Situational team period

Setup

1. Contact level: thud. Ball carriers are wrapped up at thud and stay on their feet; the whistle ends the play. The QB in the red jersey is never touched.
2. Full helmet and shoulder pads, and a coach watches every snap. Count the thud time towards the week's full-contact limit.
3. 11 on 11, with second units rotating in every 3 or 4 cards.
4. Write situations on cards: 3rd and 6, 4th and 1, backed up on your own 2, 1st and goal on the 8, a 2-point try, last play from the opponent's 40.
5. The diagram shows the skill players only; the lines are left off.

How it runs

1. The coach draws a card and reads it to both sides: down, distance, field position, score and time left.
2. Each side has 25 seconds to call a play that fits the situation, then the ball is snapped.
3. The offence wins the card by converting (first down, score or getting out of trouble); the defence wins by stopping it or forcing a turnover.
4. A referee coach spots the ball and calls penalties: offside, false starts, holding and pass interference count as in a game.
5. Keep score across the period. Play 12 to 16 cards, then review the decisions.

Coaching points

• Know the down, distance and the line to gain before every snap. On 3rd and 6, routes go past the sticks.
• Short yardage: low pad level, hands inside and the head out of contact on every block.
• Backed up: protect the ball first. A safety or a turnover is worse than a punt.
• Defence: on 3rd and medium, rally to tackle short of the marker; on 4th and 1, win the line of scrimmage.
• Communicate the situation on both sides: the QB and the Mike repeat it to their unit in the huddle.

Common mistakes

• Routes that break short of the line to gain on 3rd down.
• Taking a sack or a risk when backed up on your own 2.
• Both units forgetting the score and the time, so the decisions don't fit.
• Defenders taking ball carriers to the ground; the period stays at thud.