Running Back Football Drills – Balancing Box Drill

This is one of my favorite running back football drills that I use with my underneath zone coverage. It is a balancing box drill. It works simply like this:

1. Create a box (approx. 10 yds. X 10 yards into your drops zone). Our zones depend on coverages and down and distance and really we defend back to front from 15 yards to five yards off of the line of scrimmage.
2. Have a receiver at the top outside cone and one at the bottom inside cone.
3. Give a cadence and have LB drop into their zone (the box).
4. They need to focus on the QB’s eyes while they drop and balance out the box.
5. KEY coaching point is not to go with any shrugs or pumps, only break to the receiver once the QB (coach) has pulled the pin and long armed with the front arm. (I exaggerate this early in the season and then make it progressively tougher later on.)
6. Once I pull the pin, the receiver by that cone steps in and shows his hands, but does not go after the football. We want the backer to break on the ball and make the play, knock down or intercept.
7. This is a non-contact, easy drill that I have picked up from others that is really successful in helping my LB’s to play back to front (for curl flat purposes) and to learn to balance threats in their zone. It also teaches them to keep vision on the QB and feel the routes around them.
8. You can change up where receivers are coming into the box from as a change up, as well as changing drop zones from numbers drops to other spot drops and flats.