2015 New Braunfels jr cougars FOOTBALL Team Handbook

Transcription

1 2015 New Braunfels jr cougars FOOTBALL Team Handbook

2 Mission Statement JR Cougars Youth Football and Cheer Association believe in the future of our kids through academics, social achievement, and having fun and positive experiences both on and off the football field. Our goal will be to; Teach the fundamentals of football Teach the kids an understanding and appreciation for sportsmanship so that they exhibit sportsmanship at all times Provide a safe environment for the kids Build a love for the game of football and have such a positive experience for the kids that it brings them back to the JR Cougars program year after year. Coaching Staff Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Name Phone Team Rules To play football for the JR Cougars is a privilege. Our football players are expected to be great students and great citizens in our community. You are expected to get your homework done each and every day, after school and prior to practice. We expect the following; Must attend practice and be on time Must respect the referees and your opponents What the coach says goes, no back talking Must show up on time for the pre-game Respect fellow players Respect and take care of your equipment Turn in your Weekly Academic Accountability forms and keep up on your schoolwork Weekly Eligibility Feedback Form Once school starts, Thursday is Academic night. All players must bring in their Academic Accountability Report. Academic Accountability Sheets will go out on Tuesday and turned back in on Thursday before practice. The player s teacher will check and score the players effort and behavior for that week as do the parents. Those players that do not bring back a sheet on Thursday will get a zero for the week and run after practice. Team mom tallies the scores for the week, calls or sends to the President with the team total score only. We will then take the total number of kids on the team and divide by the total number of points that will give us a team average. On

3 the following Thursday, the team with the highest total the previous week, gets 4 extralarge pizzas delivered to their practice site. The team mom will keep a running log on all the team players individually and we will hand out little helmet decals for academic performance weekly. We will hand out one decal for scores of 15-20, two decals for scores of points and three decals for perfect scores of 25. At seasons end we will hand out awards to the year s best Academic Performer. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT We will use a program that involves a weekly that includes video clips. The character traits that we are trying to encourage are: honesty, integrity, personal, responsibility, humility, hardwork, perseverance, compassion, teamwork, loyalty, unity and faith. Missing Practices Our practice is a technique and timing based system that is taught in a set progression, meaning that if a player misses a practice, they will miss a key piece of the puzzle. We will start promptly at 6pm and end at 8pm unless of an extremely odd situation and or circumstance. We expect the same from you; if you miss we need to know ahead of time. If you have an injury, we expect you to be at practice to listen. Practice times can also be adjusted for Daylight Savings Time. Acceptable Excused Absences (Must be approved ahead of time) Church Functions Academic Functions (Contest) Illness requiring player to miss school School Suspension Unexcused Other Athletic Contests Injury Social Functions (Skating Parties, etc.) Fatigue It is very important that you make every practice so you do not miss anything. If any player is going to miss a practice for whatever reason, he must contact his or her Head Coach or Team Mom (See above). No other form of communication will be accepted. Contacting any other coach or parent to communicate that message will be considered an unexcused absence and you will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including losing playing privileges. If you are ineligible for a game during the season, you are still required to attend the game (wearing your game jersey without pads, helmet etc.). This is a team and you

4 have committed to be an active member. If you fail to make a game and the absence is not excused you will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including losing you re playing privileges for the season. Respect Our coaches expect that you show respect to your teammates, parents, coaches, referees, your peers, game officials and spectators. You are expected to respect your equipment, which means you care for it as if you paid for it with your own money. DO NOT EVER THROW YOUR HELMET OR SIT ON IT! Coaches / Disciplinary ACTIONS Football is a physical sport. It requires a higher level of personal discipline than some sports because of its physical nature and safety related matters. You are expected to listen carefully to coaches for instruction and do as you are told. Our coaching staff will not tolerate talking back, fighting, excuses, profanity or any other form of disrespect on the football field. Your coaches take the responsibility of working with you very seriously. Some of our desires and goals are as follows: Lead, inspire and motivate Encourage, praise and reward excellent effort Discipline, correct, counsel and then encourage desired change Teach you about accountability for your personal actions Help you understand the importance of team Encourage you to reach goals, personal and team goals In the course of arriving at these goals you may from time to time have coaches raise their voices, give passionate, fiery speeches, challenge you to try harder, challenge you to focus, pay attention, be responsible, be accountable, go full speed and give 110% effort. Parents and players...don t be confused by the message or its delivery. We want the best for your child. We are making an investment in each and every life, that's why we coach and care deeply about their development. If we see a player not listening, or not hustling, we will ask that they refrain from doing so or we may send them running. Everyone needs to understand our boundaries and understand them early. We will raise our voice if we see someone not listening or hustling to get their attention. We won t do it if a player isn t athletic enough like dropping a ball, fumbling, etc. This is expected. Addressing Concerns with Coaches If a parent or interested party has a complaint we ask that they wait for 24 hours then discuss it with the coach before or after the practices or game. This will be known as the cooling off period. If the problem cannot be resolved then they will take their complaint to the Vice President over the program. If still no resolution can be made then they may take their complaint to the President for resolution.

