I got the inspiration for this coaching drill from one of my readers, Greg. It includes some fresh ideas you probably won’t find in football coaching books. Try it out and let me know what you think!
From Greg…
We call this football drill The Bull Pen.
Set cones up in a rectangle 4 yards apart by 15 yards long.
We divide our boys into 2 even groups 1 at each end of the 4 yard spread cones. 1 boy from each line will lay on their backs head to head; 1 line will ball carry and the other will tackle.
When the coach blows the whistle both will get to their feet . The ball carrier will try to make it past the cones 15 yards up field the other will try to stop him.
I have found this drill simulates getting back on their feet as quickly as possible as if they had fallen during a play.
It also limits the runner to 4 yard wide running lane as if following blockers. It gives the tackler a better opportunity to practice tackling head on and avoid 1 arm tackles. If there is a fumble it also simulates recovery as both will try to get the ball. After their turn they switch lines runner to tackler and vise versa.
The boys really look forward to this drill and the parents line up close to the action and cheer them along. These boy are 7-8-9 year olds.
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