Explaining Chiefs HC Andy Reid's signature 10-10-10 training camp practices

Fans in attendance for Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri on Monday might notice a different type of practice session .

After three consecutive days of padded practices, the Chiefs held what is commonly referred to as a 10-10-10 practice in the Andy Reid coaching tree. It's Reid’s signature style of practice that he’s spent decades developing.

So, what makes a Chiefs practice session a 10-10-10 practice?

The features of this type of practice distinguish it from any other type of practice in the NFL. At its core, it's a padless practice with players wearing spiders, helmets, and shorts. While it’s considered to be a lighter practice in terms of intensity, it moves at a quick pace, which keeps players on their toes and sharp mentally, while simultaneously giving their bodies a physical rest after the prior days of padded practice sessions.

The “10-10-10” specifically refers to the team cycling through 10 offensive plays, 10 defensive plays and 10 minutes of special teams work during the duration of the practice session. These typically only encompass 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 team drills and involve some element of play/concept installation.

The 10 plays on offense and defense along with the 10 minutes of special teams plays are all designed to achieve a certain goal. During the 10 offensive plays, the offense will be set up for success and the defense will be acting as a scout team. The offense will practice a specific set of route combinations, reads, runs, formations, and throws, while the defense works at half speed.

Conversely, during the 10 defensive plays, the defense will be set up to run those 10 plays successfully. Sometimes that means a quarterback will intentionally throw into a certain type of coverage or hold on the ball an extra beat for the blitz to get home. The offense will often look to show the defense a specific type of formation, look, or pre-snap motion.

“I think Coach [Andy] Reid has a really good pulse on when to pull off, when to push, when to make [practice] heavy,” Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said of 10-10-10 practices last season. “I think doing this here gives us a chance to do a bit more of the mental [work]. Get the bodies back. We’ve got [Tuesday] off and then in Coach Reid’s mind, I’m sure we can get after it a little when we get back.”

On special teams, you might see punt and kick return drills that are designed for the return specialist to succeed. They also use this time to practice successful fake punts and kicks. They might practice the coverage unit sniffing out a fake punt or kick. There could also be a period where players practice how they should react to squib kicks, drop kicks, and different types of punts.

What should Chiefs fans look for during a 10-10-10 practice?

Fans should take everything they see at a 10-10-10 practice and every highlight shared on social media from these practice sessions with a grain of salt. The highlight catches and interceptions made won’t have much bearing on a player’s ability to make the 53-man roster. However, these types of practices are important and serve a few specific purposes in the grand scheme of things.

First, they’re a way to practice without putting a significant toll on players' bodies. It helps with the acclimation process after the offseason and provides some relief after conducting several consecutive days of intense padded practice sessions with full contact.

10-10-10 practices also serve as a useful tool for the coaching staff when it comes to evaluating a player’s mental acuity. Are newcomers able to execute a plan and follow the instructions closely?

Next, these practice sessions are actually really important to the success of the deep passing game. You'll see a lot more shot plays on Monday than you've seen in the past three practice sessions because as Coach Reid says, this is the best time to practice them.

“It’s important we practice those," Reid said in August of 2022. "You call them in practice when you’re going against a defense, but you might not always get to the deep one, it might be covered. So these practices here, these 10-10-10’s where you have opportunities to take shots downfield you take them and you get yourself on the same page as the receivers. We’ll continue to do that as we go.”

Finally, these practices mimic some of what players will go through in terms of game preparation during a normal NFL practice week. It sets a strong foundation for the preseason, but also for those players who make the 53-man roster and practice squad. They'll be going through this type of practice regularly in Kansas City and not just during training camp.

Related: Veteran RG Trey Smith sees greatness in Chiefs' rookie offensive linemen at training camp

Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports