The offense goes against air and runs the called football play until the whistle.  Any player who blows an assignment, uses improper technique (when blocking air they really need to concentrate on proper angles, staying low, and proper hand placement) or doesn’t go until the whistle causes the team to have a negative play and the offense backs up 5 yards.

A 5 yard gain results when all 11 team members demonstrate proper technique, assignment and effort on any play.  The  football coaches keep track of how many plays it take for the offense to go from the 40 going in to the goal line.  A perfect score would be 8 plays.

This is also a good time to practice communication from the sideline to the huddle.  It can be used vs.a defense when your scout defense is weak enough that the offense can score even when they have missed assignments, poor technique, or poor effort.

This is also a good football conditioning drill when run while practicing your no huddle offense.

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Drill 1:  Defensive Backs

Set up cones to simulate drop points based on:
a. Front side Roll Out (i.e. Halfback in the flats 8 yards deep)
b. Straight Drop Back (Half Back hug seam 10 yards deep)
c: Front Side Sprint Out (Half Back attack line of Scrimmage outside Shoulder)
d: Back Side Roll Out (Half Back rolls to Safety Zone and releases Safety to Pressure Deep Flats on Roll Side)

The football coach then simulates snap and various roll out steps in sequence. DB must read the coach and go to proper cone. After 3 or 4 switches from cone to cone the coach calls ball and throws the football. The DB must then attack the flight path and intercept.

Drill 2: Linemen

Set up 3 large tackling bags in a line 12 yards apart.
In front of each bag a Offensive Lineman or Running Back is in a Pass Block Stance.  Defensive Linemen and Linebackers then must attack each bag in succession and defeat the Pass Block.  Offensive Linemen and RB’s must keep the D player from Tagging the Bag.  After the D player tags the first bag he immediately attacks the next bag.   D players have 20 or 25 seconds to tag each bag in succession.

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You set up with 3 offensive linemen, a quarterback and a running back (could also be a wide receiver). Then you make an alley 5 yards to the side. The alley is 3-5 yard wide and 15 yards deep, with cones for every 5 yards.

On the first cones you will have a defensive lineman on his back, second cone you will have a linebacker on his back and on the third cone a defensive back is on his back. On the whistle, the QB takes the snap and tosses it to the RB/WR. The offensive lineman pulls and runs into the alley blocking for the RB/WR. At the same time the 3 defensive players are coming off the ground and are attacking the run play.

This is a high intensity football drill and it fires players up!

Technorati Tags: football linemen drills, football drill, football

You separate into 4 groups of equal size.

On the football coach’s whistle, each group lays on their back & does leg lifts on the coaches cadence.  The players count out the # of reps (10 reps), if not they start over.  Upon 10 reps, the players will get up & run clockwise to the next cone.

On the coach’s whistle, each group gets into push up position & begins doing push ups on the coaches cadence. Again, the players count out the # of reps (10 reps).  On the coaches whistle, the players run clockwise to the next cone.

On the coach’s whistle, each group starts to chop their feet & begins doing up downs on the coach’s cadence.  Players count out # of reps (10 reps).

On the coach’s whistle, the players run clockwise to the next cone.  On the coach’s whistle, the players get into sit-up position & begin doing sit-ups on the coach’s cadence.  10 reps.

This football drill has helped our players build up their stamina especially where the # of reps increases as the season progresses.

Technorati Tags: conditioning drills for football, football, football coach, football drill

O-Line Heads Up
Place about 10 of the small, flat cones in a straight row on the pitch.
That is how you score this drill.
Starting at one end of the row of cones, with a football coach holding an arm bag, the O-Linemen begins drive blocking the coach; he gets a point for every cone he is able to push the coach back.

Next step is to add a linebacker. He stands at the opposite end of row of cones.
All he has to do is run straight past the O-Lineman and coach.
The O-Lineman is responsible to step out and pick up the blitzing linebacker.
(hence the heads up name of the drill)
Next step up to this drill is: Switch out the coach to D-Lineman
Final step up to this drill: Have 2 O-Lineman do this drill, (now you get a really big push up the line of cones) and the Linebacker should be picked up more easily.
Since there are 2 O-Lineman and they are looking up field for him.

