How to organize drill videos by duration for sports coaches in 2026

A plain guide for sports coaches to put the shortest drill videos first, with steps, the tools to try and the mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-19

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Find the length of each drill video, order the playlist from shortest to longest, and start at the top. You can do it by hand on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Option	How it orders drill videos
Paper list or sticky note	You rank by hand
Spreadsheet	You sort by a length column you fill in
YTSort	Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first ^[1]

What you need before you start

Organizing drill videos by length takes only a few things.

A playlist you own. Reordering a playlist in place only works on one that belongs to your account. For someone else's playlist, you can copy the videos into your own first or work from a written list.
The length of each video. YouTube shows it on each thumbnail. You need it to rank the videos.
A reason for ordering by length. It might be to keep warm-up drills short and save longer drills for a full practice block. Know which, because it decides what you do with the long videos.
A place to keep the order. The playlist itself, a paper list or a spreadsheet all work. What matters is that the order lives in one place.
A web browser. Only needed if you want a tool to do the sorting. Add the tool to your browser once, before you start, following its own instructions.

Set aside a short block before you plan a session. Sorting while you are already coaching tends to break your flow.

Step by step

These steps work with any tool, including a pen and a sheet of paper.

Open the playlist you want to sort. Make sure you can access the playlist before choosing a way to put shorter videos first.
List every video with its length. Write the title and the time shown on the thumbnail. Do not sort yet.
Mark drills that must stay in order. Some skills build on earlier drills. If a warm-up drill leads into the main drill, keep those two together.
Rank the rest from shortest to longest. Put the shortest at the top.
Decide what happens to the very long videos. You can leave them at the end or fit them into a full practice block.
Check the order before you commit. Read the new list once from top to bottom and look for drills that now sit in a confusing place.
Apply the order. Reorder the playlist by hand, or use a tool that does it for you.
Start with the shortest drill. Play the first video and move down the list.
Keep notes as you go. Short drills pass quickly, so a line or two per video helps you remember which worked.
Review after a few sessions. If the order is not helping your practice, change it.

Tools that can do it

You do not need software for this. Here are options to consider.

Paper list or sticky note. You write each title and length and rank them by hand. Nothing is published here about price or limits because it depends on what you already own.

A spreadsheet. A column for the title, a column for length and a sort on the length column gives you a shortest-first list. Check how it behaves on your phone if you plan to use it at the sideline. Facts about specific spreadsheet apps are not provided here, so check their own pages for limits and cost.

YTSort. YTSort is made by the team that publishes this site. YTSort is one option. It reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It can sort only videos within a length range and move the rest to the end. ^[1] It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[1] It also shows total, average, shortest and longest video duration for the playlist. ^[1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies any moves that did not stick. ^[1]

YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. ^[1] You can get it through a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1] The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Ordering a drill series that builds skill by skill. If later drills rely on earlier ones, a pure shortest-first order can leave players confused. Keep dependent drills together.

Trusting the order without a look. Read the new order once before you start. A quick check catches drills that ended up in an odd spot.

Forgetting the long videos. Moving them to the end is fine, but give them a full practice block or they never get used.

Trying to reorder a playlist that is not yours. Check who owns it first. If it is not yours, copy the videos into your own playlist or keep a written list.

Watching without notes. Short drills go by fast, so notes can help you remember what worked.

Never reviewing the order. If the order is not working for your practice, change the approach instead of sticking with it.

Frequently asked questions

How can a sports coach sort drill videos by duration in a YouTube playlist?

List each drill video with its length, rank them from shortest to longest, then apply that order to the playlist. For a playlist the coach owns, a browser tool can reorder the videos by length automatically. Check each tool's current details before choosing how to sort the playlist.

Can YTSort sort a YouTube playlist by drill length?

Yes. YTSort reorders a YouTube playlist a coach owns by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It can also sort only videos within a length range and move the rest to the end. ^[1]

Can the new playlist order be checked before it is applied?

With YTSort, yes. It shows the before and after order so a coach can check it before applying. ^[1] With a paper list or spreadsheet, the order is seen as it is written, so read it through once before starting the practice.

Which browsers work with YTSort?

The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, once a script manager such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey is installed, a small add-on that runs scripts for the browser. ^[1] YTSort can also be run from a bookmark. ^[1]

Should sports coaches always watch the shortest drill videos first?

Not always. If a drill series builds skill by skill, keep dependent drills in order. Shortest first can suit a short warm-up block. For long practice sessions, review the order after a few sessions and change it if needed.

YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. ^[1]

Try YTSort

Sources

YTSort's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)