Scholastic Coach articles from April 1994

Scholastic Coach archives from April 1994

Leadership tips from a man named Attila! (advice to athletics coaches and administrators based on principles of Attila the Hun)
April 1, 1994... Dr. Wess Roberts' Intriguing book on the Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun (Warner Books) delineates the leadership and managerial skills of the legendary sacker, and it convinces the reader (at least this one) that Attila would have made...

Does your school have a specific program for dialoguing with athletes on such subjects as sportsmanship, dealing with the press, improving team/player/coach rapport, etc.?
April 1, 1994... HAVING BEEN A coach earlier in my career, I allow my coaches to handle this matter in their own way. I believe this is the customary procedure in our area. Our league has been getting excellent results with a Sportsmanship Day. It is...

The hitter who went for 868. (Japanese baseball player Sadaharu Oh)
April 1, 1994... He stood up at the plate like a flamingo on one leg, But went on to Hit more career home runs than anyone in history. BACK IN THE WINTER OF 1968, WHEN BASEBALL started taking notice of a home-run hitting machine named Sadaharu Oh, we...

Four basic drills for punters.
April 1, 1994... THE SECRET OF SUCCESS in any sport is simple: practice, practice, practice. Not just any kind of practice, but proper practice - good fundamental drills that train the athlete to perform correctly and consistently. While the regimen must...

An 8 station hitting rotation. (baseball training)
April 1, 1994... Baseball coaches who are having trouble preparing the r hitters for the season would do well to explore the circuit training system. At Chandler, we have been getting excellent results with an eight-station hitting circuit that isolates the...

Lead front foot to be mitt. (training of baseball pitchers)
April 1, 1994... THOUGH PITCHING COACHES PAY voluminous lip service to the importance of good mechanics, many of them tend to shortchange a vital part of the pitching process - the positioning of the stride foot in landing. Think about it: What part of...

Fluidness of the blocks. (starting techniques for sprinters)
April 1, 1994... The sprinter's start remains one of the most difficult and often frustrating aspects of coaching. Having coached sprinters of all abilities from junior high school through the collegiate level, I am always on the look-out for anything that...

How to defense 3rd and long. (football techniques)
April 1, 1994... HOW MANY TIMES DOES YOUR defense get into 3rd and long and then have the offense complete a 12-yard pass between your underneath coverage and the safeties? To be effective on 3rd and long, you must have a game plan that enables you to...

Going weak from the Wing-T. (football offensive technique)
April 1, 1994... AFTER SEVERAL LACKLUSTER seasons at Dimond H. S., we introduced the Wing-T offense to Alaska football and good things started happening immediately. In our first year with the Wing-T in 1992, we set school records for rushing offense,...

Lighting to win. (lighting systems for athletic programs)
April 1, 1994... What does a school need to ensure a successful program? The things that come immediately to mind are gifted athletes, excellent facilities, high-quality equipment, and supportive fans. The secondary elements are usually taken for granted,...

A 1-4 continuity vs. man defense. (basketball offensive technique)
April 1, 1994... Paok, one of the most famous pro basketball teams in Greece, won the European Winner's Cup in 1992 and the Greek championship in 1993 by running a simple but highly effective 1-4 continuity against the man-to-man defenses it encountered. ...

The Amoeba defense, revised. (basketball defense technique)
April 1, 1994... The Amoeba Defense developed by Fran Webster at the U. of Pittsburgh has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity with the recent success of UNLV and Arkansas, among others. (Ed note: plus Fran's emergence as a defensive guru in the NBA.) The...

Pass protection in the run & shoot. (football techniques)
April 1, 1994... ALTHOUGH THE RUN & SHOOT offense has achieved a great deal of success, its wide-open appearance may lead one to believe that the linemen do not have to be very big or even very physical... which goes to prove how deceptive appearances can...

The case against working the refs. (pressurizing referees during games)
April 1, 1994... THE EARLY STAGES OF EVERY Georgetown Hoya basketball game will produce a familiar sight - Coach John Thomspon, towel strapped over his shoulder, snapping at a referee sprinting by the Georgetown bench. Thompson doesn't yell hysterically;...

Goalkeeping in the '90s. (soccer)
April 1, 1994... GOALKEEPERS HAVE ALWAYS been considered "different" in soccer. They dress a little different, are allowed to use their hands, and perform all kinds of derring-do in defending their goal. The goalkeeper holds the collective defensive...

Break out at the bighouse! (views of basketball coach Clarence E. Gaines)
April 1, 1994... COACH: Where and when did all the good things start happening for you? BIGHOUSE: It all started back in the early '30s, when I was a kid in Paducah, Western Kentucky. We played a lot of basketball, even though we didn't have a real basket or...