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Post by cjamerson on Sept 17, 2010 12:19:48 GMT -6
I have come to the realization that we get nothing out of our Thursday practices. We go over special teams, defense, and offense. I just feel like those practices are missing a “spark” and they aren’t productive. Any suggestions? Does anyone do anything out of the “ordinary” on Thursday / day before the game? I work with Varsity and we do not two platoon, for those of you that may need that info before you make any suggestions.
BTW...I find the search function to be hit or miss. So, if this has been discussed in the past. My apologies.
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Post by coach31 on Sept 17, 2010 12:23:20 GMT -6
I feel the same way. If anybody has a suggestion, I would love to hear it. Our kids look at it as a day off.
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Post by phantom on Sept 17, 2010 12:31:23 GMT -6
I have come to the realization that we get nothing out of our Thursday practices. We go over special teams, defense, and offense. I just feel like those practices are missing a “spark” and they aren’t productive. Any suggestions? Does anyone do anything out of the “ordinary” on Thursday / day before the game? I work with Varsity and we do not two platoon, for those of you that may need that info before you make any suggestions. BTW...I find the search function to be hit or miss. So, if this has been discussed in the past. My apologies. You mean it hits sometimes? It's a review day. Spark? We don't expect a spark. It's usually pretty loose or businesslike. I don't think there's any need for a spark or anything like that. That doesn't make it unproductive. |
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Post by hsrose on Sept 17, 2010 12:58:54 GMT -6
We (a mostly senior staff) finally got tired of all the Thursday Goof-off's we've had in our careers so we're going with Thursday as a regular practice day. I don't think anyone ever felt that Thursday was worth anything, everyone knew it was a review day and that most everyone was looking to get out as soon as possible. We go 2-2.5 hrs, like a regular practice.
We now go full pads, offense, defense, special teams, running scout, EDD's, the whole thing. Goes along with a return to wishbone option/lead, lets get in a 4-pt stance and hit 'em in the mouth philosophy. Hitting is mostly against bags but it is just as spirited as during the rest of the week. Nobody has been hurt, but at the same time we aren't backing down on it either.
It's just a regular practice day.
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Post by gunrun on Sept 17, 2010 17:29:54 GMT -6
A live 2 minute drill is a good idea to break the monotony. Competition always does that, even if you're just competing against yourselves or the clock.
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Post by coachbags on Sept 17, 2010 17:42:11 GMT -6
I think it depends on your team. When I played our thursday practice was usually pretty tough to get through. We weren't very sharp and it seemed like we weren't focused.
I had noticed in the huddle during practice, we just were not the same team. Everyone was really uptight. I decided to try something one day. I got into our equipement room and found a Gold QB Jersey that I began wearing that to practice on Thursdays. I was an Olineman. The next week, a manager had found a target vest that said "ball boy" on it. That was added to my attire. The coaches were pretty skeptical of my goofiness, but our walk-throughs got better. It seemed like just having one nut job dressing funny made everyone stop and realize "hey this is supposed to be fun, so let's have some fun." Heck even the coaches lighten up some. Our thrursday practices got much better. We had just been pushing too hard.
I'll admit, I probably wouldn't like one of my players doing that, but I certainly try to keep our walk throughs a little lighter.
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rocket1
Sophomore Member
Posts: 146
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Post by rocket1 on Sept 18, 2010 16:34:49 GMT -6
Here is a different thought on Thursdays but it has been good for us. We have done our review, walk through, special teams early on Thursdays and send the kids home after school.
In a situation where we didn't have an athletic period, we brought kids in at 6:30 and practiced from 6:30 to 7:30. If we had a period during the day on block scheduling, we used that period.
We sold it to kids and parents as this was their afternoon to get a hair cut, go to the dentist, get tutoring or whatever excuses they were trying to use to miss practice. The parents loved it and it gave coaches extra time later in the week while eliminating all excuses for the kids. We go over it in our summer parent meetings and have never had a problem with it.
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Post by buckeye7525 on Sept 18, 2010 16:59:27 GMT -6
Rocket, I really like that idea.
