This is a continuation of last week's article regarding youth sports practices.
In order to get the best results in the least amount of time, practices must be run efficiently. Too much talking and standing around detracts from the development of the athlete and does not keep the kids focused. Keep them moving, focused, and having fun.
Again, I encourage you to read "Twice the Results in Half the Time" by Brett Klika (Todd Durkin Enterprises). My practice outline is taken from his article, where he spells it out in more detail.
To review, the coach should arrive early and have a plan. Have things set up to allow a smooth transition from one thing to the next to keep the athletes involved and focused.
Set aside two minutes at the beginning of practice to let them know what you expect from them and what you want to accomplish. There should never be large breaks in time; move from one thing to the next to keep the athletes focused. Time the water breaks, if necessary, so the kids get their drink and are ready to go again very quickly, thus staying focused.
Now you are ready to start general preparation work. This portion of practice focuses more on broad-spectrum athletic skills. This includes a dynamic warm-up, practicing general athletic skills, plyo-metrics, strength, footwork, fitness, speed work, etc. This is the time to get their heart rate up and lubricate joints and muscles, practice proper movements, and get them focused.
The main portion of your practice should be spent here: Sport specific skill development and game tactics. Start the drills slowly and, as they pick up the skills, the pace should quicken. Change aspects of the drill often and make sure everyone is involved. Mini scrimmages or game-type situations can be implemented here.
The pace of these skill developments will allow for some conditioning. Keep everyone moving and the pace high (but not to the detriment of the proper skill development). If you can combine some of your general preparation with your skill development, that's even better.
Conditioning is next. As stated before, the athletes should be getting some conditioning with the skill development. Conditioning is not the time to discipline players or try to run them until they can't go anymore.
With each conditioning drill, ask yourself why you are doing it. The athletes should be conditioning while doing something similar to what they would do in a game. Conditioning should mainly consist of game-like scenarios repeated over and over.
End the practice with a time to recover and cool down. Have the athletes go through a skill slowly, walk, and/or stretch at this time. This is also a good time for a wrap-up talk.
Add any or all of these suggestions to your practice to develop the young athletes more effectively. Remember to praise and correct throughout practice so the athletes know what they are doing correctly and what they need to change.
Next week, part three: winning versus skill development.
n Rich Hess is Executive Director and Fitness Trainer at the Middlecreek Area Community Center. You can reach Rich at richmacc@live.com or the MACC at maccrec.org
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Rich Hess' column on fitness: Developing the young athlete
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