There is a lot of great information in "Win Forever" by Pete Carroll but my favorite section was - "Our Approach To Practice." I've already written about it briefly: http://bit.ly/dkwn5j. Here is even more on Coach Carroll and his thoughts regarding practice and it's role in his success formula:“Practice is Everything” is one of the core tenets of the Win Forever philosophy. We want to create an environment that will permit each of our players to reach his maximum potential, and one of the ways we do that is by practicing with great focus. A player who is fully prepared on the practice field will feel ready to meet whatever comes his way on game day and thus, feel more confident and able to minimize distractions of fear or doubt.
At USC, we began each practice day with a team meeting. There, I always attempted to set the focus and tone for the day, always with enthusiasm. I was simply demonstrating the energy I wished to see from the coaches and players as we approached practice that day.
Once practice began, everyone was expected to operate at full throttle. I wanted to practice as game speed. We would never allow for anything but full speed and full effort in games, and I wanted us to practice exactly like we played. I believe when you give athletes a chance to perform at varying levels of intensity, you offer an invitation for varying levels of performance.
We liked to remind our players, “If you’re walking, you’re wrong!”
We would always strive to create continuity and consistency. We were even very careful to be precise with our language and terminology. I don’t like synonyms and varied definitions when it comes to terminology. If you want to communicate effectively, you need to be clear with the words you use.
We also recognized the need for a certain amount of variety. You cannot coach for very long without recognizing that routine, through necessary for success, can sometimes become monotonous.
Routine is enormously helpful in teaching players essential fundamentals. If you practice something consistently enough, when the critical moment comes in a game, the players will be able to perform without tightening up. They will be comfortable with the situation and make the right decisions. But if you believe in the importance of practice, as I do, you also know that you have to always keep your players interested and fully engaged. You can’t just do the same thing practice after practice or the players will lose interest.
All coaches facet this problem in one way or another. Too little routine and the message doesn’t get through; too much, and your players can get worn out. Finding the right balance and emphasis is critical for keeping practices fresh and players focused.
The way we handled it at USC was to have a different theme for each day of the week during the season.
“Tell the Truth Monday” was the day when we got our entire team on the same page in terms of what had occurred in our last game. Who performed well and who didn’t’? Why did the game go as it did and what should we take away from this game experience? It was imperative on this day that we think and speak as one and move ahead in harmony.
“Competition Tuesday” was the day we celebrated the central theme in the program – competition. We emphasized creating a great level of competition for the upcoming practice, with minimal attention paid to our opponent and the upcoming game. We accentuated the competitive matchups between individual players, position groups, and the offense and defense.
“Turnover Wednesday” was completely dedicated to the factor we believed most determines the outcome of football games, turnovers. USC won fifty-three straight games when we had a positive turnover ratio. Simply stated, when we created just one more turnover than our opponent, we were unbeatable. Long before this string was established, the first words out of my mouth when addressing our team each fall and each spring were always, “It’s All About the Ball!”
“No Repeat Thursday” was meant to emphasize the execution and precision of our weekly game plan. Practice was shorter on Thursday, with great focus on doing things right. All kicking game phases were emphasized along with a near-flawless demonstration of the game plan to such a precise level of performance that no plays needed to be repeated. Hence the name “No Repeat Thursday.”
“Review Friday” was our final on-field practice session and the last opportunity for all position groups to clean up issues and perfect their performance for game day. This was our most disciplined and regimented practice, where we paid strict attention to the fine details.
For our staff, Friday was all about proving to our players that they knew they were going to win and that we had earned the right to feel that way. We relied on our practice efforts during the week to lead us to this mentality, and we looked toward Review Friday to finalize the week.
