The Camera Doesn't Care About Your Excuse Either

I was ecstatic this summer when our AD informed me that our Hudl InFocus camera had been mounted in our Main Gym. With the click of an app on our phone, I could grab any portion of practice I wanted on film and break it down for use however my staff and I decided. It was a setup I was used to in college and was glad was now, two years in, being the norm at the high school level as well.

More film more film more film am I right?

Well, the clip above, originally posted on IG by @abc7la (where a HS football coach is ranting in practice and kicks a ball in anger into a young man’s groin), reminded me of not just the need for emotional fluency in coaching, but also the fact that if we believe “put it all on film” applies to our players (namely, the idea that I can catch them with the eye in the sky slipping and then show them that and expect a new version of them) it also means WE ARE GOING TO BE ON FILM MORE TOO.

Our words, our tactics, OUR RANTS.

Those are going to be captured too.

I lived this in college.

Over a decade into being a Head Coach, I had the Hudl camera running during practice filming a 5 on 5 session. One of our players made a comment to a teammate I didn’t appreciate and I lost it. I screamed eff bombs, etc at him, took him out of the scrimmage and stomped around the floor. Now, I thought it was a warranted rant, as the young man needed to be checked for failing with his words, but I also went too far in the words I CHOSE to correct him with.

And guess what?

That shit was on camera.

And the players all had their own log ins to that days footage.

So that film ended up in front of our AD, because I did a poor job debriefing with the player post practice (because I was still processing rage) and what could have been repaired between the two of us right then and there ended up being a week long issue in our program.

Credit to the young man in the story, as he held grace for me in my own failings to meet the moment and owned his own. We “made up” and had a productive season of him starting. But my point here is both emotional processing AND more “eyes in the sky” means you have to be better at your job.

For years, coaches have loved film because the camera doesn't care about the player's excuse.

“You said you were in help? Let's watch the film.”

“You said you sprinted back? Let's watch the film.”

“You said you didn't say anything? Let's watch the film.”

Well, Coach...the camera doesn't care about your excuse either. We can’t hope for gotcha moments on video that move our guys and then NOT own our own on the same feed.

Coach Prompts

• If your players had unrestricted access to film of YOU at practice, what would you be uncomfortable having them watch back?

• When was the last time you watched coaching film to evaluate your own behavior instead of your players'?

• When you cross a line with a player, how quickly does your system move you toward repair instead of justification?

Player Prompts

• What would you notice about your coaches on practice film that they probably aren't watching for?

• Does a coach owning a mistake make it harder or easier for you to respect them? Why?

• What's the difference between a coach holding you accountable and a coach losing control?

We love building accountability systems for players. Film. Stats. Grades. Standards. Consequences.

Where is the accountability system for the adults?

If your program's decision system only creates feedback loops for athletes, it isn't much of a system.

DeCA examines Coach Readiness too—because the adults designing the environment are making decisions inside it every damn day.