“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
- Vince Lombardi
Lombardi At Practice In 1962
I’ve always felt the football games are not won on Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday, or which ever day your team happens to play. Games are won during the six days prior, during that week of practice. For a coach that week is like the reason I got cut from grade 8 basketball; too short. Therefore, it is important to make practice as efficient and productive as possible.
The most important way to make practice efficient is preparation. Each week, each practice, each period, each play should be scheduled in advance. As a coach, showing up unprepared to practice is not a good way to approach winning. Remember this isn’t basketball, yes Mr. Iverson…We’re “talkin’ bout practice.” Have a plan, have it on paper, try to eliminate coaches think time. The time it takes to think of what period to go to next, or which drill, or which play to call, takes away from instructional time between coach and player and also decreases practice efficiency.
Communicating your plan will increase your efficiency. Preparation is important for positional coaches as well; however, for a position coach to be prepared in advance, the head coach needs to be prepared further in advance and communicate that plan throughout the staff. The staff must work as a team in trying achieve the goal of optimizing practice time.
Communicate not only before practice but during. Have a air horn or whistle, some type cue to let people know when there is two minutes left in the period, so they can get there last rep in and prepare to move. And another cue to the end of a period which means move quickly to where your supposed to be next. This will help decrease transition time and make moving from period to period and drill to drill seamless.
Going though this process day to day and week to week, will develop a routine for your coaches and players. Be consistent in your instructions and expectations for your players. Teams respond to routine by nature. Routine also reduces your prep time as a coach. Were not all John Gruden, some of us need sleep. Most of us are also volunteers, so we need the time to pay the bills with a job other then coaching football. Using a practice plan template simplifies your preparation and saves you off field time.
The following is google spreadsheet and example of a Day 1 practice plan as well as a blank template to be used and adjusted to fit and individuals needs.
If there are questions or any clarification is needed leave a comment and I will do my best to reply.