Are you ready to revolutionize the way you perceive and approach inner city coaching? Join us as we pick the brain of the seasoned educator and football/baseball coach, Ron Kretz. Together, we will unravel the challenges coaches face in the inner city, talk about the significance of aligning with student needs, and navigate the rising tide of negative parental behavior.
We don't just stop at the problems; we also discuss solutions. Ron offers his seasoned insights and methods on leading by example, enlightening parents and fans about the essence of good sportsmanship, and mitigating the negative impact of summer and travel ball on state-sanctioned events. He also shares his experience on setting and adhering to standards, the power of communication with parents and players, and the critical role of fundraising for essential facilities and equipment. But the learning doesn't end here! We delve into the nuances of creating an environment conducive for the holistic development of students, helping them shine not just on the field but also in life.
It gets even more interesting as Ron takes us through game-situation drills and the subtle art of motivating athletes. He shares his unique approach to coaching, the importance of controlled scrimmages, and his strategies for inspiring players. Furthermore, he emphasizes the power of body language in communication and how to build meaningful relationships with students. As we wrap up, we touch upon common coaching mistakes, with a special mention of Deion Sanders. Join us as we navigate this fascinating landscape of inner city coaching with Ron Kretz. Don't miss out!
Are you ready to revolutionize the way you perceive and approach inner city coaching? Join us as we pick the brain of the seasoned educator and football/baseball coach, Ron Kretz. Together, we will unravel the challenges coaches face in the inner city, talk about the significance of aligning with student needs, and navigate the rising tide of negative parental behavior.
We don't just stop at the problems; we also discuss solutions. Ron offers his seasoned insights and methods on leading by example, enlightening parents and fans about the essence of good sportsmanship, and mitigating the negative impact of summer and travel ball on state-sanctioned events. He also shares his experience on setting and adhering to standards, the power of communication with parents and players, and the critical role of fundraising for essential facilities and equipment. But the learning doesn't end here! We delve into the nuances of creating an environment conducive for the holistic development of students, helping them shine not just on the field but also in life.
It gets even more interesting as Ron takes us through game-situation drills and the subtle art of motivating athletes. He shares his unique approach to coaching, the importance of controlled scrimmages, and his strategies for inspiring players. Furthermore, he emphasizes the power of body language in communication and how to build meaningful relationships with students. As we wrap up, we touch upon common coaching mistakes, with a special mention of Deion Sanders. Join us as we navigate this fascinating landscape of inner city coaching with Ron Kretz. Don't miss out!
Today on the athlete one podcast, Ron Kretz on the challenges of coaching in the inner city.
Speaker 2:We cut our Saturday practices and football season because the kids couldn't make it. They had to go work, they had to babysit, I mean, and it's not like I just. I mean, I called the house. Hey, is so-and-so really at work? Oh, yeah, coach, he left this morning with his dad. Hey, so-and-so really taking care of his little brother? Yeah, he has to, because the mom's working a double shift or something. So it wasn't like we just listened to the kid, it was a community and that's how things were done. It wasn't for all kids but for some. And so to make it meet the standard where we all watched film, we as coaches had to adjust, because I can't penalize a kid for missing practice when his dad says you got to go work, because if you don't work you don't eat.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the athlete one podcast. Veteran high school baseball coach, ken Carpenter, takes you into life's classroom as experienced through sports. Go behind the scenes with athletes and coaches as they share great stories, life lessons and ways to impact others.
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Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the athlete one podcast. This is episode number 83 and I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and joining me today is the Sunday morning coach, ron Kretz. Coach, welcome to the show, thank you for having me. Well, for those of you that don't know you, you've been an education for three decades and in that time you've been a teacher I had baseball, had football coach an athletic coordinator and, I believe, currently an assistant principal. I want to make sure I'm saying this right I'm going to be in Orlando High School in San Antonio, texas.
Speaker 2:I need update that on the websites. Actually, my column high school now. Well, column high school, okay. Well, here's.
