by
Jason Jamison
Suggested
Team Practice Formula
-
Fun
Warm –Up (movement, tracking, and cooperative hitting)
-
Theme
of the Day (based on observations from match play—tactical,
technical, mental, and physical)
-
Structured
Match Play with Supervised Coaching (utilize creative scenarios
& roam amongst matches)
-
Fun
Wrap-Up and Cool Down (large group game/activity involving
everyone)
Coaches
Dilemma: How do I run a practice if I only have 3-4 courts and
20-25 players to teach?
Solution: To start the practice, divide the team
into two groups. The first group can begin the dynamic warm-up
and light fitness activities off-court and the second group can
begin the stroke grooving/cooperative warm-up on court. After
15 minutes, the two groups switch. Once all players have completed
the dynamic warm-up and stroke grooving, the coach can break the
players into theme courts as diagrammed on the opposite page.
Option 2: Offer two separate practice times: Varsity
3:00 – 4:30; Junior Varsity 4:15 – 5:30—JV players
can begin the dynamic warm-up off court for the first 15 minutes.
Also, a special day can be set aside such as Friday afternoons
for a “farm team” practice so that no one is cut from
the team. Top ranked varsity players can be deputized to serve
as assistant coaches to help develop the farm team.
How
can I structure my practices to integrate my varsity and junior
varsity players?
Pick
a game and organize multi-court competitions with players of mixed
ability. Winning teams move up to the next higher court and losing
teams move down to the next lower court. Thus, all players have
an opportunity to work up to a higher court. The coach can also
require that teams split up each time they move to a new court
= mix and split.
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