From Brent…
THREE HOLE-PICK-A-HOLE

Works with Running Backs and Linebackers

RB- BALL CARRYING SKILL ALONG WITH CUT TO HOLE AND ATTACK ON DEFENDER
LB- PURSUIT AND TACKLE, NOT TO OVERPLAY

TOOLS
4 CONES AND FOOTBALL

Set up running back and linebacker on opposite sides of the cones, behind the 1st cone.  Football coach will pitch the ball to the running back who will secure the football and cut to a hole, keeping low and attack the defender and drive through him.

Linebacker on the pitch will pursue down the line of scrimmage using proper technique.  When the runner cuts to the hole the linebacker will step up, keeping in good hitting position and properly tackle the runner.  Getting head in correct position, feet incorrect position and wrap up the runner the properly.   Try to instill in linebacker “no missed tackles”.

We do this football drill daily to instill what we want fundamentally from our backs and linebackers.

Technorati Tags: football linemen drills, Football coach, football, football drill

From Tommy
The Angle of Attack drill has dramatically helped my defence get to the ball. In this football drill there is a running back and an entire football defense.

The football coach blows the whistle and the running back takes off towards the end zone. The coach blows the whistle a second time and when the defence hears the second whistle they chase after the running back from their position until some one just touches the running back. The running back and the person who touched him stops and starts to chop their feet. The other defensive players all run to the spot where the running back is chopping his feet and chop their feet in a circle around the running back until the coach blows the whistle a third time. Then the defence go back to their original positions in the line up.

It is a fantastic way to teach your defence to get to the ball and not to rely on one football player to make the play.

Technorati Tags: free defensive drills for football, football drill, football defense, football coach, football

From Nick…
My favorite football drill is the mirror drill.  I usually use this as a non-contact offensive and defensive line drill (but can be used with WR’s and DB’s).

You set up 2 cones about eight yards apart and in between these cones represents a line that divides the drill into offensive and defensive sides.  On one side you put an OL and other side put a DL.  The object of this drill is to stay between the cones and not cross the line.  You go on the football coach’s command and stop on the coach’s command.  The offensive lineman has to practice moving his feet, getting position, recovering etc, while the DL has to work to get the OL’s body turned, beat him to the gap, etc.

Great workout without heavy contact.  It works all the fundamentals.

Technorati Tags: football training drills, football drill, football

From Jim…
Here’s our flag football drill.

Since its flag football, our league is made up for 5 players. The defense must rush from ten yards back after the snap.

Anyway, I line up a wr far right, the other four guys are tightly together with a running back that stands next to the qb. After the ball is snapped the four guys stand without moving but the wr takes off. The four guys yell out his name like it a muffed play. The wr pauses in mid field then runs off again. Let me tell you, the defense was completely frozen, no one moved, even the defendender that was covering the wr stopped dead in his tracks since the rest of his football team wasn’t moving. Peer pressure I guess!

The next football play do the same play, exactly, draw as much attention to wr verbally, the qb hands off to the rb running in opposite direction of wr. The rb has an open field as we have all the defense looking at our wr on the other side of the field.

This was so effective, the ref blew the whistle thinking that the play was dead. After speaking with the ref on the sidelines, we ran it again for a touchdown. We ran it many times the same game for long yards.

Technorati Tags: coach flag football, flag football drill, flag football, football, football play

From Mike
I adapted some old basketball drills along with the routine football drills. It is good for conditioning, hand off skills and hand eye coordination skills.

You divide the football team equal as possible with skilled positions and lineman on each team.

A cone is place 20 yds down field in front of each team. The first runner goes around the cone but on the way back he must put the ball between his legs three times stopped or running pending on his ability. If he drops the ball, he must go back to the cone and start over. Once he gets the three leg passes done, he returns to the next guy who takes the hand off, but he doesn’t run. He passes the ball over his shoulder to the next man and this continues down the line until the last man in line gets the ball. He then runs and repeats the same sequence until the last hand off to the last guy who now must run to the cone and then finish; however, now every step the ball must pass between his legs. Of course you want a receiver. RB or QB as your last guy.

You can also make this football conditioning drill work by making the players do every other (over shoulder under the crotch) until the last guy in line gets the ball and starts to run. This will add a little more difficulty. If the ball ever touches the ground whatever the skill is started again . If the ball is dropped half way back over the shoulder the ball goes back to the front of the line and the over under is started again. If the hand off is fumbled the player must go back to the cone take 3 under the leg passes and run to the handoff spot again.

As stated before, this drill works on great hand eye coordination, hand off skills, and conditioning. The kids have fun as they love to compete against each other.

Technorati Tags: football conditioning drill, high school football, football, football drills

From Patrique,
I am a youth league football coach and just like most coaches at all level we have pre-game on Fridays (Just helmets and game jerseys). I like to shut practice down about half-hour to forty-five minutes early. Before practice I call ahead to have some pizzas delivered to the field. I usually shows up on time for our final stretch.

