Post by Coach Campbell on Jun 2, 2013 12:35:39 GMT
Sean Berry
 
There are many ways to organize a high school football practice. Some coaches prefer alternate between offense and defense on given days or to emphasize one phase of the game on certain days but not on others. Some use the JV as scout team at all times and they only play your offense or defense on game days. The best model to use may be one that is a bit unorthodox in the way it splits the team up. The model that allows JV to have equal time with position coaches (practicing your offense and defense) as the Varsity players and allows everyone to participate against like competition is the key. This model keeps numbers up as athletes feel they are contributing to their team and doing their game plan. This is the model used in the preparation of the practice plan presented here.
A word here about water breaks in practice. All water breaks in practice are mandatory. Helmets come off and water is given to each player. In the practice plan laid out here water should also be available at every coaching station at all times. Those players not in the drill immediately have access to water. However, down time will be limited, thus necessitating formal water breaks.
Special teams are the first thing out of the box in this practice plan after team warm ups. Every player is involved in some way during this first part of practice. Each specialty will get reps and coaching. Early in the season coaches should be evaluating potential for the specialty they coach and coaching on the fly. Detailed instruction for specialties will be held during the athletic period and athletes are encouraged to spend time after practice perfecting skills. If linemen are not involved in snapping, then they are play polishing with an offensive coach.
The next step is to use a period for lining up in punt formation and running a couple of fakes and one kick for each huddle. The final two periods for special teams is devoted to field goal units for both the JV and Varsity. Two fakes and three made field goals are expected from each unit. This segment of practice ends with a mandatory water break and the Head Coach breaking out the whole team to their respective sides of the field.
In the case of this example the Varsity is on defense first for 12 periods. Each position coach is responsible for his position specific agilities and appropriate read step and reading/run fit drills. After 5 periods the group comes together to form two huddles for a JoJo period. (JoJo is a Formation recognition period.) This period is quick alignment to personnel and formations. Early pre-season JoJo sessions will be focused on basic alignments, but will be opponent specific once games begin.
The positions split up once again to form a Front group and secondary group to cover pass specific responsibilities. The secondary works on man and zone coverage based on different formations and patterns for 2 periods. The front will work on 1 on 1 escape moves for a period and pass rush responsibilities for another period to finish this segment.
To finish out the Varsity Defense practice the defensive 1s will take the field against the defensive 2s as Scouts. They will have ten scripted plays beginning with the run game. The 2s will get 5 consecutive run plays, 5 consecutive pass plays and then the teams will switch. The 1s will then have 10 scripted pass plays and the team period will conclude. The Defensive Coordinator will break the entire team out as defense and we switch the field after a water break.
The entire time the Varsity defense has been working, on the opposite side of the field a separate JV offensive practice has been going on. The JV offense will spend the first three periods in position specific agilities (1 period) and a cut block circuit (2 periods). The time spent on cutting is imperative as it is not a natural thing for most players. A systematic method for getting the players to cut block effectively is installed during the early part of the season. Everyone will be good at cut blocking.
The linemen spend the next two periods getting acquainted with the sled while the backs run through the mesh for midline, inside veer and outside veer. The receivers use these two periods for down field stalk blocking drills. Without good down field blocking from the receivers this offense just does not go and they need to realize their value to the team and take pride in blocking. The third period of this segment finds the linemen play timing against stand up dummies and the backs and receivers working on the passing tree from their positions.
The next segment of practice is two periods. All the linemen, half the quarterbacks, the fullbacks and half the A backs work inside run hull against a scout defense. The other half of the qbs, A backs receivers and all the receivers are working pass skelly against scout defense. They switch at the halfway point. This segment ends with a mandatory water break before team offense.
Team offense is a two period segment with two huddles going against a scout defense. Some allowance will have to be made to get enough quality players for a good defensive look, but no one should feel left out of this segment. If someone wants to prove themselves, this is a good chance. The tempo is very fast and plays should be rapid fire, simulating getting the ball snapped within ten seconds of being blown into play. It is easy to slow down from practice, but hard to speed up when needed.
The head coach brings everyone up for the end of practice break out. Announcements that the entire team needs to hear are made at this point. Once all is said, the position that has field duty that day is notified and we break out and leave the field in a hurry. It is important here to note the idea of the practice field as a work place. The space on the other side of the "red gate" is hallowed ground in that it is the place where the team is made. Due diligence should be made to show the players that inside the field is time to focus and work, the "red gate" idea is just the symbolic showing of that mentality.
The reasoning behind the five minute periods is two-fold. First and foremost it keeps players and coaches focused and aware that a job is to be done and it needs doing now. The second important thing it does is it creates state change in the minds of players. Research shows that people learn best what happens at the beginning and the end of a lesson: periods give natural breaks and state changes that enhance the learning of the participants.
