Contact in Practice

Do a lot of hitting in practice - we just stress contact above the waist! Basically there is little or no hitting after Wednesday (our games are on Friday).

Im with ya Jerry. I feel that contact is a must in practice. Yes I have lost good players from hitting in practice but IMO you cannot be passive in practice and then just expect your kids to be dominating/physical players on gameday.

Thanks coaches. Would you do me the favor of detailing some of your live drills? Likewise, what, if any, are your ground rules when going live in scrimmage-like circumstances?

Any devil's advocates out there? Or is contact in practice as described above a no-brainer?

Theres a saying if you are going to lose a player have it happen in a game not at practice. You guys are great. Coach CAmpbell

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Originally posted by: CUI
I'm not afraid to go against the grain here.
I don't think college teams and above HAVE to hit. Ask St. John's. They seem to be doing ok.
We have cut out a lot of hitting, particularly as the season gets to games, and we cut it out even more as the season wears on. We hit a lot the first 3 weeks, then hardly, if ever go live in practice once our regular season starts. We will go high and hard throughout the year, might do a controlled live tacking drill, but I never want people going low for a tackle if possible. We are a small school. Players go both ways. It sucks to play without your studs in our situation. We have lost 3 games the last 2 years. Everyone has their own way, and you should go with what works for you. Fundamentals win games, athletes win games, schemes help, too, but you can be a very good team and not go live during the season, IMO.

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CUI

The HS program I formerly worked with had a similar philosophy. We had 1 or 2 HITTING practices a year. Our kids were VERY aggressive and often these practices would be more intense and vicious than any game. We basically went to thud all year, with some full bore things along the line. When the playoffs cam around we were always the healthiest and freshest team. In fact, without knowing about St. John's we were a similar minded program in some aspects (no playbooks, no hitting, etc)

Currently I don't have many overly aggressive players, so we need to bang into each other alot more and teach the contact side of the game.

I think it really depends on your situation.

While I do like to have contact in practice I certainly will use a quick whistle especially when a ball carriers legs become exposed. It has already been said but a team can be succesful using either method. I just find that when hitting is kept to a bare minimum during the week that kids become less agressive.

I was on the field for the Buffalo Bills training camp. I attended four practices, all of which were in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets. Quite honestly, it was an awesome experience. The level of teaching occurring and the level of efficiency that I saw was amazing.

Ten years ago I believed that you had to go out and prove your manhood every day with drills like live drive blocking in the chutes, Oklahoma drills, and nutcracker drills. Now, it's about getting players as strong, fast, and fundamentally knowledgeable as quickly as possible. The players need to be put in position to give great effort all the time and the players need to be in a situation where they can have a positive, confident attitude.

I'd finally like to share with the readers of this forum something that I received from Jim Roth, Head Coach at Southern Columbia High School in Pennsylvania. He's won the last five PIAA Class A state championships:

Southern Columbia’s 10 Commandments of Coaching

1. Strong Mental Approach- analyze, interpret, and rationalize.

2. Train properly- have a consistent strength and speed program that is done year-round.

3. Encourage Competition- go for the top match-ups in practice and in scrimmages.

4. Practice fundamentals in practice- keep the physical level to a minimum.

5. Play a lot of players- 30 is the average.

6. Get the starters off the field once the game is won.

7. Treat players fairly.

8. Keep the schemes consistent.

9. Keep the offense basic.

10. Avoid the anti-football people.

We are an option team at a small school. We are having some problems in practice. We go live to the ball carrier during team time, then try to stay on our feet and wrap up. We are having trouble with keeping the FB up. He is a stud ball carrier. We seem to have a huge amount of gives for good yardage. When we get a chance to tackle him it is hardly ever from in front, but rather from the side. The times we get a good angle he runs through and carries tacklers. We end up taking him to the ground and it seems like we are risking rolling up on an ankle or something as he drags the tackler and falls forward. I don't like tackling every day in team practice. It is just too risky for me. Any thoughts are welcome, even guys who are going to say we should be tackling anyway.
Also, here is another situation that came up today. Our QB is having a bad day. Great kid, great leader, great player. I am running the scout D and trying to pump them up, and at the same time fire up the offense. QBs never get tackled here, but get wrapped up if they choose to run. A play happens and I call the QB sacked even though he probably would have broken the run for a TD. I think it is pretty obvious I am trying to pump up the D and fire up the O. Next play the QB tucks the ball on a sprint out pass and meets up with a corner about 8 yards down field. The DB is squared up and trying to wrap in the open field. The QB goes straight ahead and tees off on the DB. Everyone is kind of shocked and not sure what to say. The DB is stunned, but gets up and is ok. I tell the team "if we are just wrapping a ball carrier up, we cannot be running over people. That was a cheap shot."
I don't feel good about this. How could I have handled it better?

REBELS,

IF YOU WANT TO BE TOUGH ON GAME NIGHT, MAKE THEM PRACTICE TOUGH! TIHS IS ONE GAME YOU CAN'T PLAY STANDING UP! PUT THEM ON THE GROUND AND IF THEY GET HURT, THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES. IF THEY ARE USED TO NOTHING BUT THUD, SHELLS ONLY, ETC. DON'T EXPECT THEM TO MAKE A MIRACULOUS GOAL LINE STAND, OR STOP A CRITICAL FIRST DOWN ATTEMPT, ETC. I'VE TRIED IT BOTH WAYS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE BEAR BRYANT OR WOODY HAYS'S OR VINCE LOMBARDI'S REACTION TO A THUD ONLY DRILL. As the season wears on and the roster gets thin, that's the time for thud. Just my opinion as always.

Coach Easton

HEY REBELS,

Appreciate your opinion and certainly not saying my way is the ONLY way. But, here is another interesting aspect that I always took into consideration: If your players don't hit and hit hard during the week, come game night and they go out there and start really banging their bodies together I always felt the kids who practiced with thud philosophy were not in real HITTING SHAPE. I have heard coaches say that there is no such thing as getting into hitting shape. The real proof is when the kids get out of bed the next morning! Those who do not hit hard during the week can hardly make it while the kid who's body has been hit hard during the week is getting conditioned to hitting and is getting in HITTING SHAPE. Just my opinon as always.

Coach Easton-TIGER ONE

REBELS,

I appreciate your view, I really do. It just goes to show you why we have chocolate and vanilla and on a good day we can even get a little strawberry thrown in! I always end a conversation of this nature by saying: Go with what you know and with what you feel comfortable coaching. That is what I always did.
I think that anyone who thinks there is only one way to do things is a bit narow minded. We all have our aspects of the game we truly believe is the best way and we would be less than honest with ourselves if we didn't coach it that way. Enjoyed your post and thanks for your entering in.

Coach Easton-TIGER ONE

Deac - that is EXCELLENT!