The Great Debate: Are PumpUp tapes a good idea before a big game?

This week one of the players approached me asking if I would make a pump-up tape in light of Sunday's game against our arch-rival Boston College. Naturally I agreed and went straight to work. I threw together a video that has all the main ingredients for an effective pump-up video: big hits, fancy goals, spectacular saves, inspirational movie speeches, some blood, high intensity music, and of course, a few dead eagle heads for good taste.

I showed my creation to the captain and he loved it. "I got chills watching that, man", he said. Mission accomplished...or so I thought.

The plan was to show the video before getting on the most intense 10 minute bus ride up Commonwealth Ave. that I've ever been apart of. The logic was that the boys would be fired-up getting onto the bus, which would set the stage for the afternoon action. However, when presenting this idea to the coaches, who were unaware of this entire scheme, we discovered they were not too keen on the idea. As I am writing this, the issue is still being discussed. The Great Debate.

The Coaches' Argument:




What's wrong with a couple career ending hits and a few bloody eagle heads? Well, what the coaches are arguing is that while watching a video like this one will absolutely get the team fired up, it may have negative effects on their performance. Say what? The coaches believe, to some extent, that watching this video will make all the players think they have to go out on the ice and take someones head off. A lot of strategy is implemented during the week to prepare for Boston College and the coaches don't want these tactics to be pushed aside.

There is also the concern of getting overly excited about the game. You know when people say "they got the jitters out" after playing poorly for the first few minutes of a game. Players get so nervous or anxious about a game that their performance is affected. A video like this may result in unnecessary "first period jitters." With a team as strong and talented as Boston College is, we cannot afford to fall behind early in the game because the team was too anxious or because their hunger for a big hit caused them to loose sight of their game plan.

Needless to say, these are valid arguments to make if you are a coach trying to get your team ready for the biggest game of the year. However, the coaches also respect the players pro-video arguments as well.

The Players Argument: 


What, coach? Are you crazy?! The players argument basically says that this is our rival, our arch-enemies and this is the biggest game of the year! A win tomorrow can turn the entire season around, and that is exactly what we need. Clearly, the BU players have had a difficult time this season with brining consistent energy to the ice. A pump-up video is exactly what they need before the game to get the blood flowing and hearts racing. In response to the coaches argument of losing sight of the game plan, the players rebuttal that a four minute video is not going to make them forget a week's worth of strategy. If a guy goes out there the first shift of the game and delivers a bone crushing hit to one of the BC players, that sets the tone for the night. It will not only establish a feeling of dominance early on, but it will take BC of their own game plan.

Both sides of the argument are extremely valid points and both sides recognize and respect the other.

What do you think? Should players be shown a pump-up video right before game time? Leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions.

(I will post the video once it is finalized whether it gets shown or not.)