How to Organize a Good Football Practice
At any level, football teams should look sharp at game time. The quarterback runs the offense smoothly and the defensive players know the right schemes and formations to play. However, it's not like backyard football where players just show up and call plays at random. Everything is planned the week before at football practice. A team's success is usually determined on how well the practices go beforehand. A coach must organize practices so all facets of the week's game plan are implemented. The proper organization of a practice goes a long way to a team's ability to win.
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Instructions
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Organizing a Good Football Practice
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Plan in advance. You don't want to be brainstorming what drills to run 10 minutes before a practice, or even on the fly during a practice. Make sure your practice plan--from stretches, to drills, to plays--is prepared ahead of time and is well thought out to ensure your players get the most of their practice time.
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Account for every second. A good coach will know how long everything lasts, from water breaks to final sprints. Depending on a team's needs, practices usually consist of conditioning, watching films, drills, scrimmages with focuses on offense, defense and special teams.
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Make sure your personnel knows what to do. Pass out practice plans in advance. You don't want to waste time because the defensive coordinator and the linebacker coach both think they should be running the same drill. The right delegation is important.
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Adjust practices for the time of year. Keep in mind what time of year it is, and what your team's focus should be for that period. In August, for example, you'll want to be running more sprints to build stamina. In November, you'll want to fine-tune plays.
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Adjust practices during the season from week-to-week based on your opponent's strength. For example, an opponent could have a good wing-T running attack, so you devote most of the week's practices on stopping the run. The next week, your opponent might employ a passing spread offense. In that case, you need to practice against the pass.
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Tips & Warnings
Be aware of injuries. If a player has an ankle injury, you might want him to ride a stationary bike instead of playing in a scrimmage.
Check to see if your school or league requires you to have an athletic trainer at practice. If not, it's a good idea to make an injury plan. Determine what nearby hospitals to go to for specific injuries. Plus, have a first aid kit at practice.
Head coaches of youth Pop Warner football teams must take a USA Football Coaching Clinic or do an online course. Beginning in 2010, coaches must be re-certified every three years.
