Running an efficient practice is key to producing a team that will execute well on the field come game time. Developing a practice plan is critical in order to make good use of your practice time. A properly thought-out plan will have seven essential elements to it: practice goals/objectives, warm up, new material, individual techniques, special teams, full team work, conditioning and cool down.
Practice Goals/Objectives
A focused practice will begin with clearly defined goals and objectives. Write out a statement at the top of your practice plan that clearly and simply states the focus of your practice session. For example, for your first practices, you could write something like, "Teach the team about proper equipment use, basic drills and alignments." This statement provides the framework for drafting a comprehensive practice plan, and following it will ensure that you keep your attention on the key tasks you wish to accomplish.
Warm Up
Allocate time at the beginning of your practice to get your team warmed up. Doing so will minimize injuries and will ensure that their muscles are ready to perform during drills. A proper warm up should take 10 to 15 minutes and include light aerobic activity (jogging, jumping jacks, calisthenics) followed by stretches. Remember that this part of the practice is not intended as a workout, simply a transition time for the players' muscles. Working them too hard during the warm up will negatively impact their performance during the rest of your practice session.
Introduction of New Material
Once the warm up has concluded, plan to introduce your team to new plays and techniques that you will be working on during the session. Your goal here is not to teach the individual techniques, simply to give the players a high level understanding of what they are going to be learning. A lot of time is not required for this, but giving your players an understanding of the big picture will let them "buy-in" to a larger goal, the execution of the play, and will help to keep them focused while working through individual and team drills.
Individual Techniques
Detail, by position, the techniques that will need to be mastered in order to accomplish the new material. Under each of the techniques, provide a list of drills that can be used in order to teach and practice proper execution. Allow time for your players to run through two or three different drills for each technique as this will help to maintain their attention and interest. This is especially important if you are working with a team of younger players. Make sure to allocate time during this part of the practice for your team to take adequate hydration breaks.
Full Team Work
Enabling your team to warm up, understand the practice goals and work through individual drills will set them up for success during the full team section of your practice. Decide in advance what plays your team needs additional work on, the drills that you will run them through and how much new material you will introduce. Remember to allocate adequate time for the new material as it will require the most work. You will need to explain any new play or scheme, walk them through its execution and then allow time for them to work through it at half speed before trying to run it at full speed. As with the individual drills, make sure you keep your players hydrated.
Special Teams
Many times, especially in programs geared towards younger ages, the special teams are not given the attention they deserve. Do not make this mistake! Design your practice plan so that you allocate time for special teams preparation during every practice. You can easily keep things interesting by rotating your focus between the main components, hitting a different one at each practice: kickoffs, kickoff returns, punts, punt returns and kicking/defending field goals.
Conditioning and Cool Down
Conditioning and cool down should be included in every practice. Prior to the start of your season, your conditioning drills will play a significant role in preparing your team to play, so allow sufficient time for your players to execute the drills and also to rest and rehydrate between them. As you start your season, and during practices the day before games, taper your conditioning drills so that your players remain fresh.
Member Comments