A COACH MAKES his greatest contribution in the construction, planning and administration of drills. More important than the offensive and defensive systems you run is how you teach your style of football. A great coach places much more importance on being an outstanding teacher and organizer than he does on being a great strategist.
Drawing new playbook plays is an easy thing to do. Teaching the new plays effectively to your players — so that they both retain and flawlessly execute them — presents a far greater challenge.
Keep Drills Efficient
It’s important that you not overwhelm your players with too many drills or plays. Teaching your players to properly and consistently execute a skill requires considerable repetition. The time and effort needed to construct a specific drill that covers every possible skill your players might use during a season just isn’t practical. To use a drill that works on skills that your players will use just once or twice during the season is a waste of time.
Be selective in the drills you use. Your drills should:
- Cover considerable ground in a relatively short period of time by being well planned and administered.
- Be known by name to your players so that they don’t require another explanation after the first two or three times the drill has been run.
- Have a secondary movement involved during execution of the drill. Almost all actions in football are based on carrying out a secondary movement, after making an initial movement. Requiring a secondary movement in all your drills contributes toward the type of proper balance and reactions that are necessary in football.
Keep Drills Simple, Organized
Don’t make your drills too complex. Having long, complicated drills wastes valuable practice time and often makes the skill work artificial. If you want to get elaborate and involved in practice, then scrimmage! This doesn’t mean, however, that two or three skills should not be worked during each drill.
Preparation for drills must be done by the coaching staff in full detail before your players step on the practice field. The coach should see that these are prepared in advance including any necessary teaching aids, such as drawings, etc. Be certain that your team managers are informed in advance as to what equipment is needed for the drills, where it should be placed and when. Do not improve a drill on the field or make spontaneous changes. Have every detail of the drill firmly in place before hitting the field.
Types Of Drills
There must be a clear-cut purpose for every drill that you use. Basically, there are five types of drills.
1. Fundamental Drills. These drills teach all the critical skills of the game such as blocking, tackling, etc.
2. Reaction Drills. These are done primarily for developing quickness, balance and agility. They’re essential and should be included briefly in every practice session. However, they can be eliminated from a particular practice if it’s used in terms of freshening the squad or as a morale booster.
3. Conditioning Drills. Once the season has begun, these drills will be composed almost entirely of running drills. Other types of conditioning drills will be a very important part of your off-season conditioning program.
4. Toughening Drills. The primary purpose of these drills is to develop and encourage a player’s desire and ability to utilize physical contact. Toughening drills should not be used so extensively and be so punishing physically that they dull the desire for further physical contact.
5. Fun Drills. These drills should be used to lighten the practice load and can be used primarily in late season as a morale lifter.
In most cases, a drill will overlap into more than one of the above categories. But your primary purpose for the drill should always be kept in mind. Remember what you’re trying to accomplish with a drill and tailor it accordingly.