As a coach, there are many triumphs and quite a few tribulations that will come your way over the years. It’s easy to forget to think critically about your day-to-day practices and fall into routine. But good coaches challenge the status quo by pushing themselves and their players outside of their comfort zone. Here are a few common mistakes when practice planning.
1. Failing to plan age-appropriate drills — Remember how young (or mature) your audience is. As a coach, you must draw a line emotionally, physically and mentally. Sometimes, your team isn’t ready for a drill. Recognize when a drill won’t be successful.
2. Too much scrimmaging — The inclination is to put your team at game speed in scrimmages. But without the proper instruction, the team may not maximize those scrimmages. If you perform a few drills prior to a scrimmage, and then urge your player to apply their practiced skill set during a scrimmage. The benefits will be enormous.
3. Imperfect balance of passing, defensive, catching and shooting drills — Younger coaches tend to forget to include a balance of every type of drill. Catching drills for older players may be unnecessary, but for youngsters, it may be the difference-maker that determines the outcomes of games. Similarly, a team might be a high-effort, defensive-minded group one year, only to be replaced by a group of scorers the next — it’s about encouraging balance and tailoring drills to your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
3. Forgetting to apply empathy — Every player needs encouragement and feedback, no matter the age, size or maturity. Remember to empathize with players and recognize when they are struggling. Empathy can also go a long way when anticipating the correct drills for practice, too. If you know what’s bothering your players, you can use drills to help resolve issues.
Avoiding these mistakes will have you well on your way to coaching an improved team.