Building a Complete Running Back isn’t easy, but here’s what we focus on…

Ball Security 

We all always stressing ball security. From day one, we tell our running backs that if they can’t hold onto the football, then they won’t be carrying it. This is something they hear a ton. We say that because we work regularly on ball security so there is no excuse. If I feel we haven’t worked on a technique enough, I won’t get mad at a mistake. However, if a kid fumbles the football, then I’m going to be pretty mad because that is a technique we work tirelessly at.

For ball security we teach the four points of pressure. Many teams will use the eagle claw technique or the five points of pressure technique. I use the four points of pressure because when I attended a clinic a couple of years ago a college coach explained it to me and I really like it.

Point of Pressure 1: Hand over the nose of the football. This is one of the most important aspects of this technique.

Point of Pressure 2: Ball against the forearm. You do not want to see any air between the football and the ball carriers forearm. If point of pressure #1 is followed, the forearm will follow the hand.

Paints of Pressure 3: Football must be firmly against the breastplate high and tight.

Points of Pressure 4: Roll the elbow tight against your body, now there is no way a defender can punch the ball out from behind.

Related Content: Progression for Carrying the Football 

Blocking

Blocking is something that all our players work on regularly. There’s only one player carrying the ball during each play so that means the other 10 better be great blockers or carrying out a fake. The run blocking technique does vary depending on what the schematic of the play is, but we like our running backs to attack our blocks. We want to aggressively attack our blocks with active feet and with our hands inside. We want to deliver the block first. We tell our running backs all the time, be first with your block. We focus a lot on making sure our running backs bring their feet to the block. We don’t want them to reach or lunge. It’s also very important that the running backs understand leverage. They have to know where the ball carrier is going and make sure they attack their block with the proper leverage. Biggest thing is being aggressive, active feet, bring feet with you, and finish.

Related Content: Best Running Back Drills for Youth Football 

Play-action / Fakes   ‘Playing without the Football’ 

Faking over the ball is another aspect we hammer home. We demand that our running backs carry out their fakes. We want our running back not to just fake, but fake over the football and continue running. Honestly, throughout the years the biggest issues we’ve had with our running backs was carrying out fakes. Sometimes kids get lazy or some even forget. What we do is we hold our kids accountable during practice and during the games. The first practice back after the game is when we watch film. The kids know that if they don’t carry out their fake they will be called out on it during film. There’s an old saying, the film doesn’t lie!

Effort Attitude and Toughness 

Teaching and coaching up effort, attitude and toughness is very difficult. We like to make all of our practices very competitive, upbeat and challenging. We believe that if the kids compete during the practice week, they will be more likely to compete during the actual game. Effort and attitude is something that is practiced, just like any other technique. During all runs we make sure our running backs finish all of their runs. We want them to run through contact and always keep low pad level and feet active.

 

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Ball security is a main priority. We tell our kids that if they can’t secure the football they won’t be carrying it. #coachinglife #youthfootball #runningback #footballsdrills

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Route Running & Catching the Football

In youth football running backs don’t have to catch the ball very much. I mean there are screens, swing passes, and thing like that but overall they are either running the ball, blocking or carrying out a fake. However, if you do utilize your running back in the passing game you need to make sure he is running crisp routes and able to catch the ball regardless. If you want your running backs to run crisp routes you need to practice them. We’ll do a passing session at the end of every team offense period. We’ll also run our routes with our RBs before practice begins. We don’t have a ton of different passing concepts, but the ones do we have, we practice the heck out of them. So I would recommend that you have your running backs run routes and catch the football every practice. It may not matter as much in youth, but when they get to middle, high school, or even college, they must be able to catch the football.

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The In and Out Pre Practice Drill

Like many spread to run offenses a lot of what we do is based around the quick passing game. For us, we want to create short, simple routes that force the defense to get out of the box and open up running lanes for our ground attack. In order for this to be effective and not fall behind on the downs, we must be able to throw and catch simple short routes. This means that we must develop the muscle memory to throw and catch these routes by working on them everyday. We use the In and Out Drill as a great way to develop this muscle memory.

