Rick Darlington, Head Coach, DeLand HS, FL
Watch the full video on Glazier Drive: Planning a Competitive Practice Where There’s a Winner (& Loser) for Individual, Team, & Scout Periods
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Summary
Competitive Drill #1: The Nutcracker
- Features tackle dummies placed on the ground
- Players come off the line and hit the dummies
- Running back tries to score
- Defensive player attempts to execute a stalk block
Competitive Drill #2: Pick Your Poison
- One receiver stalks two defensive backs
- DB must push the receiver back to his help defender
- If the DB fails to break down properly, the back scores
- Missed tackles result in penalty work on the tackling sled
Competitive Drill #3: The Dog Drill
- Offense shifts the back and runs various plays (bubble screens, now screens)
- Defense must tackle in space before offensive blockers arrive
- Focuses on improving open field tackling
- Can incorporate various plays including screens, sweeps, and passes
Competitive Drill #4: Three to Make Ten
- Ball starts on hash mark
- Each successful offensive play earns points (touchdown = 2 points)
- After three plays from one hash, ball moves to the middle
- Goal is to reach 10 points through successful plays
Managing Competition in Practice
- Coaches can strategically match players for competitive drills
- Can script matchups or allow organic competition
- Need to monitor participation to prevent players from hiding
- Identifies player habits: some fight for every rep while others avoid competition
- Coaches use drill participation to evaluate competitive drive
- Strategic matchups can be used to determine depth chart positions