Coach ,

Willie Fritz just capped off his second season at Houston by taking down LSU in the Texas Bowl.

He has a reputation for winning everywhere he goes, and a big part of that is how he manages the "reservoir of energy" in his players.

Fritz doesn't believe in the "Fast Friday" model that most college programs use. He thinks gassing guys the day before a game is a mistake.

Instead, he runs a "Hats Practice".

The rules are simple:

• Nothing faster than a jog.
• High repetitions on alignment and assignment.
• The goal is for the "cup to be filled" when the ball is kicked off on Saturday.

Video: Proper Use of Time and Masters of Situational Football

He is also big on using "triggers" to force his players to lock into the situation.

Any time it’s 3rd Down in practice, they hit a foghorn. He wants that sound to click in their heads that the most important down in football is happening right now.

When it’s 4th Down, he blasts "For the Love of Money" by the O’Jays over the speakers.

If you're worried about your guys being "soft" because of the low tempo, consider this: Fritz’s teams only tackle three times the entire season.

He’d rather have his best players healthy on Saturday than see them get hurt in a Tuesday scrimmage against their own teammates.

Setting up a practice with these kinds of hyper-specific situational periods—foghorns, music cues, and split-field reps—is usually a nightmare on a standard spreadsheet. You end up spending more time fighting the rows and columns than actually planning the drills.

And as any coach knows, communication and getting all the staff on the same page is paramount to success. 

If you haven't seen this free tool yet, I think you are in for a treat.

https://winlabs.com/tools/practice-plan

Practice Plan Builder is designed specifically for coaches who want to automate their schedule. You can drag and drop your periods, sync your scripts, and build a professional plan in minutes.

Always be growing!

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