Building A Confident Football Team: Details in the Preparation and Weekly Practice Plan

This week, Coach Alex Harrell (@CoachAHarrell11) asked some excellent questions in regards to preparation and making sure everything, as much as possible, is included in a week's worth of practice. He's definitely a guy worth following that can lead coaches to innovative and insightful solutions.

Inside Drill in the Dark, must be Wednesday morning

1-How much time do you use on situational football? Do you incorporate it into group/team? Do you hit the same situations each week? Do you give certain situations more love certain weeks?

Offense: Situational scripted into Inside/Outside Drill- M, T, W Defense: Team T & W Thursday- scripted game and review all… offense coming out of EZ, last play, etc.

Cold weather and practice before daylight is the best of all

2-How much time each week are you using for special teams? Do you keep the schedule consistent (ex. PAT on Wednesday)?

Always first period of practice: MON- Punt Block/Return TUE- Punt, KO, KOR, FG WED- PAT Block, PAT, FG THUR- Scripted game, review & old school specialty period… punters, kickers, snappers, returners, etc. In preseason that is EVERYDAY.

A couple of my Dad's old players (Monty Wilkerson & Lee Glasscock),
wondering if their coach's son knows what he is doing

3-How much group work (7on7, Inside Run, Box vs Blitz, etc) are you doing each week? Do you try hitting it every day? Want more or less?

Offensive Inside/Perimeter Drill - 3 days (situational scripted here) Defensive Perimeter/Front:Schemes- 2 days Team Defense 3rd/4th down- 2 days Goal line O/D- 1 day plus Thursday Scripted game on Thursday to make sure everything is on track.

Practice all you want, no answer for Harrodsburg HS great, Henry Parks

As HS football coaches, we don't always have alot of control over the level of talent on our team, the quality of our facilities, and even access to those facilities. We have some control over the quality of our staff, but it can take time to build a great staff.

One thing that is equal across the board.... we all have seven, 24 hour days in a week. Our best competition is really ourselves, "how can we make our teams the best that they can possibly be? " That is a question we must ask and answer everyday. Foundations are great and necessary. There also should be an evolutionary part of our programs.... we should constantly tweak and seek ways to do what we do, better than we have ever done them before.

After 30 years as a head football coach & over 50 years of being around HS football, have had a long time to evaluate and improve what we do. You need help improving what you do in your program,  send me an email at coachdavidbuchanan@gmail.com. Have already done some consulting work since resigning as a HFC in January. Hope to find a job and team for 2023. In the meantime, would enjoy working with some other coaches to help them and their program. At a minimum, you can help your team be the best that it can be!

#FindAWayToWin

Loved coaching old #10, Tyler Black