Having a well-planned and organized practice plan is vital to a successful youth football season. Head
coaches must have a whole practice blueprint so that there is no time wasted.
Remember, practice time is limited, make every minute productive.
Five Main Keys to Practice
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Organization – Coaches and players on the same page
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Fast! – Change phases of practice, fast and with emotion
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Reps – Practice makes perfect, it takes reps to get fluent with plays
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Everyone busy – Every player needs to be active – backs-ups need play reps as well
•
Coaches coaching – all coaches should have a job and do it with passion, it rubs off on the
players
Having an up-tempo pace and organized practice routine is extremely important. Make practices fun
and upbeat-with a lot of emotion and energy.
Planning & Preparation
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Coaches Goals & Practice Plan
o
Delegation of Responsibilities by Head Coach
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Develop a Practice Agenda at least 24 to 48 hours prior to every practice.
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Communicate the agenda to the entire coaching staff.
o
Get their input as well!
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Assign coaching responsibilities.
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Train Assistants
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Have a defined stop and start time for every facet of your agenda goals.
“Golden Rules” of Practice
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Treat every practice like you own the company and it is a work day.
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Treat your players like you are paying them to be there.
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You don’t want players showing up late or mentally checking out early.
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You don’t want players standing around.
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You don’t want players with not enough to do.
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You don’t want players taking shortcuts.
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You don’t want players watching others do the work.
Basic Practice Organization Rules
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Keep a constant structure so that players become comfortable at practice and focus on learning.
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Establish a set pattern so that your players know what to expect and where to go and what to
do.
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How you divide your team for practice will depend on:
o
# of assistant coaches.
o
Number of players at each position / area.
Planning Practice
