"Practice? We Talkin' Bout Practice!?!

There are many different takes on practice. Allen Iverson's take: “I'm supposed to be a franchise player and we talkin' bout practice, man. Not a game!"

and then there's Coach John Wooden's take: "“I feel that practice is the key to success. Creating a classroom environment for my players is so important. In most cases I spent many nights planning my practices. I have kept all of my practice schedules over my career. My practice plan and thoughts on practice took longer to plan than the actual practice time with my players in most cases.”

There are so many variables when it comes to practice. I know very little about how each sport should practice, but here are some thoughts and questions that you can ask yourself to help you become a better coach in practice:

Do you play checkers or chess with your team? In practice, do you move the pieces all in the same way or do you move them differently?

* TEACHING AND LEARNING*
Do you create an environment for teaching? More importantly, do you create an environment for learning? The difference is critical.
In practice different people learn different ways. Can you use video to help in practice? Maybe filming when they don’t know it.

Here are three steps that I try to use when we go through a practice & preparation session:
1. Recreate the event
2. Rehearse the event
3. Restart

*Teaching tips*
-Coaches normally talk too much in practice. I've noticed that attention spans of players are getting shorter and shorter these days.
-Don’t just stop play when an error is made. Stop play when something good takes place. That might be more of a teachable moment.

*ARE YOUR TEAMS MENTALLY TOUGH?*
Mental Fitness and Physical Fitness
If that is important to you as a coach how do you create those challenges in your practice?

A Coaches impact in practice.
-What are your expectations? The Coach sets the tone.
-Do you supply the energy and enthusiasm that is required in practice? If you don't, who will?

*VERBAL MESSAGES*
General rule: Criticize in private, praise in public.
-Be sincere
-Be specific

Don’t let things “build up” with a player “The reaction” usually doesn't fit the crime.

*COMMUNICATE*
-Communicate in practice, especially to your leaders!
-Know your team’s trigger points. What gets them to act the way you want them to act?
-How do they feel both mentally and physically?
-Do you coach differently in practice? Do you allow others to coach in practice? Do you allow the players to coach themselves in practice?

*THOUGHTS*
-How can I be a better coach in practice?
-What areas do I need to improve on?
-Do I maximize my player’s time and space during practice?
-Do I create the atmosphere I need for my team to have the best chance of success through my practices?
-Who is the very best coach in my field and what do they do in their practice that I can apply to my practices?
-Do my players become better each day through our planning of practice?
-Never be afraid to let your players see you sweat in practice.