You'll get a lot of help, and a bunch of people are going to tell you you shouldn't have handed out a playbook.  It took me a while to realize I was really bad my first year, but now I realize I'm doing a bad job a lot faster.

well now I gotta ask, Why would you not give the players a playbook?  I know how much of a leap the players seemed to make when they knew what the playcall was, and what their part in it was... I am sure there is a reason, so now I have to know...  😛

I took the playbook and typed it all up and made copies for all the players on the team. (something that hadn't been done in the first 2+ weeks of practice  😮 )

--You don't need a playbook.  To distribute a playbook means that you're relying on kids to study it and get their learning from a sheet of paper.  That won't work.  You'll have no idea who's read it and who hasn't.  What you want them to know needs to be taught on the field.

I have not decided on a scheme at this point I am becoming familiar with as many as I can so I can try to let personnel dictate that.

--If you are going to allow personnel to dictate scheme, how long do you believe it will take you to see what kind of personnel you have?  Will it take a day?  A week?  Will you learn your scheme after you've decided what kind of personnel you have?  Will you learn several schemes in the off-season so that once you've seen your personnel and have decided on scheme, you can then hit the ground running?  Do you know how long it takes to learn a scheme/how to teach it/how to troubleshoot it?

--Can you tell me what kind of personnel you would have that would dictate your choice of scheme?

The big thing I want is to get away from the "go block someone"

--Then find a blocking scheme you like and let it determine what offensive scheme you chose.

does anyone have any advice for that initial "I want to head coach this disaster?"

--Learn how to teach fundamentals.  Don't overlook it.  Don't pooh-pooh it.  Don't put it on the backburner while you focus on plays, formations, scrimmaging and running laps.  Focus on it.  If your team can block and tackle successfully, you will win.  If your team can't block and tackle successfully, you will lose.  Bring fundamentals to the forefront of your practices.

--Dave

well now I gotta ask, Why would you not give the players a playbook?  I know how much of a leap the players seemed to make when they knew what the playcall was, and what their part in it was... I am sure there is a reason, so now I have to know...  😛

They don't read them, so it's not worth the time.

Other than that, I don't believe it's considered a negative.  The only way I'd say it could be is if you create your teaching plans with the assumption they have read the playbook. As long as you know most won't have read it, not a big deal either way.

They don't read them, so it's not worth the time.

It is a waste of time.  And there's no way to know who's read it and who hasn't, so you end up teaching it on the field anyway.

--Dave

Didn't I just say that?  😛

Didn't I just say that?  😛

No, you said it was a waste of time.  You didn't say why it was a waste of time. 😛

Okay, yes you said it.  But I was just helping you.  lol

--Dave

well now I gotta ask, Why would you not give the players a playbook?

The ONLY thing that I assume my players know, is what I have taught them on the field.  Rules, plays, penalties...if I haven't covered it on the field, I assume that they don't know it.

--Dave

I'm pretty sure you won't find anyone saying the kids shouldn't know the plays (unless you have a ton of plays, which is another discussion, and one I would hate to set off).  It's a question of whether of not giving them a playbook is the best, or even an adequate, method to get them to know the plays.

And this was from the "getting there faster" thread about mistakes that coaches make:

Wasting time that they're not even aware of wasting.

Mistaking "telling" for "coaching."

--Dave

There is some great stuff in that thread.

As there is in Joe's Developing Coaches thread - that's just a longer thread, so more to sift through to get the nuggets...

Welcome Matt!

The playbook thing is not an important issue. Doesn't hurt the team. I've had kids where it did benefit them. Some where it just becomes a paper airplane. A playbook it not particularly helpful early in the season cuz you don't necessarily know where players are gonna play. At the higher levels playbooks are more useful because there's a general understanding what position a guy is coming into the year.

1 thing in your post that did stand out is the "i'm studying up on everything & i'm gonna let perseonel dictate."

To me that reads a bit like "I wont be prepared coming into the year, & I wont have have mastered my system in advance."

If I was you, I'd choose something now, study it, learn all it's about, & then adjust what you add & subtract from it based on your personel. If you're gonna be a series based guy (Wing T, Double Wing, Single Wing), the talent requirement is all pretty much the same.

If you're gonna be a grab bag guy (which is totally fine), theres a lot more you need to figure out. But mainly you'll need to decide how many blocking schemes you plan to use, & a method for installing & calling the offense.

I think playbooks are great because you can see your own outline of what you want your offense and defense to look like and everyone especially the assistant coaches can get a good understanding of what you want. People underestimate the side coaching that goes on at home between the player and his dad, this way the dad can see exactly what his son should be doing on each play.
  I also would email a practice plan for the evening and any install of plays that we would be working. Makes for a much more efficient practice so all the other coaches don't look at you with the deer in the headlights look.

If I'm ever a HC again I'm going to hand out practice plans to the parents who are watching, so they know what their kid is working on now and what he'll be doing next.  And it will help keep me on my game when planning practice.