For coaches and players, summer is a fun time a year. The challenge is to strike a balance between family, football and fun.

With some simple guidelines to help maintain focus, the summer months can be utilized in a way that it isn’t overwhelming for players and maximum commitment is attained.

Establish an attendance policy

The first thing we always do is establish a summer attendance policy. We want players and families to know that their time is important, but their commitment is expected. We outline that if they are in town, they must attend. We establish well beforehand that summer jobs are not an excuse. We put our workouts in the morning – other than some 7-on-7 nights – at the exact same time that camp will start in August. We feel that this way their bodies are acclimated to working at that time of day, and there isn’t an adjustment period when camp hits.

We are flexible with athletes involved in other sports during the summer. We communicate with the other coaches before the summer so that we know what each other’s plans are and can work things out so that the athlete doesn’t miss important events.

We also establish communication expectations. We never want to hear from a player that: “Johnny told me to tell you he is out of town today.” We want and expect direct communication with the player.

Under these simple guidelines, we have always had very high attendance at our summer workouts.

 

 

Establish a focus

Establishing a focus for each week is important. When players know there is something planned, they are more likely to be involved. We try to be as specific as possible, especially with our times we are allowed to coach. We give the players a summer installation schedule, letting them know what we are working on each week. Utilizing technology to enhance this process allows the players to get a preview and review it as necessary. (read more about flipped coaching here).

Stick to schedules

It’s easy to extend things longer, but we like to stay on the clock and have a practice plan exactly like we do in season. We post the practice plan in the locker room each day, and players know exactly what to expect. The last thing we want, especially with younger players who are getting rides from parents, is to make parents wait. We establish that when the workout or practice is over, it is over. They need to get on their way. Many players want to stay and do extra work, but we feel it is best to not overwork them and make them understand how important their reps in practice or the work out are. We don’t want to keep players longer than the time frame we have set.

Work on special teams

This goes well beyond the specialist punting, kicking or snapping. Many times, the summer is reserved for putting in passing offense or defense, and the linemen work on individual skills. These are important things, but special teams is often neglected. Establishing early on the importance of special teams by working it during the summer shows the players its place within your program.

Taking time during each practice session you are allowed in the summer will put you ahead when camp hits and the pads come on. So much of special teams is timing and positioning on the run. There are many drills that teach running in lanes, breaking down and proper angles. These apply to all coverage and return teams. Find ways to create drills that work those skills. There are plenty of non-contact drills that teach correct special teams technique. This will allow you to find the players who can contribute and make an impact. Many times, these players who emerge may not be your starters, which is also desirable.

The video below shows our two whistle drill for kickoff returns. This is a drill we learned from retired NFL special teams coordinator Frank Novak. The drill emphasizes the drops and timing associated with our kick return. While we are in uppers in the video, this is a drill that we used in spring with no pads. Again, the emphasis is not on contact but rather the drop and body position needed to create a successful kickoff return. After the drill, you see the kick return being run successfully. We attribute our success on kick return to our non-contact work we use to teach it.

 

 

Narrow the focus for 7-on-7 and passing drills.

In previous articles, I detailed how to get more out of 7-on-7 drills as well as working certain situations.  The passing game needs to be finely tuned to be efficient on game day.  Working on specifics in the summer can pay huge dividends in the fall.

Install everyday drills

Whether it is offense, defense or special teams, installing your everyday drills during your summer teaching time will allow for up-tempo practices in the fall. Getting your players to understand the set-up, variations and player rotation in the drill will make for more efficient practices in August.

The video below shows a drill that Coach Dan Gonzalez utilizes in teaching one of his basic routes in his offense. You will hear him describe how this is a drill done every day by every position. In this way, they can utilize their concepts in a multiple way, which is easy for the offense to learn but difficult for the opponent to defend.

 

Summer can be both fun and productive. As a staff, decide on what the most important aspects are. Develop a plan to enhance those areas in the summer. Having a laser-like focus in the summer will help produce the results you want on game day in the fall.

In 2013, Keith Grabowski completed his 25th year in coaching. He served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Baldwin-Wallace University. In addition he was a head coach at the high school level for eight years. Grabowski is a columnist for American Football Monthly and writes his own blog at coachgrabowski.wordpress.com. He's the author of 101+ Pro Style Pistol Offense Plays, available on Apple's iBookstore and operates Coaches Edge Technologies. Follow him on twitter @CoachKeithGrabowski