Most coaches waste copious amounts of practice time.
Are you using your time wisely?
6 tips to maximize your practices 🧵 ⬇️
Are you using your time wisely?
6 tips to maximize your practices 🧵 ⬇️
1️⃣ Planning
Is your practice planned, organized, and detailed?
Design it to maximize reps for every athlete.
Being thorough in your planning will communicate to your athletes your care and dedication.
It shows that you value their time and you're invested in developing them.
Is your practice planned, organized, and detailed?
Design it to maximize reps for every athlete.
Being thorough in your planning will communicate to your athletes your care and dedication.
It shows that you value their time and you're invested in developing them.
A few suggestions of things to include in your practice plan...
- Amount of time
- The focus
- Roles for coaches
- Supplies (balls, cones, etc)
- Space to take notes
- Amount of time
- The focus
- Roles for coaches
- Supplies (balls, cones, etc)
- Space to take notes
2️⃣ Determine your team's 3-3-3
3 things you want to be great at
3 things you want to be good at
3 things you want to be average at
Then, your practices must reflect those priorities!
3 things you want to be great at
3 things you want to be good at
3 things you want to be average at
Then, your practices must reflect those priorities!
If you say you want to be great at XYZ, but you only spend 20% of your practice on those three things, it's time to reevaluate.
Determining your 3-3-3 will provide clarity for your staff about where to allocate your practice time.
Practice time is precious. Choose Wisely.
Determining your 3-3-3 will provide clarity for your staff about where to allocate your practice time.
Practice time is precious. Choose Wisely.
3️⃣ Move on
Coaches can have a tendency to say this...
"We're not moving on until we get this right."
This usually isn't the best decision.
Here's why...
Coaches can have a tendency to say this...
"We're not moving on until we get this right."
This usually isn't the best decision.
Here's why...
If things are going well, our first response should be...
"I wonder why we're struggling?"
"What do I need to do differently in my coaching?"
"I wonder why we're struggling?"
"What do I need to do differently in my coaching?"
If a game or drill flops, that's alright, it happens to every coach.
Tell your athletes, "Hey guys, my fault here, this was poor planning and teaching on my part. I'll adjust this and we'll come back to it tomorrow!"
Reflect and adjust.
Tell your athletes, "Hey guys, my fault here, this was poor planning and teaching on my part. I'll adjust this and we'll come back to it tomorrow!"
Reflect and adjust.
4️⃣ Review more often
It's easy for coaches to forget to do this, but reviewing is essential for learning.
We forget almost everything we learn, and the best way to fight forgetting is to review what we've been taught.
It's easy for coaches to forget to do this, but reviewing is essential for learning.
We forget almost everything we learn, and the best way to fight forgetting is to review what we've been taught.
Learning takes multiple repetitions and ample time to apply.
Athletes will not learn after just one exposure to a concept or skill.
To improve your practice, and your athletes learning, insert a 10-15 block of practice that reviews essential skills and or concepts.
Athletes will not learn after just one exposure to a concept or skill.
To improve your practice, and your athletes learning, insert a 10-15 block of practice that reviews essential skills and or concepts.
Consider implementing a review block into every practice or maybe every other practice.
Another way to fight forgetting and practice reviewing within the same practice is by interleaving.
Here's what interleaving is and why it's effective...
Another way to fight forgetting and practice reviewing within the same practice is by interleaving.
Here's what interleaving is and why it's effective...
Interleaving goes like this
Work on A ➡️ Work on B ➡️ Go back to A
As soon as you move your athletes to working on B, they begin to forget A. When you bring them back to A, it forces them to retrieve the previous content.
Work on A ➡️ Work on B ➡️ Go back to A
As soon as you move your athletes to working on B, they begin to forget A. When you bring them back to A, it forces them to retrieve the previous content.
Interleaving can be particularly effective in pre-season practices when you don't have a lot of time to prepare your team, but want to ensure that they've learned some essential skills or concepts.
See @Doug_Lemov's The Coach's Guide to Teaching for more on this
See @Doug_Lemov's The Coach's Guide to Teaching for more on this
5️⃣ Choose your top 3 drills
"If you could only take 3 drills to heaven, what would they be?" - @UKChalkTalk
Stop coming up with new drills.
