Jackson Smith

@_Coach_Houston_ Super unfortunate. Seems to be a common theme in the area.. Best of luck coach!

I was just fired from Salt River. First thing is, they did it over TEXT MESSAGE, and then blocked me. Not because I was not doing my job. Not because I was toxic. Not because I was a bad coach. But because I was "not taking it serious and joking too much" when I took over this defense 2 months ago after moving from florida and quitting my championship caliber team, Salt River had ZERO defensive players, coming off a 0-10 season. I had 12 kids committed in 2 months. They also mentioned I had too many formations on defense. Basically saying our players were not smart enough to understand. Also, the associate Head Coach blatantly told me that I need to remember my place, when I asked if the shorts had draw strings. Ive lost 53lbs, I ordered big shorts when I was fat. And he had an issue with it. He also doesnt understand my defense because he refused to sit with me and talk through it, so he basically told me I was wasting my time. Coach Jackson, made me drive him 3.5 hours to the reservation on my dime, to beg a kid to play, I even bought his son food. And last night when I voiced my concerns that dashee was gunning for me, he told me everything was OK. Then texted me tonight as I was working on the workout plan they were making me do even though I was already the coordinator. So basically these guys are cowards. And if they are willing to have a coach move his whole life to Arizona, recruit and promise kids he will be there for them, build a defense from scratch, beg them to pay money.... then fire them over a personality clash? DO NOT PLAY FOR SALT RIVER.

A Coach Cignetti jewel: “Good players want coached. Great players you can’t coach them enough, they want more, more, more. Inconsistent players want to be coached on their terms.” …(and always have a response or excuse)

The weight room is biased. It only rewards those who work. And it will see right through anyone not willing to do it. It’s a truth teller. You can’t fool it. It will let you know exactly where things stand.

There are two types of athletes: 1) 😡“I have to lift weights” 🥱“I have to wake up early” 🙄“I have to go to practice” 2) 💪“I GET TO lift weights” 😤“I GET TO wake up early” 🤩“I GET TO go to practice” The 2nd will always outperform the 1st!

The weight room is the most influential room in a school. It’s not a place to hang out — it’s a classroom. A place where habits are built, standards are set, and character is developed.

“You’re going to tell us how much you love your teammates by the way you block on the perimeter” - Dan Lanning

The worst attitude is one that thinks “that’s not my job.” If it needs to be done, do it. Period! That mindset is not team/staff centered. Self centered folks become cancers on teams/staffs. If you always have to be reminded or told to do your part, you’re not a team player.

Discipline is not a genetic trait. You build it one day at a time. So don’t be jealous. Get to work.

Elite competitors are never satisfied, they’re always getting better. Find people as hungry to win as you are. The ones who compete on every rep: film, practice, game …. and refuse to settle for good enough. That’s where elite is birthed!

How not to be average is a must watch speech by Curt Cignetti, Indiana University

USF head coach, Brian Hartline, demanding his players do all they can to win the moment… This second This action This activity This session Today This week Next game This month This season Sports are game of moments. In fact, there are thousands of micro-moments in every game that can be won or lost. And these moments…these micro-moments…constantly influence the momentum of the game. The momentum of the game as it swings back and forth. Underpinning moments and momentum is mindset. Is a player, are players, and is a team in High Performance Mindsets vertically or Low Performance Mindset? Mindset drives Moments drives Momentum. Sports are games of Mindset, Moments, and Momentum. And this is why I want every player I work with and every team I work with to be outstanding at starting and staying in a High Performance Mindset. (𝐌𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞, 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐏𝐌 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤)

Tom Brady: “You need coaches that push you outside your comfort zone because that’s how you grow and that’s how you develop self confidence and self esteem. They push you to deal with failure.”

Anybody can be excited in Week 1. Few stay committed in Week 9. The difference between average and elite is endurance. We don’t need emotional highs. We need daily consistency.

Winning cultures don’t have athletes pointing fingers, blaming others, or making excuses. Winning cultures don't have coaches doing these things either. Winning cultures have people coming together to find solutions, share results, and take responsibility for the process.