Contents
It’s hard to believe, but Practice Mode acts as a tutorial for Madden 24. While not particularly friendly to newcomers, this mode is a place where you can review the grueling learning process. of each style of play, positioning and term. The game of American football offers offers. But if you’re like me, you’ll have no idea what more than the basics of how the Formation works. Training mode offers exactly that: a place to practice. If you don’t know how to score a basket or what are the best offensive and defensive plays to use, this mode gives you the opportunity to refine your playstyle and strategy. It’s Vincent’s beginner’s guide on how to use practice mode in madden 24.
Although each match works differently from each other due to the constantly changing pace of the game which requires different playthroughs, Practice mode is at least an option in place to learn the basics of the game. However, for beginners, the mode Training can be incredibly complex, to the point that you have no idea what’s going on. For that reason, here’s our guide to understanding everything that’s available in Practice Mode for Madden 24.
Related: How to do the 40 Yard Dash in Madden 24.
Practice Mode Guide: Understanding Madden 24 Basics
Practice Types Guide – How to Play Each
Immediately after entering Practice Mode, you are asked to select the type you wish to play: Normal, Offense Only, or Kick Off. The purpose of these is to teach you how to execute a successful play and get a feel for the main gameplay by throwing, catching and running with the ball. Normal is about trying offensive and defensive plays that are picked between each play you make or fail to successfully hit a touchdown. Offense strips out the gameplay and focuses on coming up with the best strategy for your style of play. Who do you want to pass the ball to? Which formation, which concept and which type of play works best for you and the team. Finally, Kick Off examines how to score a basket. Although the baskets are not available here, you can practice kicking the ball.
For those new to Madden, the game is filtered by formation, concept, game type, and personnel. Whichever game you’re heading into, your decision is final after you’ve selected one of these filters and hit confirm via one of the corresponding buttons for a specific game. After being tackled or scored a touchdown, you can choose a new play from the menu screen. If you want to practice your defense, select Flip Sides which will show you the same game screening choices, only this time you’ll be defending instead of going on the offensive.
Learn Madden 24 Fundamentals
For newcomers to Madden 24, you may find, like me, that there is a lot of information to understand in the game. I will attempt to explain to you at the most basic level how each type of game works in the game.
- Training – it all depends on the positioning of your players on the field. Training is divided into Plays specific to each Team Playbook. If you are looking for a specific formation, you can further filter it under one of the main formation options such as Singleback, 3-4 or Hail Mary. These games focus on running and passing, looking for specific players on the pitch that you need to pass to and the specific concept/personnel used. Formations are part of the Team Playbook and therefore have set up Plays that you can choose from or further specify by adjusting the variation of the Formation you want to use.
- Concept – specifically examines the breakdown of the game into runs, options and passes (fast, medium, deep, game action or screen). Rather than thinking about the bigger picture of who you pass to, which is determined by the long journey your receivers take to reach the touchdown line. He examines the route taken by the receivers before the QB throws the ball to start the play.
- Type of game – divided into 5 categories: Pass, Run, Option, RPO and Special. These feature more games describing the main receiver, formation and concept used. They are more specific than the Formation because there is really only one way to complete the play. This then makes it much easier for your opposition to read. Because of this, Formation offers a much more versatile style of play.
- Staff – looks at how you match your players on the pitch. Keep in mind that while it works similarly to formations, it can also highlight opposition on the receiver you favor. Each personnel option can be further filtered by their formation, which also affects how many games they are used for, so keep that in mind before you get too predictable in the field.
By the way and as part of your Formation Plays, packages can be filtered by the right analog stick on the console. This looks at what position you can switch with another on the court. Each Formation has its own Package specific to the Game you wish to perform. Refer to the numbers on the formation chart to indicate which player will trade with those involved in the game. It is important to consider this when there are other more viable options available to those better at catching, throwing or running , as it can significantly change the pace of the game and work in your favor. Be mindful of the game clock though, as packages like these need to be set regularly.
How to see the game on the field
Things work a little differently in Practice Mode compared to a regular match. Each play you choose will be used for the total number of times you selected in the Play menu. You can of course change this by pressing Choose New Game in the menu screen, but you must remember that this is not usable in a standard PvE or PvP match. When you’re ready to launch the game, hold the right bumper to see each player’s route, name (for X-Factor abilities), and where the game stream will go. You should review this before heading into hike and toss the ball so you have an idea in your head of who you want to pass the ball to. It can also help you remember which reading you chose. Holding the right bumper and pointing up on the right analog stick will also tell you which specific X-Factors your superstar players have.
You will also be able to see in those crucial few seconds before kicking the ball who is injured on the pitch. You need to be aware of this at all times so that you don’t lose crucial moments of the game by passing the ball to an injured player.
You can adjust your reading by pressing the right analog stick. This will show you Audible, Hot Routes, Pass Protection, Play Art, and X-Factor Vision. The key information here is the Audible and Hot Routes which allow you to make adjustments to the game. You can dictate where you want each receiver to go via their Hot Route or adjust the main game by changing the formation under Audibles.
Basic game controls for Madden 24
Finally, a brief overview of how to actually play Madden 24 after selecting your game. If you’re new to the game, the controls get confusing very quickly. Just looking at the variety of control schemes available in every moment of a match is incredibly overwhelming. You have controls for: ball carrier, passing, pre-play offense, pre-play defense, ball in the air, engaged defense, defensive pursuit, defensive coverage, blocking and player locked receiver. Here are the basic Madden 24 commands:
- Left Stick – Move
- Right Stick – Spin, Juke, Dead Leg and Truck
- X/A – Rigid arm
- O/B – Turn
- Square/X – Slide, Drop and Dive (HOLD)
- Triangle/Y – Obstacle
- Left Trigger – Pitch
- Right trigger – Protect the ball
- Left Bumper – Celebration (X/A + Right Bumper and Left Bumper)
- Right Bumper – Sprint
Other important controls to remember, although displayed at all times, are the choice of which receiver to throw the ball to when you pass the ball to start play. These are the choices X/Square/Triangle/O or A/B/X/Y on the controller. Other checks are made before your ride, especially when designating the Preplay strategy, such as choosing Hot Routes and Audibles. When defending, you’ll want to know that player switching is done by pressing O/B, and moves such as Rup, Bull Rush, and Club/Swim are done using the right analog stick. To strafe (left bumper), block, and tackle, you’ll use the right analog stick to cover your man and perform the tackle using X/A.