The In and Out Drill is the final piece of our pre practice routine. We start with the Settle and Noose drill, then we move to the Over the Shoulder Drill. Finally we finish with our In and Out Drill. We start the drill with the Quarterbacks space 5 yards a part and a line of receivers five yards outside of each QB. On the movement of the ball the receiver will run 5 yards and then break out. The Quarterback will deliver an accurate pass to him so that the receiver can catch the ball and accelerate upfield.

The Out Drill is a very simple drill but there are a few small points that make it both an effective and efficient drill. The first is the timing of the ball the Quarterback throws. We are trying to develop the skill to catch the ball quick out of a break, so the Quarterback wants to start his mechanics as soon as the receiver plants his foot on the break. This will help ensure the ball is getting there quickly and the receiver is getting his head and hands around.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Line Drills 

The next detail is the burst of the receiver. For an Out route to be effective the receiver must catch the ball and burst up field. To simulate this we will put a gate that the receivers must run through, if they do not accelerate through the gate they have 10 push ups. The final piece of the out drill is to have players return the ball by coming back through the middle of the drill. While this seems like a very small part of the drill it allows the receivers to stay out of the way of the players who are going in the drill and it brings the ball directly to the Quarterback. In addition, it creates a natural pathway for the receiver to switch lines without causing any major disruption.

The next progression is to work the In Drill. For this the receivers will go an extra five yards out and run an in breaking route. By moving them an extra 5 yards out we keep the angle of the pass similar to the angle of the pass in the game and keep the channel open for the receivers to return the ball to the Quarterbacks. Besides the receivers starting wider and breaking in instead of out, everything else stays the same.

Related Content: Wide Receiver Stalk Blocking Drills 

The result is an efficient drill that gets receivers lots of reps catching passes coming out of the break. If the short passing game is a large part of your offense than both of these drills should be considered staples of your program and work as a great pre-practice drill or offseason drill to get a huge amount of catches in a short period of time.

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Drill # 1: Ball Security 

Ball security should be the number one priority of a running back. We tell our kids that if you can’t hold onto the football you won’t be carrying the football very much. Ball security is something that many youth football coaches do not practice enough. Securing the football should be something that is worked on every single practice.

Drill Setup

Put the running backs into 3 lines. The first 3 have the football and the coach makes sure they are holding it securely. Then on the whistle the RBs run 10 yards, touch the line line (with hand not holding the ball) then coming back and give the ball to the next players in the line. After they go, they get into the back of the line.  Every player should go at least two times. If you don’t have a lot of running backs you can just line them all up across in one line.

Related Content: Progression for Carrying the Football

Technique Focus

• Ball high and tight. Tip of the ball up.
• Eagle claw the ball against chests and bicep.
• On the whistle kids run 10 yards touch the line and run back to the beginning. while holding the ball properly.
• This drill is a full speed sprint.

Drill # 2: Handoff, Agility Ladder, and Juke 

This an excellent drill that works several different techniques. This drill works on taking a handoff, developing agility, and they learn how to make moves in space (juke). You will need an agility ladder and a line mat. However, cones could be used as well.

Drill Setup

You will need an agility ladder, line mat, several footballs, and a cone. If you do not a have line mat you can use cones. The running backs line up in one line and once the RB gets to the first agility box the next one goes. If you don’t have QB (to handoff), have a coach handoff. I would also recommend going on a your snap count, rather than just a whistle.

Technique Focus

Here is a basic running back drill we do the first day of practice. This drill is great because it practices QB/RB exchanges, works agility, and teaches the RBs not to belly towards the QB. #coaching #youthfootball #firstdayoffootballpractice

A post shared by Youth_Football (@youth_football) on Aug 1, 2017 at 5:57pm PDT

 

• QB hands off to the running back, the running back puts each foot into the box holding the ball high and tight.
• Once the running back gets through the ladder, he runs at a cone and makes a juke move either right or left.
• This is a full speed drill.

