Practices are an important part of any youth sports program. Practice space is always limited, but hopefully you have the ability to provide practice space for your teams. Due to space constraints some programs may only have practice at the beginning and then only games once they start. Regardless of how you are able to offer practices it is important that it is structured and organized so your teams can get the most out of it. Here are five guidelines for structuring your practices:
- Parent Practice Requests: If at all possible don’t take any special requests unless it is an extraordinary circumstance. If you allow parents to give requests for their convenience, one of the top requests will be that they can only practice on a certain night or play for a certain coach. Taking requests will make it impossible for you to make fair and balanced teams. If everyone put in a request you will never be able to grant them all so take the stance of not taking any for that reason. Don’t put yourself in a position to have to pick and choose who gets a request and who does not. As long as you are transparent on your process and advertise their potential practice times, parents will know what to expect when registering and make arrangements to make their practices and games.
- Coach Practice Requests: One of the key ways you can convince people to volunteer coach is tell them they can pick their practice times. Get all your coaches requests and do your best to make sure they get the days and times they want. Be flexible and work with your volunteers to accommodate them the best you can as they are providing a necessary service to your program.
- Advertise Practice Times: Include potential practice times on your flyer, website, or your information handouts at registration. Let parents know that their kids could end up on any of these nights and it is solely based on the coach. Being transparent on practice times will ensure those who register know what to expect and understand they do not pick the time, the coach does.
- Assigning Practice Slots: Give all coaches equal practice time and make sure they stick to it. Monitor it if you can, at least at the beginning so all coaches comply. You will ward off any complaints of your “field hogs” that want to take over and practice when they are not supposed to. Generally, your younger age groups will practice earlier while your older groups will practice later. Practice space will always be limited so once all slots are assigned, stick with it.
Running a successful youth sports practice requires planning, organization, and an emphasis on fun and development. In order to make your coaches and league better it is important to educate your coaches on how to run an effective practice. Provide resources where they can get drills, give them examples of practice plans, and have other higher level coaches in your area come talk to them about it. A lot of your volunteer coaches may be just starting out or may not know much about that specific sport. Educating them and providing resources for them, will also help develop them and keep them coming back. Here are 10 strategies coaches can use to run an effective practice.
- Plan Ahead: Outline a structured practice plan with warm-ups, drills, skill work, and game-like scenarios. Keep activities short and varied to maintain engagement and have extra drills prepared in case something isn’t working or finishes early.
- Start with a Dynamic Warm-up: Use movement-based warm-ups rather than static stretching while incorporating sport-specific drills like agility ladders, jogging, and light ball work. Make warm-ups engaging, turn them into mini-games when possible.
- Keep It Fun and Positive: Use encouragement and constructive feedback while incorporating games and challenges to make drills more exciting. Recognize individual and team efforts, not just skill level.
- Focus on Fundamentals: Teach proper technique through step-by-step instruction. Repeat core skills in different ways to reinforce learning and avoid overloading with too much information at once or just scrimmaging most the practice.
- Use Small-Sided Drills and Limit Down Time: Keep players actively involved by using smaller groups. Reduce downtime by setting up multiple stations or using assistant coaches and emphasize touches, reps, and decision-making in realistic settings. Limit lines as much as possible, but when they are in line waiting for the drill have them doing something to stay engaged.
- Be Efficient with Time: Keep instructions clear and concise by minimizing long speeches—show, don’t just tell. Balance between skill drills and actual play.
- Encourage Teamwork and Communication: Include drills that require teamwork and passing. Teach players to communicate on the field/court and foster a positive and supportive team culture.
- End on a High Note: Finish with a fun activity, scrimmage, or challenge. Give positive reinforcement and highlight improvements by providing a quick recap of key takeaways from practice. Give them a challenge to take home with them so they have something to practice on their own outside of team practice.
- Adapt to Different Skill Levels: Be patient and adjust drills based on players’ abilities. Challenge advanced players while supporting beginners while creating an inclusive environment where everyone can improve.
- Keep Parents and Players Informed: On top of coordinating your actual practices, it is important to communicate practice schedules and goals clearly to the team. Encourage players to practice at home with simple drills and maintain an open and positive relationship with parents.
Offering and coordinating practices is important for the development of your youth athletes, and much of this responsibility falls on your coaches. To be successful, it is your job to provide structure and coordinate your practices as well as provide resources for your coaches to succeed. Focusing on your practices will have benefits of better skill development, better and more competitive games as well as improve the overall quality of your program.