I really enjoyed running this progressive football drill. While I was holding the arm bag, I was able to correct posture and stance very easily.

Whenever the team gets into a drill, they start cheering and clapping, then I know I have a winner of a drill!

Technorati Tags: football practice, football drills, football drills offensive line, football coach, football

2 cones are set up about 5 yards apart, simulating the area that a runner would come through. Another 2 cones with the same distance apart will be set up exactly 4-6 yards from the first set. Continue these sets of cones until you have 6 or 7 sets of 2 cone groups.

Within each 2 cone group is a tackler standing in the middle of the 2 cone group, facing (1) ball carrier.  4-6 yards behind that tackler is another tackler, in a tackling ready position, and the next tackler is positioned the same way, and so on and so on.

Once the tackler makes a tackle on the ball carrier, the carrier gets up and has to run through the next tackler, and so on. Hence the name- The Gauntlet. There will be a line of ball carriers lined up ready to go after the first tackle is made.
The tackler has to get up quickly after making the tackle because there will be another ball carrier coming at least 5-10 seconds later.

Remember, this football drill offers you an opportunity to evaluate and correct poor tackling technique and poor running as well.

Technorati Tags: football tackling drills, football drill, football

Shed Drill
Put your biggest and most aggressive players in one line, 5-10 players, and the rest of the team in the other line.  The first football player steps out 3 yards and turns around.  The last player is given the football, although you could place the ball anywhere in the line to focus on recognition.

On the whistle, each player attacks a side of the LB/DL out front. They do their best to alternate sides but it is not necessary.  They all take a turn hitting the player with very little time in between hits.

The LB out front will have a good stance, hit and shed every player as fast as possible while owning the ground he stands on.  Once he has hit and shed all blockers he will make a form tackle on the ball carrier at full speed.  He will then rotate to the end of the line to carry the ball.

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This flag football drill is called “a shadow” which is designed for reaction time and agility.

Form three or four depending on how many players show for practice.  At the whistle the first row runs five yards forwards and start chopping their feet.At the second whistle the players turn and face the player in the first row.   He faces them then the player in the first row does different types of movements within 15 yrds from the start to finish line while the other players in that group mirror him/her.

1 min per group. It works well for endurance also.

This next football drill is for my defense for flag football.  The boys loved it because they got to chase the football coach. They lined up the defense in their positions and taught them pursuit angles.  They ran the football until all the players were around me.

This way the team learns to track the football and to swarm the runner. Simple and fun!

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First you need an area to run any distance you want; I used cones to mark off a square and each cone was 40 yards apart. Then you take your group and split them into two smaller groups evenly A and B.

Group A will run around the cones while group B does whatever exercise you want eg. pushups, situps. When all of group A finishes with the run then group B does then run, and when the first people finish the run they start to do the exercise that the other group is doing.

There is no stopping point in this football drill until you have reached your objective say 5 repetitions for each group meaning each group runs 5 times and also does activity B. You can vary this drill anyway you want if for the first rotation you want them to do pushups and then on the second circuit you want them to do situps its all up to you and how you want to run it.

I implemented this drill at the high school where I was coaching and the kids liked this drill better than the gassers they were used to running every practice.

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Fumble Recovery Drill
I set players up by defensive position.  Linemen with linemen, backers, strong safeties and drop ends together, corners and free safeties together.  I lay tackling dummies length-wise about four or five feet apart.  One man is the defender and must find the ball (which is set behind the offensive player).  The offensive player must protect the football.  His objective is to block until the whistle or turn the defender out of the play (topple him over the dummy).

This football drill really gives the boys a sense of having a nose for the football.  They get aggressive attacking the football (on defense) and protecting the football (on offense).

As the defense coordinator for a team that plays in a league where fakes, draws, and reverses happens almost every down, I grew tired of watching my teams get sucked into the fakes and reverses.

I started this drill I call the “Easter Egg Hunt.” I set my defense up against a red shirt offense that runs plays scouted from our opponent for the week. The “hunt” is that the offense plays with an imaginary ball that is handed off and faked. I do this to teach my players to plug holes and make tackles on all the players that have a potential to carry the ball.

It also help keep my players focused on their defensive assignments and not get pulled into a fake.

Technorati Tags: football practice drills, fumble recovery drill, football drill, football