Speaker 1:San Antonio Yep, there you go. Well, I got to ask you, all of the jobs you've had over those 30 years, which one of those are? The is the toughest.
Speaker 2:Well, they all had their challenges. Yeah, I was very reluctant to go into admin because I was afraid I'll miss the connection with the kids. But in reality I feel, doing my job here as a principal, I still be able to help kids. I found those kids that need motivation, need to talk to get it done. But the toughest job was most time consuming job was head football and athletic coordinator. Yeah, that was seven days a week all year long, summers included. It takes your toll on you, but very rewarding and had a great time doing it.
Speaker 1:Yes, there's no doubt when you're now. When you were doing that, were you also still doing the baseball side of things too?
Speaker 2:No, I was just a head football and athletic coordinator for a 6A campus and we had four track meets a year. We had basketball tournaments, baseball tournaments, so it was a full gamut of activities for the kids and it was tough but it was fun, had a great support and stuff to help me out.
Speaker 1:I know, when I was doing both football and baseball, after about five or six years I realized that I've got to pick one here and it definitely takes.
Speaker 2:You can't do that in Texas too often. Yeah, that's for sure. If you're going to coach in Texas, you better coach that football too.
Speaker 1:Yes, full In the role that you're in right now. I wanted to talk about this tonight. How do we address the negative or bad behavior that we see from parents that are either? We hear stories of attacking officials, bringing guns to sporting events, school board meetings, going off the rail You've kind of seen it all in the 30 years you've been around. Is there a magic wand that we can wave over this?
Speaker 2:It's getting worse. That's the problem. Very fortunately here in Central Texas San Antonio, weymatt we have been very lucky. We haven't had those issues but we're very proactive A lot of the local school districts any time you walk into a field or gymnasium you get wandered or you have to walk through the metal detector. So we're very fortunate in that aspect. The schools that don't have that luxury. There's a police presence, there is a constable, sheriff, administrative presence. But the most important thing that I believe that can happen is the coaches have to educate their parents and their fans. The coaches have to lead by example and we as professionals we can't like a football coach.
Speaker 2:You can't have a bad call on a Friday night, then turn to the stands and start waving your hands All hell's bells, trying to get the fans on the official butt. That just going to entice the crowd and that's where things go silly. It goes south real fast. So it's a it's a sad situation, right or wrong, my opinion. There's no data to back it up, but my opinion is that the amateur ball or summer ball, travel ball Kids that try to get better. They get into these leagues sometimes that promote that type of activity and it's bad for the sport. It's when it all costs hell's bulls. Let's go. The officials are tormented by the fans. It's just. It sets a bad precedent and then, when you get to the state, sanctioned events that want to act the same way. It just can't happen.
Speaker 1:Yes, I had Todd Fitzgerald on from Marjorie Stelman Douglas High School and they put out the top team in the country every year in baseball for high school baseball. But he shared his experience from one day at the mass shooting in his school and it just seems like we have all these school issues that come up. It's just a matter of time before a big football game or a basketball game where someone breaks out a gun and it's going to be really a bad situation.
Speaker 2:And that's one of my worries here as a campus administrator is that one of my roles is I'm the campus safety manager. So since the shooting in Uvalde, Texas this past year, the state of Texas has enacted a bunch of laws and being very proactive of what we do, and it's just one of my responsibilities is make sure that campus is safe and to have lockdown practices. But our concern is if it's during a game. You have parents, fans of all different ages that are familiar around the campus and it's going to be the best we can at what we have.
Speaker 1:Right, it's a tough situation, but it's something that every administrator has to deal with, that's for sure. Yes, sir. Well, it's tough for administrators to be at every sporting event, and but how do we get more support for you've kind of been on both sides of it, you know but how do we get more support for coaches when parents become unhappy with their child's playing time or the win-loss record of the team?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So what we have and what we promote campus and what I did as a leader in athletics was you got to have your parent meeting before the season starts. That that is a must. And during that parent meeting, everything has to be discussed by how teams are selected, what is expected in the classroom was expected in the hallways, how you travel, you know everything is laid out for the parent to know, and I've, in fact, I've shared my preseason presentation on Twitter for with a couple of coaches already. It's just, it's to me, everything is about being proactive.
