Online course practice planning

Online courses

Practice Planning-101

Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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As a coach, it’s your job to have your finger on the pulse of your team at all times. You should guide your program in the direction that best suits it’s needs and always be willing to digress if needed. Practice plans

are your number one weapon against disorganization, unproductive practices, and regression in your overall progress within the team. You also need to be aware of your team’s overall needs at all times so that

your practice plans reflect and cater to those needs.

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A practice plan can be your best friend...or your worst enemy. Your job is to learn how to create effective practice plans for your team, while at the same time, not being restricted by them to a

point that you miss vital teaching points and/or opportunities along the way. Whether you prefer to create “skeleton plans”, where you can plug in curriculum as you go, or, a minute by minute

schedule for each session; you need to have some type of “plan”. No matter your method however, you need to be aware of your team’s needs at all times so that your practice plans

reflect and cater to those needs.

The Method to the

Madness


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So where do you start?

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The Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model was developed based on the research of the Canadian Sport Centres LTAD expert group. It’s a framework for an optimal training, competition and recovery schedule for each stage of athletic development; and coaches who engage in the

model and it’s practices are more likely to produce athletes who reach their full athletic potential. (Athletics Canada: Long Term Athlete Development)

The LTAD model is broken down into seven (7) different categories for an athlete to progress through during their athletic development. We’ve outlined the seven categories by using the

definitions from Canadian Sport for Life. (www.canadiansportforlife.ca)

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Training to Train

Training to Win

Training to Compete

Active Start FUNdamentals Learning to

Train

(Ages 0-6) (Girls 6-8)(Boys 6-9)

(Girls 8-11)(Boys 9-12)

(Girls 11-15)(Boys 12-16)

(Girls 15-21+/-)(Boys 16-23+/-)

(Girls 18+)(Boys 19+)

PHYSICAL LITERACY ACTIVE FOR LIFE

The Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model


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From ages 0-6 years, children need to be introduced to unstructured active play that incorporates a variety of body movements. Children this age need to develop the ABCs

of movement – Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed. The ABCs are essential for developing fundamental

movement skills, and fundamental movement skills will later provide the

foundation for fundamental sport skills. Together, fundamental movement skills

and fundamental sport skills form the basis of physical literacy.

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Stage I: Active Start (ages 0-6)

Training to Train

Training to Win

Training to CompeteFUNdamentals Learning to

TrainActive Start


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During the this stage children should develop fundamental movement skills, including the ABCs of Agility, Balance,

Coordination and Speed. Children should participate in a fun and

challenging multi-sport environment. Children should be exposed to a

variety of sports and physical activities throughout the year, developing their

interests and motivation while avoiding the danger of burnout

through premature specialization.

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Stage II: FUNdamentals (female 6-8, male 6-9)

Training to Train

Training to Win

Training to Compete

Learning to Train

Active Start

FUNdamentals


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During this stage children should be converting their fundamental movement

skills into fundamental sport skills. This stage is “The Golden Age of Learning” for specific sport skills. It may be tempting to specialize

at this age through excessive single sport training or early position specialization in

team sports. This should be avoided in most sports. As well, a greater amount of time

should be spent training and practicing skills than competing. Inappropriate or premature

specialization can be detrimental to later stages of athlete development if the child is

playing a late specialization sport. Premature specialization promotes one-sided

development and increases the likelihood of injury and burnout.

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Stage III: Learn to Train (female 8-11, male 9-12)

Training to Train

Training to Win

Training to Compete

Active Start FUNdamentals

Learning to Train


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During this stage young athletes need to build an aerobic base and consolidate their sport- specific skills. Towards the end of the stage, they need to focus on

strength and the anaerobic alactic energy system. Increased training hours

are needed at this stage to develop each athlete’s long-term potential. The ages that define the Train to Train stage

are based on the approximate onset and end of the adolescent growth spurt. This period is generally defined as ages 11 to 15 years for females and 12 to 16

years for males.

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Stage IV: Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16)

Training to Win

Training to Compete


Train Training to Train


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In this stage athletes choose one sport in which they will train to excel. Athletes will train to solidify their sport-specific and position-specific skills and all of their physical capacities. These athletes are aiming to compete in national and international

events. At the Train to Compete stage of LTAD, this is where competition becomes “serious.” Athletes enter this stage if they have chosen to specialize in

one sport and excel at the highest level of competition possible. Athletes need to commit to

high-volume and high-intensity training throughout the year. Instruction in topics such as

nutrition, sport psychology, recovery and regeneration, injury prevention, and injury

management also become very important. Formal competition becomes more prominent in annual

periodized training, competition and recovery plans, and includes major national and

international events.

