Coaching in Europe, you should try it.

I haven’t had much to write about regarding my team.  We have a three week break before our next game, and I decided to give the boys a week off.  We needed this time to get ourselves a mental recharge and obviously to heal some bumps and bruises we have incurred.  I definitely needed the break as I have a total staff of 3 guys (including myself) and have had a lot of the work fall on to my shoulders.  This has been a part of my education as a brand new Head Coach, and may be in another post down the road I will talk about how the staff of my team became so low.  It’s not as exciting as you might think, but it also sheds some light on some challenges you will face when you coach over here.

This brings me to my topic: WHY I THINK COACHING IN EUROPE IS A MUST FOR YOUNG COACHES.  Alright so maybe it isn’t a must, but I really believe that young coaches could benefit from a year or two in Europe.  I have mentioned a number of times, but American Football is a growing sport world wide.  For example, did you know that the American Football World Championships will be played this summer in Austria?  This will be the third time this event will be hosted by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and as the event gets closer I’ll try to post some information regarding this great event.  Now this is just a small example of how the game has grown.  It hasn’t grown to the point to where we are going to start seeing the NFL draft dominated by the European player, but I do know that more and more EU kids are getting funneled into the United States to play college ball. 

Coaching in Europe is a great way to sharpen your teaching skills.  You will have all types of players with different skill sets, players who are very good, players who have ability but are raw, and guys that have never played before.  They all offer a different challenge, but the rewards are just as satisfying.  I also have found that the work you put in is appreciated by the players.  No one gets rich coaching football in Europe, and the players know that as well.  They know that you are putting in a lot of work that isn’t rewarded through large compensation (similar to the U.S.).  But what makes these players different then say the average High School kid is that the kid takes for granted that you are there everyday, while the European player appreciates that you are there to work with him.

The other area that I think a younger coach can benefit from is from learning to coach from a leadership role.  This is my first Head Coaching job, but I had been an Offensive Coordinator for a few years prior to getting my shot.  I have learned A LOT in my short time here, and I think the experience has been invaluable. Everybody is going to make mistakes, I certainly have.  I can go through a laundry list of ways I can improve as a Head Coach and the season isn’t even over yet.  However, I believe that the mistakes that I think I have made aren’t as magnified as if I was coaching in the States.  Media coverage of games isn’t what it’s like in the United States.  The fans aren’t there to heckle you.  Basically you don’t get second guess all that much or criticized for the decisions that you make in game/season.  Trust me I have made some interesting decisions, but I have been able to reflect on them without being told how stupid I am.  You still will face criticism, but it’s a learning experience that anybody can handle and prepare you for future jobs.   Now not everyone will get the opportunity that I have gotten, but I believe that a young coach who wants to climb that ladder can learn a lot being a coordinator over here.  You have to learn how to install an offense/defense on limited time (two practice days a week), which forces you to focus on what you want to be good at.  You will also get valuable experience calling a game, and making some of those hard in-game decisions.

 

Now I will admit that coaching in Europe is not for everyone.  There are certain things that some people wouldn’t be able to handle, things that still drive me crazy but I have learned to cope with.  But that is a post for another day.  But if you are a guy who just graduated or am looking for something a little different on the coaching front then I do recommend coming over here to Europe.  It is a great experience from a football point of view.  You will also get the opportunity to travel to places that are truly remarkable, and experience different cultures, food, and of course beer!

Could you imagine if the BCS used this......

The Pikes moved to 6-0 yesterday, winning 54-12.  I would have to say it was the most complete game we have played this year.  We also scored a +42 score differential, which puts us at +145 for the year.  Now on the surface this may seem as I enjoy running up the score on teams, well I don’t it is just how the rules are set up unfortunately.  Let me explain further.

