How to Prepare for Football Practice
Preparing for a football practice can be time consuming and require planning. The purpose for a practice session is to not only improve certain skills, but to prepare for a specific game. A football team consists of several different positions, each with their own coach. It is important to make sure all staff members are on the same page and preparing players in the same manner.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Game film
- Practice schedule
- Drill equipment (cones, ladders, bags)
- Whistle
- Play sheet
Instructions
-
-
1
Review film on upcoming opponents. This film is vital to understanding how other teams use their players to execute plays, including pass routes, blocking schemes and defensive strategies.
-
2
Establish a practice schedule that will allow time for individual position skill development as well as work on specific situations for upcoming games. The schedule should also include group offensive and defensive time and combined team time.
-
-
3
Communicate with all coaches to make sure plans and schedules for the practice are understood. This is also a good time to see which positions may need extra time working on a certain skill or strategy, or to see if two positions, such as receivers and defensive backs, need time together.
-
4
Assemble equipment needed on the field for practice. This may include orange marker cones, ground ladders, blocking and tackling dummies and ball machines. Arrive on the field prior to practice to set up drills and equipment. Avoid using precious practice time for setup.
-
5
Briefly meet with players prior to warm-up stretches on the field. This is a great time to assess any injuries or concerns which may have gone unreported. Adjustments to the schedule may need to be made if key players are affected.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Communication and organization are key to a successful practice. A fly-by-night approach will result in wasted time as will failure to follow the schedule.
Coordination with the team athletic trainer is vitally important to assess injuries as well as weather concerns.
Make sure planned drills and the overall practice take the safety of the players into consideration. If the weather is extremely hot, practice should be moved to a cooler part of the day or shortened.
