches have more knowledge than their peers, some coaches excel at management. It is nearly impossible to advance the low-lying program without superior management from the very start. The window of opportunity is shorter in such circumstances. Forget on the job training for management that is for the young assistants learning at the hand of the master.

Management results can be observed on the field, but in most cases it is the management that happens out of public witness that accelerates program development. Those tireless meetings months in advance that gather new cutting edge techniques, that gathers more knowledge about the opponent than the opponent has about itself, that maximizes time usage, and systematically and sequentially improves players in all game facets at a faster rate than the competition. The ultimate goal of management is to not only speed up development, but ultimately to surpass the total sum of the competition.

Take anything necessary to succeed in college football; the playbook, physical drills, practice regimen, scouting, player evaluation, game preparation, hosting recruits, whatever, and strong management will increase production. Great, not average, management will result in an edge for the good guys. At this level of competition it is very hard to get any edge. But superior management is a resource that can be controlled by the staff, when funding, facilities, past history, and other impediments may be temporarily out of a head coach’s control.

The venture of program development through sound management is not glamorous, nor is it fun. But with the high level of competition, management becomes a prerequisite for success. Results are frequently seen as increments, where steady progress is made and then there is a plateau period. A good program demonstrates improvement, plateaus off slightly, and then climbs again. The process is repeated until the very top of the pinnacle is reached. At this time, the toughest management challenge arises, keeping the team at the very top of the competitive heap. Peaks and valleys in program success (winning) is an indicator that the competition likely has a leg up, assuming the talent gap is not overwhelming (a typical occurrence in high school programs that rebuild every year or two).

And so, the age-old and tested success skill of management becomes paramount. Somewhere along the line it will be the difference between victory and defeat. Somewhere along the line, the extra effort expended to cover every base, think of every possibility, prepare for every scenario, and leave nothing to luck or chance pays off with big dividends, perhaps even a national title. So, who in the Big Ten has found the most success with the management model? It is painfully obvious.

Never doubt the difference maker the mental side of athletics truly is. It is the hope of the author that the four articles have been informative and have shed some light on the complexity of the mental side of sports.

Yogi was right; the other 90% is mental. What would Yogi say about the need of management for success and change? Probably something like this: “You need a manager in baseball.” And you do in everything else as well.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu

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