Germany is made up of 6 tier leagues; 1st Bundesliga (GFL 1), 2^nd Bundesliga (GFL 2), Regionalliga, Oberliga, Verbandsliga, and Landesliga.  Now these leagues are in placed based on the strength of a team and they change every year.  At the end of every season you will have teams that will be “relegated” or “promoted”.  So if you get 1^st Place in one league you can have the opportunity to move up to the next league (promotion), while if you were to get last place in a league you would be a candidate to move down a league (relegated).  Now the rules for who goes up or down vary from league to league.  Between GFL 1 and GFL 2 last year the 1^st Place teams in each division (North and South) in GFL 2 automatically were promoted to GFL 1, while the 2^nd Place teams in GFL 2 played the last place teams in GFL 1 in a home and home series to determine if there would be a promotion/relegation.  While the last place teams in GFL 2 were automatically relegated to Regionalliga, but the 1^st Place teams have to play the 1^st Place team from another Regionalliga league to determine who gets promoted.  Confused yet?  Now I can’t tell you how the other leagues work when it comes to promotion and relegation, mainly because I don’t care but also I think my head would explode trying to figure it all out.

So back to the original thought, why is point differential important?  The reason is because that is the 1^st tiebreaker used in an event of a tie and during these promotion games.  In the promotion games you play a game at each team’s home field.  If the teams split then the tiebreaker is point differential.  In our league this year they are using point differential as the #1 tiebreaker, hence the importance of being at +145 after 6 games.  It makes for some decisions in the 4^th quarter.  Yesterday we were winning 47-6 going into the last quarter.  Usually this a great time to play all your backups and gain them some experience.  However, because there was still a whole quarter to play we had to hold off playing all our backups until 8 minutes was left.  It’s a risky move because you do put a starter or key player in harms way if the team you are playing gets chippy, but you also can’t give up any cheap points as those 7-14 points could be the difference between 1^st and 2^nd place. 

So now we sit at 6-0, 1^st place in the Regionalliga Center league.  The team that is chasing us is currently 4-0.  We don’t play them until the last game of the season, and were both on a collision course to be 9-0 when we do play.  I’m not getting to ahead of myself as we still have 3 games left, and we will have to be crisp to win all three.  But with the way both teams are playing, it is shaping up to be a great finish.

An American Football Coach in Germany

Well it’s been awhile since we have posted something on our blog.  What we thought would be an easy, fun task ended up being something that we all had to put on the back burner because of various reasons.  The objective behind our blog was to have our little network of coaches (three of us) expand on their own ideas and thoughts.  However, shortly after January two of this three headed monster were given increase responsibilities at their respected schools.  One was given the title of Head Boys Track Coach, while the other was hired as Offensive Coordinator at another school.  Congrats to both my boys!  Now the third head of this monster?  Well, that’s me.  My excuse you ask?  Beginning in January was the beginning of my football season.  Confused?  I don’t blame you.

I currently reside in Homburg, Germany which is located in the Southwest part of the country about 30 minutes away from the French border.  I moved here in July 2010 with my wife who currently serves with the U.S. Armed Forces.  Yes, I am the dependant (you can make your jokes now), but because of my wife I have been able to meet some great coaches that have taught me a lot about the game, while sharing with them my thoughts as well.  But I digress.

Shortly after arriving in Germany I was offered an opportunity to become the Head Coach of a local German Football League team; the Kaiserslautern Pikes.  The Pikes had been through some rough times during their season and had decided to part ways with their former Head Coach during the July break.  I was both shocked and excited.  I had never thought when I got off that plane in Germany that I would get my first Head Coaching shot.  I gladly accepted the position and began the process of evaluating where the program was and what needed to be fixed. 

The Pikes would finish the season with only 2 wins, both before I arrived.  Though they had shown some fight in their last two games, tying one game and losing another by 6.  The very first thing I noticed was that this team had some good ball players, they just needed some direction.  I was excited to get started and put my stamp on this team.  That would begin in November.

Fast forward to today.  The Pikes are currently 5-0 and lead our league, with our next game tomorrow.  Over the course of the next few weeks/months I would like to share with you my experiences I have had thus far here in Germany.  I will tell you that it has been quite the experience some good, some bad. 

I don’t think many people back in the United States realize how big the game of American Football is worldwide.  In Germany alone there are over 300 teams, and though it isn’t like you are watching the SEC or Big Ten on Saturdays you do see some real good football.  Please feel free to ask me any questions any time about my entries or just about football in general.


Below is a clip from the 1st Play we ran this season.