We all break out of football practice, head over to my truck, sit down and eat. The kids can come out of football mode which a lot of coaches don’t get to see. I have learned so much about my players. Their lives at home, school, and even relationships. I tell you what, you get a much better idea of how or why a child functions just by listening to some of the things they tell you about themselves. It has brought me closer to them and I know it has brought them closer to each other.

Sometimes I get so involved with the game, that I fail to realize that football is the only stability in a child’s life. One child for instance, I had know idea that his parents were recently separated and involved in a serious custody battle over him and just to get to practice everyday he takes 3 different buses in full gear with his homework and backpack. That is just one example. So many children are displaced or having some sort of issue or problem in life. We were all kids and you were either one of them or you knew someone like that. It made me realize that sometimes football isn’t always about football.

I know this isn’t really a football coaching drill, but maybe some friendly advice. Me getting to know my kids outside of football has made me a better football coach.

Technorati Tags: football coaching styles, youth football coaches, football coach, football practice, football, football coaching drill

From Chris…
I play a game called ultimate football with my youth football players.  It is like ultimate frisbee only with a football.

We play sideline to sideline and use cones that are about 20-30 yards apart, depending on how many players on each team, for the field (so the field is 20-30 yards wide by 51 yards long).  The idea is to move the football down the field by passing it.  If the ball is dropped or a pass incomplete the other team takes over from the spot of the incompletion.  If a pass is completed the player who catches the ball is not allowed to run with it, he has to pass it to another teammate.  The pass can be forward or backward and the team can take as long as it likes to move the ball down the field.  If the ball is moved past the sideline (end zone) that team scores (6 points).  Then they kick off to the other team from their goal line.

Play first team to score 3 touchdowns wins or whatever number of scores you want.  Sometimes we will play 2 or 3 games of this at once.  Maybe have linemen going against linemen, receivers going against receivers,  and QBs and running backs going against other QBs and running backs.  The smaller the numbers on each team the more everyone is involved and the less chance for someone to get hurt.

Very good for conditioning because everyone is constantly moving/running.  Good for evaluation purposes too, football coaches can watch and see who can throw the ball well, who can catch, who is competitive, who can cover, etc.  The younger kids love it.

Technorati Tags: football practice, football conditioning drill, football, football coaches

From Jerry

I call this football drill the Pancake Drill.
I am an Offensive-Line and Defensive-Line Coach but the drill can be used for any players position.

You need (4) shields held by a player. Space out each player with their shield every Ten Yards in a straight line and tell them to get ready and dig in.  Your other players will form a straight line and the player in the front of the line will go first one at a time. The first player gets into their proper stance and at the whistle fires out and attempts to knock down (pancake) the 1st player with the shield.  After that hit, which hopefully is  a pancake, the player continues down the line to the next player and attempts to pancake him.  After the player has completed the course of the (4) players and shields the drill is complete.

The kids get pumped up for this football conditioning drill. It brings out some aggressiveness and toughness. It’s very competitive and it’s also part of the conditioning of practice.

Technorati Tags: football conditioning drill, coaching football defense, football, football drill

From Gregg…
A football drill I use every day with my offensive lineman is the dummy swing drill. I use this football drill in order to get my guys used to getting in their sets with their hands up quickly and that using the proper punch technique is important.

You have your offensive line in either a two or three point stance (depending on your preference), we go from both. On the whistle, the O-line kicks out and into his set while his partner swings a dummy at his head. If executed properly the O-line should punch the bag with his hands as the bag approaches and then reset, if not executed properly he will get a bag in his face. After we have spent a couple of weeks on this drill I have my guys take their helmets off which adds a little extra incentive to getting their hands up.

What I am looking for with this offensive line drill is my guy’s ability to go from his stance to a good set quickly and apply a good quick punch while re-establishing himself as his partners moves around with the bag. My guys really like this drill because I think it adds a little fun to the practice, but they get a great deal out of it as well.

Technorati Tags: Texas high school football coach, offensive lineman drills, football drill, football

From George
For this football drill you need:
2 centers, 2 quarterbacks, 3 lines of receivers ie: “trips formation”. 30 yard field.  We run out of the shotgun a lot and roll out pass so this obviously wouldn’t benefit a running offense.

What you do:
1st guys in line are defensive backs. Football coach coordinates with the 2nd guys in line, (receivers) and the 1st quarterback. Calls patterns typically crossing patterns, in’s out’s,slants, hooks. Kids run the play, trying to score; ball is live and defense is tackling.

Upon completion of football play the receivers become defense, previous defenders go to back of receivers line and second quarterback and receivers run patterns. We have coaches watching and teaching the quarterbacks, receivers and defense backs.

The kids love to pass, this is fast paced so you get lots of reps. These are all high percentage passes and really allows to negate any size differential we find against opposing teams as most 3rd and 4th grade teams are not used to defending multiple receivers rather they are run oriented.

Technorati Tags: drill for youth football, football drill, Football coach, football play