In Reply to: CMC said he told them to relax. posted by klkl on January 21, 2026 at 09:30:47
… be psychological along with so many other things.
The first time I ever coached anything was an 8-10 year old flag football team. My son was 9 We had a great draft and a great plan, and went undefeated during the regular season, outscoring our opponents 199-18. We beat the next best team in the opener 6-0 in OT.
But in the superbowl, we faced that opening game team, and on the kickoff their best player ran it back for a TD. THe first time we were down all year, and the kids didn’t know how to handle it, so by halftime we were down 18-6.
At halftime while sucking on orange slices, I could see it in the kids eyes. So rather than getting into strategy, I told them a story. I asked the kids if they knew Reggie White, and they all did. I told them that (at the time), I had read White had never played in any kind of championship game. In youth, high school, college and the pros. And I said he’s the best defensive player int he game “today”. I then told the kids that THEY were doing something that White never did, and Reggie was an example of how they might never do so again.
So, I told them, “Don’t worry about winning or losing Just enjoy this championship game and have fun.” I could literally see the weight float off of each and every one of those.
On the 3rd play of the second half we scored a TD, and went on to win that game 28-18. One of the greatest experiences of my life, and less so the win itself than being able to watch and participate in this abstract thing called the human spirit.