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^ Tips for practice organisation <br />( <br />i- AI* <br />I *: <br />V <br />limit practice sessions to no more than one hour a day and <br />three days a week through the age of 12 and not more than <br />I 1/2 hours and four days a week through the age of 16. <br />plan ever> practice - don't waste valuable time to plan your <br />next move. <br />over plan - it is always better to plan for too much rattier <br />than not enough activity to fill your practices, <br />inform your assistants of their duties before the practice is <br />scheduled to begin. Ikking time to teach them a drill or <br />explain what you want them to do takes valuable practice <br />time awa>' from the players and creates the peaeption that <br />the assistants arc really not part of the coaching stall, <br />prepare to begin practice with the arrival of the first pla>er. <br />This may mean that you aa* working one-on-one.You will be <br />surprised how many pla>ers wiil begin to arrive e;u1)’ to <br />receive your one-on-one attention. <br />use the same sequence for your warm-up at ever)' practice. <br />You will soon see the team organi/ing themselves for warm ­ <br />up exercise's and the late arrivals will know exactly what <br />they missed and pick up where you are in the sequence, <br />choose warm-up drills that reflect the sport activity. The <br />purpose of warm-up is to prepare the body for more intense <br />activit). Therefore, it would make little sense to only warm <br />up the legs if the activity involves throwing, <br />keep your best players from always pairing up during warm ­ <br />up drills.'I'his is sometimes a natural inclination that can end <br />up limiting the growth of the less-skilled players and also <br />encourages a clique to form that can be a negative for <br />the team. <br />pn)vide as man\ rei>etitions of the basic .skills as {possible <br />and make up games using the skills. Relays and other low <br />key competitions work very successfully for both skill <br />development while keeping it fun and interesting, <br />stop the activity at the peak of the excitement. Doing so <br />ends the activity on a high note and causes the players to <br />look forward to doing it again. <br />teach basic fundamentals in a 1-2-3 step progression. Learn <br />tile top three key components making up the skill and teach <br />each of the three components in the proper progression, <br />piinlmtee lecture and listening time. Your players will <br />progress quicker if they learn by doing, <br />supervise by moving around. <br />dixlpline problems are minimized if they all are kept active. <br />If you must discipline, do so by removing them from the <br />activit)' and sit them down for a period of time. When they <br />return to play, welcome them back and let the discipline <br />be over. <br />use lots of positive reinforcement. When the athlete Is not <br />seeing impnwement immediately, they become frustrated. If <br />you show a negative reaction they will sense you too are <br />disapp>ointed, adding to their feelings of failure. Always find <br />something positive to say. <br />be patient, persistent and maintain a sense of humor. It's just <br />a game. <br />tips <br />Ups on teaching skills <br />One of the most important elements of being a good coach Is <br />being able to teach. Good teaching means presenting <br />information clearly and correctly, giving children time to <br />practice, and giving them feedback about how well they <br />performed. In youth sports, this should all be done in a warm, <br />positive, and relaxed atmosphere. <br />once the children arc good at the skill, u.se relays and <br />games since ibis is a good way to practice and it is also fun. <br />if children are playing games that involve both offensive <br />and defensive maneuvers, use the following progression <br />when they are learning skills: <br />practice the skill at set position.^ <br />-practice the skill while moving.iF <br />-practice the skill with no opposition. <br />-practice the skill with opposition, <br />while the children are practicing, analyze their execution, <br />if necessary, stop the practice to clarify the execution of <br />the skill <br />when giving feedback, first point out what was done <br />correctly; then point out specific errors and ways to <br />correct them. <br />always be positive! Don't be harsh or critical. It isn’t <br />necessary for learning and it’s not fun for the children.Too <br />many children are turned off by negative criticism, <br />use a video camera, fhis is an excellent way of letting <br />children see themselves performing a skill and of giving <br />them feedback. It also adds fun to the practice, <br />instead of just saying that this is the desired behavior, ask <br />some children to role pla\ good and poor winners and <br />losers.'fliis method can lead to an interesting discus.sion <br />with the childR*n. it’s a sound learning method, and it’s <br />fun. too. <br />5 <br />'i <br />.n <br />Youth Sports Jourrtsl I InitUI Istut