Practice Planning in the Digital Age...

Is all about efficiency and organization. With the ever-expanding role of today's coach, time is at a premium. Whether you are coaching at the professional level or managing a youth team, you can't afford not to take advantage of the benefits of technology.

Other than the talent you have to work with, there is no other aspect of coaching more critical to your team's success than effective planning and execution of the daily practice. What does effective practice planning mean? The word effective by definition means, "producing a desired effect; efficient." A desired effect could be winning a championship, performing to one's potential, or showing a certain amount of improvement. Effective planning means creating a practice session that provides the greatest opportunity for a team to reach the "desired effect".

Factors to Consider in Effective Practice Planning

1. Breaking the season into phases- For example: Pre-season, Mid-season, Conference, Post-season, and Off-season. It is important to remember that what you cover will vary from one phase to another.

2. Identify what is to be covered in each phase. The Off-season may emphasize individual skill development along with strength and conditioning. As the Pre-Season rolls around, a master practice plan becomes a necessity. Knowing exactly what is to be done and when and for how long takes time and preparation. The master practice plan is a starting point.

1. Playbook- This is where it all starts. You must have a specific system of offense and defense in place before beginning any kind of practice planning. It should include the type of team offense and defense you are going to employ, special set plays, or special situations, etc.
2. List of Fundamentals: Once you have your system of play in place, it is important to identify all the necessary fundamentals that your players will need to know to execute that system in a game. Both team and individual fundamentals need to be taken into account. You should also consider physical conditioning such as weight training. Your ability to break your system down to its component parts and identify the necessary fundamentals is crucial in determining what you will eventually cover in practice.
3. Drill Directory: Earlier it was mentioned that having the right tool for the right job is important when it comes to the use of drills. Identifying the type of drill you are going to use to teach the specific fundamentals to your players is crucial to your success. There are a number of factors to consider in choosing which drills to use such as the number of players it will involve at one time, the equipment necessary, etc. Once you decide on your list of drills, you can then organize them into categories and sub categories.

Practice Planner Pro software will allow you to create categories such as two-player, three-player, four-player, etc. drills. You can categorize your defensive drills into topics and subtopics that pertain to your particular sport. For example, in softball you can create sub-categories such as "Infield" and "Outfield" within the "Defensive Drills" category. You have great flexibility in creating a customized drill list that works just right for you.

The directory can hold up to 500 categories, subcategories, and drills that you can create and access easily with just a click of the mouse. You can also pre-set the number of minutes you would like to use for the drill along with a particular point of emphasis. This information is automatically entered in the plan as you select your drills from the drop-down drill menu.

The menu allows you to view all of your categories, subcategories, and drills while you are creating a practice plan. With just a click of the mouse, the desired number of minutes, name of the drill, and point of emphasis are entered in the plan. Not only does this help you to create effective practice plans by allowing you to view all of your drills while choosing which one but it will also save you a great deal of time in creating a plan.

Choosing the Right Drills Can Make All the Difference

What are the factors that determine what drills you use in creating a particular practice plan. Again it will vary according to the time of the season you are in. Generally the first 2-3 weeks of practice before the opening game consist of the drills necessary in developing the overall system of play.

Post-Practice Performance Evaluations- A very important criteria for determining what drills are going to be implemented in a particular practice plan comes in to consideration after the very first day of practice. Practice Planner Pro allows you to create detailed evaluations of both the team and individuals after every practice. You are then able to view this information when you are planning your next practice right on the screen next to a blank practice plan. You no longer have to rely on memory in reflecting back on a previous practice and deciding what particular drills are needed today to remedy yesterday's poor execution.

Scouting Reports- A second important source of feedback critical in choosing the right drills for practice comes into the picture as you prepare for the first game. Practice Planner Pro allows you to create detailed scouting reports and view them as you plan a practice. You can then draw from the scouting report areas that you need to prepare for in the week of practice prior to the game.

Post-Game Evaluations- A third factor to consider in formulating practice plans is the post-game performance evaluation. This provides feedback on needed areas of improvement from actual game performance. You can review these as you plan future practices especially when preparing for an opponent you have previously played.

Putting It All Together

Practice Planner Pro is more than just a planner. It is a coach's tool that allows you to maximize your ability to teach, evaluate, diagnose, and remediate your team's performance over the course of the season by allowing you to effectively manage information critical to your team reaching it's true potential. We invite you to join the many coaches of both men's and women's programs of all levels throughout the world who are enjoying the benefits of Practice Planner Pro.