September 9, 2014
WYC 017 Shane Sams – CoachXO.com – Youth Football
What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Shane Sams shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.
Shane Sams is the founder of CoachXO.com, a high-school football defensive coordinator, and the co-founder with his wife of Flippedlifestyle.com. Shane brings a wealth of valuable football experience from coaching at the college and high-school levels. He hosts the podcast ‘The Coach X O Show’ and co-hosts with his wife Jocelyn ‘The Flipped Lifestyle Podcast.’ Alan lives in Kentucky with his wife and 2 kids – daughter Anna and son Isaac.
Website: CoachXO.com and Flippedlifestyle.com
Twitter:@CoachXO and @FlippedLS
Facebook: /CoachXO and /FlippedLifestyle
Youtube: /CoachXO
Listen NOW:
Listen in ITunes: Itunes link
Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link
Coaching/Leadership Quote
▪ ‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’
My ‘Cringe’ Moment
▪ Trying to coach high-school kids like they were college kids. Particularly emotionally.
Coaching AH-HA Moment
▪ It does not matter what I know – it only matters what the players know. Be deliberate and define clearly. ‘I stopped using football terms and used words they know’
Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun
HUGE IDEA #1 – SIMPLIFY! Coach Sams identifies 5 skills for each position – then those are the only skills they teach in practice for the entire year. For younger kids maybe only 3 or 4 skills. Repetitions are key – don’t keep changing things up.
- Fun games:
- The give-up drill – 3 blockers defending a pad vs. 1 player
- Defend the box
Best Stolen Idea
▪ ‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’
Great Resources
▪ CoachHuey.com – Great football x’s and o’s
▪ Connect with coaching forums – CoachXO.com/forums, facebook, twitter
Discipline
▪ ‘I have no set rules. Every situation demands my research’
Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding
- The biggest reward is: Playing Time
Inspiring Story
- Kid with great attitude but not very talented – scored a TD on senior night
Winning
- You play to win – but make sure you evaluate where your team is at.
- Set mini-goals within the game and emphasize those instead of the winning.
The One that Got Away
- Freshman long-snapper – enough said
Coaching/Leadership Motivation
▪ Quote – ‘‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’
▪ Book – ‘Developing a Defensive Gameplan’ – Kenny Ratledge
Parting Advice
HUGE IDEA #2 – ‘Don’t re-invent the wheel – You are not Vince Lombardi’ – go find something that works and copy it – you will put your own signature on it
Coach XO and Flippedlifestyle
▪ Coach XO- Great football info and great forums
▪ Flippedlifestyle – Blog about working from home
Interview Links / Promotional Partners
Who are You – The Life Lessons of Sports
Enjoyed this content and like the site serving youth coaches!
Blessings to your endeavors!