5 equipment If you have equipment that is defective, please bring it to a coach's attention so changes can be made. Our player's safety is most important to us. Always wear your mouthpiece when contact is involved. All mouthpieces will be strapped to the helmet with the exception of flag. Visors are allowed but must be clear. Accountability We expect our players and parents to be accountable for arriving to practice on time and arriving to games on time. It is absolutely critical that you observe practice times and game times & arrive at the required time. Winning Games You will never hear us say that winning isn't important. Winning and losing is part of daily life. It's absolutely critical that our young people learn about both. Our goal however will never be to lose, so that leaves a goal of winning. Like with life we don't always reach our goals, but it's the journey that we take to achieve them where "real learning" takes place. We will not make winning our obsession. Winning is a by-product of hard work, discipline and intentional effort to exceed. We will coach this team to work hard, be disciplined and to make an intentional effort every play to exceed. If we win, that's great. If we don t, we evaluate the reasons why we didn't play our best; we communicate those evaluations to our players and make a commitment to do better next time. We will teach our players to be humble in victory and respect opponents. We will teach our players that not finishing on top is to be handled with grace, dignity and respect. Your support in our efforts to communicate and model this philosophy is greatly appreciated. Parent Conduct Coaches and the league expect parents to conduct themselves in a respectful manner to players, coaches, officials, and the league. Parents are expected to have good sportsmanship and encourage and inspire all players and league staff. But please ensure your encouragement is delivered with positive words and actions only. We will not tolerate disrespectful behavior especially toward the kids. Any Questions regarding parent conduct please set a meeting with the head coach. Thank you for your support and encouragement. We are going to have a tremendous season together. DRAMA

6 Some people just love creating drama for the sake of it. Creating drama and or unneeded gossip will not be tolerated. If you have a problem, wait the 24 hour period and discuss with a coach or board member. Playing Time and positions The head coach makes all playing times decisions. He will distribute a depth chart to the coaches with positions and playing time scenarios. We determine positions based on your sons or daughters ability, the team s needs, and lastly the players preference. We play kids in positions that are best for them and the team, not necessarily what they want to play. A player could play 2-3 different positions. We will try and get them a few snaps at what they want to play but keep in mind that isn t always possible. If your son/daughter is a start and we are up big early, he or she may not play a bunch in the second half, as we will sub generously. By the same token, if your son/daughter is not a starter and they get to play a bunch in some blowouts, do not get greedy and complain when we have a close game and he or she gets minimum playing time. There are many teams where they might not play at all, it usually all evens out in the end. We will not negotiate playing time with parents or change positions based on parent s recommendations. We will do what is best for the team and player, based on team s needs, and the player s ability. Please encourage your child no matter what positions they play or amount of time they play. Things always change. Some kids want to quit their first season but go on and regret it. Everyone has doubts and that is natural, but always finish the season. PRAYER You do not have to be a Christian to play for the JR Cougars. We accept all faiths and religions. WE DO NOT DISCRIMANATE. We do however, have prayer before practice and at every game asking Jesus for his safety and blessings but no one is required to participate. IT IS NOT MANDATORY. Please remember 1. THESE ARE KIDS 2. THIS IS A GAME 3. THE COACHES ARE VOLUNTEERS 4. THE REFEREES ARE HUMAN 5. THIS IS NOT THE SUPERBOWL We look forward to a Great Season and thank you and your family for being a part of it. If you would like to Volunteer and or coach next year, please get with us as soon as possible so that we can talk. Thank you and God Bless.

7 Game Day Guide Have your game gear ready to go the night before Get a good night s sleep Don t lie around all day, do something prior to arrival Don t eat junk food Think about your play assignments. If you need to, refer to your playbook. Make sure you have your gear before you leave the house. It is your responsibility. You MUST have all your gear to play in game. Be on time for pre-game warm ups & be ready to play. For a play to be successful, everyone must do his assignment correctly. We are a TEAM. As part of a TEAM, you have a responsibility to put forth your best effort. Go full speed on EVERY play, Do not rest on plays. Play every play until there s a whistle blown. Play hard, be positive, have fun and practice sportsmanship. IF YOU PLAY WITH HEART AND HUSTLE THEN WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.