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How many days a week should I practice?
The answer to this question may be made for you. You need to check with the youth football organization you are coaching for the rules regarding practice times and length. I am sure there will be a different rule for during the summer versus when the kids go back to school. The current league I am coaching for allows for unlimited practice until the kids get back to school. Once in school the maximum time you can practice is six hours per week.
I will address the summer first. Just because you are allowed for unlimited youth football practice time, you need to keep it real. Even if you want to practice 12 hours a day, seven days a week, I think you will have parent problems. I do run specialty practices for just the backs or lineman, but I usually do this practice an hour or so before I run the entire team practice.
You need to consider the age of your players as well. If you are coaching 5-year-old flag players, they will have the attention span of an earthworm. You will have to run much shorter practices with the younger players. I would never run a youth football practice longer than two hours regardless of the age of the players.
When school starts, you will have some kind of limitations and will need to adjust your schedule. I suggest you adapt the six-hour maximum practice schedule for the players. If you need more than six hours of practice then you are defiantly doing something wrong. Most coaches hold youth football practice three times a week for two hours apiece.
I do not agree that the team need to have a full two-hour practice. All players and even the coaches lose focus when the practice is too long. I can get EVERYTHING I need done two times a week with a one hour fifteen minute practice. I usually go three times a week for an hour and fifteen since I have the younger players and they can use more repetition than the older players can. I always drop to two days a week once the weather becomes an issue.
I believe it is important to be able to get all the necessary fundamentals, drills and plays done within a two-hour timeframe. Too many times, you will be missing players or the weather will cause you to miss practice time. If you have your entire youth football season planned out in advance you should be able to accomplish this.
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