Drills
Every drill with its setup, its coaching point, and what it costs you in minutes, players and space.
61 of 61 written so far. The rest are on the list.
61 drills · 61 written
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4 minages 8+1 playersHalf a field
SetupThree runs down the same twenty yards, through cone gates at seven and fourteen: about six tenths, then eight tenths, then everything.
Coaching pointThe gates are a speed limit, not a finish line. If the first run looks like the third one, the drill did nothing.
4 minages 6+1 playersA corner of the field
SetupTen yards of walking: knee hug, then a lunge with a turn, then plant the heel with the toe up and scoop the grass either side of the foot.
Coaching pointThis is the slowest thing you will do all practice. A player who is out of breath is doing it wrong.
4 minages 5+1 playersA corner of the field
SetupTwo markers just wider than the feet. Chop the feet in between with the arms pumping, then sprint five yards when the coach calls it.
Coaching pointFast feet are not the drill. The drill is being able to go somewhere out of fast feet, which is a different thing.
5 minages 5+1 playersA corner of the field
SetupFour lengths of a ten-yard line: high knees out, butt kicks back, karaoke out, build-up sprint back.
Coaching pointNobody is racing. The last trip is the only one at speed, and it is the only one that counts if the first three were sloppy.
5 minages 7+2 playersHalf a field
SetupPartners five yards apart. Every four clean catches, both players take five more steps back, out to twenty.
Coaching pointThe arm earns the distance. Five yards is a wrist, twenty yards is a whole body, and skipping the middle is how a shoulder gets sore.
5 minages 5+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupA line of players facing the coach. Green means go, red means stop dead in two steps, left and right mean plant and cut away at an angle.
Coaching pointA stop is a skill. Four little steps to a halt is not stopping, it is slowing down, and a defender covers all four of them.
6 minages 5+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupPairs five yards apart, one ball carrier, one defender, cones for a lane.
Coaching pointEyes on the hips. The ball lies, the belt does not.
6 minages 7+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupQuarterback, runner and receiver against one defender. Coach signals fake or real where only the offense can see it.
Coaching pointEyes on the hips, not the ball. They can hide a football, they cannot hide a direction.
6 minages 5+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupCenter and quarterback only. Twenty snaps, no rush, count the clean ones.
Coaching pointThe snap is a handoff you throw. Same hands every time.
6 minages 8+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupCenter and quarterback, two players a yard away shouting and clapping. Twenty snaps, same count.
Coaching pointSame cadence, same volume. Getting louder teaches them to wait for loud.
6 minages 6+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupPairs five yards apart, one tennis ball. Twenty catches each, fingertips only.
Coaching pointA tennis ball cannot be caught with your chest. That is the whole point.
6 minages 6+3 playersA corner of the field
SetupOne thrower, a line of receivers eight yards out. Call the height before you throw.
Coaching pointThumbs together up high, pinkies together down low. Never both, never neither.
6 minages 6+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupTwo cones ten yards apart. The runner shuffles twice then goes, and the chaser starts a step behind.
Coaching pointYou are not chasing him, you are chasing his belt. Run at the hip, not at the body.
6 minages 5+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupAs kids arrive, partner them up with one ball and five yards of grass. No lines, no whistle, just catching.
Coaching pointTen fingers on every ball, even the easy ones. This is where the habit gets made.
6 minages 6+6 playersA corner of the field
SetupA small circle, one ball. Clap your hands together before you catch it, and throw to anyone you like.
Coaching pointWe are making you start late on purpose, because late hands is the actual problem.
6 minages 6+3 playersHalf a field
SetupA thrower and a line of receivers running away from him. Lead them so the catch happens over the head.
Coaching pointRun under it and catch it in front of your eyes. A ball caught behind your head is a ball you never saw.
6 minages 8+3 playersA corner of the field
SetupReceiver stands ten yards out with his back to the thrower. On go he turns, finds the ball and catches it.
Coaching pointTurn your head before your feet. Find it first, then go and get it.
6 minages 5+6 playersA corner of the field
SetupTwo lines facing each other ten yards apart. Run at each other, hand it off in the middle, join the back of the other line.
Coaching pointBoth of you slow down for the exchange, then both of you go. A handoff at full speed is a fumble.
6 minages 5+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupTwo players standing side by side, a yard apart. Right hand exchanges, then left hand, then run five yards with it.
Coaching pointInside arm up, outside arm down. Same pocket every time, and both sides have to be the same.
6 minages 8+6 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo lines backpedalling side by side. The coach moves to one side and they turn and run with him.
Coaching pointTurn and run, do not turn and look. The look comes once you are already moving.
