State Champion: Jake Gilbert - Westfield (Ind.)




Coach and Coordinator Podcast show

Summary: Jake Gilbert is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Gilbert, the head coach of Westfield (Ind.), breaks down his approach to summer camp and team building. He discusses why he keeps his freshmen players up with the varsity program as much as possible and how he uses mental toughness training to gain an edge on opponents. Show notes :53 Day one of camp 2:02 Teaching culture in an engaging way 3:25 Blind-folded canoe races 4:43 Ropes courses 6:55 Senior and leadership are different 8:18 Process for picking captains 9:25 Approach to summer sessions 13:17 Gilbert's mental training circuit 16:15 The champion's manual and mentor program 19:06 Caring for freshmen within a varsity program 20:47 Running a successful intrasquad scrimmage 24:17 The winning edge