Structuring a Winning Practice

Winning starts in practice, we all know this. However, just showing up to practice daily is not going to be enough. Smart practice makes an efficient unit that can go out on game day, focus on the task at hand and has the tools to complete the job.

When I say tools, I mean technique and that is what I will focus on developing for the purpose of this post. Two of the biggest mistakes coaches make when putting together their practices is focusing too much on teaching the scheme and putting together a set of drills that don’t really apply to what it is your players will find themselves doing the most come game day.

If you are a defensive back coach then you know you never really have enough individual time. It really hurts when you spend that individual time teaching players where they need to go on each coverage that you are trying to run each week. There should be a period where you walk through scheme after you have already done so in a meeting. That period for me when I was a coordinator / defensive back coach was called “assignment and alignment”. I never made a habit of consuming my individual period with teaching scheme.

Your individual period should be consumed with teaching and perfecting the techniques that will be needed for the players to execute the scheme you are running. The younger the group you are coaching, the more time that should be spent on skills development. If you are spending a greater amount of time teaching scheme than you are developing skills then you are likely running too many coverages on defense.

So, what should your practice look like for your defensive backs? Here’s a quick blueprint:

(1) Assignment and alignment (10-15 minutes)
(2) Pursuit drill (5-10 minutes)
(3) Individual period (15-25 minutes)
(4) 1 on 1’s (15 minutes)
(5) 7 on 7 period (head coach’s discretion)
(6) Team period (head coach’s discretion)
(7) Post practice work (5-10 minutes)

Sometimes within those periods shown, there will be special periods added to emphasize something that will be a focus that week or something the team needs to work on like a tackling circuit for example.

So now that we have a blueprint for practice set up, let’s talk about the all important individual period set up.

The first part of my individual period were a core set of drills that are essential for my defensive backs success. These drills are the common drills that involve the common movements a defensive back is going to make on the field during the course of a game. A defensive back that masters these drills is a confident defensive back. I made a video on those drills that I used called Masters of the Basics Part I. Then I would add one or two drills to those core that are specific to the scheme that we run. If we were primarily a press man team, I would incorporate a couple of pressman development drills like 3 Releases. If we were more zone heavy or off man type then I would incorporate a few drills related to footwork or reading the QB. Some of those drills can be found in Mastering the Basics Part II & Masters of the Basics Part III.

With the time remaining in my individual period, I would then get very specific with drills related to anything special we were running scheme-wise on that week. If the opponent presented some challenges offensively then it is likely that we may have to tweak a few things and I would craft some drills that sharpened the skills needed to execute the scheme changes for the week.

The post practice period involved the unit working on that one thing that they needed the most to excel in our scheme or fine tuning that tweak we implemented for our opponent this week. So when I had a team that was heavy on press man, I would have the cornerbacks spend that post practice period doing 3 releases and the nickel back / safeties working on their catch technique. As the season wore on, I would not make this mandatory nor would I stay with the players during this part. There were several reasons for this. First, I need to see who’s serious about reaching their potential. The serious guys stay after everyday. Second, it is important to give players some time to work their game without you coaching them. Sometimes they can make discoveries that help them improve. They are able to do this when they are not consumed with pleasing you each rep with your eyes bearing down on them. Finally, young players need to develop post practice habits on their own as it will be a big part of their success as they move up levels in the game.

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alleyesdbcamp

Owner at All Eyes DB Camp

Chad Wilson is the founder of All Eyes DB Camp and a former standout defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes. After an elite collegiate career, Wilson spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks before transitioning into coaching. A 3-time Florida state champion defensive coordinator, he has spent over 20 years developing the "All Eyes" blueprint that has produced NFL All-Pros and stars like Xavien Howard, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more. His coaching system is proven at the highest levels—his own sons, Quincy and Marco Wilson, both excelled as starters in the SEC before being drafted into the NFL.

Chad is the author of "101 DB Tips"—The Ultimate DB Reference Guide. You can find more information on the manual and how to order your copy in the sidebar and footer of this page.

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