The Turnaround: Week 1 in the books

Lubbock HSLubbock Westerner touches locker room sign that says "Mental Toughness" before hitting the practice field on Saturday.
gamestrat high school football sideline instant replay

by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach

Day 6

We just wrapped up Week One.  Great, great week!

We came out injury free, which is always key for us at Lubbock High.  We need all of our bullets.  We knocked out all of our objectives and goals for the week.  We finished the week strong. Now we need to come back on Monday ready to be great again.

Overall, I am pleased where we are.  But, no time for complacency.  Need to stay on it next week.

Word of the Day

Each day the coaching staff presents a new word to the team.  This word is the focus of the day.  Before we hit the field, I introduce the word to the team.  I then have an assistant coach speak in depth about it and how we are going to apply it.

This week we hit these:

1. Attitude
2. Tenacity
3. Chemistry
4. Discipline
5. Selflessness
6. Consistency

This has been great for us.  We drill it into their heads on a daily basis.  Each day is a new goal, new word.  We make sure they understand the message we are delivering.

Mental Health Tip

I have no idea how much money corporations, franchises and school districts spend yearly on professional development.  It has to be a lot of money.  In 21 years, I never, not once, ever recall going to a professional development sponsored by a school district titled “Mental Health”.

We are missing the ball on this.  We focus on so many things but neglect the one thing we all need to be successful: a healthy mind!

Coaches preach about attitudes and positive mindsets.  Do you think we are not susceptible to feeling down, feeling sorry for ourselves?  We are human.  We need to take care of our own kinds.

So the advice today is this: go have some fun this weekend!  Enjoy!  I’m sending my coaches out of here ASAP!  We are gone.  We will come back on Monday strong, refreshed and recharged.

So not be afraid to do something you need for your own benefit!

Randomness

-Yanks won last night. Good promise for the future… For now.

-It was hot today.

-Nothing beats staff chemistry.  It is infectious to the team.  This staff has it!!

-Big Papi would have been an even greater player in Pinstripes.  Throwing it out there!

-My friend Basira was perturbed about my “her being a Mets fan joke.”  She in fact is a Pinstriper!!

-I am predicting Christian McCaffrey as the Heisman winner this year.  Should have happened last year.

-FSU will not win the national title.  Fact.

That’s it. See you next week.

FIO.

No More Fumbles

Play Football

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.