WYC 035 Brian Brunkow from ZeroOffseason.com talks Football, Concussions, and Coaching kids with Divorced Parents

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Brian Brunkow shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach. Brian is the founder of ZeroOffseason.com, where he trains wide receivers and blogs about youth sports, concussions, recruiting, and many more topics.  Brian is a divorce attorney and financial planner.  His background in divorce law has given him a unique perspective on the importance of dealing with divorced parents when coaching young athletes.  Brian began coaching his Junior year of High School, and has been coaching football ever since.  He recently was added to the speaker bureau at Glazier Clinics and will be speaking at their Head Coach Academy this spring on "Recruiting Regulations Every High School Head Coach Must Know." Website: zerooffseason.com Blog: zerooffseason.blogspot.com Twitter: @ZeroOffseason Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Coaching/Leadership Quote 'We run a forward-looking operation' - Chip Kelly after tough loss My ‘Cringe’ Moment Ego - Early on Brian ran a no-huddle offense just to get penalties on the defense - but in retrospect - what was he really accomplishing? Priorities - Was he focused on winning, or developing ALL of the kids? Leadership - It's easy to get caught up in the moment and fail to communicate with your assistant coaches - prioritize over-communicating with your assistants My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment Importance of communicating at the level they can understand - and keep the explanation short (under 10 seconds) Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun Cross-train kids on different positions within a sport - they learn the game much better Explain the 'Why' - so they can truly learn the game From post-game to Monday practice - have kids think of: 1 thing they did well 1 thing they want to improve on 1 lesson they learned Huge Idea #1 3 areas to have the kids focus: 1 - set process oriented goals (setting mini-goals within the game) 2 - get present (teach the kid the big red delete button) 3 - control the controllables Mental Peak Performance Huge Idea #2 Play present - The delete button, and 'put on the thought-brakes' Visualization - 2 things: 1 - Visualize the worst-case scenario - and realize that failure will not define you 2 - Post-game - Parents/coaches - Don't discuss suggested improvements for at least 24 hours after a game Coaching Resources Bookmark your state's interscholastic site - free resources on safety, concussions, etc. 'Peak Performance Sports' newsletter by Dr. Patrick Cohn - lots of mental tips Ted Talks - Great talks, one on 'grit' is great Your library Concussion Safety Best resource - go to Center for Disease Control website The 2nd concussion is the most dangerous one! Things to look for: Sluggish behavior Slurring words Change in behavior USA Football offers a great program: 'Heads-up Football' Discipline Don't use conditioning as a punishment 3 Types of mistakes: 1 - Mental errors - Find a consequence that hits home with the athlete 2 - Behavior errors - 3 strikes then you're sitting out the rest of practice 3 - Safety errors - get parents involved Rewards/Teambuilding Focus rewards on process more than outcomes To inspire conditioning - when offense scores, offense gets to do 7 push-ups; when defense stops offense, defense gets to do 7 push-ups Inspiring Story Kid whose parents were going through tough divorce - Brian really poured into this kid and tried to make a difference in this young man's life The One that Got Away In a game where they were heavily outmatched physically - Brian and his coaches spent halftime trying to figure out technical adjustments - he wished he had spent the time just teaching life lessons Best Stolen/Borrowed Idea Chip Kelly - after tough loss,