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What to expect as a Knight?

November 6, 2012

What to expect?

We are a league that teaches the true game of football to the kids. They will be taught techniques that will stay with them and benefit them for the rest of their football careers. That being said, there are some big differences between us and most soccer, t-ball leagues and overall youth sports, so I wanted to make everyone aware and knowledgeable of how I coach The Knights so as not to discourage participation.

1. The first 2 weeks will be the hardest, (my wife won’t even come). My staff and I are pretty rough on the kids with loud voices, team discipline, and over the top aggression. There isn’t a lot of praise, and kids get singled out for not controlling what they can control, (talking, going to the bathroom, not following direction, not paying attention …etc). This is absolutely intentional! Not only are we trying to teach them, but we want to protect them. In T-ball if a child is not paying attention the ball may just go shooting by them. In football someone is coming to hit you and if you are not paying attention then you may find your feet in the air. We don’t want anyone to get hurt! This period is important for us to break the kids down a little so that they learn discipline and understand the rules, principles, and aspects of the game. Once the first two weeks are over, you will see a huge change in the manner that practice is run. High fives, helmet slaps, and verbal praise are used much more , and while we are still very strict and aggressive, the mom’s will be able to breathe again!

2. Our practices may run inside or outside so Always be prepared for both with shoes and clothing. In addition, every player is important. Missing a practice or a game is a BIG deal. Because we practice at a high rate of speed it is very easy for a player to fall behind and cause them to be sidelined for those that showed and know what is going on. (Most still come to watch when sick or hurt without gear)

3. If your child has scheduling limitations that would cause him to miss practices/games or not be able to put in extra time we would ask you to please make us aware of this in advance so that the child can be slotted appropriately.

Note: Ball handlers WILL be asked to attend additional training.

Field Rules-

We would like to ask all parents to refrain from coming onto the field during practice. This rule is enforced to keep the kids attention and safety in tact. If you have a question, my team and I will do our best to answer them, but please hold on to them for when we are off the field.

Please show etiquette while on the sidelines. Smoking, foul language, and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and the parent and child may be asked to leave. Also, please clean up after yourself as we are ultimately responsible for making sure the field/gym stays clean.

Off the Field-

Our program is about more than just football. If words of encouragement or personal discussions would help your child with school grades, self discipline, etc…. please let us know because we want to help. And as we are trying to develop a class act program, with your permission, I would also like to be notified if any player is fighting. It can sometimes be difficult for the kids to learn when and where to use the aggression they learn on the field. However, this is not acceptable behavior of a Lebanon Knights athlete, and learning to be a good man is our ultimate goal. We intentionally use portions of our practices to talk about character and the differences between good and bad choices. This combined with my love for the sport is why I am a coach! We want to show these boys that Hard Work…Pays Off and that they can accomplish anything by giving and being their best on and off the football field.

Transportation-

I want to be very clear up front that coaches are NOT responsible for getting players to and from practices and games! By being part of the Lebanon Knights you are agreeing to hold all responsibility not only for getting them to practices, but also to the games in Allentown.

Note: The game location is 30 miles from Lebanon

Cost-

All athletes must pay prior to drawing equipment (roughly the second or third week of January) $175 per player. While we know that this can be tough to come up with we are very confident that it is well worth it. One of the benefits to having try outs in October is that it may help you plan for the fee due in January.

Practice Location-

Youth Advocate (Youth For Christ) Building

1691 Grace Ave. Lebanon

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