In recent years, the Michigan Wolverines football team has experienced a resurgence under the guidance of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The University had long been looking for the right “Michigan Man” to lead the program back to glory – and they certainly seemed to have found that man in Harbaugh.
After falling short of the College Football Playoff title game in consecutive seasons, the Wolverines innovative approach to practice has come to light, as revealed by former tight end Jake Butt.
During his first spring with the team, Butt shed light on the unconventional practice regimen that Harbaugh implemented to maximize their training time.
While the NCAA allocated four hours of work per day for the team, most programs divided this time into 1.5 hours of meetings and 2.5 hours of practice. However, Harbaugh believed that improvement in football comes through playing football itself.
Butt explained, “Harbaugh told us you get better at football by playing football. So he confirmed all 4 hours could be spent on the field. Not only that, and here’s the grey area, it was 4 hours per each individual player.”
Harbaugh took advantage of this rule by dividing the team into two groups, an “A” and a “B” team. The “B” team would practice for two hours from 1 to 3 pm, followed by the “A” team joining them from 3 to 5 pm.
This allowed the individuals on the “B” team to complete their four hours, while the “A” team remained on the field for an additional two hours.
The strategy resulted in a total of six hours of coaching for the coaches, who supervised both teams. This approach granted the players an extraordinary number of repetitions during practice, enhancing their skill development and overall performance.
Butt recalled, “He’d call us up at the 3-hour mark and make a point: he didn’t need 100 guys. If you didn’t want to be here, then don’t be here. He needed 30 warriors. 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and a few more in special teams. We could win with that.”
The former tight end emphasized the psychological aspect of these extended practices, stating, “The four-hour practices, and it’s a point I’ve emphasized here, we’re a psychological experiment.”
Harbaugh’s unique and innovative training methodology seems to have yielded positive results. The Wolverines, who had struggled against their arch-rivals, Ohio State, and failed to contend for the national title, have now defeated the Buckeyes in consecutive seasons and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff for two years in a row.
Entering the 2023 season, the Wolverines are true National Championship contenders.
What do you think of Harbaugh’s unique practice method?
Is this the year the Maize and Blue finally win the title?