Alabama HC Nick Saban shares the secret of success in his latest press conference: "Increase the level of attention"
For a coach as successful as Alabama football's Nick Saban, you might be forgiven for assuming that he only focuses on results. But the legendary coach's approach revolves more around paying attention to detail.
Saban expressed this again during his latest presser at the Tide's ongoing Fall Camp.
“The number one thing we need to focus on is we have to increase the level of attention to detail and focus on every play so that we can play and not have penalties and missed assignment.
Saban also emphasized the importance of communication on the pitch. On the field of play, he expects everybody to be “on the same page.”
Effective team communication, according to Saban, is what drives proactive play on the pitch. When players are not in sync, they tend to lose focus when things become a little bit difficult.
Nick Saban is positive about his players' reception of this point of view. He said,
“I think they realize the importance of it. I think there were a lot of lessons learned from last year as well as every day that we’ve been pointing out in practice where we could’ve eliminated this if we had better communication, or better focus, or better eye control or discipline and eye control — whatever it may be.
Nick Saban on his team's level ahead of the new season
Nick Saban is not satisfied with the level of the team just yet. If anything, he thinks his players can do more, and he's demanding it from them. While he recognizes their willingness to improve, he knows a departure from their previous mindset won't be an overnight journey. He was quoted as follows:
“If I did see a tangible difference and I was satisfied, I wouldn’t be preaching it. I don’t think it’s anything that you ever give up on. I will never give up on it. I think the players want to do it. I just think you’re changing a mindset that has been the way guys go about things for a long time. Sometimes, guys that are talented — it’s more challenging for them to develop the right mindset because they haven’t had to do those things all of the time.”
The Tide are set to conclude their Fall Camp on Aug. 26. Nick Saban’s men kick off their season on Sept. 2 against Middle Tennessee.