6 minages 9+1 playersA corner of the field
SetupA five-yard square. Backpedal up one side, shuffle across the top, sprint down the far side, shuffle back along the bottom.
Coaching pointThe corners are the drill. Anybody can cover the sides, and everybody rounds the turns.
6 minages 5+6 playersHalf a field
SetupA twenty by twenty grid, flags on, everybody is it. Lose a flag, put it back on and rejoin.
Coaching pointNobody is out, so nobody stops. The kid who has lost three flags is getting the same practice as the kid who has lost none.
6 minages 8+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupA ten-yard square. A runner and a defender start at opposite corners, sprint around their own front cone, and meet in the middle.
Coaching pointThe pull is decided before they meet. Whoever took the better angle out of their corner wins, every time.
6 minages 6+3 playersA corner of the field
SetupDefenders stand in two staggered lines five yards apart with their hands on their hips. A runner sprints to each one, squares up, and takes both flags.
Coaching pointEvery single one is two hands on two flags. A one-handed grab on the way past is the habit that costs a touchdown.
8 minages 6+6 playersHalf a field
SetupThree defenders, a sweep to one side, cone marking the sideline.
Coaching pointOutside shoulder free. Turn it back inside, do not chase it flat.
8 minages 9+2 playersA corner of the field
SetupOne defender on the line, receiver on the ball, no contact below the waist.
Coaching pointWin it in the first two steps or you do not win it.
Runs into Mesh8 minages 8+5 playersHalf a field
SetupFour defenders standing still in a box, one receiver working inside it. Coach throws.
Coaching pointFind the grass, then stop. A receiver who keeps running finds a defender.
8 minages 9+3 playersHalf a field
SetupCoach counts to four out loud. Ball has to be gone on three.
Coaching pointThe clock in your head beats the rusher, not your legs.
8 minages 5+8 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo lines facing each other five yards apart. Each side picks an animal, and you tell a story.
Coaching pointSay the animal in the middle of a sentence, never at the end of one. The listening is the drill.
8 minages 7+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupA five yard box. The defender stands in it and cannot move his feet. Runners come one at a time.
Coaching pointIf you cannot move your feet you have to move your hands early. Reach for the belt, not the shirt.
8 minages 9+3 playersHalf a field
SetupFive cones in a W. Backpedal down each leg, sprint up the next, and catch a ball off the last one.
Coaching pointChest over your toes the whole way down. The moment you stand up straight you are beaten.
8 minages 8+3 playersHalf a field
SetupFive cones in a W. The receiver cuts at each one off his outside foot, and catches a ball off the last.
Coaching pointPlant the outside foot and go. A rounded cut hands the defender back the two steps he lost.
8 minages 10+3 playersHalf a field
SetupA receiver, a defender on his hip and a thrower ten yards off. Two rounds: trailing, then facing.
Coaching pointPlay the hands, not the ball. Get to the catch point and the ball takes care of itself.
8 minages 8+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupA ten yard box with a cone in the middle. Two players start back to back, run a cone of their choice, then meet.
Coaching pointYou do not know who is coming or from where. Find the hips before you find the feet.
8 minages 8+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupFour cones make a narrow chute about five yards long. Runner and defender enter from opposite ends at the same time, and the runner gets one move.
Coaching pointNowhere to run means nowhere to hide. Break down, then take the belt as he commits.
8 minages 7+6 playersHalf a field
SetupThree throwers and three lines of receivers running straight at each other. The pass is made head on.
Coaching pointClosing on a ball is harder than running under one, and nobody practises it. Hands early, eyes open.
8 minages 6+7 playersA corner of the field
SetupOne player in the middle, everybody else in a ring around him. Round the horn, and every pair throws and catches.
Coaching pointThe middle never stops turning. Find the next pair of hands before the ball does.
8 minages 9+4 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo receivers five yards apart and ten yards out, one defender standing between them. Pick one and keep it away from the middle.
Coaching pointThrow to the shoulder he cannot reach. The gap is bigger than it looks and smaller than you think.
8 minages 7+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupA large bucket on the grass and three throwing marks at different distances. Rotate, and keep score out loud.
Coaching pointAim at something small and the field gets bigger. A bucket does not move, so there is nowhere to hide.
8 minages 9+3 playersA corner of the field
SetupA defender five yards out and a second defender three yards behind him. High ball to the first, he tips it back, the second takes it.
Coaching pointTip it up and back, never down. A ball tipped forward is a completion you just helped.
8 minages 9+3 playersHalf a field
SetupOne on one with the coach. Backpedal, then side step whichever way he points, then turn and run for a long ball.
Coaching pointThree gears in one rep, and the hips never get square to nothing.
8 minages 7+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupOne runner in a fifteen yard box against three defenders. All three work together and nobody goes alone.
