High school football coaches have a responsibility to help your athletes balance athletics and academics. It’s easy for players to lose sight of academics during a busy football season. Let’s take a look at how coaches can help players achieve the delicate balance between football and schoolwork.
BUILD A SCHEDULE
Sit down with your players and help them establish a weekly/monthly schedule that accounts for football as well as academics. Organizing this plan of action helps players in a number of ways. It empowers them to plan ahead and anticipate future football/school responsibilities. It also allows them to schedule in some time for fun with friends and family. If you encourage players to schedule enough time for homework, study groups and tutoring sessions, they’ll be much more likely to achieve academic success.
DEDICATE A SPACE FOR HOMEWORK
One of the best ways to improve academic success is to convince high school athletes that they must dedicate a specific place for homework. Those who attempt to do homework in front of the TV, in a crowded cafe or in a noisy space won’t retain as much information as they should. It is imperative that your players understand the importance of establishing a comfortable and quiet space for schoolwork. Encourage them to shut out all distractions like cell phones, video games and the Internet so that they can focus on academics while in their “quiet place”.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LULLS IN THE FOOTBALL SEASON
There are small windows during the football season when players have an abundance of free time. Whether it is a home game that does not require travel or an off week, these lulls should be treated as an opportunity for players to jump ahead in their assigned readings and projects.
WORK WITH TEACHERS AFTER CLASS
Teachers are more than willing to spend extra time with students at the end of the day. They are especially motivated to help high school athletes who are short on time. Encourage your players to take advantage of this opportunity.
FORM STUDY GROUPS
While high school football players might not be noted for their academic achievements, most have at least one or two academic strengths. Encourage your players to work with one another to refine their understanding of academic material. These study sessions will be easy to coordinate as high school football players all share the same schedule in terms of workouts, practices and games.