The Last Rep

Practice Scheduling
by: Aaron S. Lee
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Practice scheduling is becoming more important with every season that passes, so American Football Monthly recently sat down with six of the top head coaches from around the country to get their thoughts on some of the major issues concerning their industry.

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How important is practice scheduling?

“Practice is the most important time that you have. The most important thing we can do is take full advantage of the organization and the efficiency we have in teaching. At LSU, we have well organized practices that aren’t too long and maximize what can be done.” – Nick Saban, LSU

“Practice scheduling is very important to the success of a football program. If you don’t know where you are going, then you don’t know how to get there. You have to have a plan. I analyze every day, so we have a different practice schedule every day. I allow my staff to review the schedule, critique it and make changes that are necessary for everyone to get their task done more efficiently.” – Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman

“Well, obviously it is the way you teach football ... taking in the criteria of academics becomes a key factor. A good practice schedule starts with year-round planning. For example, in the spring our athletes have a lot of lab courses that take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so we have gone to an evening practice to allow our athletes a full day of academics – allowing them to get the lab courses out of the way before the fall season hits. You have to take care of the opportunity for these kids to go to school.” – Les Miles, Oklahoma State

“You know, everybody does it differently ... we are different at Rice because we haven’t practiced on Sundays for 20 years. We are also unique because we don’t have the number of players other programs have, so we can’t wear out the athletes we have. Our practice schedule is something we have adjusted to in order to give us a chance to know what to do at the same time to be rested and fresh for kickoff. If your team is worn out before the game, your chance of victory is slim.” – Ken Hatfield, Rice

“Practice is the key to preparation. I was really fortunate while I was an assistant coach under (Bill) Belichick in Cleveland. One of our assignments was that each coach had three teams to study how they prepared, so our staff learned how every team in the NFL practiced. Now, with the 20-hour rule, preparation time has been drastically limited and football – probably more than any other game – takes more preparation between game planning and getting your players ready to play.” – Pat Hill, Fresno State

“There is an old saying that practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent ... so how you develop practices should not only be designed to build the basic fundamentals, but also the learning that goes past the fundamentals so that it becomes permanently part of how your team plays.” – John Mackovic, Arizona

What advice would give another coach concerning practice scheduling?

“I think there are so many aspects to it. First, lay out the techniques that can be taught per position, and then find out the most logical way to teach that progression from a time standpoint and a structured practice standpoint. You can’t practice everything every day. You want to put things in an order that makes the most logical sense for players’ ability to learn it so that one action builds on the next. So, first define what you are going to teach, then define how you are going to teach, then – to get everyone to except it – you must know why it is important to do it that way.” – Nick Saban, LSU

“First thing, make it quality, not quantity. Some people approach it with the philosophy that if you have a two-hour practice, then you have to find a way to fill it with two hours worth of work. We take practice from a different approach, do what we need to get done and we are never on the field more than two hours. This spring we did something very interesting. We called it ‘100 for 90,’ in other words we wanted 100 percent from our players for 90 minutes. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and I believe that we got more accomplished in 90 minutes of high intensity than we had during our two-hour practices.” – Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman

“What situations do I have to prepare for ... when you start your practice schedule, take into account where your priorities are, who you are, what style of offensive or defensive coach you are and then go out and practice it – thoroughly.” – Les Miles, Oklahoma State

“As a new coach, I called 10 of the most successful coaches and asked for advice on coaching. I asked them ‘what’s the most important thing in coaching’ and I got 10 different responses. So, if you are a new coach and have questions about practice scheduling, then call 10 coaches and ask them their secrets to successful practice preparation. Now, you may not get 10 coaches to call you back, but if you get five that are pretty successful. That way you don’t have to go through the trial-and-error and you can learn from their mistakes. If you have questions about the kicking game, then call the 10 guys who led the nation in kicking the year before. If you are going to ask questions and learn, then learn from the best.” – Ken Hatfield, Rice

“Make sure that you always practice situations ... football is a situational game. Practice the scenarios that will become reality on game day. For instance, you may only get three or four third down conversions during goal line situations, but you better have the right plays ready when it occurs.” – Pat Hill, Fresno State

“Never take anything for granted ...” – John Mackovic, Arizona

How involved is your staff in practice scheduling?

“I have a lot of things, from a progression standpoint, that I try to do, and I try to provide the framework for our staff to do it. Everyone knows how much time they have to complete a drill/task. However, I always ask if more time is needed in the future, so I try to plan accordingly.” – Nick Saban, LSU

“I write every practice schedule, but I take into account how the week has gone and what a specific coach needs. We do not have a rigid schedule week to week ... we have flexibility in order to better prepare for different weekly opponents.” – Les Miles, Oklahoma State

“Our staff is involved, but our practice is pretty consistent. Sunday is a workday. We study the previous game and look at our next opponent. We go out and run the guys that played the game and go through adjustments from the previous game and for the upcoming game. The guys that didn’t play in the previous game, takes part in a scrimmage on Sunday night that is as close to a real game environment as possible ... Monday, we are off ... Tuesday is based on first and second down game planning ... Wednesday is revolved around plus-25 offense and defense, goal line/short yardage ... Thursday is our third down package, both offense defense, and two-minute drills ... Friday we go over our openers and review what we learned that week.” – Pat Hill, Fresno State

“I make the overall schedule, that way I keep track of our hour limits. On the day-to-day basis, I let my two coordinators put the practice schedule together ... we have a general plan that we follow, but they are able to deviate from that plan to incorporate things that they feel are necessary to help build a better football team.” – John Mackovic, Arizona

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