Summary: Coach Grabowski’s Notebook: Measuring Practice Success and Developing Good Habits On today’s podcast, host Keith Grabowski shares a solution that he and his staff developed for getting better performance out of the scout team. Many coaches become frustrated with the look provided by the scout team. These standards take the focus off the performance of the scout team and put it back on the first team. Specific standards allow for practices to be measurable and feedback to both the scout team and first team to be clear. :55 Time to establish habits 1:25 Getting a good look from the scout team is always a challenge. Many times coaches become frustrated with the scout team, but in truth, they may be giving all they can give. 1:50 Putting the focus on the first team players and their effort and execution will pay bigger dividends than being frustrated with the scout team. 2:26 Focus is shifted off of the scout team. In some ways, this takes the pressure off of them, and indirectly, measurables are created for them as well. 3:15. Every play scores. The habit being developed is finishing. The ball carrier or receiver keeps working until he crosses the goal line. 4:04 No defender touches the running back for the first five yards. (If a scout player can touch the runner, a first team player can tackle the runner). The emphasis is on both fit and finish for the offensive line. 4:48 On pass plays, no defender is within four yards of the quarterback, ever! This really forces the offensive line to move their feet and get in proper position. 5:20 On pass plays every player runs toward the ball after it is released for at least five yards. This is just good football - offensive players are finding work and are in position to make a big block or recover a fumble or to just get to the spot for the next play. Related: Find Work Drill 5:58 Route timing, spacing and separation are important aspects of the passing game. Chart the number of properly executed routes. 6:51 Most teams are concerned with tempo. A coach can count out loud on every snap to make everyone aware of the tempo. Chart the times and expect them to be within certain parameters based on the tempo being used. 7:27 What to do if you don’t film practice 8:00 Make the measurables visible and put a daily emphasis on what the results mean for the performance and progress of the offense. 8:30 Put the chart in a place where everyone will see it. Be sure to make comments for the scout team, and consider naming a scout team player of the day. 9:22 Set some initial standards.
