Snap, toss, tuck
Why it works
Every youth team drills the snap on its own and the handoff on its own, and then loses the ball on Saturday at the join between them. Chaining all three means the quarterback has to finish one exchange while already starting the next, which is the only place the fumble actually lives.
Run it
8 MINTwelve clean ones as a group, then rotate. Eight minutes. Count out loud and start the count again at zero when one hits the grass.
Say this
“Secure it before you turn.”
Two hands on the ball and chest height before the feet move.
“Runner, pocket early and hold it.”
The pocket is made before the quarterback gets there, not as he arrives.
“Tuck, then run. In that order.”
One hand over each point of the ball before the first real stride.
Good looks like
- The quarterback has both hands on it before his feet turn.
- The runner's pocket is open and still before the ball arrives.
- There is a visible squeeze before any running.
- Twelve in a row with nothing on the floor before you speed it up.
The mistakes
Turning while the ball is still travelling, which is where two thirds of these end up on the floor.
Say: “Secure it before you turn.”
Making the pocket on the move, which gives the quarterback a moving target.
Say: “Runner, pocket early and hold it.”
Running with it loose, which survives practice and does not survive contact.
Say: “Tuck, then run. In that order.”
Split it back up. Snap only for three minutes, handoff only for three, then join them for the last two.
Add a rusher on a three count, so the chain has to finish before he arrives.