Most sports have a variation of the drill. Players stand in line for what feels like an eternity as they watch one person perform a movement. In soccer, that is watching as another player takes shots on goal. In basketball, you might be watching someone perfect layups. In football, you sit and watch as the coach throws passes. I could keep it going, but your get the idea and can likely come up with your examples. The gist is that players sit idly by, bored, disinterested, and definitely not developing their own skills. Let’s get rid of that drill. Or at the very least overall it.
Can we not think of ways to keep players engaged throughout practice? Can we not teach the same skills in more dynamic ways? As we design practices, and even games, let’s think of more ways that we can maximize active engagement and enjoyment. For those shooting drills, that could be making it part of a game that engages all of the players. Or shrinking group sizes so that there is less down time between participating. Or rotating players between stations. Or literally anything other than telling a group of ten-year-olds to stand still and not talk for 10 minutes.
You are all talented and creative coaches. Let’s come up with something else.
The Sideline Fix 
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