Speaker 2:You can't wait to the last second to to address something. Send a letter home to the parent. One meeting, you have summer practice, you have another meeting and then, right before the season kicks off, you have a third meeting. So everybody's out in the open and you just let them know what you're willing to discuss and what you're not willing to discuss. But the golden rule as a coach is never, ever have a meeting after a contest. That's the worst time when or lose. It's the worst time to have a meeting because your emotions are high. You may say something you don't want to say, that parents angry because their son didn't play, or whatever. It's just better to politely say call me in the morning. We'll set up a meeting time, will take care of it and respectfully walk away, because that's if not, you're asking for headaches.
Speaker 1:Yep, there's no doubt about that. Yeah Well, you've coached baseball and football. Fancy and critique the game. Talk about what goes into being a head coach.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, you got to have thick skin. Oh Jesus, I mean, no matter what you're doing it, people are going to talk about you. If you win or lose, they're going to talk about your strategy. It's like in baseball. If you try to win the game with a squeeze and it works, it's a great call, coach. But if that squeeze is popped up and you're out of the inning, you know everybody's yelling. What are you doing, coach? Football's the same way. When you throw the ball and it's intercepted, run the ball. You know everybody's got their thing.
Speaker 2:But the most important thing is not to take it personal and that's tough to do and it's a whole different podcast talking about the supportive wives and the families that sit up in the stands. You know just having to listen to their dad, their husband, their father being yelled at. But in some games they're the happiest people in the world because everybody's happy with their dad. So it's different. But as a coach you can't take it personal.
Speaker 2:You know, as coaches, we coach these kids the best we can. We spend countless hours with them all week, preparing them what needs to get done. We prepare to the best of our abilities with the resources available and we're out there playing the game and what I used to tell my football coaches and my teams is this no one can make you look stupid before the snap. You know, as long as we have our stats, our alignment and our first three steps are as technically sound as possible. After that it's just my kid versus your kid and let's go. That's all there is to it.
Speaker 2:But if you look stupid before the snap or do stupid penalties after the whistle, that is when you know it doesn't look well. You're not a well coached team in a wide opinion. So to get to your question, coaches take nothing personal. It's just they're. Either the parent is advocating for their son because they want more out of their son, they want to be coached harder, or whatever, or they are not happy with your strategy. Well, we, as coaches, do that on Sunday afternoons watching the NFL. I mean, it is what it is. But the main thing is don't take it personal.
Speaker 1:Yes, I. A perfect example would be. This past Saturday night, up here in Ohio, where I live, you know, ryan Day calls a fourth down play and doesn't work. And yeah, it's trending on Twitter within minutes. Yeah, fire, ryan Day, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's all and they win.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:And Notre Dame only had 10 players on the field.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, so what a Notre Dame is going to have a talking to? I guarantee you that, yes, our coach on staff supposed to count to 11, didn't get it done.
Speaker 1:Exactly, that's for sure. What? What was your approach to establish establishing a positive team culture when you stepped into the different jobs that you had as coaches?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, one has always came up with a theme when I entered the position. Um, it's always about the expectation. Like one place was expected to win. You know that we kept preaching expect to win. Another place was just simply the word believe, and you hear Dion Sanders all over that one right now. Uh, it's just picking a theme and running with it.
Speaker 2:Uh, the other thing that I did and some coaches believe it's a waste of time, but you know I took time to set the expectations. You know we get the job. We all sit in the weight room, the locker room, the auditorium, whatever we have available, and we talk about everything and what's expected from them, what's expected from me, what's expected from their staff? Uh, and we set the standard. Uh, and once we set that standard this is the tricky part.