Drill # 3: Ladder, Ball Security, and Pad Level Drill 

This is the ultimate running back drill. This drill practices ball security, agility, and how to lower pad level. The kids will love this drill and it is something that you should do ever practice with your running backs. This is a great drill because it works multiple techniques at once, this will save practice time and make your practice much more productive.

Drill Setup 

You will need one football and an agility ladder. All the players line up in two lines at the end of the agility ladder. Once the running back gets through the agility ladder he then runs through the tunnel of players that will try to stripe the football. Once the player goes, he then goes to end of the tunnel.

Ball security is a main priority. We tell our kids that if they can’t secure the football they won’t be carrying it. #coachinglife #youthfootball #runningback #footballsdrills

A post shared by Youth_Football (@youth_football) on Oct 7, 2017 at 12:36pm PDT

Technique Focus 

• Running backs need to keep the ball high and tight at all times.
• Running backs need quick feet through the agility ladder box.
• Running backs need to run through the tunnel with love pad level and with two hands on the football. It’s important that the running backs do not stop their feet, run through the arm hacking at the football.
• This is a full speed drill.

The kids love this running back ball security drill. This is an excellent drill because it teaches multiple techniques. 1⃣ Works ball security. 2⃣ Conditions the athletes. 3⃣ Teaches the kids how to lower their shoulder and deliver the blow.

A post shared by Youth_Football (@youth_football) on Oct 7, 2017 at 5:53am PDT

(See Also) Running Back/ Quarterback Handoff Exchange 

(See Also) Technique Football Camp | Offensive Line Progression Drills 

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3 Golden Rules of the Two-Minute Offense

Rule # 1: Have a Second Play Ready! 

While offense can vary greatly there are a few general rules that every coach and player needs to know about 2 minute offense. The first rule is to always have a second play ready to run in case the clock is still running. The time it takes for a QB to get the play from the coach can take up to 5 seconds even if the play is signaled in. When you add the additional time that the coach take in picking a play this is a chunk of time that does not need to be wasted. Instead whenever the clock is stopped the coach should give the QB two play calls, one to run and a second play to run if the ball is stopped in bounds. Depending on the level of the rest of the team this play can be communicated to the line or receivers but at a minimum the QB should know the play so he can start communicating it as the ball is being spotted.

Rule #2: Never Throw a Check down! 

The second major rule is to never throw the check down. A two minute passing situation is different than the rest of the game. In a normal game if the QB sees that he can’t make a deep pass he should look to his shallow receivers and try to get a few yards. In the two minutes situation this is a mistake. By throwing to the short receiver he has taken time off the clock and put the receiver in danger of being tackled in bounds.

This isn’t to say that the QB should never throw the ball short in a 2 minute offense. Taking quick short passes can be a great way to move the ball into striking distance when the defense is bailing deep. These short passes that are thrown quickly to receivers who can easily catch the ball and get out of bounds are much different than check down routes.

Rule # 3: Do What Your Team Does Best ! 

The third and final rule of 2 minute passing is to do what your players do best. This is the time when players are tired and under stress. This is not the time to try a new concept or something that you rarely run. Instead you should have a list of plays that your players believe in and trust. The extra experience and trust will pay off in the long run.

Every offense is different and it’s important to acknowledge that. When you are running the two minute offense you must play to the strengths of your players with the understanding that you always want to trade a second for two to three yards. This means that if you call a play expecting it to take 4 seconds you better be planning on getting 8-12 yards. When you’re whole team understands this and how it impacts their decisions you are in a position to make the game winning drive that all players dream of.

Here are some passing concepts that work very well in youth football (Click below): 

Smash Concept 

Post-Wheel Concept 

4 Verticals 

Passing Concepts Against Zone Coverage 

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Teams Don’t Scout Us

I would say the biggest reason why we score so much is because some coaches don’t take the time and scout us. There are only so many coaches that are willing to take the time and get film on us. I will say that there are many teams that know what they are going to see when they play us, but we are always adjusting and evolving so they still find themselves getting gutted anyway. We are going to score point whether teams scout us or not, but if teams do not get film on us they are in for a really long day defensively.

