The Other Side of the Lens: Amp Up Videos

by Greg Gerber

Greenfield High School Video Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach

Follow @CoachMitts

Amp-up videos are a very important part of football.  We use them to get the blood flowing and the adrenaline cranked up.  After all, don’t we all share the guilty pleasure of combing through YouTube trying to find videos that showcase big hits, amazing catches or plays where the running back breaks 24 tackles and does a flip at the end?  Well now you, too, can make your own amp up video using the team’s Hudl account (and your own athletes’ amazing plays).  Welcome to Amp-up Video Creation 101!  Follow these simple instructions to showcase your team and get them pumped for the following week’s game! 

"The Turnaround": Cooper Week

by Jason Strunk

Lubbock High School Head Coach

Saturday

Whether we like it or not, Saturday is a work day for everyone, even following a tough loss. No sense in hanging your head. What is the point in that? Our guys reported at the same time, just like any other Saturday. 9 a.m. they rolled in. Guess what? They were greeted with a smile, pat on the chest and breakfast. Consistency. When you win or lose you need to be consistent. As a staff we are consistent. It is what this program needs.

Sure, we are all stinging. Who wouldn't be? We are invested in this program. Losing hurts. It should hurt. What it shouldn't do is keep you down. Why come in on a Saturday still feeling the emotion of the night before? Get over it. Get started on the next week. 

Life is full of losses. I suffered one of the biggest losses of my life in 1995. It wasn't much fun waking up on January 12, 1995 (as a high school senior) finding out my Mom had died. Just like that 50% of my family was stripped from me. Is that a loss? I think it does qualify as a devastating loss. LIFE losses like that are tough to swallow. I spent about two years feeling sorry for myself. That didn't get me anywhere. All that did was delay the start of my adult life. 

Going through the loss of my Mom made me realize a few things. Number one, life goes on and the world doesn't stop to feel sorry for you. The second thing I learned? Mental toughness and attitude. It is how you go about your daily life that defines you. Nothing will slow me down. 

So when we talk about a football loss, it is not the end of the world to me. Dealing with death taught me how to handle every scenario thrown my way. Saturday morning's after a loss? Please. Been there done that.

The bottom line is, nothing will keep our attitude down and nothing will stand in our way of getting this program right. There are 200 people that look to me every day to get us out of this. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. My players do not need a leader that cannot handle the tough times.

I love these kids. They are going to get the best of me every day I am the Head Coach at LHS. I will not short-change them! 

Time to get ready for Cooper... It is a Saturday and all I know how to do is work harder.

Let's see what tomorrow brings....

Lubbock Loses Opener

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

If you listen closely, you can almost hear Dandy Don Meredith singing "turn out the lights, the party's over".

You may ask, what the heck are you talking about?

Quite simply, Lubbock head coach football coach Jason Strunk, who's doubling as a High School Football America correspondent this year to give us all an inside look at his program, texted me after his team's opening game tonight against Canyon and said, "jumped out to 21-7 lead. Lights blew out at the stadium. Slowed us down. Tied 21 at half. Then had 4 picks in the second half. Lost 48-21."

I texted back, "the old blackout trick".

Bottom line, the Westerners' losing streak moved to 23 after the power failure that may have taken some of the juice out of Lubbock's early lead.

Can't wait to see what Coach Strunk writes tomorrow on the next installment of The Turnaround, an inside look at Lubbock.

In the meantime, check-out the game story from Lee Passmore of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal by clicking here.

Follow Coach Strunk on Twitter at @WestTXCoach.