How One Coach Built a Smarter, Simpler Summer Schedule
May 28, 2025 1:36 pm
Coach -
Brad Dixon wears a lot of hats at Camp Point Central: Head Football Coach, Track Coach, Strength Coordinator, and Athletic Director. But one of his most impactful decisions has been how he structures his football team’s summer schedule. Rather than overwhelm athletes with daily demands, Dixon has built a summer calendar rooted in simplicity, purpose, and shared ownership — yielding results both on and off the field.
The Framework: Purposeful Simplicity
One glance at Camp Point Central’s summer calendar shows what’s missing: no training sessions on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, or Mondays. This isn’t a mistake — it’s intentional. Dixon moved from a four-day model to a more focused three-day schedule (Tuesday–Thursday). The change was driven by a few key realities:
- During the school year, student-athletes train five days a week in athletic PE.
- Most players train year-round, up to 47 weeks out of the year, including strength work, performance training, and in-season practice.
- Dixon’s philosophy: if players are consistently training that much, three structured, focused days a week during summer is plenty.
This lightens the load physically and mentally while allowing room for recovery, family vacations, and other sports — especially important in a small school of 220 students where most athletes play multiple sports.
Mini-Camps and Football Integration
Rather than a long, draining team camp, Dixon spaces football-specific work throughout the summer. He schedules “mini-camps” on Wednesdays, intentionally allowing extended weekends for travel or rest.
These camps focus on the basics: terminology, alignment, and formations — especially important for onboarding younger players and refreshing veterans. It's not about scheme overload but setting a strong foundation.
Later in July, Dixon layers in a few more football-specific dates, maxing out at 11 football sessions for the summer, with only two of those being in pads. The philosophy is clear: do more with less.
Athlete-Centric Scheduling
Coach Dixon doesn’t just optimize for performance — he respects the athlete’s time. By confining sessions to mornings (usually 8:00–9:30 AM) and avoiding nights and weekends, Dixon makes room for athletes to have a life outside football.
He also coordinates with other coaches, particularly basketball, to avoid overlap and prevent kids from having to choose between sports. As a result, Camp Point Central builds a true multi-sport culture without sacrificing football development.
Built-In Accountability Without Burnout
Rather than penalizing kids for missing time, Dixon trusts the process. He knows players are committed, and that 47 weeks of consistent training means a missed day or a week-long vacation isn’t the end of the world. The expectation is clear: if you're in town, you're at workouts — and the athletes buy in.
Reflection Questions for Coaches
To evaluate and elevate your own summer schedule, consider these questions:
- What are you asking of your players — and what are you giving in return?
- Are you honoring their time and commitments outside football?
- Do your sessions reflect what your team truly needs?
- Could you achieve the same outcomes with fewer, more focused sessions?
- Are your summer activities reinforcing your culture?
- Do they welcome new players and reinvest your veterans in your program?
- Are you collaborating with other sport coaches in your building?
- Or are your athletes being forced to choose between programs?
- How do you define accountability?
- Is it built on fear of punishment or mutual respect and expectation?
Coach Dixon’s model isn’t just efficient — it’s built on trust, clarity, and long-term development. For programs looking to balance performance with well-being, his approach offers a blueprint worth considering.
Coach Dixon talks about his summer schedule in this video…
Have a great summer!
Coach Grabowski
P.S.
Here are more presentations from Coach Dixon:
Feed the Cats: Building a Culture of High Performance
Ten Things Football Coaches Get Wrong Coaching Speed and How to Fix It