Learning College American Football Quarter Back Routines
Tackling Fundamentals and Safety
Tackling is fundamental to football, and should receive proper attention at practices. If you, or your players dont take tackling seriously you will not stop the offense and could also cause injuries. When you tackle your opponent remember three important steps:
First, you need to stop the opponent quickly so make sure to place yourself directly in front of the opponents path. You can do this by placing your foot between your opponents feet. Also, and in coordination with your feet throw your arms back preparing to grab.
Second you want to bring your other foot into the mix, and at the same time throw your arms up and around your opponent. Now is the time that injuries can happen. The one golden rule in making a safe tackle is to never, ever lead with or try to tackle with the crown of your head. You need to literally imagine that the football is a big hamburger and you want to bite it and not slam your forehead against it.
Third, at this point you have successfully grabbed your opponent and all thats left is to lunge your hips forward and bear all of your momentum against your opponent. The squarer you are in the first step the easier it will be to perform the third step.
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. It starts by placing players in a small four square box. Then the player will proceed to jump from on area or box to another, thus forcing the player to jump laterally, diagonally, frontwards, and backwards. Some of the variations can be on legged; either right or left, or changing the order those players will perform the drill.
Angle tackling
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. Accomplish this drill in pairs, having one teammate act as the offense, or ball carrier, running in a straight line and the other as the defender coming in at any angle. As the defender he will need to adjust his body to cover the shortest distance towards the ball carrier, and make the stop by placing his foot squarely in front, and remembers for safety to put his head in front of the ball carrier. The defender follows through with the tackle by straightening his knees in a lunging type motion, wrapping his arms around the ball carrier to pull him down to the ground or push him off sides.
Conditioning: Five dot jump
Conditioning is meant to increase speed, endurance, and reaction time on the football field. The intent of this drill is to increase accuracy, timing, and speed. 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 player will start by placing a foot on the back two dots and then jumps together to the middle dot and then out separating his legs to the outer dots, much like you would see in hop scotch. Next proceed around the dots one at a time jumping with one leg only, and then change to the other leg. After this, the player will touch all of the 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. Remember that speed and accuracy are important on this drill so coaches should start players off slow and then proceed to full speed constantly watching accuracy.
Tackling is fundamental to football, and should receive proper attention at practices. If you, or your players dont take tackling seriously you will not stop the offense and could also cause injuries. When you tackle your opponent remember three important steps:
First, you need to stop the opponent quickly so make sure to place yourself directly in front of the opponents path. You can do this by placing your foot between your opponents feet. Also, and in coordination with your feet throw your arms back preparing to grab.
Second you want to bring your other foot into the mix, and at the same time throw your arms up and around your opponent. Now is the time that injuries can happen. The one golden rule in making a safe tackle is to never, ever lead with or try to tackle with the crown of your head. You need to literally imagine that the football is a big hamburger and you want to bite it and not slam your forehead against it.
Third, at this point you have successfully grabbed your opponent and all thats left is to lunge your hips forward and bear all of your momentum against your opponent. The squarer you are in the first step the easier it will be to perform the third step.
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. It starts by placing players in a small four square box. Then the player will proceed to jump from on area or box to another, thus forcing the player to jump laterally, diagonally, frontwards, and backwards. Some of the variations can be on legged; either right or left, or changing the order those players will perform the drill.
Angle tackling
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. Accomplish this drill in pairs, having one teammate act as the offense, or ball carrier, running in a straight line and the other as the defender coming in at any angle. As the defender he will need to adjust his body to cover the shortest distance towards the ball carrier, and make the stop by placing his foot squarely in front, and remembers for safety to put his head in front of the ball carrier. The defender follows through with the tackle by straightening his knees in a lunging type motion, wrapping his arms around the ball carrier to pull him down to the ground or push him off sides.
Conditioning: Five dot jump
Conditioning is meant to increase speed, endurance, and reaction time on the football field. The intent of this drill is to increase accuracy, timing, and speed. 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 player will start by placing a foot on the back two dots and then jumps together to the middle dot and then out separating his legs to the outer dots, much like you would see in hop scotch. Next proceed around the dots one at a time jumping with one leg only, and then change to the other leg. After this, the player will touch all of the 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. Remember that speed and accuracy are important on this drill so coaches should start players off slow and then proceed to full speed constantly watching accuracy.
