USA Football

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Many of the 180-plus youth football coaches inside chilly Bank of America Stadium on March 15 blew on their hands and pulled on extra layers of clothing during the USA Football Coaching School presented by the Carolina Panthers.

The unseasonably cool 50-degree temperatures in Charlotte, N.C., however, didn’t come close to prompting the attendees to risk missing a moment of insight and camaraderie during the sold-out event.

“It’s cold – really cold – but the weather is not a factor for us,” said Ben Miller, who coaches the Wise (Va.) Indians 7-and-8-year-old team with Chuck Summers. “With the knowledge we’re getting here, we can tough it out. This is just an invaluable experience.”

Coaches had a litany of resources at their disposal during the Coaching School. Among them:

* Jon Willis, assistant coach at Charlotte’s South Mecklenburg High School, discussed methods for building effective practice schedules.

* Akida Jordan, youth football director for Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation, recommended steps for creating positive relationships with parents.

* James Martin, head coach at South Mecklenburg High, gave an in-depth lecture on running the Double Wing T offense.

* Mark Holochak, coach of the Capital City Steelers Pop Warner team in Raleigh, N.C., discussed developing effective blitz packages.

* Lamont Scales, defensive coordinator at Carver High School in Winston-Salem, N.C., addressed how to employ man-to-man and zone pass coverages.

However, there were several non-technical sessions during the day, including an address from Carolina Panthers tight end Jeff King, who pointed out that coaches who led him as a youth and a collegian at Virginia Tech still play vital roles in his life as a professional.

It was fitting that King’s speech preceded a stirring appeal from keynote speaker E.Z. Smith, a legendary head coach at Concord High School, just outside Charlotte.

Smith gave the coaches his 11 qualities of a successful coach, but he cautioned that their perspective should not be based solely on wins and losses -- it’s about how coaches shape their players’ lives in all facets, he said.

“I hope we continue to make a difference in our young people’s lives,” said Smith, who referenced how the movie “Pay It Forward” shaped his belief.

“Our youth of today have changed from the '60s, '70s and '80s. As a teacher and coach, you have to change with them. You don’t give up your morals or values; you just have to motivate them differently. We have a number of young people who we have failed because we haven’t provided properly for them. Those are the ones I look back and say, ‘What could I have done differently?’

“You have got to WANT to be there to mentor and help young people,” Smith added. “It’s about teaching specific skills in life, as well as on the field: working on academics, dressing the right way and acting the right way. As coaches, we have to let those children see our actions be our words.”

Hours later, Ronald Paisant, the offensive coordinator at McDougald Middle School in Carrboro, N.C., remained moved by Smith’s words.

“Coach Smith’s speech was powerful because sometimes, as coaches, we forget that these kids are young men growing up,” Paisant said. “We’re their coaches, and we shouldn’t talk down to them. We’re trying to mentor them to become great men, and we have to do more. Coach Smith brought that reality to us.

“That’s why this USA Football clinic is so great – it has football lessons and life lessons. It’s about molding the whole player, the whole coach. Last year, only two of us from my school came to the clinic; this year, we had three more coaches come. Next year, we’ll have even more.”

In addition to the 180 Coaching School attendees, nearly two dozen youth-league commissioners participated in USA Football’s North Carolina State Leadership Forum at Bank of America Stadium. The league executives exchanged ideas about how to best improve youth football throughout the region and, ultimately, on a national level.

“The day is just an opportunity for (coaches and commissioners) to learn about communicating with kids and about resources that can help them become better,” said USA Football Senior Southeast Regional Manager Rick Peacock, who directed the March 15 activities.

“As gatekeepers of the community, (the youngsters) are the ones securing the future of the game. Unless it's fun and taught the right way, the kids won't enjoy it. We’re an outlet for (coaches and commissioners) to learn the best practices and the latest tools available so they can take it back to their kids.”

Chuck Summers, who coaches the Wise, Va., team with Ben Miller, took that to heart.

“We came down here to learn the Double Wing I, but we’re leaving with so much more knowledge,” Summers said. “We’re going to try to get all the coaches from our league to come next year.

“It was well worth the four-hour trip down here -- no matter how cold it is.”