Speaker 2:Once you set that standard, as a head coach in a new job, you're going to be tested. It's just the kids. You push your limits. But the first time the kid messes up or challenges the standard, it's simply hey, hey, bobby, you know what you did is not meeting the standard. And then I put it back on the kid what do you got to do to fix it? And he would tell me what the action plan for him to fix it. And then that was it. It was just let's talk. And after that then they knew. The second time that they test the standard, then there's consequences of some sort, and it's usually some type of physical activity to just get their mind right, but nothing to perturb or anything. But that's basically it. You got to set the standard and then you got to maintain the standard and your coaches that are with you, they got to help you keep that standard. You can't deviate. It doesn't matter if the worst player or the best player, they all got to meet the same standards.
Speaker 1:Well, you've taken some tough jobs throughout your career and research that I looked at. When you turn things around, how did you get players and parents to buy into that when you're going?
Speaker 2:over, over communicated. I over communicated everything. Now we raised. My biggest accomplishment is I was at Rio Hondo High School 3A school in soft Texas, and then in Harlingen High School 6A school. I was fortunate enough that we built two new, brand new fuels while I was there One I happened to be at the right place at the right time. They just had bond issues and stuff. So we're able to get things. We elevated what they wanted. We got covered, batting tunnels, all the bells and whistles we could.
Speaker 2:Here at South San Antonio High School, where I was a head football coach, I was able to raise $15,000 to get the kids in a relatable tunnel because we were inner city San Antonio and we did not have an inflatable tunnel and it was an embarrassment for the kids. They already have a tough life and then on Friday night, when they work so hard, everybody else has all these huge inflatables and we had nothing. So we did that and the thing is it wasn't selling the wins and the losses, it was more selling like what can athletics do for your kid? Okay, you want your kid to graduate? Well, I can help you. I can monitor his grades for you. Support me, just back me up and I'll get your kid to graduate is not going to be easy. We can make it happen and, again, setting the standards or the expectation for the parents over communicating.
Speaker 2:I was on social media with the parents, whatever it took to get them across. But you have to sell the program and not what the program not. Hey, donate thousands of dollars. We can eat all these fine foods before game, you know. Donate some money so that your kid make it about them that your kid can eat. Your kid will have the nutrients he needs before he goes through the Friday night game. Donate some money so we can buy these high dollar pads that would protect your kid from getting hurt. Donate this we can get some signage on the walls to create some pride and some culture. It is all about selling not the wins and losses, but what the sport itself can do for the kid and all the memories it's going to create.
Speaker 1:You know I want to kind of go with that one with what you're talking about there. You know I have had a lot of coaches on and athletes and they've been at these big time suburban schools and they've got the beautiful facilities. Talk about how tough it is to coach in an inner city program.
Speaker 2:This is very tough. There's great kids and there's some loving and supportive parents, no matter what school you're at. It's just that the money doesn't flow as freely when you ask for it as other places. Sometimes my players had to leave, couldn't. Well, let me backtrack.
Speaker 2:We cut our Saturday practices and football season because the kids couldn't make it. They had to go work, they had to babysit, and it's not like I just. I mean, I called the house hey, is So-and-So really at work? Oh, yeah, coach, he left this morning with his dad. Hey, is So-and-So really taking care of his little brother? Yeah, he has to, because the mom's working a double shift or something. So it wasn't like we just listened to the kid, it was a community and that's how things were done. It wasn't for all kids but for some. So to make it meet the standard where we all watched film, we as coaches had to adjust, because I can't penalize a kid for missing practice when his dad says you got to go work, because if you don't work you don't eat. It is what it is.
Speaker 2:So those are the challenges and in football it was really different when I put in spring training or spring ball. They never had spring ball there before and I had a handful of parents say you know what? My son's going to go work after school because football doesn't happen until August and it's getting that mindset. If we're going to be successful, that's what we need to do. So we continue with spring ball, we did our thing and next year the same kids. They were there. It's different, the expectations are different, even sleep, study habits. It's very different and it's tougher.
