Imagery Practice: I am a Roach. A lesson learned from the Springfield college Football playbook
Of all the animals in God’s kingdom, which one would you like to be? Personally, if I got to trade places with an animal it would be the male lion; he sleeps 20 hours a day, has his food brought to him and everyone calls him King! It might surprise you to learn that members of the offensive line at Springfield College (Springfield, MA) would prefer to be a roaches.
In nature, when one roach runs into another, the loser usually ends up on its back. Hence why former Springfield offensive line coach Rich Mannello, renamed the “pancake” block (where an offensive lineman drives a defensive player to the ground, ending up on his back) the “roach block.”
Over time, “the roach” has become more than just a type of block and has transformed the culture of the offensive line unit in a positive way. In fact, student-athletes are honored to be known as “roaches” and have taken on its demeanor. “If there were ever to be a nuclear holocaust, roaches are one of the only things that would survive. Roaches are hard to kill and whenever you find one, you’ll usually always find 100 or more; roaches travel in packs” said Mike Serricchio a former player then coach at Springfield.
Perhaps the reason players desire to become roaches is because they are celebrated for being one! “Roaches” are the only unit on the football team who are able to earn stickers on their helmet. Based on his performance, a lineman can earn “full” or “half” roach status. The honor of King Roach is then given to the player who accumulates the most roach blocks during the game and is then rewarded with a special white jersey to wear at practice to recognize his achievement.
According to author Edgar Schein, “the only thing of real importance that LEADers do is to create and manage culture.” Starting with the end in mind, LEADers should consider what qualities they seek to instill in those under their supervision. In hindsight, former Illinois men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber believes his teams failed because he was more concerned with winning rather than developing a culture and creating a toughness in his players. As a football coach, I know that the offense will only be as successful as the offensive line allows; therefore I desire the trait of mentally tough in our offensive lineman. According to proven research in sports psychology, the use of imagery (seeing oneself as a roach) is one way a coach can foster mental toughness in those under his supervision. So if you want to foster mental toughness in those under your supervision, take a page out of the Springfield College playbook and be a roach!
Coach Nelson holds a doctorate in sport and performance psychology and currently serves as a high school football coach. He has worked for multiple professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company, a division 1 athletic departments and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
PCA: https://www.positivecoach.org/team/nelson-levi/
Research for this article was found using:
https://spark.adobe.com/page/sFdS2va1Vtv6W/
https://scstudentmedia.com/fear-the-roach-springfield-colleges-offensive-line-is-a-brotherhood/
