1

Coaching Observation Reflection

Olivia Seddon

SES 435

University of Northern Colorado

 2

Description of the Practice Session

The practice that I observed was the UNC football practice. It was held on the turf field

on Tuesday March 26th, 2019. The coaches I observed were the coaches that dealt with the

quarterbacks and wide receivers. These coaches were Coach Grable, Coach Armour, and Coach

Fulton. The only relationship I had with this team was the fact that I have a few friends who play

on the team. Other than watching their games in the fall, I don’t follow football very much, so it

was an interesting experience to be able to learn about different coaching styles and how it

translates in a different sport. The coaches did in fact have a practice plan. They call it a script

and it is a packet of how the coaches are planning on breaking down the practice. The coaches

broke it down by the minute. It was very detailed in timing but very vague with no coaching

cues, little diagrams, and no descriptions of what the drill entailed. The practice plan was in

writing and was printed out for explanation during their meetings before training. The plan was

laid out minute by minute with exactly what each position was supposed to be doing. At the

actual practice, there was a clock that would buzz when it was time to switch drills and then each

position group would move on to their next drill.

1.Did your coach use or outline any practice objectives for the observed session. If yes,

what were they? And if no, what practice objectives might he/she have used?

There were no written objectives that were stated in the practice plan. I do believe that

because the practice that I observed was a college level football practice that most of the players

understood what each drill entailed and why they were doing them. They probably unconsciously

knew the expectations as well as the objectives of practice after looking at the specific drills they

were going to be doing in practice that day. The way that the coach had their practice laid out
 3

was by positions. I spent most of my time watching the quarter backs. I chose to watch them

because they were in the red jerseys which helped me differentiate their position from others

because I don’t know much about football. It seemed that the objectives for them, although they

weren’t stated in the plan, was to get familiar with the plays, learn to problem solve when under

pressure, and get familiar with different combination players. One thing I noticed that probably

wasn’t an objective but was a common expectation throughout all their practices were to have

the quarterbacks get as many reps as they can. This would help them produce muscle memory as

well as a comfort under pressure in order to make the play.

Description of Demonstrations

While watching the quarter backs they were often paired up with the wide receivers for

most of the practice until they went in to the 7 on 7 scrimmage play. The skill that the coaches

seemed to stress was a skill that was a previously learned skill which was creating separation

once the ball was hiked back to the quarterback. This was important because creating the

separation gives the quarter back more time to survey the field and find a slot or pass down the

field to his teammates. Another skill that seemed to be stressed by the coaches was quick feet

and tight turns when the wide receivers were making their routes. The positional coach kept

yelling that out while the boys were doing their routs because he felt that the constant reminder

would imprint in the players’ minds that those skills were vital to running a good route.

There were no demonstrations during the practice that I observed. I believe there were no

demonstrations because the players involved were playing at the college level therefor they

understood the drills beforehand. I didn’t see any players asking questions or players that were

confused of what was expected of them. The only thing that I observed that was remotely similar

to a demonstration was the coaches used certain players as the example and walked through it at
 4

the beginning for a solid understanding before beginning. Instead of the coach explaining at the

beginning the purpose and cues to consider during the drill, he spoke of them throughout the drill

and would pull players aside if they needed more explaining. The coaches were ruthless in some

respects because if a player messed up multiple times they would punish them by taking them

out of the drill and making them roll at the end of practice.

The arrangement/formation that was used during practice was stations. This helped each

position coach have their own space and time with their group of players. Most of the

introductions I assume came during their meetings before they came out to practice because

everyone seemed to already know what to do when they got to their drill. There was never really

a stand still moment during practice where the coaches I observed took the time to explain the

drill and why they were doing it. They did most of their coaching during the drill by shouting out

cues and reminding them to focus on certain skills.

