Advancing Sports Running Back Drills
Proper Catching Leads to Great Ball Security
Catching the football properly and effectively is fundamental to a strong offense. There are three steps of a great catch: First, place your hands in front of you with your palms open and thumbs out forming an open triangle for the football. Second, follow the ball with your eyes from the first time you see it in the air until it is securely placed in a tight hold. Third, secure the ball tight and high against your ribs, forearm, and biceps. Many receivers can get into a bad habit of looking away from the ball before it is stored away properly. This error leads to incomplete passes or worse, a fumble. To overcome this habit set up a simple drill where two players pass the ball to each other stopping at each critical step: the catch, the follow through, and the tuck.
Strength and conditioning: Up Downs
The popular conditioning drill known as up downs is a very effective way to increase cardiovascular activity and endurance. Players will start this drill by running in place as fast as they can, keeping their knees high as possible. Then at random a coach will yell, down or blow a whistle at which the players must dive to the ground do a push up and then jump back into running in place. Because this drill can be very taxing, it is important to increase the time spent at this slowly over time as the players strength increases.
Learning the Basics of Catching a Low Football Pass
Great plays are made through dedicated practice of the fundamentals. Execution on a football field starts with practice. One situation that most offensive players will face is the low catch. Here are some secrets to making this catch. First keep the pinkies together down low to make a shovel. This ensures that the ball will not slip through your fingers. Second, keep low to the ground as a reference your knees should be level with your elbows, and if this means that you are down on all fours better a complete and no extra yards than an incomplete pass. Once you have the football in your hands scoop it up and tuck it away. Third, once you have caught the ball, tuck it away as soon as possible. Always watch the ball through from the first time you see it in the air until it is in a secure ball carrying position. And always see the ball through, meaning that you are watching it into the tuck.
Conditioning: Five dot jump
Conditioning is meant to increase speed, endurance, and reaction time on the football field. This drills intention is to help quickness and accuracy on the field which will reduce errors and increase the chances of great plays. Setting up this drill is very simple, you will need five markers placed about a foot apart in an x formation with one of the dots being in the center surrounded by four other dots in a square formation.
This drill begins with the player starting on two of the outer dots and jumps feet together to the middle dot and then out again to the edge dots separating their feet. The second phase is having the player touch each of the dots with only one foot, and then switch to the other foot. Then continue around the dots with both legs 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. Players will need to increase their speed and accuracy to be effective with this drill.
Catching the football properly and effectively is fundamental to a strong offense. There are three steps of a great catch: First, place your hands in front of you with your palms open and thumbs out forming an open triangle for the football. Second, follow the ball with your eyes from the first time you see it in the air until it is securely placed in a tight hold. Third, secure the ball tight and high against your ribs, forearm, and biceps. Many receivers can get into a bad habit of looking away from the ball before it is stored away properly. This error leads to incomplete passes or worse, a fumble. To overcome this habit set up a simple drill where two players pass the ball to each other stopping at each critical step: the catch, the follow through, and the tuck.
Strength and conditioning: Up Downs
The popular conditioning drill known as up downs is a very effective way to increase cardiovascular activity and endurance. Players will start this drill by running in place as fast as they can, keeping their knees high as possible. Then at random a coach will yell, down or blow a whistle at which the players must dive to the ground do a push up and then jump back into running in place. Because this drill can be very taxing, it is important to increase the time spent at this slowly over time as the players strength increases.
Learning the Basics of Catching a Low Football Pass
Great plays are made through dedicated practice of the fundamentals. Execution on a football field starts with practice. One situation that most offensive players will face is the low catch. Here are some secrets to making this catch. First keep the pinkies together down low to make a shovel. This ensures that the ball will not slip through your fingers. Second, keep low to the ground as a reference your knees should be level with your elbows, and if this means that you are down on all fours better a complete and no extra yards than an incomplete pass. Once you have the football in your hands scoop it up and tuck it away. Third, once you have caught the ball, tuck it away as soon as possible. Always watch the ball through from the first time you see it in the air until it is in a secure ball carrying position. And always see the ball through, meaning that you are watching it into the tuck.
Conditioning: Five dot jump
Conditioning is meant to increase speed, endurance, and reaction time on the football field. This drills intention is to help quickness and accuracy on the field which will reduce errors and increase the chances of great plays. Setting up this drill is very simple, you will need five markers placed about a foot apart in an x formation with one of the dots being in the center surrounded by four other dots in a square formation.
This drill begins with the player starting on two of the outer dots and jumps feet together to the middle dot and then out again to the edge dots separating their feet. The second phase is having the player touch each of the dots with only one foot, and then switch to the other foot. Then continue around the dots with both legs 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. Players will need to increase their speed and accuracy to be effective with this drill.