Do you do that all outside or inside because of lighting issues?
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Post by coachbdud on Sept 18, 2010 17:29:02 GMT -6
i like what our varsity does.
they practice thursday night from 7-9. under the lights in full game jerseys/pants
they come out of the locker room just like the game, come on to field and do our warm up and jumping jacks like the game, then go into our pre game INDYS. we start it off exactly how they will come out friday night
then we review each special team , they go out there and we go through our special teams to get that done. then after that it is treated like a game, we go
kickoff, then defense comes out runs through some plays, then punt return, offense for some plays, then kick PAT. now kickoff team, and D comes back out. Maybe we will say the other team scored now we have to do PAT block, and then kickoff return
we just cycle things through like a game, all the while subbing players. So if we are on offense, we will yell out, "johnson's hurt, johnson's hurt, smith get in at Y" and the sub goes in.
I like it because it is very "game like"
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Post by coachplaa on Sept 18, 2010 17:32:22 GMT -6
I like the Thursday morning idea too!
One thing that has helped us...if we have 40 plays total on our playsheet, we break them into groups by formation...like say we have 8 plays out of Spread....then we time them to run those plays, 2 per minute vs. Air or trash cans. They have to be perfect or they have to run the play over again. If they don't make it under time, then they have one updown for every 15 seconds they are over. We get the entire playsheet on air, no contact, reviewed in 20 minutes.
Also, when we do our special teams/o/d substitution drills, we time it too. We usually have 6 minutes to go through the entire 20 item script. If they don't get under 6 minutes, they have to start all over.
The stress forces them to focus. We get practice done in less time, less contact, and don't wear them out.
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ex-centralcoach
Junior Member
[F4:@marcmarinelli ] [F4:marcmarinelli]
Posts: 384
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Post by ex-centralcoach on Sept 19, 2010 10:43:03 GMT -6
I love Thursdays.
We run through a mock game, starting with captains out for coin flip, kick off, defense vs 4 opponents formations then punt return, first 10 offensive plays from the script, punt team, defense pressure review, punt block, next 10 offensive plays, FG/Pat, onside kick, two minute offense, Two point play, hands team, victory. Then inside for offensive test, defensive powerpoint, offensive powerpoint, guest speaker, highlights from last week, i talk. then out.
Thursdays are a big deal for us.
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Post by bucksweepdotcom on Sept 19, 2010 12:46:37 GMT -6
I love the Thursday morning idea!
Bryan
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Post by mattharris75 on Sept 20, 2010 8:46:07 GMT -6
I love Thursdays. We run through a mock game, starting with captains out for coin flip, kick off, defense vs 4 opponents formations then punt return, first 10 offensive plays from the script, punt team, defense pressure review, punt block, next 10 offensive plays, FG/Pat, onside kick, two minute offense, Two point play, hands team, victory. This is similar to what we do. Except instead of just lining up against a few opponent formations and running through our 10 play script, we script out drives for both the offense and defense. With touchdowns, punts, field goals, etc scripted right in. The defense even jogs through against the opponents plays. The kids have to think and be involved the entire time. It's like playing the game on Thursday. By Friday night they won't face any unexpected situations. The whole walk through takes about an hour and 15 minutes. It has been extremely beneficial for us to have a 'mock game' walk through. We even script in adversity, quick changes, etc. I believe it has kept us much more level headed as a team on game night. |
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Post by coachank on Sept 22, 2010 14:05:11 GMT -6
We do a short practice on Thursdays. Nothing is more than 5 minutes long except for Team O and Team D. We run through everything we need for the next game, and sometimes we end it with a 2 minute drill. (Rocket O). The final part is everyone going to the endzone and cheering when we score. (yes we even practice cheering, it hasn't happened much in the past)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2010 21:08:09 GMT -6
At my last gig we gave the team Thursdays off. Never had any issues with it. Kids got to go home or go to the JV game. I thought we did very well with it, never had any issues whatsoever. Can't get my HC at my new gig to buy into this. I liked it, the kids got to rest, go hang out, or do whatever they wanted to do. I also caught a lot of flack over it by the AD (ex-coach, leather helmet days). He used to say he disagreed with it, but our kids liked it so much, and we never had any issues with it we kept doing it. Anybody else do this?
