Tempo Drill

Practice time is precious. The way that a coach chooses to use the time that he has for a given week will directly affect the product he puts on the field on Friday night.
Good coaches understand that repetitions breed familiarity and success. Some aim for 15 to 20 reps of a given play in preparation for an upcoming game. Then when multiplied by at least 20 plays, coaches are challenged to fit nearly 400 plays into limited practice time while dealing with various other variables and situations.

Each year we fight the battle between proper prep and time constraints. So this past season we looked at the purposes of the drills that we do and the reasons we do them. In the end we consolidated a variety of different drills into four concise drills that allow for increased reps, discipline, effort, and understanding. This article will break down each of these drills in-depth in order to help other coaches apply them to their own offensive systems and practice plan.

The Tempo Drill

We are a no-huddle spread team. For that reason, each of our drills will have certain flavor that comes from running that style of offense. That being said, it is my personal opinion that all teams could do a better job of understanding the advantage of changing and controlling the tempo of the game. We think it is an essential element of high quality offensive team and therefore must be practiced during the week. Our team runs three basic tempos: base, 2 minute, and 4 minute.

Our tempo drill is set up to rep our run game with our offensive two-deep in each tempo that we plan on using during upcoming game. These plays are run on air with the exception of line coaches playing key defensive linemen. Remember that the goal is to get as many quality reps as possible while stressing the pace at which we snap the ball. Teach the players to “keep the pressure on the defense.”

Drill Setup:
• Place your first team on the 10 yard line and your 2nd team on the goalline. (pic. 1)
• Clearly announce to the teams what tempo you are using, what you expect, and what plays you will be repping.
• The head coach should be in between the two groups blowing the whistle and enforcing discipline if needed.
• The offensive coordinator is calling the plays from the sideline (run your system, but make the team practice like it is a game with plays coming in from the sideline. If the HC is the OC he should delegate the calling ability for this drill and have an assistant call a script for the drill)
• Line coaches should be in charge of setting the ball and playing the key defender to force line talking and proper execution.
• Additional coaches are pushing the drill and monitoring for errors and lack of effort. They communicate problems to the head coach for disciplinary action.



Drill Execution:• This is a full speed drill. The first team quarterback will call the cadence for both teams and they will fire off the ball, carry out their assignments, and play through the whistle. Once the whistle if blown, the players will jog back to the ball that has been placed 10 yard ahead of the previous play by the line coaches.
• Once the players are back to the LOS, the play will come in and the players should prep for the next play and the tempo that you expect.• We ask our linemen to find the ball carrier and “pick him up” every single play. This is done to encourage downfield blocking and it gets the linemen to the new LOS faster during the game.


Teaching Points:
• Expect full effort every play. Anything less by one player should result in up-downs for the team. They will quickly get the picture and right the ship.• Coaches should push communication and execution while coaching on the run.
• The head coach must push the pace to make sure it matches his expectations.
• Players should understand that this is a conditioning drill as well. They are supposed to be tired. We want to test them when they are winded to make sure they are still able to execute the play.
• Since all plays are run plays, all players must be moving forward (blocking air). This is essential to make two (or even three) groups go at once.
• Switch up the players after ten plays and head back the other direction. Use this as a time to rep the #2’s and #1’s together.