Constant motion drill to increase ball handling skills

Without a solid foundation of ball handling players will be easy prey to a solid defensive team. This drill is meant to help players control and develop their ball handling skills. Players will move the football from one hand to another hand around differing parts of their body. The drill starts by having players hold the football above their head and start to pass it around their head, moving to the chest, under the arms, around the waist, knees, and completing with passing it through the legs.

Coaches can mix up the drill by shouting out body parts that the players will have to start circling with the football; they can also reverse the direction that the ball is traveling by calling, reverse. This change of motion will keep players from falling asleep, and ensure that you are developing handling skills and not just muscle memory.

We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. For example, the player drops the ball and retrieves it quickly. To further increase pickup skills have your players change up the hands that they are using so that both their strong and weak hands are developed.

Basics to football hand offs

Whether you are a quarterback, running back, or a player that at anytime will receive a hand off you need to realize the basics of a great hand off. Lets look at a simple hand off between a quarterback and a running back to point out the fundamentals of this skill. A running back at the start of a hand off should give the quarterback a target by opening up his arms that are in front of his chest enough to allow about one and a half footballs in. When the quarterback slides the ball into the arms, or the pocket as it is called, the running back closes his arms around the ball to protect it. As the running back leaves from the handoff he needs to stay low to react quickly and again to protect the ball.

Open field tactics: covering ground with angle tackles

It is a great idea to practice angle tackles with your defense because not all tackles are made with the opponent right in front of you. Set up a simple drill with two players, on as the offense with the ball running in a straight line, the other as the defender running towards him at some angle. It is great to take this in slow steps to show the defender in a fluid motion how to the quickest angle to take towards the ball carrier, plant his cleats squarely in the middle of the ball carrier, and to always remember safety and effectiveness by placing the head in front of the offensive player. A good tackle is now executed as the defender lunges at the opponent wrapping his arms around his opponent grabbing cloth and completing the tackle by pulling him down or pushing him off sides.

Prevent fumbles with strong techniques

One of the fundamental aspects of running with a football is ball security. Nothing is worse for your offensive team then turning it over carelessly to the other team in a fumble. Basic ball security can be broken down into four steps. First grab the football with your carrying hand with the tips of the football being covered with your fingers. Second, wrap your forearm completely around the football. The third point is securing the other point of the football with your bicep making sure that it is right up against it. The final point is keeping the football high and tight against the ribcage. As a player, you will want to make sure that you are well practiced in this skill, and as a coach you should dedicate some time to ball carrying skills. By reducing the risk of a fumble you will increase the offensive strength in effectively driving across the field and scoring touchdowns.