Seven Football Practice Mistakes That Could be Hurting Your Team’s Performance

October 11, 2024

Inefficient practice methods can harm a football team’s performance. Coaches waste valuable time with ineffective drills and poorly structured practices. This leads to players losing focus and missing critical development opportunities. Below are the key errors in practice methods and how to fix them.

1. Coaches must recognize the limited time available to train effectively. Poor planning wastes practice time and leads to boredom. Once players are bored, learning stops, and progress halts. Football players have short attention spans, so stick to a schedule. Switching drills frequently keeps players engaged and focused.

2. Players need to understand why they’re doing each drill. If they know why they are working on a task, their effort improves. Always explain the purpose of the drill before starting. Tell players what they need to achieve, then demonstrate how.

3. You cannot teach advanced techniques before the basics are mastered. A player must learn stance before learning how to block. Skipping steps confuses the player and disrupts their development. Coaches must focus on progression: teach the basics first, then build on them.

4. Excessive talking during practice wastes time and confuses players. Players struggle to process verbal instruction while wearing helmets and breathing hard. Explain the “who” and “why” in chalk talk before practice. Once on the field, focus on correcting mistakes, not lengthy explanations.

5. Players don’t benefit from seeing how much the coach knows. What matters is how well the player can perform. Coaches should focus on player understanding, not their own demonstrations. Keep demonstrations short and clear, allowing players to practice more.

6. Overly long practices tire players and hurt performance. Players should leave practice eager, not exhausted. As the season progresses, reduce practice length to maintain energy levels. Coaches should prioritize quality over quantity during practice time.

7. A crucial mistake in practice is ignoring the mental side of the game. Football is not just physical; it’s a mentally demanding sport. Players need to be mentally prepared to handle pressure, make quick decisions, and stay focused. Many coaches emphasize physical drills but neglect strategies for mental toughness and game awareness. Incorporating mental preparation, like visualization techniques, pressure simulations, or teaching situational awareness, can make a big difference. Without this, players may struggle in high-stress moments, leading to mistakes. Regularly addressing mental skills in practice strengthens overall team performance.

By addressing these seven common mistakes, coaches can optimize their practice time. Efficient practices lead to better execution, improved focus, and a stronger team overall.