Athletes Gets The Football Out In Space Very Quickly

Jet & rocket sweep allow us to get our athletes out in space very quickly. The rocket sweep gets our running back the ball out by the tight-end, which means we only have to block 2-3 defenders to gain big yardage. When you only have to block 2-3 players each play your offense will score a ton of points.  Jet and rocket sweep are plays that are immediate threats to the edge of the defense. This forces the defense to adjust or get beat. Once the defense overflows/over-adjusts, that’s when you hit them inside.

Ball Carrier Receives The Football At Full Speed 

On jet and rocket sweep our running back receives the ball while already running at full speed. On these sweep plays we are able to outrun many of the defenders. When you run jet and rocket you will see defenders trying to ‘arm tackle/reach’ for the ball carrier because they can’t keep up. Running these sweep plays you will literally give your ball carrier a head start! In addition, you really don’t even have to block any interior defenders.

We Utilize Blocking Angles & Multiple Formations 

We have three formations that we execute the jet sweep play out of. We like to utilize an unbalanced formation, a balanced formation, and a spread formation. Each of those formations generate excellent blocking angles on the defense. We also love to utilize crack blocks. We like to crack with our split-end and lead block with a pulling guard or fullback.  If you want to be an efficient play caller you need to attack where the defense is giving you excellent blocking angles. Utilizing different formations will create alignment conflicts for the defense and it will generate great blocking angles on the defense.

Defense Has Too Many Down Defensive Linemen 

Anytime we play 6, 7, or 8 man fronts we absolutely shred them. When defenses commit 6, 7, or 8 defenders on the line of scrimmage they are left with no defenders to pursue the football. If you are able to break through that horizontal line of defenders it’s easy sailing into the end-zone. Against gap defenses all you need to do is go with unbalanced formations and utilize down, kick-out, and crack blocks. When there is a defender in every gap, they just won’t be able to pursuit to the jet and rocket sweep. These type of defenses can’t defend the pass, jet/rocket sweep, and they can’t align properly against multiple formation offenses.

(See Also) Jet Sweep Play in Youth Football 

(See Also) Shotgun Wing T Playbook 

(See Also) Rocket Sweep Series 

The post 5 Reasons Why We Score So Much On Jet & Rocket Sweep appeared first on Youth Football Online.

Progression for Carrying the Football

We teach ball security using the five points of pressure. With the five points of pressure the ball is completely protected from the defense. We use specific phrases for each of these five points that help illustrate the point, while also giving us coaching cues that we can use to correct poor technique quickly. The five points of pressure are eagle claw, lock the wrist, wrist above elbow, pin the ribs and double in trouble. Each of these phrases is a call to action that gives the players specific instructions and gives them a visual on how to carry the ball.

Eagle Claw

One mistake rookie players will make is to cover the tip of the ball, or even worse carry the ball upright. If a player is using the eagle claw there is no way they can make either of these mistakes. The Eagle Claw is when the ball carrier grabs the tip of the ball by not covering the tip. This prevents the ball carrier from carrying the ball vertically which eliminates the first rookie mistake players make. The Eagle Claw is effective because it does not cover the tip of the ball. By covering the tip of the ball the ball carrier is exerting pressure on a small surface area. When they spread their hand out and put pressure through all of the fingers the pressure is spread over a wider area which makes it less susceptible to a direct hit from a defender.

Lock the Wrist

Another common mistake players will make is to pin the ball directly to their chest without locking their wrist. The effect is that there is an open space between the ball carrier’s arm and the ball. This is space that can allow the ball to wiggle out in contact or for a defender’s hand to slip in to rip the ball out. Instead it’s critical that the ball carrier Locks his Wrist. The effect of this is that the ball is now tight against the forearm. This gives a wide surface area for the player to apply pressure to secure the ball and also helps to protect the ball from defender’s hands.

