One of the things that hurts teams most is a lack of discipline. A lack of discipline will lose you games you should win. Disciplined teams do the things that take no talent really well. How well does your team do the things that take zero talent?
Two issues that display a lack of discipline that will lose you games are:
Pre-Snap Penalties
Pre-snap penalties are drive killers on offense and drive extenders on defense. There is nothing more frustrating than having a 3rd and 3 become 3rd and 8 because someone moved before the snap. Defensively, think about how it’s 3rd and 3, and now your opponent gets a free first down because someone jumps offside. It is hard enough to win football games without having pre-snap penalties. Pre-snap penalties should be extremely rare. Don’t ever justify pre-snap penalties. Instead, find the cause and make them happen.
In an analysis done of NFL games, offensive pre-snap penalties resulted in fewer drives ending in points. When the defense jumps offside, the chances the offense will score is greatly increased. Pre-snap penalties are 100% within your control, and come down to discipline and focus.
Dead Ball Penalties
Dead ball penalties will get good teams beat by teams they should lose to. Think about how many times you get the ball carrier to the ground, only to have a player push an opponent after the whistle. Instead of 2ndand 12, it’s first and ten and your opponent is closer to the end zone. There are times when you play through the whistle that you might get an occasional 15 yard penalty. I am not talking about those. I am talking about the reactionary penalties where a player does something out of frustration.
When an offensive team gets a 15 yard penalty, they greatly reduce the chance they will score. This also changes the field position. Conversely, when the defense gets called for a personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, they greatly increase the chance the offense will score. They also give up field position.
Like pre-snap penalties, dead ball fouls like unsportsmanlike conduct and personal fouls are completely under your control.
What Is The Root Cause and Solution?
Pre-snap penalties come from a lack of discipline and focus. Unsportsmanlike and personal foul penalties from two areas. First, a lack of discipline, and second, from a lack of emotional control. Sometimes coaches will say that a player is selfish when they commit these penalties, but more accurately, they lack discipline. Often this lack of discipline has been taught.
How do you build discipline?
This is actually very simple. Everything you are doing as a coach affects the discipline level of your players. When you focus on seemingly insignificant details, you build discipline. When you set a standard that everyone will touch a line on a sprint, and you hold them accountable to touching the line, you are building discipline. When someone doesn’t touch the line, are you holding them accountable?
Do you have standards that you are not holding players accountable to meeting? I was in a weight room last spring where nearly every player was wearing the same team t-shirt and shorts. There were about 60 players in the weight room. About 55 of them had the team gear on. About five of them didn’t. I asked one of the coaches the expectation of weight room dress. He said they all were supposed to wear the same gear, but it wasn’t a big deal as long as they were lifting.
They had a sign on the wall that said no earrings in the weight room. About a dozen players had earrings on. I again asked the coach if that was an old sign. He said they weren’t supposed to wear earrings, but they didn’t want to fight that battle. The players not meeting the standard were some of their best athletes.
Everything Matters
If you make one standard optional, all standards become optional. If all standards become optional, your players will make undisciplined mistakes. Everything matters. There are no small things. If you aren’t going to hold someone accountable to the standard, then get rid of the standard.
We get frustrated when we have players who “do their own thing,” but how much of that was developed by a lack of standards and accountability?
I had the opportunity to watch this team play during a recent business trip. They were playing a team who was not as talented, but they lost by 24 points. They had 5 pre-snap penalties and two unsportsmanlike penalties. They had 10 penalties in the game and it was too much to overcome.
Are you developing discipline within your players? Do you have clear standards and are you holding players accountable to those standards?
If you don’t hold players accountable on and off the field, they will never be able to enjoy success on the field.
If you are struggling in this area, change. Meet as a staff and come up with some standards and a system of accountability to help your players meet these standards. Every coach must be on the same page and committed to holding players accountable if you want to build discipline with your team and eliminate self-inflicted penalties.
Check out this YouTube Video on The Biggest Mistake Coaches Make With Accountability
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