Coach -

69 wins in six years!  That’s an impressive number.  We will get to that in a minute.

I spend the summer recording episodes for the season. One trend I have heard coaches from every level talk about is not coming into the office on the weekend (Saturdays for high school coaches and Sunday for college coaches). 

6x State Champion and Max Preps top 25 team St. Edward (OH) Head Coach Tom Lombardo spoke about it here.  I also talked with San Jose St. OC Craig Stutzmann about their “No Sunday” approach coming up on Coach and Coordinator Podcast soon.

It’s a game-changing insight that might just revolutionize the way you approach your staff schedule. 

The proof is in the pudding as they say. Drew Sanders, head coach at Vandegrift High School (TX) has 69 wins in six years with their “No Saturdays” approach. 

It started as a conversation with his pastor…

Coach Sanders said,

My pastor got me started on this, so I really ought to look at considering taking some time off, and I'd he doesn't really understand. That got me thinking it. 

Then I was always like, Man, Sunday is so critical for me. But we started making our day off Saturday, because think about it, how many times do you come back on Saturday and like, Oh, we got to do this, this, and this. 

And then by the time you get back on Sunday, you're like, What was I thinking? I was so exhausted. This is the dumbest idea ever. I'm not going to do that idea. In fact, I'm just going to run my defense. So I just think it's given us the ability to think clearly. And if my DC wants to go watch his kids' soccer games, he can. As long as you got your work done.

Coaches have told me, by taking Saturdays off, they allowed themselves to recharge. This break gives the the clarity to come back stronger and more focused. 

Plus, it offers your coaches some much-needed family time as Coach Sanders noted.

He also noted, 

“Another fantastic benefit we noticed was the efficiency in our tape-watching routines. Instead of dragging out sessions, we streamlined the process. We now handle penalty accountability early Monday morning and let the kids finish up on their own if needed. This not only saves time but also empowers the players to take responsibility for their learning. Trust me, this small change has made a massive difference.” 

So, if you’re looking to boost your team’s performance and morale, consider giving Saturdays/Sundays off a try. It might just be the winning strategy you’ve been missing.

We have two great presentations that lay out how two successful high school coaches do it (both are 50% off now).  

Game Planning Defense 

One way or the other, the work must be done! Head Coach of St. Charles North (IL) Rob Pomazak teaches you how to harness the power of technology to create a better system for your staff and ultimately be more efficient and effective in your work as coaches.

Coaching By Design: Making your Defensive Gameplan Virtual

Game Planning Offense

What you spend your time on is what you prioritize in life. Most coaches list Faith, Family, and Football, in that order, but their time commitment is the reverse. Coach Thad Wells course is for coaches who are looking to streamline their game planning and gain time back to devote to their other priorities in life.

Weekendless Game Planning: The Complete Guide to Eliminating Weekend Meetings

You Can’t Argue with Results!

Whether is Tom Lombardo and the St. Eds Eagles getting ready to defend three-state championships in a row, of Drew Sanders and the Vandegrift Vipers, who are one of 17 teams in Texas who have 10 wins over the last six season, the results speak for themselves, and both coaches are convinced that taking that day out of the office is a key to their success.

It’s definitely worth exploring with your staff before you kick off the 2024 season.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski