Being Efficient, Effective and having Fun at Practice
Practices need to go well for a team to do well, but lets be realistic the kids need to have fun and so does the coach because that is our pay. So plan ahead, use a 3×5 cards if you need be…try to avoid the clipboard or at teh least don’t carry it around. Little kids, big kids get bored easily so we want our practices to flow.
All Practices should use a Progressive Method: drill—>small sided game/pressure drill—->competitive scrimmage …..we really want the game to teach itself, coaches are manipulators to bring the skill to bear where we want them to learn. For example, early in the preseason I have emphasize technique..so my early drills will very basic on that technique such as the angle of attack and setup for a defender, water break (you want to push for conditioning, but do so cautiously….out here it is easy to get heat stroke), now in my age group I use gridwork a lot so that leads in to my next so I may use 2 Off players vs 1 defender in a 10 x 10 square then I may lead this into a 3 vs 2 in the next part, another water break, now I use a scrimmage and let them go play, observe, watch, occasionaly make corrections but mostly let them play and figure it out. You can stop the play to make a coaching point; be brief, say it/demonstrate it, then let it go. We generally want to avoid the 3 L’s (lines, laps, long lectures).
Early in the year, I push more Physical & Technique; as the preseason and season progesses, I work more the Tactical & Mental part.
I cannot say it enough……find things you like, find things they like
Jim Schilling
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