Speaker 2:But I, in my mind I believe I was made to coaching. Those type of situations relate to those kids. I want to help them, want to be a role model, want to encourage them. You know I'd love to win. Everybody likes to win, because they know that's what you coach for. At the same time, it's what impact are you having to change that kid's life? And that's the biggest goal we have, you know. It's also the other thing is trying to get those kids and the community to believe they can win that stuff, because everything around them is not what they want.
Speaker 2:And you make all these promises, work hard, good things will happen. The tough, the work, the luck. You get all those things and then you work hard and you lose game one and then you start second guessing. But I think what I did a good job is I looked at the small things. You know we all dressed out the proper way. We didn't have a fight during the football game. You know, my high school that I took over was known for having a fight every football game. It was ridiculous on the field. So we didn't have a fight. That's a huge accomplishment. We're going in the right direction.
Speaker 2:When I took over the job, we had a total of 30 players on the varsity. We called them the dirty 30. Because that's all we had. Four years later, I have 33 seniors graduating from the varsity, so we had over 60 players in the program at the varsity level. We had a full freshman squad and we had two freshman teams. So there's a lot of good things happening there and we attract the kids because what we can do for them and we just had fun with them too as well.
Speaker 1:You know I said that is very impressive that you were able to turn things around like that, and for a lot of coaches you know they're in there and they want to win, but it's the impact you make on each and each player on the team is yeah.
Speaker 2:And you got to look at your opponent. I mean, you want to win and you're going to compete like hell, but you got it is what it is. It's who you're playing, it's who you're playing against, and that was all of it Off the charts down there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's different and it is what it is, and I was always a here's. One thing I did as a coach I always been a spreader and shredder, two by two coach and I learned to flex bone offense and we started to look like Army and Navy Run the ball round it out, run the ball round it out. And you know, I'm not coaching football anymore over there because they didn't like that style of play. They want to throw it like everybody else and since I left they've won two games. So it is what it is.
Speaker 1:There you go, what with. Coaches are always looking for creative ways to run practices, and this kind of goes back to the baseball side of things. Yeah, okay, and I've read where you talk about having inner squad practices with a with a purpose. Yeah, can you kind of share a little bit about that? Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Inner squad with a purpose. I, as a baseball coach changing gears is I despised a lot standing around. I mean, I got limited time, we got a role. I don't have time and baseball IQ where I was was relatively low and you know the kids play a little against stuff, but the intricacies of the game weren't taught as detailed as they needed to be. So inner squad with a purpose is simply you got a coach or anybody throwing BP fastballs, you got your hitter at the plate and we have groups on defense, a full defense, and we have some basher runners. So it's a real game.
Speaker 2:But the unique approach that I take and the purpose I get is maybe the first time we do this. We're going to say runner on first one out and then wherever the BP hit goes, the teams got react, the basher runners going, the defense is reacting and we get a game situation and they throw the ball. They do there. There's no sliding, there's no run downs or anything. It's just, you know, get the ball where it needs to be as quickly as possible. Does the baserunner get his jump? Get his, I'm sorry, get his lead, get his jump and then react appropriately. That's all we're looking for. You can get you know. You can do the whole gamut of run downs etc. But the batting practice or the inner squad with a purpose, is like it's a controlled scrimmage. That's basically what it is, and we will run the same situation over and over and over till I change it. So we may go runner first one out for five minutes nonstop, no matter who's on base, no matter who's hitting. That's the situation. And then the next five minutes we'll go runner on second base one out. Where are you going to go? And it's more game like because we don't know where the ball is going to be hit. It's a game speed because the kids are competing and they're all game situations that we're going to see in the game at one time or another.
Speaker 2:There is a whole template where as long as you have 16 players at practice so it works for my small school and works for the large schools If you got 16 players of practice, you're going to group them as your first baseman in group one, your other first baseman in group two, then your two second basements, your short stops in your third basements. So let's group one and group two, Then three and four are your left fielder in three and your backup left fielder in four, then your center fielder in a group, your right fielder and your catchers, Okay. So those are your four groups of four. Okay, and the way you mix it up is, if your infield group has got to be matched up with an outfield group on defense, the leftover group is going to hit and the fourth group is going to base run.