Duece
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Post by macdiiddy on Sept 22, 2010 22:52:55 GMT -6
i like what our varsity does. they practice thursday night from 7-9. under the lights in full game jerseys/pants they come out of the locker room just like the game, come on to field and do our warm up and jumping jacks like the game, then go into our pre game INDYS. we start it off exactly how they will come out friday night then we review each special team , they go out there and we go through our special teams to get that done. then after that it is treated like a game, we go kickoff, then defense comes out runs through some plays, then punt return, offense for some plays, then kick PAT. now kickoff team, and D comes back out. Maybe we will say the other team scored now we have to do PAT block, and then kickoff return we just cycle things through like a game, all the while subbing players. So if we are on offense, we will yell out, "johnson's hurt, johnson's hurt, smith get in at Y" and the sub goes in. I like it because it is very "game like" That is pretty much what we do We do all our pre game stretching, jumping jacks, then do all our pre game indys. After that we have a game script starting with the coin toss, making sure they never say we want to kick (we want to defer to the second half instead), where o is on the field then we say didnt convert, punt team, etc. etc. We go through onside, safteys, funmbles, victory formation Then D goes off and goes through formation adjustments for the last time and the O runs through how many plays the ol' HC wants to go through on bags Then Pasta Dinner |
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coachy
Sophomore Member
Posts: 219
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Post by coachy on Sept 23, 2010 7:18:05 GMT -6
I love Thursdays. We run through a mock game, starting with captains out for coin flip, kick off, defense vs 4 opponents formations then punt return, first 10 offensive plays from the script, punt team, defense pressure review, punt block, next 10 offensive plays, FG/Pat, onside kick, two minute offense, Two point play, hands team, victory. Then inside for offensive test, defensive powerpoint, offensive powerpoint, guest speaker, highlights from last week, i talk. then out. Thursdays are a big deal for us. I really like the guest speaker idea. |
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Post by airman on Sept 23, 2010 16:08:35 GMT -6
thursday practice for us is similar to game situation. we practice under the lights. we go through meetings and walk thru.
we invite fans to fill the stands to cheer us on in prep for fridays game.
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Post by shields on Sept 24, 2010 9:19:20 GMT -6
We do a "mock game" as well, but idea of a guest speaker is AWESOME! Obviously, you guys don't have to coach both JV and Varsity. Coaching-wise, I don't think we could swing it due to be so short-staffed.
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ex-centralcoach
Junior Member
[F4:@marcmarinelli ] [F4:marcmarinelli]
Posts: 384
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Post by ex-centralcoach on Sept 25, 2010 15:26:13 GMT -6
We do a "mock game" as well, but idea of a guest speaker is AWESOME! Obviously, you guys don't have to coach both JV and Varsity. Coaching-wise, I don't think we could swing it due to be so short-staffed. It was important to me to make the community a part of the program when i took the head job, so us bringing in a guest speaker was a way to get them to hear from someone else, about what we as a staff think is important. Sacrifice, leadership, never quitting, etc. |
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Post by chattco on Sept 30, 2010 10:58:11 GMT -6
Thurs. practice have become a great asset for me over the years. After we have reviewed all of the different aspects of the game, I send everyone inside except my offense and we run run plays on air at an extremely fast pace. The must be perfect or it doesn't count. Start with a low number like 10. We build up to running 40 perfect plays. Takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The amount of focus it takes to do this is extreme but the kids have really bought into the idea of execution.
