5 Basic Practice Optimization Tips
1. Organization– All coaches, players, and parents have to be on the same page. It is important that head coaches have meetings during the off-season/pre-season to get all coaches on the same page. Practices must be scripted and coaches must be assigned responsibilities. Plan ahead!
2. Tempo– Youth football teams only have so much time to practice during the week. With that said, it is vital that practices are uptempo and organized. In order to have fast pace practices coaches must all be on the same page. Have a plan and execute it. Make sure there are no kids walking on the field. Change phases of practice quickly and with urgency. Having fast paced practices will also condition your athletes.
3. Reps- Practice makes perfect! It takes countless reps to get fluent with football skills and plays. Make sure you get your back-up players plenty of reps as well. If a player has to come out of the game, it is important that the player subbing in knows what he is doing. Many times you will see offenses fall apart when they lose a starting player. You optimize practice reps with organization and pace.
4. Everyone Busy– Every player needs to be active! When players are standing around doing nothing they are not only getting bored, they are not getting any better. If you have a large team ( a lot of players) instead of doing one drill with the entire team, break the drill into two. This will allow the players to get more reps in practice. All coaches and players need to be busy. If kids are standing around doing nothing, they will surely lose focus.
Related Content: Practice Plans and Planning
5. Coaches Coaching- All the coaches should have responsibilities and execute them with passion. Passion and energy from coaches rubs off on the players. The head coach needs to assign jobs to all his assistant coaches and make sure they execute it during football practice. Coaches should show that they want to be there and that they are excited.
( See Also) Youth Football Practice Time Wasters
