How do you teach "tough minded football" ?

Tough minded is not just a catch phrase, it is a mentality, I have done a little (very little) coaching. I am a tough minded coach. Little things bug me and I let players know it.

I don't care if you just tore off a nice 30 yard run, don't you ever step out of bounds, drop your shoulder and put a lick on the tackler!

O-linemen that stand around after the play has moved way down field make me crazy! stay in contact with your man, if there is god forbid a fumble you will have to kick his ass again! If the play breaks for a score, the defender should be flat on his back with you looming over him, better yet find another defender and hit him, the whistle has not blown!

I don't care if you are a little speedy DB and the fullback is a beast, you will stick you nose in there and put a hat on him if I see another arm tackle we are all running laps!

No time for horsing around after a play forget all that jumping around an celebrating the tackle/ first down. Time to start thinking about the next play, because there always little tells about how a team huddles, what formation they line up in who lust ran out for the next play, we play football from kick off to close, let those guys play from snap to whistle, we got a game!

Running backs, you are not aloud to let a db tackle you!

O-line if it is in a walk at the snap you kill it! linebackers asses are for kicking!

Punching nut grabbing pinching are all expected in fumble recovery!

Cutting and crack-back blocks will be taught, and called for until the day they are outlawed!

A stiff arm is better than a juke, dancing is for saturday night not friday night! (or I guess sunday)

Any way these are the types of things that say tough minded to me! Tough minded is making the players do it again in practice until they are perfect, not just good enough! Tough minded is seldom a players coach, but it not a dictatorial jack ass either, tough minded is great, but you have to be an open door coach of the practice field! The players love and respect is more import than their friendship or having them fear you!

I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

It's tough MINDED football. It has a lot less to do with anything physical going on than it does the players' frame of mind. I would guess he had the concept strengthened by sitting with Bill Walsh because Walsh talked about this all the time. If you remember, Walsh spent a lot of time talking to players about ways to avoid what he called a kind of "condition of shock" that players got into sometimes in the heat of battle when things were not going their way. The mental part of the game was very important to him and I'm sure he stressed these things to Singletary when he was working with him. I'm not surprised that a guy like Singletary, who already writes books on the subject and is a highly sought-after corporate speaker on motivation, would take Walsh's philosophy about the mental part of the game to heart.

Again, the fact that our Head coach is stressing these things is a positive thing for the team, not a bad thing - certainly nothing to complain about.

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

What color is the sky in your world?

Holmgren was never an option,he is taking a year off,and was pretty vocal in the media in saying so.Your act is getting so tired it is even ceasing to carry the comedic relief that it once had as its only redeeming quality.Ok we get it,you are not happy with Singletary and wish we had hired guys that were not available for hiring,or washed up and burnt out.

He's balled his little fists up, stamped his feet, held his breath until he was blue and cried himself to sleep and we still have Singletary and his staff for the upcoming season.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

What color is the sky in your world?

Holmgren was never an option,he is taking a year off,and was pretty vocal in the media in saying so.Your act is getting so tired it is even ceasing to carry the comedic relief that it once had as its only redeeming quality.Ok we get it,you are not happy with Singletary and wish we had hired guys that were not available for hiring,or washed up and burnt out.

Dude, you guys have to start just ignoring him.

Endurance - run em until they drop. Drop a pass, run a lap. Miss a blocking assignment, run a lap. I want our players outperforming the opposing team in the 2nd half - especially in the 4th.

Originally posted by NinerGold39:
Endurance - run em until they drop. Drop a pass, run a lap. Miss a blocking assignment, run a lap. I want our players outperforming the opposing team in the 2nd half - especially in the 4th.

I believe we're going to see a better conditioned team. And we're gonna see it in the 4th quarter, as you point out.

I also believe that Singletary is out to make sure that the mental conditioning is there too. I am encouraged by Matt M's most recent blog, in which he says that he's NEVER seen either Hill or Smith look any better in practice than they did in the most recent OTAs. The insistence on focus and concentration in practice has to carry over to gamedays, IMHO.

Should be fun to watch.

bull in the ring, twice a day.

See movie: "Junction Boys"

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

What color is the sky in your world?

Holmgren was never an option,he is taking a year off,and was pretty vocal in the media in saying so.Your act is getting so tired it is even ceasing to carry the comedic relief that it once had as its only redeeming quality.Ok we get it,you are not happy with Singletary and wish we had hired guys that were not available for hiring,or washed up and burnt out.

Dude, you guys have to start just ignoring him.

Oldnolandude is back. Maybe Memphis could just create another user name like Pebblefreeze and then reply. Your thoughts?

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

Absolutely ridiculous.

Here, have some.........

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."

What color is the sky in your world?

Holmgren was never an option,he is taking a year off,and was pretty vocal in the media in saying so.Your act is getting so tired it is even ceasing to carry the comedic relief that it once had as its only redeeming quality.Ok we get it,you are not happy with Singletary and wish we had hired guys that were not available for hiring,or washed up and burnt out.

Well said.

Originally posted by billybonka:
you make sure Alex Smith is on the bench

Ya well to bad Smith is probly one of the toughest players on the team... Not to mention the only QB in 49er history to take every snap in a season.

You my friend are epic fail.

Originally posted by singfan:
I can picture it now. McClueless interviewing Sing for the HC position.

McCloughan: "How will you make this team better, Coach?"

Sing: "By being tough minded!"

McCloughan: "Wow, what do you plan to do"

Sing: "Be physical with an F"

McCloughan: "Wow, what's that mean?"

Sing: "We will use stiff arms and run over p***y DB's"

McCloughan: "Wow, can you sell this to the public?"

Sing: "I'm really a motivational speaker by trade."

McCloughan: "I'm moist, you're hired! Screw Holmgren."