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Stage V: Train to Compete (female 15-21,male 16-23)

Training to Win


TrainTraining to

Train Training to Compete


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This stage is the final stage of the LTAD high-performance stream. Medals and podium

performances are the primary focus. In the Train to Win stage of LTAD, athletes with

identified talent pursue high-intensity training to win international events. They are now

full-time athletes.

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Stage VI: Train to Compete (female 15-21,male 16-23)


TrainTraining to

TrainTraining to Compete Training

to Win


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In this stage, athletes and participants enjoy lifelong participation in a variety of

competitive and recreational opportunities in sport and physical

activity. This stage can be entered at any age, beginning with developing physical literacy in infancy, and evolves to being Competitive for Life and/or Fit for Life

through all phases of adulthood. In this stage, no one is pursuing Olympic

or open World Championship glory. Some athletes in Competitive for Life are still

involved in very high-performance competition that is not leading to the

Olympics or World Cups while others are pursuing sport and physical activity for

fitness and health, all for personal satisfaction.

Stage VII: Active for Life (any age participant)


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The 7 Factors of Effective Planning

We have identified 7 different factors of effective practice planning to use as a form of “blueprint” for coaches. These factors identify different pieces of the process along the way and will assist you

in developing your plans and models for the future.

Document Your Planning

Identify the Needs of Your

Team

Establish Objectives

Consider Your Schedule

Consider Your Facilities and

Resources

Outline Your Session

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Whether you’re a yellow legal pad junkie, a notecard fanatic, or a spread sheet guru...you

need to document your planning. We’re not just talking about the final product either;

document everything. Ideas for drills, specific messages you want to convey to your players, and even station positioning layouts for fields are all things that you should record in some form or fashion. One of the best gifts a coach can give themselves on a daily basis is an ever growing collection of notes and scribbles that

they can constantly reference throughout their careers. So don’t just rely on your good ol’

memory...DOCUMENT!

1. Document Your Planning

DOCUMENT…DOCUMENT…DOCUMENT!

Document Your

PlanningIdentify the

Needs of Your Team




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Before trying to fill your schedule with the latest drills you found on YouTube, or trying to design the “ultimate conditioning” workout for the end

of practice, you need to figure out what it is your team NEEDS from any practice. Previous game reviews, identified team weaknesses, or

even personal goals should all play a part in deciding how to go about deigning your

practice. Bottom line: know what your team NEEDS...then design your practice around those

needs.


Identify the Needs of

Your Team




Resources


Review2. Identify the Needs of Your Team

WHAT DOES YOUR TEAM NEED?Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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What’s the Need?Example Problem #1: Players keep traveling to where ever the ball is on the field and have trouble “keeping space”, or staying balanced while on offense. Your Need = Staying Balanced on Field

Possible Causes: 1. Lack of general “lacrosse IQ” in terms of what their personal role is on the field.2. Weak field awareness in regards to other players within their offensive unit.3. Over anxious and feeling that they personally “need to make the play” to carry the

team forward.

Sample Solution: ∙ Plan to incorporate “skeleton sets” into your practice. Remove all defensive players

and have your offense set up in whatever formation you want to work on. Have the players work on their rotations, ball movement, off-ball movement, and more without any defenders involved. This will serve as a great visual aid for your players to remember as it will be VERY apparent when they are “heavy” (more players on one side of the field than the other) since they will be the only players involved.

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X

M M

MA A

A

DM DM

DM DDD

Skeleton SetsSet-Up: Have your offensive players set up in which ever formation you would like to work on. This should be done without any defensive players on the field.

Purpose:By removing all defensive players you will give the offense an opportunity to see the field in regards to their individual positioning. This visual aid will assist in their understanding of how the field needs to be kept “balanced” by each player “filling space” throughout the field. (i.e. it’s easier to see empty field when they are the only ones involved.)

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What’s the Need?Example Problem #2: Defensively your team tends to get beat to the inside from up top without much effort from the offense. Your Need = Ability to channel your opposition to the outside lanes while on defense

Possible Causes: 1. Lack of general “lacrosse IQ” in terms of what their personal role is on the field.2. Poor body positioning by defensive player.3. Lack of individual athleticism from defenders.