Speaker 2:I know that, unless I don't hope it's making sense, but there's four groups, that there's a rotation to it, and the best other aspect that I like about the inner squad with a purpose is that it's timed. So if a team has a hot bat, you know they're not going to bat forever. It's seven minutes, work to situation, go on to the next one and in 30 minutes it's perfect for a Wednesday practice after a Tuesday game. It's perfect to do in the offseason when you have a class. It's just, it's a good little quick and it's all game like game speed situations.
Speaker 1:I like that. It's like you said it's. It beats the old school coached on BP behind an L stream. Everybody's like yeah.
Speaker 2:And if you want to kick it up another notch, you can put your coaches on first and third and you can start doing offences, situations, you know it's. You can take it a hundred different ways. Whatever you want to accomplish your practice, that right there is going to help you get it done.
Speaker 1:How do you address athletes when they are aren't totally bought in or four committed to what? What you're doing, what steps do you, do you like to take to motivate the out? And you know you're like you said, you've been in submitters in the school. Kids got a lot of different challenges. How do you motivate those kids that are quite bought in?
Speaker 2:Number one thing is build a relationship with them. Let them know that they're not just my shortstop, they're not just my number one picture. It's you as a person and and trying to, you know, get a point across that we got to work together. You may not like it, but you got to respect it, whatever we're talking about, because later in life you're going to have a job. You may not like it, but you got to do what your boss tells you to do, and if you don't want to be told what to do, then you be your own boss. So you got to finish school and everything is tight in. It's not always about pitching for me on Friday night. It's OK.
Speaker 2:Once you graduate, what am I teaching you that's going to help you later in life? Somehow, some way and that's the whole thing is this build a relationship, for I talk about body language. All the time, at practice or in post practice, your body language is screaming more than your voice is, and especially in baseball, you got to throw by yourself in a little position. That's it's your body language screams your your eye rolls how you put on your shoes, whatever you do, it tells me how you're feeling and I try to win them over as a friend is not as a friend. I'm not as a detective, as a mentor, trying to win them over Like man.
Speaker 2:I can help you get through high school. I can. It's not going to be perfect, but you know, just stay with me and if you're a good player, stay with me. I can make you a better player. I can't promise you scholarships, because I don't have those, but I can get the most out of you. You stay with me and then you turn it into what was it? What goal do you want, you know? Do you want to be a first team, second team, all district? You just want to make the starting lineup, you want to be part of the team and then you go from there. But it all starts with their relationship.
Speaker 1:How do you, you know with your experience with the tough coaching jobs you have, what are some classic mistakes that you see young coaches making? That you know you would say, hey, you got to really avoid these number one is taking everything for granted.
Speaker 2:You out there, no matter what sport you're coaching, it doesn't matter football, basketball, baseball. You're in baseball, are we going to take? And you just start banging balls and you know you're good players will know what to do. But the subpar players, the freshman, they don't know how to to field the ball. Is it a slow roller ball to left ball, to the right, like I'm at crossover, or whatever? They don't know. So you got to break it down and coach it. So taking nothing for granted.
Speaker 2:The second thing I see a lot of coaches do and I did it as well as you scream at everything. Everything has got to be in high volume and it doesn't have to be that way. You know it's a. You know baseball. You do have to scream at your outfield or practice because it's windy or whatever, but it's it's, it's volume with a purpose. You know, get your head out of your ass. What good is that? That's not coaching. You know it's always got to be something constructive. Get your glove down. You know I get your hands out front, see the ball, hit the ball. You know little and not long drawn out stuff, because the kids not going to remember. It's got a short, quick statements and that's what I've tried to do and wanted to try to preach on my social media accounts of websites are is everything has to be consistent, actionable, repeatable and exact. If you can break down whatever drill that you're looking at into those to that blueprint and just repeat it over and over and over and the kids will slow the kids onto it.
