Planning Effective Practices

Practices should be well organized, safe and fun.

There are seven elements to a good practice. Take some time before practice to plan on covering all seven elements each time you train.

Goals

Decide what you want the athletes to achieve. Base your goals on evaluation of previous competitions and practice sessions.

Warm-Ups

Prepare the athletes with running, stretching and simple, familiar drills to warm the muscles and raise the core body temperature.

Skill Instruction

Teach skills early in the session while the athletes are physically and mentally fresh. Use short, clear demonstrations, and simple, descriptive key words.

Skill Practice

Consider the number of athletes, equipment, and space, then plan for maximum activity. Progress, in both difficulty and organization, form skill to game - like drills, from twos to fours to eights. Tell the athletes what they are doing right, and give specific comments to correct errors.

Fitness

Challenge your athletes with conditioning activities that are suitable for your sport. Set there up as circuits, relays, or modified games.

Fun

Include several fun times in every practice. Tie them into any part of the practice - warm-up, technique work, and conditioning. Ask your athletes for ideas! Always finish on a positive note.

Evaluation

Review the practice with your athletes. Did you achieve the goals? Why, or why not? What went well? What needs to be worked on? The answers will help you plan for the next practice.

Perfect practice makes way for perfect performance. This applies to planning too. Make perfect happen...by planning for it.