Stop Hunting for Drills Every Sunday Night
One framework. Dozens of variants. FREE Coaching Dojo on March 7, 2026
Every Sunday night, you’re hunting for drills. Again.
You know what you want players to learn. You just need the session to match.
What if instead of hunting, you had a system that generates game-like practices in 5 minutes?
3 Key Takeaways
The Sunday-night drill hunt points to a systems problem, not just a time management issue. When you’re building sessions from scratch every week, you’re not coaching—you’re inventing. The Four Levers framework (Space, Time, Numbers, Scoring) turns one base drill into dozens of variants by changing one variable at a time.
Science-based coaching doesn’t require a PhD. Coaches from four different sports used the same framework in our first Dojo—flag football, Aussie Rules, BJJ. The atmosphere was collaborative, not academic. Everyone contributed ideas to perfect each other’s practice plans. Real-world application, grounded in research.
Hot seats transform vulnerability into collective problem-solving. Two coaches brought real practice challenges. The group redesigned them live using the Four Levers. Both coaches left with ready-to-run sessions and 2 metrics to track. Watching someone else’s problem get solved teaches you more than a hundred drills.
2 Thought-Provoking Questions
If you could generate a month’s worth of game-like sessions from one base drill in 20 minutes, what would you do with the time you get back?
What would change in your coaching if you had a community of coaches from different sports all solving the same problem together?
What the First Dojo Felt Like
On January 31, coaches from all over the world showed up to a Zoom call.
No one was selling anything. No certification at the end. Just an open question: What if we stopped collecting drills and started building systems?
“It was a great experience talking to coaches from all over the world about sports we love. The atmosphere was open, friendly and helpful. It was amazing to see how we were able to adjust drills across sports based on newest science and research. Everyone had another idea to ‘perfect’ the practice plan. Can’t wait to actually apply some of the ideas to my live practices.”
— Sebastian Goetzke, Flag Football Coach from Germany
The format is simple. I demonstrate the Four Levers (Space, Time, Numbers, Scoring) by building three practice variants from one base drill. Then two coaches submit practice challenges for live “hot seats.” The group redesigns them together. Everyone watches real problems get solved in real time.
The framework worked, but what surprised people was the atmosphere. The group wasn’t competing to find the ‘right’ answer—everyone contributed ideas to refine each other’s solutions.
“I would highly recommend participating in Rolf Götz’s Game-First Dojo calls. Rolf brings real world experience to all the EcoD/CLA discussion, simplifying the discussion whilst staying true to the science. Our first call was a collaborative discussion with lots of insight, troubleshooting and practical solutions that I know I can (and will) apply in my next training session.”
— Jeremy Radovcic, Grass Roots AFL Coach (Australia), BJJ Black Belt and kids BJJ coach
Coaches from flag football, AFL, and BJJ—all using the same framework. Science-based but practical. No jargon, just “here’s what to change and why.”
That’s what the Game-First Coaching Dojo is: a FREE live session where you learn to design better practices by watching it happen.
The Next Session: March 7, 21:00 CET
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Time: 21:00 CET (3pm EST / 12pm PST / 6am Sunday AEDT)
Duration: 60 minutes
Platform: Zoom (link sent after registration)
Cost: FREE
Here’s what happens:
See the Four Levers in action — Watch me build 3 practice variants from one base drill by changing ONE lever at a time
Watch 2 live “hot seats” — Real coaches bring real practice challenges, get live redesigns using the Four Levers and collective tweaking
Leave with a ready-to-run session — Take the hot seat examples and run them Monday
You’ll walk out knowing how to generate dozens of sessions from one base blueprint, how to make any drill more game-like in under 2 minutes, and how to reduce coach talk while increasing player transfer.
Who This Is For
This works if you coach invasion sports: flag football, AFL, basketball, ultimate, handball, lacrosse, rugby, hockey, soccer. I probably missed some.
It works if you’re tired of drill-hunting and want a system that generates game-like sessions fast.
It works if you want to apply Ecological Dynamics and Constraints-Led Approach principles without needing a PhD.
You’re already among the 1% who care enough to seek better methods. This is for you.
This doesn’t work if you’re looking for drill libraries. We teach the system, not hand you 100 drills.
And it doesn’t work if you prefer lecture-style learning. This is hands-on, collaborative, live problem-solving.
🙋♂️
If something I made helped you in any way, however small, I’d love to hear what changed or what you built with it. That reflection is what keeps this work breathing.
How to Join
Just send me a message to let me know you’re interested:
Reply to this Substack post
Send a Substack chat message
Email me: info@flag-academy.com
If you want a “hot seat” redesign, include:
Current practice goal
Short description of a typical session block or drill
Your biggest bottleneck/challenge
Deadline to submit hot seat challenges: March 4
I’ll send you the Zoom link and calendar invite, and here is some optional prep materials: Four Levers Mini-Guide.
What You Get After the Session
Within 24 hours, you’ll receive:
Full session recording (timestamped to hot seat segments)
1-page Session Snapshot for each hot seat with setup, constraints, scoring, cues, and 2 metrics to track next week
“Run it tomorrow” checklist
Bonus: Access to our growing library of blueprints and constraint decks.
The Invitation
The Sunday-night drill hunt doesn’t have to be your routine.
You can build a system that works for you—one that generates game-like practices in 5 minutes, every time.
Join us March 7, 21:00 CET.
Bring your toughest practice challenge. Leave with a solution you can run Monday morning.
Reply to this post, send me a message, or email info@flag-academy.com to join.
Rolf is a non-linear pedagogy advocate, author, and coach developer from Germany. He writes about humane coaching, purposeful change, and the road toward dreams worth chasing.
If his work resonates, why not walk a stretch of the road with him?
📌 PS: If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This post is public, so feel free to share and forward it.
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Email: info@flag-academy.com
Email: rolf@beyondchampionships.eu
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Related Reading:
Hub 1 — Game-First Practice Design - The complete on-ramp to representative task design, constraint manipulation, and the PATE framework for upgrading any practice
Hub 3 — Beyond Repetition - Why repetition stops transferring and how variability creates adaptable athletes who perform under pressure