Speaker 1:Well, so you brought it up. You put out a weekly newsletter for the listeners that might want to subscribe to this, and I'm sure it's probably free to subscribe to it. Can you talk a little bit about your newsletter and some of your social media stuff that you put in there?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So right now I'm just learning, being honest, learning how to create a newsletter. And if you just Google Sunday Morning Coach, it'll be the first hit on Google and it's free for you to join. And right now I'm, too, using the free version. That's why it's going to say be hive in front of it. I'm still getting my feet wet, but I've had. I mean, I have over a thousand subscribers already and it's I'm not putting my whole heart into it yet. It's just it's building and I'm tinkering and learning. And when you do subscribe to the Sunday Morning Coach, which is free, you're going to get a football article, a little bit of baseball and some athletic leadership. Those are the three main pillars that I try to work into. And then also have what's known as Diamond Notes, which is from critsfilescom. That's a baseball only website.
Speaker 2:I'm all over the place with my websites. You know I'm just trying to fuel it out. You know baseball coaches, responsive, some football coaches. It's just trying to tie it all together. But if you follow me on Twitter at coach Ron Kretz, then everything you see on the websites eventually makes it to Twitter. But it's just a little project. I miss coaching. I want to stay in the game. I have too much time on my hand. I'm trying to watch the grass grow and I've got to keep learning. You know this keeps me busy and my wife's happy that I'm busy.
Speaker 1:Yeah. But you know you can't take away the fact that you're also you're a principal in a school district. That, to me, is not an easy job, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:No, it's a yeah. I mean I work a full, a full week's work. I go to Friday night football games and when I do all my writing is usually at five in the morning, or on Saturday and Sunday. It's just whatever I have time. But it feels good to stay involved in the game this way. And the C coaches they send me an instant message, they send me an email, or they or they purchase a product is like you know, it just validates. That's what I'm doing is helping.
Speaker 1:Yes. Well, I want to switch over to the thing that I call wrap and fire. I'm going to get you with a couple quick questions here and you just tell me what. What comes to mind really quick here. All right, best way to address a team, both after a tough loss or a big win after a big win, short, sweet, congratulate him.
Speaker 2:Great effort, team effort and let him go see their parents. Now it's, I mean, I'm telling those, those games where you got to win your district champ and everybody is, you know, just excited. You know you'll, you'll see him in school the next day. If it's Friday night game, remind me. Hey, we got practice tomorrow. But great job, enjoy the night, make good, make good choices. Tomorrow.
Speaker 2:After a tough loss, they're sad, they're disappointed, they're upset. Some may be pouting. That's where the teaching comes in. That's where you got to take. Hey, we lost, okay, but 10 years from now, no one's going to care about this football game.
Speaker 2:Did you compete to the best of your ability? Did you prepare to the best of your ability? We faced adversity. The starting quarterback went down. You know, whatever situation number two stepped in, that's what's going to happen in life. You know, those tough losses are the ones where you got to flip it from a coach and the kids have to learn something about themselves. They got to learn something about the game and they got to see that somehow this is just a small picture in their life and, truth being known, coaches take the losses harder than some of the kids. It's just. I mean we're we're Kotlin, staying up to two, three in the morning wanting what the hell happened. Why couldn't we bump? Why couldn't we field the ball? And you look at your social media little Johnny's at a party, you know it's like it is what it is, but it's when they win short sweep to the house. When they lose, make sure they learn something before they go home.
Speaker 1:Being a former football coach, you know I almost feel like half the country's split on this. What are your thoughts on Dion Sanders, coach prime and how he's doing things?
Speaker 2:He. I admire the guy. He is doing what he wants to do how he wants to do it and yes, he talks a lot. He's very charismatic. In my mind he's just a very confident man. You know he's saying we coming. People might think that is is smack talk. He has another phrase I keep receipts. You know everybody who says something negative he's good, he's going to come back around. But the best one I like is when he lost this past Saturday. He says if you're going to get me, you better get me now. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of what he's doing. I love the dude, what he's doing because he's doing his way.
