On this episode of Best of 2025 of Coach and Coordinator Network, we revisit one of the most influential conversations from The Art of Practice series, featuring Scott Strohmeier, head coach at Iowa Western, and Keegan O’Hara, assistant quarterbacks coach at Minnesota.
This discussion stood out in 2025 for its clear breakdown of what practice tempo really means, highlighting the outcome of preparation, structure, communication, and consistent teaching. Strohmeier and O’Hara explain how shortening practice time can actually increase quality reps, why every period should feel like a sprint, and how staff alignment is essential for tempo to hold up when pressure increases.
The conversation also explores the role of scout teams, procedural efficiency, and controlled chaos in practice, along with how technology like GoRout helps simplify communication and manage tempo without changing how coaches teach. Across every topic, the message is consistent: tempo only works when transparency and structure come first.
This episode is paired with the Coach and Coordinator AI – Practice Design Companion, a practice design and audit tool built entirely from conversations in the Art of Practice series.
This companion is designed to help coaches step back from the daily grind and evaluate how their practice structure actually supports execution on game day. It focuses on practice organization, sequencing, communication, tempo, and teaching efficiency, not scheme or play design.
The ideas inside this companion come directly from the recurring patterns shared by coaches across the Art of Practice series, presented by GoRout.
What This AI Can Do
- Help you audit your current practice structure using the shared principles from the Art of Practice series
- Identify sources of friction such as wasted time, unclear transitions, or misaligned periods
- Help restructure practice to better reflect game situations and decision-making
- Clarify where to slow teaching and where to speed up reps
- Support intentional tempo without sacrificing communication or alignment
- Reinforce consistency in structure, language, and expectations week to week
What This AI Cannot Do
- Install offense, defense, or special teams
- Create or recommend drills, plays, or schemes
- Diagnose position-specific technique or mechanics
- Replace coaching judgment or staff decision-making
- Offer advice outside the scope of practice design and organization
- Use information beyond the Art of Practice series transcripts
If a question falls outside this scope, the companion will tell you directly.
How to Get Started
Use the companion like a thinking partner. Bring it your real constraints, real problems, and real practice plans. The more specific you are about your situation, the more useful the output will be.
Conversation Starters
- “Audit my current practice plan using the Art of Practice principles and tell me where it breaks down.”
- “Help me restructure a two-hour practice so tempo increases without losing teaching or communication.”
- “Our practices look good, but execution drops in game situations. Help me diagnose whether this is a structure or communication issue.”
“Build a practice framework for this week based on our biggest game-day problems, not our playbook.”
Chapters:
-Why This Episode Made the Best of 2025
-What Tempo Really Means in Practice
-Structure Before Speed
-Communication and Staff Alignment
-Engagement and Sprint Mentality
-Procedural Efficiency in Practice
-Scout Team Tempo and Accountability
-Creating Chaos Without Losing Control
-Using Technology to Streamline Practice
-Practice Design That Holds Up Under Pressure
Learn More About Our Partner – GoRout
GoRout helps coaches eliminate huddles, increase reps, and maximize efficiency with their game-changing technology. Sign up using code “coordinator” for up to 50% off setup fees at https://gorout.com/podcast/.
Connect on X:
Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski
Scott Strohmeier: @CoachStrohmeier
Keegan O’Hara: @CoachKOhara