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The progression of introducing rookies to the sport and associated drills should create opportunities for both learning and mastering very specific skills. There is a lot to think about, especially during scrimmaging, so we have to make sure that both rookies and vets don't feel like they're just running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Ideally, I would organize the first few practices around one or two specific concepts/skill sets. For example, one practice could be devoted entirely to throwing and cutting, the next practice could focus on catching and cutting, and the third practice can focus on defensive concepts such as the force and positioning. If you are employing the small groups/pod philosophy that most of the authors discussed during the last issue, each station will feature a different drill that emphasizes the central practice theme. During scrimmages and small-sided games, continue to emphasize the specific concepts that were covered during that practice. Scrimmages will be more useful if all players have a specific skill to work on while playing.

Some favorite drills that work well at the beginning of the season:

1. 90 Seconds: This is a very simple but cool drill to do with the full group at the beginning of a practice. Players line up facing a partner about 10 yards apart, so you have two long lines of players. Each partner group has a disk and throws one type of throw back and forth for 90 seconds, as quickly as possible, counting completions. This drill emphasizes repetition and quick transition from catching to throwing. The timed aspect of this drill helps increase focus. This is also a drill that gives rookies a concrete sense of improvement, as most folks will see their total completions increase from practice to practice.

2. Hot Cutter, or One-on-One to the Line: This drill emphasizes offensive cutting and defensive positioning. Two players, one on offense and one on defense, set up as though they are the farthest downfield in a short vertical stack. A thrower is at the sideline with a mark forcing toward the sideline. The offensive player in the stack makes a cut, attempting to get open either in or away on the open side.

3. 2v2 or 3v3 Keep-Away: This small-sided game is nice because it emphasizes repetitions, forces all players to get comfortable with the disc, teaches players how to get open in a small space and is more instinctual to most new players than a full-fledged scrimmage. Set up a box about 10 yards square. Players are divided into teams of 2 or 3 and pass the disc to each other within the box, trying to keep it away from the other team, who is playing D. There are no endzones and the stall count is normally set to 5 seconds. A team scores when they reach a certain number of passes in a row, normally 5-10, depending on skill level.

I think most of the decisions concerning O and D systems depend on how specific/rigid your system is and when your team splits into competitive and developmental squads ('A' and 'B,' if you must). The most difficult part about introducing a variety of offensive and defense looks early in the season, is making sure that fundamentals don't take a back seat to memorizing a playbook. As a player, my team concentrated on a pretty standard vertical stack offense and defense during most of the fall. Our offensive 'system' was introduced in the spring after we had a good idea of what would suit our strengths and weaknesses given our team's personnel and skill sets.

It's fairly common to see players go through a second-year slump. As a rookie, any time you did anything even remotely correct, you were cheered and encouraged. As a returner, expectations are higher and there are a bunch of new rookies to cheer and encourage, so you probably won't get as much attention.

Where to focus your efforts? I think most returning players can really take advantage of the 'back-to-basics' nature of the first practices in the fall. Work on improving consistency and distance in your throwing. Focus on making all your cuts sharp and work on changing speed during drills. Take offensive risks during scrimmages: break the mark, throw deep. Make sure you challenge yourself with defensive assignments in scrimmages: match up against vets. Also, because every player is different, it's important to be proactive: ask your captains/coaches for a few things to focus on during the early practices.