Choose 3 drills or games, then teach out of those!
Here's why it's so beneficial...
"If you could only take 3 drills to heaven, what would they be?" - @UKChalkTalk
Stop coming up with new drills.
Choose 3 drills or games, then teach out of those!
Here's why it's so beneficial...
🔘 It eliminates the time most coaches spend teaching new drills.
Less time explaining something new means more time getting reps.
When you introduce a new drill, athletes working memory is focused on learning the drill, not improving at a skill or decision.
Less time explaining something new means more time getting reps.
When you introduce a new drill, athletes working memory is focused on learning the drill, not improving at a skill or decision.
🔘 It creates faster transitions
Athletes already know the set up or structure of the game or drill, so they can be ready to play much faster.
Athletes already know the set up or structure of the game or drill, so they can be ready to play much faster.
🔘 Tweak your 3 drills
Once athletes know the 3 drills or games, then layer in new learning by making small adjustments to the games.
These are commonly referred to as constraints...
- Give an advantage or disadvantage
- Limit time
- Limit space
- Adjust scoring
- Etc.
Once athletes know the 3 drills or games, then layer in new learning by making small adjustments to the games.
These are commonly referred to as constraints...
- Give an advantage or disadvantage
- Limit time
- Limit space
- Adjust scoring
- Etc.
6️⃣ Keep Score
The game is competitive. Practice should be competitive.
Keep score and compete in every drill possible.
It will raise the effort and intensity levels in your practice instantly.
The game is competitive. Practice should be competitive.
Keep score and compete in every drill possible.
It will raise the effort and intensity levels in your practice instantly.
It's also powerful to keep track of winners and losers. It can be helpful data for coaches and players* (*depends on level)
Anson Dorrance popularized this idea as the "Competitive Cauldron" at UNC.
@JpNerbun has an excellent online course on the topic if you want to do it
Anson Dorrance popularized this idea as the "Competitive Cauldron" at UNC.
@JpNerbun has an excellent online course on the topic if you want to do it
This thread was based on @LukeGromer's conversation with @UKChalkTalk (Lin Dunn) on Ep. 26 of The Coaches Club Podcast.
If you enjoyed this thread, would you go retweet the first tweet to share it with other coaches?
If you enjoyed this thread, would you go retweet the first tweet to share it with other coaches?
TL;DR
1/2
1️⃣ Be thorough in your planning
2️⃣ Determine your 3-3-3 and plan based on those priorities
3️⃣ Move on. If a drill or game isn't working, move on, own it, reflect, and adjust the next day.
1/2
1️⃣ Be thorough in your planning
2️⃣ Determine your 3-3-3 and plan based on those priorities
3️⃣ Move on. If a drill or game isn't working, move on, own it, reflect, and adjust the next day.
TL;DR
2/2
4️⃣ Review more often. Insert review blocks into your practice to fight forgetting. Learning take reps.
5️⃣ Chose your top 3 drills or games, and adjust them with constraints. It eliminates time that is wasted on explaining and learning new drills.
6️⃣ Keep score
2/2
4️⃣ Review more often. Insert review blocks into your practice to fight forgetting. Learning take reps.
5️⃣ Chose your top 3 drills or games, and adjust them with constraints. It eliminates time that is wasted on explaining and learning new drills.
6️⃣ Keep score
If you enjoyed this thread, you can...
Listen to Ep. 26 with @UKChalkTalk
Listen ⤵️
Apple: buff.ly/2POaoPx
Google: buff.ly/3aV2LxK
Spotify: buff.ly/3db3lcn
Get a 7 page PDF of notes from Ep. 26
Notes ➡️ CoachesClubPod.com
Listen to Ep. 26 with @UKChalkTalk
Listen ⤵️
Apple: buff.ly/2POaoPx
Google: buff.ly/3aV2LxK
Spotify: buff.ly/3db3lcn
Get a 7 page PDF of notes from Ep. 26
Notes ➡️ CoachesClubPod.com
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