Need help with finding a fun conditioning drill

How would you guys respond to some of the things that Pete Caroll does at USC? He has Snoop Dogg running around at practice and the kids love it. Sometimes the kids need to loosen up a little. I don't think practice time should be a joke. I don't think it should be wasted. But I have also seen something that is less than 100% serious completely change the attitude for the better. Have you guys ever had a week of practice when the kids are a nervous wreck? I have. The right joke from the coach at the right time can put the kids at ease and loosen them up. If kids are too tight they can't perform.

I suggested railroad tracks on here a few days up in an earlier post. It isn't necessarily fun. It is just a change of pace. Kids need that sometimes. They're kids.

Our kids laugh about one of their blocking rules. Have you ever heard that Shakira song "Hips don't lie" My kids all have. When I was teaching power slips I gave them the "Shakira rule" for reading the action of the down lineman. The Shakira Rule was simply "The hips don't lie" if they go away then climb for backer. the first time I said that the kids were cracking up. Now they all know why they need to read the hips. I even put the song on our kennel club weight lifting mix for their amusement when we lifted during the winter. I could've come up with a more professional and serious name for the rule but it works and the kids have fun.

I think one of the most important things for kids to learn through sports is that there is a time for being serious and there is a time for cracking a joke. I don't expect kids to maintain total focus for an entire game. Some of my classroom students can't focus for more than five minutes. The important thing sometimes is to allow them loosen up and then refocus.

My college coach is now an assistant with the NY Giants. He cracked jokes all the time. He did it during practice, in meetings, in the weight room. But he also knew there was a time and place for it. He could be mean when he needed to be. He made sure we learned the same thing. He was/is a phenomenal coach. I still can't believe how much he taught me.


This is a great conversation guys. Keep it going. don't get me wrong, I love being a teacher but there is something great about the two weeks between the start of football and the start of school when I can think football 24/7.

Coach R

Any way you slice it - It ALL comes down to being mentally & physically TOUGHER than your opponent!

JOE BUGEL: "THE TOUGHNESS FACTOR COMES FIRST".

PS: Speaking of Pete Carroll - his O-Line Coach - Pat Ruel - is a "TOUGH ASS TASK MASTER"! His motto is: "YOU DON'T GET TOUGH WITHOUT PRACTICING TOUGH"!

I believe we have worn this topic out. As you said - everybody needs to "be himself"!