 
There are many ways to organize a high school football practice. Some coaches prefer alternate between offense and defense on given days or to emphasize one phase of the game on certain days but not on others. Some use the JV as scout team at all times and they only play your offense or defense on game days. The best model to use may be one that is a bit unorthodox in the way it splits the team up. The model that allows JV to have equal time with position coaches (practicing your offense and defense) as the Varsity players and allows everyone to participate against like competition is the key. This model keeps numbers up as athletes feel they are contributing to their team and doing their game plan. This is the model used in the preparation of the practice plan presented here.
A word here about water breaks in practice. All water breaks in practice are mandatory. Helmets come off and water is given to each player. In the practice plan laid out here water should also be available at every coaching station at all times. Those players not in the drill immediately have access to water. However, down time will be limited, thus necessitating formal water breaks.
Special teams are the first thing out of the box in this practice plan after team warm ups. Every player is involved in some way during this first part of practice. Each specialty will get reps and coaching. Early in the season coaches should be evaluating potential for the specialty they coach and coaching on the fly. Detailed instruction for specialties will be held during the athletic period and athletes are encouraged to spend time after practice perfecting skills. If linemen are not involved in snapping, then they are play polishing with an offensive coach.
The next step is to use a period for lining up in punt formation and running a couple of fakes and one kick for each huddle. The final two periods for special teams is devoted to field goal units for both the JV and Varsity. Two fakes and three made field goals are expected from each unit. This segment of practice ends with a mandatory water break and the Head Coach breaking out the whole team to their respective sides of the field.
In the case of this example the Varsity is on defense first for 12 periods. Each position coach is responsible for his position specific agilities and appropriate read step and reading/run fit drills. After 5 periods the group comes together to form two huddles for a JoJo period. (JoJo is a Formation recognition period.) This period is quick alignment to personnel and formations. Early pre-season JoJo sessions will be focused on basic alignments, but will be opponent specific once games begin.
The positions split up once again to form a Front group and secondary group to cover pass specific responsibilities. The secondary works on man and zone coverage based on different formations and patterns for 2 periods. The front will work on 1 on 1 escape moves for a period and pass rush responsibilities for another period to finish this segment.
To finish out the Varsity Defense practice the defensive 1s will take the field against the defensive 2s as Scouts. They will have ten scripted plays beginning with the run game. The 2s will get 5 consecutive run plays, 5 consecutive pass plays and then the teams will switch. The 1s will then have 10 scripted pass plays and the team period will conclude. The Defensive Coordinator will break the entire team out as defense and we switch the field after a water break.
The entire time the Varsity defense has been working, on the opposite side of the field a separate JV offensive practice has been going on. The JV offense will spend the first three periods in position specific agilities (1 period) and a cut block circuit (2 periods). The time spent on cutting is imperative as it is not a natural thing for most players. A systematic method for getting the players to cut block effectively is installed during the early part of the season. Everyone will be good at cut blocking.
The linemen spend the next two periods getting acquainted with the sled while the backs run through the mesh for midline, inside veer and outside veer. The receivers use these two periods for down field stalk blocking drills. Without good down field blocking from the receivers this offense just does not go and they need to realize their value to the team and take pride in blocking. The third period of this segment finds the linemen play timing against stand up dummies and the backs and receivers working on the passing tree from their positions.
The next segment of practice is two periods. All the linemen, half the quarterbacks, the fullbacks and half the A backs work inside run hull against a scout defense. The other half of the qbs, A backs receivers and all the receivers are working pass skelly against scout defense. They switch at the halfway point. This segment ends with a mandatory water break before team offense.
Team offense is a two period segment with two huddles going against a scout defense. Some allowance will have to be made to get enough quality players for a good defensive look, but no one should feel left out of this segment. If someone wants to prove themselves, this is a good chance. The tempo is very fast and plays should be rapid fire, simulating getting the ball snapped within ten seconds of being blown into play. It is easy to slow down from practice, but hard to speed up when needed.
The head coach brings everyone up for the end of practice break out. Announcements that the entire team needs to hear are made at this point. Once all is said, the position that has field duty that day is notified and we break out and leave the field in a hurry. It is important here to note the idea of the practice field as a work place. The space on the other side of the "red gate" is hallowed ground in that it is the place where the team is made. Due diligence should be made to show the players that inside the field is time to focus and work, the "red gate" idea is just the symbolic showing of that mentality.
The reasoning behind the five minute periods is two-fold. First and foremost it keeps players and coaches focused and aware that a job is to be done and it needs doing now. The second important thing it does is it creates state change in the minds of players. Research shows that people learn best what happens at the beginning and the end of a lesson: periods give natural breaks and state changes that enhance the learning of the participants.