10 WAYS TO

OPTIMIZE
YOUR PRACTICE
BY

MANNY MATSAKIS
WIN ON THE FIELD. OPTIMIZE YOUR LIFE.

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TEN WAYS TO
OPTIMIZE
YOUR PRACTICE
...........................
When it comes to practice, organization and being on the same page with
the rest of your coaching staff and players is critical to being successful.
Your results on game day are determined more often than not by what
you get out of practice days. After working with Bill Snyder, Mike Leach,
Art Briles, Dana Holgorsen, Sonny Dykes, Ruffin McNeill, Greg McMackin
and Mike Kelly Ive been able to see some of the finest practice concepts.
Here are ten things to consider to optimize your practices and ensure you
get the most out of them.

...........................

1. FIELD & PRACTICE SET-UP.

2. PROTECT THE QUARTERBACK.
3. FINISH.
4. TEMPO.
5. AVOID THE GROUND.
6. DRILL EFFICIENCY.
7. MATCH-UPS & REPETITIONS.
8. TURNOVER BATTLE.
9. PRE-SNAP PENALTIES.
10. FEEDBACK.

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#1

FIELD &
PRACTICE
SET-UP

...........................
An efficient practice must be well thought
out prior to your personnel entering the field.
Here are some items to keep in mind.
...........................
1. Field markers should be placed correctly on the sideline, goal line and back of the

end zones.
2. Have equipment and drills set up and ready for pre-practice/practice to hit the ground
running.
3. All personnel must be on time and get to the field early.
4. Drill areas are planned so to avoid hazardous conditions. Keep in mind the location of

the hydration stations and where personnel are standing so as they are not in the way

of where a play may finish.
5. Always have a whistle coach who handles blowing a quick whistle to end a play.
6. A manager should place the ball quickly after each play, so we are never waiting on

a football.
7. Cones should be placed behind the offensive players to keep them back and away

from the action.
8. Defensive players not participating will be on the sideline area of the field.
9. Hydration stations are made available within walking distance of each player.
10. Players must have helmets on, chinstraps buckled and mouth pieces in during drills.
11. Players should all be dressed uniformly.
12. Equipment should be set up prior to a period.
13. Practice plans and scripts should be made available in quantity for the players not

actively participating.
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2015

#2

PROTECT
THE
QUARTERBACK
...........................
The highest paid player on every professional
roster is the quarterback. Generally, if he goes
down, there is a significant drop-off in the
performance of a team. Due to this logic, we
must make sure to handle any pre-problems
that may expose him to danger.
...........................
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.

6.
7.
8.

QBs should wear different color jerseys.

Defensive coaches must communicate daily to pass rushers the importance of
avoiding the QB.
Always allow the QB to complete his entire throwing motion.
Defenders should never duck in front of the QB. He could get his finger caught
in their facemask.
Defensive linemen should never bull rush an offensive player into the QB.
This can expose him to a leg injury.
Defenders should run by the QB.
Nobody should ever stand behind the QB.
In the case of a QB run play, make sure to run by him and avoid contact.

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#3

FINISH.

...........................
A quality football team will coach finish
before they start to coach adjustments,
techniques, and fundamentals. Its the overwhelming indicator of a well-coached unit.
...........................

1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


9.

Everyone should be playing fast until the whistle blows.

All defenders run to the ball with the appropriate pursuit of the ball. 11 men to the ball.
Check the video and reinforce this concept.
Offensive linemen continue to block for the entirety of a play and they will look for
defenders downfield in the run game.
In a pass play, once a receiver has caught the ball all non-catching receivers will
continue up the field to spring a key block.
Receivers will continue to block on the backside of a play. Often, this defender will
make the tackle, especially on screens.
Ball carriers explode and score to a finish point in a drill. (Jim Brown was noted for
running to the goal line after every play.)
Coaches create a finish point for every drill and teaching sequence. Players are taught
to finish beyond this point.
No grabbing or pulling of jerseys. If a player grabs a jersey, they prevent both squads
from finishing a play. This results in poor pursuit angles, improper tackling position, and
the ball carrier cant finish. There are also safety issues involved in grabbing jerseys.
Finishing with proper technique is imperative.

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#4

TEMPO.

...........................
Outstanding teams practice with a fast pace so
this shows up on game day. In doing so,
players can get through practice faster and
get off their feet and into recovery mode.
...........................

1.

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.

7.
8.

Coaches are pushing players through self-established thresholds. If they dont grow,
they will plateau.
Plays are practiced at game speed. This addresses timing issues.
Personnel run from drill to drill. This promotes a play fast mentality.
Check to see how much lag time from the start of a period to the first rep.
(At Texas Tech the first rep in a Special Teams period would start within 15 seconds.)
Balls are made ready-to-play instantly by the ball boy.
Coach on the run. Plays in a Team setting are never stopped for explanations,
they are discussed in a meeting later with video references.
Fighting is not tolerated. This slows down practice and encourages a lack of discipline.
Trash talking, taunting, and flaunting are not allowed. These actions belittle our opponent
and show a lack of respect. This also takes away from creating a tempo in practice.

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#5

AVOID
THE
GROUND.

...........................
Good football performance is rarely executed
when the players or the ball is on the ground.
Emphasizing this concept will go a long way to
creating the product you want on game day.
...........................
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

The ball stays in the air or in possession.

