COACHES CONTINUOUSLY strive to make their practices as intense as possible. Yet, when players have been working hard for a few months already, there’s often a fine line between being too much of a hard-nosed drill sergeant, too easy-going for the team’s own good or too much of a “rah-rah,” motivator. Too much of any one type of characteristic can cause players to mentally “tune out” a coach.
Leon Feliciano, the head football coach at Tomales High School in Tomales, Calif., believes that you don’t need gimmicks or mood swings to motivate players. The frequent contributor to Gridiron Strategies says he’s been using a foolproof motivational tool for years.
“You don’t need to go to extremes to get the best out of daily practice. All you need is a stopwatch,” says Feliciano. “A stopwatch is the best motivator because it gives a concrete, measurable number that allows you to set high standards and goals for your athletes.
“Common drills can be become highly motivating when each athlete’s performance is measured. Player’s frequently ask themselves ‘Who is the fastest player on the team?’ ‘Can I beat my previous times?’”
Feliciano also says that using a stopwatch will improve your team drills as well.
“A team defensive-pursuit drill can turn into a major challenge when time is factored into the equation,” he says. “Instantly, all 11 players take ownership of the drill and try to become part of a record-setting effort.
“The 7-man sled is never fun for players, yet the fundamentals learned in the drill are priceless. Suddenly, when you have a timed goal to beat yesterday’s time of pushing the sled 100 yards in 50 seconds, the team’s focus turns to the goal as opposed to the drudgery of the work involved in the drill.”
Feliciano records and displays all timed results on a poster board so the players can view their timed marks. He also promotes the competitive drive needed to break individual and team records.