Coaching Football
1. Practice Plan/Day
Create one (1) complete, annotated practice plan (annotated means you put extra commentary explaining what is on the plan) for a search committee considering hiring you as a head coach at your preferred sport and level of competition (I know many of you are already head coaches, so assume this is your dream job!)
Clearly identify the sport, level of competition, and any other information needed to set the context.
Include any pre-practice activities (individual player, team or staff meetings; film, etc.) and justification for them (why are you doing what you are doing?). Put any terms from the course in bold.
In-practice activities should be detailed to the minute and should have a justification for them.
Include any coaching cues or teaching points. Put any terms from the course in bold.
Explain any connections of skill work to strategy & tactics. Put any terms from the course in bold.
Include any post-practice activities (individual player, team or staff meetings; film, etc.) and justification for them.
Explain any connection to program culture, coaching philosophy, etc. Put any terms from the course in bold.
This should NOT just be an old practice plan and nothing else. I doubt your old practice plans would include the justification for why you did what you did. You would not need to do this for every practice plan you make in the future, but it is a great way to demonstrate your thinking to a search committee, recruits, player parents, etc.
2. Home Competition Day
Create a detailed itinerary for how you would handle a gameday (competition/match/meet) for your sport at your level.
Here are some examples of the kinds of things you might want to include:
Include times such as walk-throughs, guided visualization, pregame meal, pregame meetings, etc.
What time do athletes report?
What do they wear, etc.?
Where do they go?
What do they do when they get there?
Can they listen to music? Use phones? Cut-up, serious, or in-between?
Do the captains/leadership have any special roles/responsibilities?
Do you write up things on a whiteboard? Strategy review, scouting report, motivational notes, etc.?
Do you give a pregame speech? When/where? If so, what is a typical message?
Do you use social media or other technology to communicate with athletes and/or fans?
What is your pregame warmup like? Who leads it? Why?
How do you determine starters? When are players told?
How do you substitute? Do the players do anything in particular when they come out of a competition?
How do you set the game/match strategy?
What do you do after the game? Shake hands? Meet in locker room or on field?
What happens to uniforms, equipment, etc.?
Who cleans/maintains the competition site (do players have to rake, get equipment, sweep, etc.)?
Put any terms from the course in bold.
3. Road Competition Day
Create a detailed itinerary for an away competition (road game).
See above.
Do they have to ride the bus home or can they ride with parents? What is the procedure?
Put any terms from the course in bold.
Format Expectations:
APA 7th edition format for quotes and references.
See instructions above.
Incorporate terminology from the readings in bold.
All three parts (Practice plan, home gameday, & road competition) should be combined into one document. (Some students insert the annotations into the actual practice plan and some students choose to have the annotations after the practice plan. Do whatever you thin is best for your sport and your level.
