The importance of practice and execution

[tripsclosed]

In this video from Coach Joe Salas' YouTube channel, in the film section of the video, the coach shows multiple examples of his guys not executing the concept properly, or being close but just a bit off the mark, in at least a few of the examples, it nearly or does cost them. Props to the coach for showing his team needing to do better and not only showing the good stuff, and the presentation overall, not just the film, is awesome, but I think this video is a great example that drives home why practice and execution are so important.

When a player doesn't get enough reps with their assignment, this is what happens...It should be drilled over, and over, and over, until it becomes automatic.

And if they are not executing properly even after practicing, hold them accountable and get after them.

Ask them why they are releasing inside on the dig when we have told you over and over that the dig is MANDATORY outside release. It is not optional. You MUST run it this way.

Ask them why they are not settling in the first hole after the break on the dig vs zone.

Stay after them until they do this chit right.

And, the follow-up to this is: If they aren't getting it right, do not keep installing more chit. I love route concepts, pressure paths, and coverages, it's the fun part of coaching for me, but it's all a dam waste if none of it can be done right. The object is to score more points than the other team, not have the coolest playbook.

[blb]

There is no sense in trying to do more than you can do well.

[spreadattack]

Some sports people did a study of thousands of hours of John Wooden practice tape, and when it came to coaching fundamentals apparently Wooden almost always demonstrated them in a three part way: (1) show them the right way, (2) show them the *wrong* way (and point out it is wrong, like "It's not *this*), and then (3) show them the right way again. There have been other studies showing that this mentally imprints in a physical way more than other methods, where only the wrong way is critiqued, or only the right way is demonstrated. Something about how the brain translates the instruction to the body. It makes sense to me, and anecdotally it does seem better. (Though I am not the teacher/coach John Wooden was.)

[CoachK]

Man I could spend 5 hours in most drills demonstrating all the ways I've seen kids do things incorrectly.

[brophy]

Aug 6, 2024 13:07:42 GMT -6 tripsclosed said:

 If they aren't getting it right, do not keep installing more chit. I love route concepts, pressure paths, and coverages, it's the fun part of coaching for me, but it's all a dam waste if none of it can be done right. 

I am in 110% agreement. It is the execution we must get right and if that, then it simply comes down to the quality reps. So whatever it is you coach/scheme, it just takes the players to get acclimated to it to make them fit it. Get them to associate muscle-memory to the correct way to execute. It isn't enough to GET to A, you must step this way, with this body lean, this chest position, on your way to A

That said, at what point does a staff say, "y'know - this doesn't fit our kids, they aren't picking it up, but they are good at something else" and changing? I would call that being a lazy coach in my head, but damn if it thats what I saw Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin pull off at La Tech a decade ago.  So how confident are we as coaches to roll like that? Obviously, it still echoes the refrain of the video of whatever you choose, consistent quality reps and hold that performance accountable.

[chi5hi]

Vince Lombardi in his book wrote that they would practice the Green Bay Sweep until the players were sick of doing it. Then, they practiced it again.

***Practice doesn't make perfect...Perfect Practice does.

***can't remember the exact quote, but you know what he meant.