When Urban Meyer took the Ohio State job there were reports that they were practicing how they practice. The thought was they were a new staff and needed to make sure all the players and coaches were on the same page prior to being on the practice field so they could maximize their time.
That makes a lot of sense.
You likely do a lesser version of this already. Using the same names for drills season after season or even sharing a practice plan in advance.
Asking your players to be prepared so you can be efficient with the training period is a no brainer.
But, there's no chance you as a head coach have ever thought about doing this.
On a recent Ringer NBA Show, Raja Bell talked about attending a coaching clinic with Luke Walton and Ime Udoka.
"Your peers in the class would be the team. They would put the chair in front. They would start the clock. This is a timeout. Here's the situation. We need you to clearly address this group about what's going to happen."
Not only were they practicing their timeouts but as coaches tend to do, they filmed it and reviewed.
Bell went on to say that you could tell who had the head coaching it factor. Walton is a former head coach and current assistant with Cleveland Cavaliers. Udoka is the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
It is very easy to be disappointed when players don't execute immediately out of a timeout. How much time and energy has the coach spent on preparing to execute the timeout correctly?
There is no chance in hell a lacrosse coach on this planet has filmed himself talking to his players and evaluated his vocabulary and his delivery. It is much easier to criticize the on field results.
Please don't share this article if you have actually practiced your timeout communication skills.
Make sure to subscribe to the Coach's Companion Podcast.