10 Days & Counting!!

The countdown has officially started & we are down to 10 days. 4 practices left. That's it! It's our time to shine! I am so proud of how far this team has come this season. Each player has played a special role.  We have to remember that football is a game that is sometimes decided by 1 play.  Last week proved that.  We can do this.

We just need to dominate our opponent.  We have to remember that as a team we win! It's our time... From the Start to the Finish... 


Every one on this team has a role & if we focus on that for the next 10 days we will be victorious! This is Aftershock football!

Post Game Speech!

Super Bowl Bound!!! (PART 2)

Part 2 - The Preparation

Practice before the playoffs

So what does a good team do when they lose the last game of the season? Pout? Cry? I don't know because I don't have a good team.  I have a GREAT team! Each coach took personal responsibility for a part of our strategy and decided that they would come up with ways to overcome what had just happened.  The only bad thing was that we had 2 weeks before our next game.  Any parent who has ever had to endure a "Winter/Summer/Spring break" knows how hard it can be for a kid to get back in the swing of things after any kind of break.  Why would flag football be any different?


I need to pause here and explain why I make sure to point out that I coach Flag football.  There are several reasons and one of them is NOT to relive my glory days like Al Bundy did on "Married with Children".  #1 - My sons play & I wanted to spend time with them. #2 - I love football and love coaching kids.  There are other reasons, but for right now, those will do.  I am a volunteer out there. My kids don't get paid.  There aren't scouts looking for the next great flag puller. (Well, other than the other coaches who might be looking for a player to join them the following season I haven't seen any) 


Anyhow... After a week off of practice, my team got together for a full practice and let me just make a point to say that it was obvious that there had been a "Break" in our regular cycle.  You can tell when kids are just not 100% into something & our first practice after that loss & a week off was evidence of that. Fortunately for me, I was only there for part of the practice because I had to referee another game.  By the time I got there, I noticed that there was some confusion among everybody!  So, I made a very clear point to everyone. YOU WILL COME PREPARED TOMORROW!!!  I really did say that. Guess what happened?  It worked! 


The kids came ready to learn & practice & we ran practice at full speed and with so much intensity that it almost didn't seem like flag football.  The coaches felt good.  The kids did great. The parents seemed to be really into it!  Afterwards, we rewarded the kids with some ice cream and FUN was had by all.  I gave them a pep talk to send them on their way & the final piece of the puzzle was soon to be put into place.  *Cue drum roll..... I would NOT be calling the plays out on the field with the kids.  One of the Assistant Coaches would.  This was at the request of my #2 man... The Assistant Assistant coach...  He thought it would be better for me to be on the sideline and just give my input from there & to watch the game.  Guess what? I loved the idea!  I would be lying if I would say that I was 100% in love with it... but for the most part I did really love it.  So, I did what any smart coach would do. I empowered the team & the "Coach" to work together & threw in one more trick play just to "stir the pot".  I am like the "Mad Hatter" of Flag Football... AND I LOVE IT! 


48 hours till the playoff game! 

Make-Up Game

Well, it's about that time!!! Time to make up for our rained out game from week 1.  With only 4 days of rest in between and just enough time for an impromptu practice I am getting my team ready for what is sure to be the game of the week! 
We are playing a very quick and very physical team this Wednesday night and the game plan is simple.  Control the tempo of the game and no matter what... Do NOT let their runners get to the outside!  My team has some pretty quick players and I don't doubt that we can score on this team.  The issue is going to be getting those 1st year gitters out of my players heads in time.  I just need to explain to them that all they have to do is attack and as the cheerleaders say, Be Aggressive!! Be Be Aggressive!!  If we can do that, we will have a really good shot at winning.

I don't have time to teach any NEW plays or Trick plays so we will have to rely on what worked for us in game 1 and make sure that the defense is on point. I mean, really that's all I can ask.  Especially since this was a last minute decision to have the game on such short notice.

That's okay though.  I am not worried.  My team is full of great kids that want to win and are learning the basics of the game while having fun doing it.  I guess... No. I know that there is a part of me that doesn't want to be 0-2 going into a bye week, so it's going to be pretty important that I motivate my players tonight at practice and tomorrow during our pre-game warm up to PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY!

I am NOT a Notre Dame fan, but Coach Lou Holtz is a great motivator... Even for a Miami fan I have to say that the man could coach... So, my inspiration today comes from him -

Coach Holtz said,
“I’m going to put it in the same place [as it used to be] and everybody is going to hit it on the way out to the field to remind them of all the sacrifices they have made, their families have made and other people have made for them to be there.”

Now, I just need to get my team to believe in it and perform like it!

Go Aftershock!

-Coach Carlos