The PCA Blog - Mid-Atlantic

The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation Hosts Fourth Annual High School Coaches Clinic

05.06.2018

PCA Mid-Atlantic Founding Partner, The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, hosted its fourth annual High School Coaches Clinic on March 20th. 50 student-athletes and 50 coaches gathered at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park with the goal of elevating their game to the next level.


The day kicked off with PCA National Advisory Board Member, Joe Ehrmann, speaking with both 
athletes and coaches about their responsibility as leaders in their respective communities. Joe highlighted the misconceptions around the "culturally destructive phrase, 'Be A Man'" and myths surrounding traditional masculinity in football.


Coaches were given access to the Redskins top coaches through panel discussions and small room film study while athletes were taken through performance training in a combine-like setting that allowed them to test their physical abilities against their local peers.


The day finished off with PCA Mid-Atlantic trainer, Steve Wilson, delivering a workshop entitled "Positive Motivation" to the coaches. This interactive workshop gave coaches insight into getting the best from athletes through positive coaching. "Athletes today respond differently than you did when you were a kid. The old adage of 'kids don't care what you know until they know that you care' rings true for your football players. Your players need to know that you care about them as people and they aren't simply stats on a sheet or a means to an end. So you have to develop a football culture that supports these kids, not one that tears them down."


"PCA Mid-Atlantic is incredibly grateful to have The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation as a Founding Partner of our Chapter and to be included in this great clinic. The future of the Redskins and the NFL is out there right now playing youth and high school football and it's inspiring to see the dedication of The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation to making sure these young athletes get a positive experience that helps them reach their goals on and off the field." - Jake Wald, Executive Director of PCA Mid-Atlantic