How To Plan A Great INDY Period
The cornerstone of your practice
How do your players get better during practice?
Your Individual Period is a great place to start.
Here are 3 things to think about when planning your next INDY:
Movement
A fast paced, position-specific movement drill can set a great tone for the period.
Different positions require different types of footwork and movement techniques. You can work these during INDY.
But don’t just move for the sake of moving.
Select drills that apply to the game. Create better football players.
Coaching Resources
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Now back to today’s article…
Technique
INDY is all about technical work.
This is where your players hone their craft.
For a Linebacker, for instance, we’re talking about shedding blocks, tackling, blitzing, pass coverage, etc.
Design simple, progressive drills to work each technique.
Then speed them up and combine them together to get closer and closer to game speed.
This is the foundation of INDY work.
Systems
You can also use INDY time to work on your systems.
Sticking with our Linebacker example, this includes reading plays, fitting runs, and covering certain route combinations.
This is where technique meets scheme, and it starts during INDY.
Integrated (Bonus)
Another good use of INDY time is bringing two position groups together.
We call this “Integrated INDY”.
Sometimes the Linebackers need to work with the Defensive Backs on Zone Coverage.
Or the Linebackers need to join the Defensive Line to work on a Blitz.
These integrated sessions can work wonders for your team’s communication skills.
Final Thoughts
Your players will get better during INDY if you start with movement, work on technique, and then include some system-specific drills.
Bonus points for bringing different position groups together to expand the picture.
Work these things in practice, then execute them on game day.
All the best,
Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
Email: jsvec@stfx.ca
Twitter: @jonsvecx
To read more check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-book and video series, which can be found by clicking here.