Coaching pointSqueeze him, do not chase him. Three defenders running at the same spot is one defender.
8 minages 6+10 playersA corner of the field
SetupA ten by ten square with everybody inside it. Pull flags, keep your own, and hold on to every flag you take.
Coaching pointHead up and hands out. You cannot take one while you are watching your own belt.
8 minages 7+3 playersA corner of the field
SetupCentre, quarterback and runner. The snap goes back, the ball goes across, and the runner tucks it before he runs.
Coaching pointThree hands-offs in two seconds. The one that goes wrong is always the one nobody was looking at.
8 minages 5+10 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo taggers, everybody else in belts inside a marked square. Lose a flag and you freeze until a team mate touches your shoulder.
Coaching pointSomebody is always frozen, so somebody always has to go and get them. Look up, not just at who is chasing you.
8 minages 9+4 playersHalf a field
SetupA rusher seven yards off the ball and a quarterback with a three count. Get there before the ball leaves, without going through anybody.
Coaching pointSeven yards is a long way and three seconds is not long. The first two steps decide it, not the last two.
10 minages 8+8 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo lines at the numbers, ball carrier releases down the sideline.
Coaching pointRun to where he will be, not to where he is.
10 minages 10+3 playersHalf a field
SetupCone at ten yards. Receiver stems outside, breaks in.
Coaching pointSell the stem with your eyes before your feet.
10 minages 10+5 playersHalf a field
SetupA center, two cones for the pocket, one rusher through on three, and two receivers still working.
Coaching pointSlide, do not sprint. You are looking for somewhere to throw from, not for yards.
10 minages 10+4 playersHalf a field
SetupThrower ten yards away. Receiver and defender start side by side, the receiver sprints outside, the ball goes up.
Coaching pointRun with him first, find the ball second. A head that turns early is a receiver running free.
10 minages 8+8 playersHalf a field
SetupEight cones in two rows three yards apart, making three gates. The runner picks a gate and gets one move.
Coaching pointPick the gate late. A runner who commits early is a runner the defender has already met.
10 minages 10+3 playersHalf a field
SetupFour cones in a T. The defender trails, the receiver stutters once or twice, then picks a cone.
Coaching pointStay low and stay on the hip. You do not have to guess the route if you can still touch him.
10 minages 9+5 playersHalf a field
SetupTwo lines and a thrower make a T. The receiver breaks left or right, settles in the space, then works through the gate.
Coaching pointFind the quiet grass and stop in it. Against a zone, stopping IS the move.
10 minages 8+4 playersHalf a field
SetupA line for each spot: quarterback, receiver left, receiver right, defender. Both routes go and the quarterback picks one.
Coaching pointDecide before you throw, not while you throw. Two open receivers is one decision, not two.
10 minages 5+10 playersHalf a field
SetupEverybody but one lines up on a side with flags on. Get across without losing one. Whoever gets pulled is a shark next round.
Coaching pointSharks, go where he is going. Minnows, do not all run at the biggest gap, because everybody else is running at it too.
10 minages 10+4 playersHalf a field
SetupGroups of four: a thrower, two receivers and one defender in the middle. Read the eyes and break on the throw.
Coaching pointCover the throw, not the man. In a zone your job is the ball, and his eyes tell you where it is going.
12 minages 9+4 playersA corner of the field
SetupTwo receivers, two defenders in man, a cone where the routes cross. Nobody touches anybody.
Coaching pointRun shoulder to shoulder and let them sort it out. The rub is legal, the push is not.
Runs into Are pick plays legal?12 minages 9+3 playersHalf a field
SetupA cone at ten yards and three receivers rotating. The coach calls one of six routes while the runner is already moving.
Coaching pointTen identical yards, whatever the call. The route starts when I say it, not when you guess it.
12 minages 7+10 playersHalf a field
SetupA five by twenty yard lane split into four boxes with one defender in each. Runners go one after another and try to reach the far end.
Coaching pointDefenders, low and wide, and stay in your own box. Once he is past you he is not yours any more.
12 minages 7+10 playersFull field
SetupTwo teams. Move down the field by throwing and catching only, with no running once you have it. A drop or a pick turns it over.
Coaching pointNobody can run with it, so getting open is the only way forward. Move the second you have thrown.
12 minages 7+10 playersFull field
SetupTwo halves, two teams, and a pile of footballs behind each. Raid the other half, carry one back, and lose your flag over there and it goes back on the pile.
Coaching pointYou cannot get pulled in your own half, so the whole game is choosing when to cross. Go together or do not go.
Draw the drill on a real field
Set the cones, draw the paths, print it for Saturday.
Open the designer