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Post by blb on Sept 30, 2010 11:14:00 GMT -6
It's a review day. Spark? We don't expect a spark. It's usually pretty loose or businesslike. I don't think there's any need for a spark or anything like that. That doesn't make it unproductive. This. You don't need a hell-bent for election practice day before game. That's our (coaches') insecurity showing. Save the emotion for Friday Night under the lights. We do Pre-Pre game Specialties (Kicking, Passing), rehearse our Pre-Game routine, go through all kicking teams once including giving up a safety and Field Goal on the ball, and do Team Defense and Offense (including Goal line, 2-Point Plays, 2-Minute Offense, Kill the Clock) for about 15 minutes each. So it's kind of a "mock game" as others have posted but not nearly as highly-organized. We are in helmets and shoulder pads only. Contact is "Thud." Want any boo-boos or owies to heal by game time. Takes about 1:45 early in year, more like 1:30 last half. Besides I'm anxious to get to Freshmen-JV games. When I played in college on Fridays we did Specialties, Pre-Game, each Special Team once - and that was it. |
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Post by PSS on Oct 1, 2010 7:16:55 GMT -6
Really don't know what kind of "Spark" you are looking for. Just looking for a little focus on special teams.
By Thursday the hay is in the barn.
Helmets / shorts
We go through a "Kick the Field" script, every special teams scenario vs air.
Defense does formation recog. and adjustment walk through.
Offense does 10 play script vs air.
Takes about 30 minutes including stretch.
We do this during our athletic period. After school is O & D meetings for about 15 minutes.
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creid
Sophomore Member
Posts: 148
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Post by creid on Oct 1, 2010 19:53:54 GMT -6
We review our special teams film (endzone view) from the previous week (10 min, we already watched it on Monday), watch 20 minutes of our opponents film from last year against us, then practice for 1.5 hours. We are up tempo, cover all specials and situations, FG unit first that way the bigs can spend the rest of specials with the o line coach going over assignments and working fundos, then we have 15 plays of scripted defense and offense. Kids are focused.
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Post by flballcoach on Oct 5, 2010 6:03:56 GMT -6
I agree with the coach who posted earlier, we do a regular day of practice. Full pads, Indy's etc. You only have so many days a week to practice, might as well use em. Kids seem to not mind. They do get Saturday off though so it all works out.
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Post by utchuckd on Oct 5, 2010 6:33:28 GMT -6
We had a script with every situation we could think of. Actually I think we got it of here a few years ago. We would come out and go through our pregame routine, up through the coin flip, then run through the script. But we didn't do special teams, then defense, then offense, they were all mixed up so any unit could be coming out next.
I really like the practice in the morning or during class period and give them the afternoon off idea.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2010 10:21:23 GMT -6
Surprised I'm the only one here who gives his team Thurs. off?! I always thought we were more refreshed on Fridays! Interesting enough we never missed a beat on s/t or o or d with the day off, we seemed pretty crisp. We did this where I went to college, had Friday's off to go to local h/s game or get schoolwork done etc. Anyhow, has worked for me!
Duece
Duece
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Post by blb on Oct 5, 2010 10:37:01 GMT -6
Surprised I'm the only one here who gives his team Thurs. off?! I always thought we were more refreshed on Fridays! I am always concerned about kids being fresh and eager to hit on game nights too but couldn't bring myself to give 'em day before completely off. As I posted earlier ours is a fairly light, shorter (by 30-45 minutes) review or "polish" practice with emphasis on situations. When I played in college we are on field in sweats for an hour (if that) Fridays. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2010 10:48:40 GMT -6
we do a full game script. for example.
kickoff, defense 3 plays, punt return, offense 3 plays, punt, defense 3 plays, punt block, goal line offense, 2 pt play, kickoff return, goal line offense coming out, goal line punt, safety kickoff, prevent defense, etc..........
it takes about 30-35 min. before victory kneel down, we do 2 min drill and quick field goal.
the situations are endless. it makes it feel like friday night for the guys and nobody is just standing around playin graba$$.
I could put the whole script up if anyones interested.
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Post by blb on Oct 5, 2010 10:59:37 GMT -6
I know a lot of (bigger) schools are effective doing a "full game script" on Thursdays. I just don't want to waste time switching back and forth, especially between Scout team personnel.
So, we do Defensive Kicking Game, then Team Defense; Rinse, Repeat on Offense.
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