The coach did in fact relate the skills that were the focus of practice to past

practices/games where they were used as well as other skills that were previously learned. For

the quarterbacks, the coach would get on one of them for not following through on their step

back. He then reminded that player about a game last season where he didn’t create that

separation and got sacked because he didn’t have enough space to pick his head up and find his

pass. The coach also related the wide receivers foot skills while running their routes to the basic

routes they learned in the beginning of preseason. They did this in order to instill the confidence

in their players that they could perform the newer harder routes using the same basic footwork

but with more push off and cuts involved.

The coach used a lot of cues for the wide receivers while they were performing their

routes. The common cues I heard repeated many times throughout practice were for the wide
 5

receivers. The coached stressed the receivers to keep their eyes forward during their route. It is

important to not look where they are supposed to run or else it will give away their route and

positioning on the field. The coach also used the cue of keeping your shoulders level to ensure

that you are being predictable when you are going to make your break. Another cue that the

coach used for the receivers were to count in threes. He kept yelling that to let his players know

how to count their steps when making their break away from their defender on their route. Most

of the cues he was yelling to his players was to ensure that they were properly positioned and had

the best chance to separate from their defender in order to get the ball.

Summary

Although I didn’t know much about football going in to this observation assignment the

organization made it very easy to understand. This practice was very well organized in my

opinion. I believe this because they stayed strict to the time on the practice plan. When the time

came for them to switch drills, the clock would buzz which would signal each position station to

rotate to their next drill. Each group knew where they were supposed to go so it made the

practice flow very easily. It also allowed the players and coaches to get the most out of their time

at practice.

The practice plan was written out, but the coaches were the only ones who used them

during practice. The practice plan explained who was on what team and what quarterback will

throw at what time, so every player knew what was expected of them. It allowed the team to be

efficient during practice and not spend time making teams and groups. They got the most of their

time at practice. Due to the flow of practice, the players were always doing something. This

allowed the players to stay engaged in practice. I observed that even when it wasn’t your turn to

go during a drill, the players on the side were still engaged by yelling and hyping up their
 6

teammates during their turn. The Oklahoma drill was a big example of this because all positions

were involved in this drill and so there were only about 8 players involved per round so there

was a significant number of players waiting. All the players waiting were supporting their

teammates during the fun competitive game and were engaged throughout the whole drill.

There was little time spent on learning new skills. Time was spent mainly on enriching

ones knowledge of the plays that they want to implement during their spring ball game. The

skills were basic, but the plays were new for some players because there are players who play in

spring who didn’t get an opportunity during fall season. Those players need to build a familiarity

with these plays. The practice was about 2 and a half hours long but not all practice was spent on

the field. Part of the time they were in meetings which I was unable to attend but they were

crucial parts of practice to the teams game knowledge and understanding. Based on my

observation of the wide receivers and quarterbacks, they weren’t that game realistic. The wide

receivers were running their routes without a defense pressuring them. The quarterbacks were

being thrown the ball instead of hiking the ball to them. The practice seemed to be simulated in

order for the players to understand the routes and get familiar with them. It wasn’t until the end

where they applied defense to the offense and it was more game realistic. The coach tried to get

the players to act like it was a game, so having them go through the motions as if they had

pressure but it didn’t translate very well to a game situation.

I thought overall that the practice was constructed very well. Breaking down the team by

positions allows those positions a chance to work on their own routes, skills, and plays. I think I

would make a few changes to the practice in order to make it better. I think the Oklahoma drill

was a good drill to challenge all positions, but I would have that drill going on at multiple

stations. This would avoid a lot of players standing around waiting for their turn. It would also
 7

give players more reps and opportunity to learn. Another thing I would change to help improve

the efficiency of the practice is to have more time for explanation because although these players

are at the college level they may still have questions and need something explained. Whether it is

just a check for understanding or a demonstration for the more visual players, something to help

the players understand each drill more. I also think that the coaches needed to reiterate the

objectives more often throughout practice. A lot of times they got too caught up in criticizing

than motivating and encouraging the players to work on what they needed to be working on.