Conditioning: Cross jumping

Reaction is as skill that players need to develop through conditioning and drills. The point to this drill is having players practice quick directional changes on the field. Start out by placing the player on any crossing lined area on the field, anything like a small for square area. Once a players positions themselves in one of the corners they will proceed to jump from one corner of the area to other in either a patterned function or randomly. Coaches should encourage one foot jumping to increase further strength and reactions on the field.

Some benefits to Weightlifting

No practice regime would be complete without lifting weights. The benefits of lifting weights are found in added strength, but more importantly it will increase your maximum power. Maximum power differs in importance to strength due to the fact that it is exertion during play and not just muscle mass. It is the quickness and exertion that will enable a football player to accomplish their plays with skill on the field. As you continue in your weightlifting program, we highly recommend that you get a personal coach to push you in your goals, teach you proper techniques, and ensure that you are doing the right work for your position.

Conditioning: Dot drilling

Conditioning drills are effective in training and helping athletes be strong and reactive. For this reason, coaches like this drill for its focus on speed and accuracy. In order to execute the drill you will need a place with five dots, either marked on the grass or on a mat, forming an x shape much like the dots for the number five side of dice.

The athlete starts at the edge of the mat placing their feet on two of the outer dots and proceeds to jump with feet together on the center spot and then out again quickly to the outer dots similar to a simple hop scotch motion. Next proceed around the dots one at a time jumping with one leg only, and then change to the other leg. The next step is jumping on all five dots with both feet together. The last step is the same as the first hop scotch method but this time when the player reaches the other side they will turn around on the two dots. Because this drill is intended for accuracy and speed, it is recommended that players start out slow and deliberate and then speed up to their maximum time.

A great Handoff Drill

Because hand offs are such a vital part of a running offense, running backs should practice hand off skills every day. One great hand off drill starts by having two separate lines of players facing each other: line A and line B. A player leaves line A with the football and runs at line B. At the same time a player leaves line B, and when they meet in the middle Player A hands off the ball to Player B. At the point of the hand off another player leaves line A and runs towards player B, who hands off the ball to the new player. It should be a constant motion. This is a great drill to help running backs practice hand offs, and should be run every day.