Mental Reps Are Crucial To Your Backups
If the only players getting something from one of your practice reps are the players actually executing the play then your backups are missing out. Mental reps are often an overlooked teaching tool. Most people, and especially athletes, are visual learners. This is particularly true with youth football players. Coaches who ignore this do so at their own peril.
There are only so many reps in a practice or a practice week. Every coach wants to make sure that their starters are as prepared as possible. Subsequently, this is were most of the practice reps go. This is understandable. However; this is where mental reps come into the picture for your backups.
Every Actual Rep For Your Players Should Also Be A Mental Rep For Your Backups
The point we want to make today is that there is a lot of teaching that can go on behind the practice rep. Printing out the actual practice play and allowing your backups to see the diagram before the play is run can be a tremendous teaching tool. As you will see in the short video below, this is where your FirstDown PlayBook PlayGrids can be an important tool.
NFL Coaches On 12 Youth Football Formations
This allows your backups to actually get a mental rep of what is about to happen on the play and in particular with their position. This is something that many NFL and college coaches use on a daily basis at practice. It is also something that can help you as a youth football, high school football or flag football coach. Watch this video to learn more.
