From the desk of Wally Dawkins, Athletic Director:

About 25 years into my coaching career, I had a very successful, veteran coach give me some advice that I had never really considered.  His statement to me was something that immediately had an impact on my future teams.  I began to put into practice what he had told and the results were instantaneous.  His statement to me was simply this: “Teams who go the farthest in the playoffs are usually the teams that are the most physical.”

Now you’re probably thinking “everybody knows that.”

Everybody but me maybe!

Primarily being a basketball coach for the majority of my career, I was more concerned with the skills and techniques that were necessary to developing a successful basketball player.  Basketball players needed to be in the gym all year working on dribbling, free throw shooting, the patented “two hand, thumbs down, elbows locked chest pass”, and keeping the ball in the triple threat position.  This approach was very successful as far as regular season wins were concerned, but quite honestly, my teams were usually out of the playoffs by the first or second round, and I only sent a few to the collegiate ranks who actually “got money” to play at the next level.

Upon hearing the breaking news that the teams who were the most physical were the teams who went the farthest in the playoffs, I asked exactly “what do you mean the most physical and how do you do that.”

I was thinking he meant spending time in the weight room…which was part of it, but only a part.

This coach went on to explain that to be more physical, there were actually three components with strength training being one of the three.  The second however was also a little surprising in that his idea was to have athletes constantly being in a competitive setting.  Simply put…” kids need to learn how to compete”.  Whether as part of a game or activity, learning how to be competitive is extremely important. Learning how to bounce back after losing is a character quality that is crucial to all of us…especially athletes.  Competing to win, or to at least be your best, is probably more valuable than spending countless hours making sure your hand strikes the basketball on top when you dribble it (although I must admit, that is important!).  Competition makes you tougher.  I.e. more physical.

The third component to the successful, veteran coach’s philosophy that the most physical teams go farther in the playoffs was his assertion that athletes need to be challenged both mentally and physically.  This can be a little scary for parents to hear.  To challenge an athlete mentally and physically means to push them further than he or she thought they could go.  Realizing that the safety of the athlete is the first priority, coaches should create situations, drills, competitions…that are challenging sometimes physically…and/or sometimes mentally that produces a physical and mental toughness that lends itself to more successful outcomes in games.

At Brook Hill, we are currently about two months into a program designed by coach Scott Ryle that focuses on weight training, competition, and challenges.  We have implemented this program for both male and female athletes.  Combining this program with our already in place multi-sport participation emphasis, our goal is for our BH male and female athletes to improve as individual athletes, with the primary focus being on the success of our teams.

And that’s another reason to be “ALL ORANGE”…All The Time!