Speaker 2:The only thing questionable is you know how he got rid of all those players, but I saw it on 60 minutes. On 60 minutes he said he went in there and he told all those players to get into the portal and his response to the I can't remember who did the interview on 60 minutes was hey, if my words hurt your feelings, where you had to leave, then we don't want you. You're not what we need here at Colorado. So we've all done that. You go and they're going to challenge your team and if they leave, well, they're not going to make it anyway. But the ones that stayed, I'll coach you up, we'll get ready. I'm not going to do anything against you, but that was just challenging.
Speaker 2:As a coach, I see what he's doing. He's harsh, he's up front. But some people think he's just, he's just trash, talking left and right. But I think he's just coaching his team and preparing his team and he's indirectly already recruiting for next year. That's that's how I see it. If you dig deep, he's already recruiting for next year. And the Oregon coach he said what he had to say to his team before the game. You know we don't play for clicks, we're not going to win. You know that was in a close confines of his locker room to his team. You know they're both. They're just doing what they got to do to win. That's how I feel.
Speaker 1:One message for parents that they should hear about playing time at freshman level, the JV level and the varsity level. Man.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what Coach Randy Johnson he was in the Dallas area wrote a great book, a culture, culture defeats strategy, and he had a broken down in a book about each level what the expectations were and I just copied that and used it. But before that book came out it was a playing time is not guaranteed, it's not promised and it's not. It's not a right, but it's going to be a privilege. Have you done everything that we needed that we've asked of you on and off the field? So you have the right to wear that uniform and if you have that the privilege not that right if you have that privilege to wear the uniform, then you're already halfway there Playing time.
Speaker 2:You know they just basically that's where those parent meetings come into play. You know set some criteria. They got to be able to be successful in the offensive techniques or defense, how to hit, how to pitch. You know fielding. We even ran 60s when I had a very competitive baseball team and the kids were tights and we ran 60s. We put everybody on the gun from third base to first base. That way it was all based on data. And then, once the season gets going, after a couple of tournaments, you know data is still there, but then you got to go to heart and commitment and stuff like that. But it's a. I always felt the parents have got to know up front how their son or daughter is going to be evaluated and that helps a lot. You still have those meetings and never, ever, ever talk about another player in the meetings. Always talk about their player, their son.
Speaker 1:You know well, this is an NFL question for you. I've just given you the job as a head coach and you get these three players to be on your offense. You got to pick group A or group B. Okay, group A Tom Brady is your quarterback, randy Moss is your wide receiver and Barry Sanders is your running back. Okay, group B you got. Peyton Manning is your quarterback, jerry Rice as your wide receiver and Walter Peyton as your running back. Who you taking? I'm taking group B.
Speaker 2:Why is that To me? I mean, both groups are great, but I want to say Walter Peyton, he's a team player, and Jerry Rice, team player Manning. You know, to me they're they're more my personality, self spoken they just go to work every day, get the work done. The one that threw me off on the other side was was Randy Moss. That one is like he he could be good for the team or he could not, and that's that. He was the one that made me switch to Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice, etc.
Speaker 1:There you go. Yeah Well, it's Ron Kretz, the Sunday morning coach and coach. If you could one last time, what is your Twitter handle and if people want to jump out there and follow you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Twitter handle is at coach Ron Kretz, coach R-O-N-K-R-E-T-Z, and you can also hit me up at KretzFilescom as a website for baseball coaches and also the Sunday morning coaches my newsletter going out for baseball, football and athletic leadership.
Speaker 1:Well, coach, thank you. Thanks again for taking the time. I know it's at the end of the school day for you and you're probably ready to get home, but episode 83 is in the books and thank you very much for joining the athlete one podcast.
Speaker 2:It's a pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Be sure to check out our sponsor, the netting professionals. They're improving programs, one facility at a time. You can contact them today at 844-620-2707 that's 844-620-2707 or you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom. If you like today's episode, be sure to share it with a friend. If you get an opportunity, leave us a review. It helps us to grow the show. And a special thanks to our guest today, ron Kretz, and, as always, thanks for listening to the athlete. One podcast.