QBs throw the ball to the optimal location. (The receivers body is between the ball
and the defender.)
Receivers look in and secure every catch.
Quarterback & Center exchange is taught and emphasized.
Players stay off the ground. The emphasis is on keeping their feet moving. Most injuries
occur when an athlete stops moving.
Linemen do not cut a teammate even if it is a legal block. An offensive unit is not
concerned with making a play work at the expense of a defensive teammate.
Receivers do not block defenders below the waist. This technique is taught in a
controlled setting on dummies.
Receivers or pass defenders do not leave their feet to dive for the ball. An awkward
landing may result in injury.
Players do not dive into piles to recover a fumble. Also relates to a Quarterback fumbling
a snap. Individually, players on both sides of the ball are taught how to get on a fumble.

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#6

DRILL
EFFICIENCY.
...........................
Drilling at a demanding tempo with proper
feedback best ingrains a fundamental
skill or a position technique.
...........................

1. Coaches treat every mistake as an opportunity to coach in a drill setting.

2. Coaches never criticize players, they attack the problem when correcting and not the

person. (This builds confidence on the field.)
3. Position groups are on the same page when coordinating a teaching drill. The

responsibility is on both coaches to make sure that everyone is getting game-like

value out of a drill.
4. A pride in practice performance is instilled. The concept of practice perfection is

difficult for some players to understand. Dont allow them to relax in their preparation.

Have a standard for what you are trying to achieve on a daily basis.
5. Championship caliber coaches avoid being predictable in drilling their position. To aid

in this process, always watch your individual video and see where you can improve a

drill, technique or a fundamental. The key is not to get stale in your teaching with the
players.
6. Coaches emphasize explosive movement and bursting in drill settings along with

fundamental techniques for their position.

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#7

MATCH-UPS
&
REPETITIONS.
...........................
Are starters working against starters? The
level of intensity is highest when players of
equal ability are practicing against each other.
...........................

1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

7.

Top receivers match up in one-on-one routes with the best defensive backs.
The best offensive linemen compete against the top pass rushers in one-on-one drills.
Starters are receiving enough quality reps to set their standard of performance.
(This is measured by mental errors.)
Back-ups get more reps in drill and group settings and less in a Team setting.
Rotations are monitored to keep key players improving.
The starting Quarterback gets the majority of reps in Team.
(At Texas Tech, Mike Leach had our starting QB take nearly 100% of the reps.)
All players are coached. There are no second-class citizens on a championship team.

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#8

TURNOVER
BATTLE.
...........................
The best teams win the turnover battle.
Its important to emphasize this to your unit
so you can create better odds of being
successful on game day.
...........................

1. The Quarterback & Center exchange is practiced prior to and after practice.
2. Ball handling errors are minimized by having all personnel drill ball security.

(How often are coaches yelling, Put the ball away?
3. Defenders are taught proper strip techniques that compromise the ball carriers

ability to secure the ball.
4. The QB never exposes the ball in the pocket.
5. When in the pocket. The QB has two hands on the ball at all times.
6. The QB never lets the ball drop below his waist.
7. The QB always looks the ball all the way into the ball carriers hands.
8. Ball carriers securely tuck the ball and cover it with four points.
9. In traffic, a good player covers the ball with two hands.

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#9

PRE-SNAP
PENALTIES.
...........................
These are coach killers. A proper emphasis
of this in practice will go a long way
towards developing the type of team
you enjoy coaching.
...........................

1. If players are jumping offside, it is a sign that they are not focused.
2. The whole offensive unit regularly reviews and works on their cadence and snap count.
3. Defensive linemen are taught to keep their eyes on the ball for the snap count and not

be drawn off by the inflection of the QBs cadence.
4. A receiver in motion is taught how to understand when to release upfield on the snap
count.
5. Does the QB pull out early on the snap count? If so, he is most likely focusing on

pulling out rather than securing the exchange.

(This is for teams that utilize the under-Center exchange.)
6. Players are taught that pre-snap penalties are not tolerated because they are not

subject to an officials interpretation.

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#10

FEEDBACK.

...........................
The primary way to keep errors on the field
at a minimum is through proper feedback in
coaching your players. Here are some insights
that I have put together from coaches
I have worked with over the years.
...........................
1.
2.



3.

4.

5.

Be specific on the practice field.

Have the managers chart the Quarterbacks and receivers performance throughout
practice. (At Kansas State we would chart QBs for ball location of every throw and
the receivers for drops. This would be posted daily in the locker room for the players
to review their performance.)
Coaches stand in an area where they can make eye contact with a player they are
giving feedback.
After a period in practice, a coach makes notes of what he noticed in that session.
He will then review these notes after practice.
into a recorder and shared his coaching feedback to the assistant coaches on a
daily basis in staff meetings.)

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When it comes to practice, its critical to have a plan.

How many of these 10 things do you incorporate into
your practice and preparation currently?
...........................
The more intentional we are as coaches during the
week, the more positive results we can achieve on
game day.
...........................

Remember, youre either coaching it

or allowing it to happen.
- Mike Leach

Email: manny@mannymatsakis.com
Website: www.mannymatsakis.com

All Rights Reserved. Not to be copied, distributed without prior consent of Manny Matsakis. 2015