Protecting the football as you run

A team that prevents fumbles is a team that wins. Nothing is worse for your offensive team then turning it over carelessly to the other team in a fumble. A great way to teach tight ball security is with four points. The first point is the claw, meaning that your fingers are wrapped over the tip of the football. The second point is your forearm wrapped around the ball and shielding it from the defense. Third point is to have the ball held tight against the bicep to prevent defenders from punching up through from behind. Last point is to hold the back of the football right up against the ribcage and as you run keep it high and tight. Practice holding the football and having defensive players try and knock out the football by any means possible. By reducing the risk of a fumble you will increase the offensive strength in effectively driving across the field and scoring touchdowns.

Running Drills are a big help

If you have more energy at the fourth quarter then your opponent then you have won, and the best way to get endurance are running drills. These drills are meant to help you play your hardest throughout the entire game. Teams, or individuals, that do not complain throughout the running drills will be better off and better prepared for a game. Whether you are tired, exhausted, and ready to throw up, if you keep running your added strength will help you win games. Another benefit that you will not see at first, is the ability to push yourself past your limits.

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. The secret to this drill is having the ball constantly moving around and from hand to hand. 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.

The best thing that a coach can do is call out body parts that the players will have to move the ball around, or even calling a reverse command were the players will need to change the direction of the football. The reverse option is an important command as it will keep the players on their toes and focuses on concentration and ball handling.

We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. For example, the player drops the ball and retrieves it quickly. They also should rotate which hand they are using to pick it up so that you can increase ball handling with both.

Basics to football hand offs

Handoff skills can secure yardage on the field and increase your overall success. We will explain this in a common scenario between a quarterback and a running back. The running back starts the hand off running towards the quarterback with his arms open creating a pocket for the quarterback to slide the football right into the running backs chest. When the running back receives the football he clamps down both arms hard on the football 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.