| What can we lean from Urban Meyer? | | | | we implement in our youth football teams are |
| It's really hard to argue with Urban Meyer's | | | | spawned in many of the non-football related |
| success as a coach. He has been a winner at | | | | books. |
| every stop, Bowling Green, Utah and now at | | | | One recent book I finished was written about |
| Florida. I like to study successful people to gain | | | | Urban Meyer, "Urbans Way". It is an authorized |
| some insight on what makes them tick and how | | | | biography written by a pretty capable guy, Buddy |
| they became leaders in their field. | | | | Martin. While there are a handful of ideas in this |
| Why Study the Successful? | | | | book that all of us can use to improve our youth |
| This probably comes from my experiences with | | | | football coaching, there was one concept that |
| my first professional job after college. I had the | | | | stuck out to me like a gaping wound. It's Urban |
| pleasure of working side by side with Mike B for | | | | Meyer's "Plan to Win". This is not some detailed |
| nearly a month. Mike was one of the best and | | | | grandiose scheme, but a peak into where Urban |
| most successful people in the structural building | | | | Meyer's priorities are when he goes into each |
| materials manufacturing business. While everyone | | | | season. |
| is different and we all have our own styles, I | | | | Urbans "Plan to Win": |
| concentrated on learning from Mike what the | | | | Play great defense |
| critical success factors were for my job and the | | | | Get turnovers and protect the football |
| methods he used to become the top person in his | | | | Score in the Red Zone |
| field. I just tried to copy much of what Mike did | | | | Win the kicking game |
| and modified my approach only to accommodate | | | | While this doesn't seem like much of a plan or is |
| some unique strengths I had. I also spent some | | | | anything any of us don't already know, it is a |
| time trying to understand those that were | | | | recipe coach Meyer has used to gain nearly |
| performing poorly and obviously did my best to | | | | unparalleled success of late. Many youth football |
| avoid following in their footsteps. I didn't want to | | | | coaches are on this site right now because they |
| wait 5-10 years to excel in this job, I wanted to | | | | saw some real cool video clips of my Single Wing |
| add value to the company I was working for day | | | | offense scoring gobs of points or maybe they |
| 1 and of course provide for my family as well. | | | | saw for themselves a team using my system |
| Those 30 days saved me years of stumbling and | | | | putting up gawdy numbers on the scoreboard in |
| probable failure, as my initial thoughts on how I | | | | their own backyards. |
| would prioritize my time and efforts were way | | | | Reality is our first priority is always defense, |
| out of whack. | | | | followed by winning the special teams game. We |
| That was a valuable life lesson that has served | | | | do have a precision based offense, but we don't |
| me well beyond that first post college job. In | | | | sacrifice practice time to the altar of the offense, |
| order to make myself a better coach and an | | | | our practice time is nearly even when it comes to |
| more effective husband and father, I have an | | | | offense and defense and in fact the defense |
| extensive reading list that includes topics like | | | | goes in first. This is counter-intuitive to many |
| leadership, communication, business, coaching and | | | | youth coaches, since it seems like the offense is |
| even a few on X's and O's. The latest stack | | | | more complex and has many more plays and |
| includes books by John Wooden, Tom Osborne, | | | | adjustments etc. We rep the defensive |
| Kevin Kush, Coverdale and Robinson, John Maxwell | | | | techniques and schemes very much like we do |
| and Steven Covey to name just a few. My bride | | | | reps on air or fit and freeze reps on offense. |
| was kind enough to buy me a stack of books for | | | | The net is, Coach Meyer knows what it takes to |
| Christmas. I usually read one or two of them on | | | | win in the College ranks and prioritizes his effort |
| my flights back and forth to all the clinics I'm | | | | and practice time based on those factors. In |
| doing or late at night in the quiteness of the hotel | | | | those respect, the critical success factors and |
| room. It makes the down time in and the flights | | | | setting priorities is not so different than what it |
| go so much faster. I've found many of the ideas | | | | takes to coach successfully in youth football. |