Sample Solution: ∙ Isolate and develop the player’s defensive body positioning by using the “English

Channel” drill. This will put players in a situation that will allow them to see the direct relation and consequences to both “good” and “bad” positioning. By creating a 1v1 situation in restricted field space, you will be able to show the defensive player how “channeling” the offense, and using angles to their advantage, will vastly improve their individual performance; thereby improving the team’s.

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The “English Channel”Set-Up: Set up cones to create an “alley” of sorts. Have 1 offensive player (“O) and 1 defensive player (“O”) go 1v1 within the area. If the offense gets to the end of the alley with the ball; they win. If the defense causes a dropped ball or forces “O” outside the cones; they win. Have the defensive player focus on setting up “inside” to show the ball carrier the outside alley. Stress the concept of “splitting the field in half” by having the “D” imagine the invisible dotted line in the diagram to the right. This will assist in spacial and positioning awareness.

Purpose:Develop defensive body positioning and increase field awareness. This drill directly applies to field positioning within a defensive unit and is a great foundation to build from with individual and team defensive concepts.

D

O

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What do you want to have accomplished by the end of a practice? What concepts do you want your team to understand by the end of the first week of pre-season? What mental state do you

want your players to be in going into the off-season? These are all examples of the questions you should be asking yourself while setting your

objectives for practices and seasonal programming. They will serve as your guide to

how to design your training program throughout the year.



Team




Resources


Review3. Establish Objectives

WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL OBJECTIVES?Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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When it comes to labeling one factor as your “number one” to consider...this one would more

than likely be the one. We use the word “schedule” in this situation to encompass

everything from how long your practice is that you are planning, to where you are in your

season at the time (i.e. pre-season, off-season, post-season, etc.). Planning a curriculum for a 1

hour practice is very different from a 2 hour practice. Likewise, a practice plan for a pre-

season session would look very different to one during the 3rd week of regular season

competition. You need to consider these aspects and more in regards to your schedule

when creating your practice plans.



Team


Consider Your

Schedule


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Review4. Consider Your Schedule

WHERE ARE YOU IN THE “BIG PICTURE”?Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Season

Month

Week

Day

Practice

Breaking It Down

How Does Each Piece Fit Together?

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SeasonMonth

WeekDay

Practice

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SeasonMonth

WeekDay

Practice

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SeasonMonth

WeekDay

Practice

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SeasonMonth

WeekDay

Practice

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SeasonMonth

WeekDay

Practice

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If you plan 2 hours of full field drills for a practice where you only have half a field to work with...you'll find yourself doing the pre-practice scramble while your team is doing their warm ups to come up with

a new plan. Always be aware and knowledgeable about what type of facilities and resources you have

to work with when designing your practice plans. Are you on grass or turf? Full or half field? Are their fences or backstops for missed shots? Do you have

a nice brick wall next to the field to incorporate some wall ball? The more you know about what is

available to you in regards to your facilities and resources, the more creative you can get with your

planning. (Note: if it’s a new facility...ALWAYS become familiar with it by visiting PRIOR to your

first practice session.)



Team




Resources


Review5. Consider Your Facilities/Resources

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH?Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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This is the “meat and potatoes”. The factoring and considerations are all behind us and now it’s time to lay out the PLAN. Outlining your practice plan is key to it’s success. Two examples for outlining are as follows: 1. Create a skeleton outline where you designate time slots within your overall practice

time; then plug in drills and curriculum afterwards, or, 2. You can piece together the entire practice from start to finish developing each piece as you

go along. Whichever your preferred method is it’s important to utilize this time not only as a

theoretical tool, but also a visualization exercise as you are planning to develop a sense of how the

practice will “flow” from one segment to another.



Team




Resources

Outline Your

Session

Review6. Outline Your Session

REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU DO IT…DO IT!Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Once again, this is an all encompassing factor. You should review everything from your actual plan, to how it worked in practice, to how it fit

into a week’s schedule, to how your season progressed from one practice to the next. Once

you perform you practice plan, go back and make notes so that you can keep track of what worked, what didn’t, and what needed to be changed. Also, if you have to make changes

during a practice due to “un-foreseeable circumstances”; make note of that too. You never know when that freak thunderstorm moment of brilliance will be needed again!



Team




Resources


Review7. Review

WHAT WORKED? WHAT DIDN’T?Copyright © 2012 ArchLevel Lacrosse Ltd. All rights reserved.

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