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

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