Wrist Above Elbow

One of the most under coached parts of ball security is the Wrist Above Elbow portion of ball carrying. The idea behind Wrist Above Elbow is that the ball carrier will keep his wrist above his elbow the whole time he has the ball. By keeping his wrist above his elbow he creates a bend in the arm. This bend allows the player’s bicep to cover the ball opposite of the forearm. Again there is a large surface area where the player can exert pressure on the ball to help secure it. The added benefit with keeping the wrist above the elbow is that is protects the back end of the ball. One of the more common causes of fumbles is when the ball carrier has the ball poked out from behind. This occurs when the ball carrier does not have his wrist higher than his elbow, this takes away his bicep as the backside protection and opens the ball up to a chasing defender

Pin the Ribs

The most underrated coaching point of ball security is to pin the ball to the ribs. By pinning the ball against his ribs the ball carrier can protect the backside of the ball. This is an excellent way to secure possession. The area where players tend to forget about pinning the ball to their ribs is when they begin to change directions. The body will naturally throw the arm out to counter the change of direction. It’s important that players drill this and work on keeping the ball in tight against their upper body to stop the body from putting the arm out automatically.

Double in Trouble

The last point of protection is the second arm across the ball. By putting the second arm across the ball the ball now has an added security that one arm alone cannot provide. It also has the added effect of narrowing the shoulder frame of the runner and making it easier to get through a narrow hole. This, combined with the body’s natural tendency to lower the shoulder level when doubling over the ball, creates a runner with a low center of gravity that can get through a narrow hole.

By doubling the ball up the runner has almost guaranteed possession of the ball but he cannot run very fast. As a result we tell our runners to only double the ball when they are going through the hole or into immediate contact, which creates the phrase double in trouble. With that being said it’s always better that the runner airs on the side of caution and securing the ball.

The turnover battle is the number one predictor of who will win any football game, regardless of the level. It’s important that players know how to properly secure possession and it is drilled on a daily basis.

Progression for Carrying the Football 

• Eagle Claw
• Lock the Wrist
• Wrist Above Elbow
• Pin the Ribs
• Double in Trouble
• High and Tight

Make it clear to your skilled position players- that if they can’t secure the football they will not be carrying the football. Fumbles cannot happen.

(See Also) Running Back Drills 

(See Also) Coaching Running Backs

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I bet there are thousands of plays across the country that are wasted because of poor handoff exchanges. Taking a handoff in football is overlooked by many youth football coaches. This is a technique that many coaches do not commit enough practice time too. Taking a handoff in football is one of the first techniques we teach our running backs. We will teach how to take a handoff in our individual position practice section. We will practice this technique throughout the entire season.

Our running back coach will put our players through conditioning drills that require the running backs and QB to give and take handoffs.  Once the kids know the technique, it becomes all about reps.  Every time you are running a play in practice, make sure the handoff exchange is perfect. If it isn’t then redo the play.  Like everyone, we will run a play again if it was executed incorrectly in anyway. If the handoff exchange between the QB and running back isn’t clean, we will run the play again with focus on executing a good hand exchange.  We don’t always run the same play again (slows tempo), but early on in the season we will.

Coaching Points for Running Backs

• Inside arm is up (arm nearest to the QB). If you are taking  a handoff to the left, your right arm needs to be up. If you are taking a handoff to the right, your left arm needs to be up. Another way to teach it-  inside arm is always up!
• The RB must come down on the ball once it is placed in his “bread basket“. You do not want to take the ball from the QB.
• You do not want the running back to belly towards the QB for the handoff. It is the QB’s job to get to the running back and hand the ball to him. If the point of attack is the 5 hole, the running back needs to run right at the 5 hole. Again, it is the QB’s job to get the RB the football.
• Running back’s eyes are always looking where he is running. You want the running back to be looking which way he has to cut.
• Once the ball is inserted into his bread basket, the RB must secure the football and maintain two hands on the football going through traffic.

Coaching Points for Quarterbacks

• The QB must insert the ball into the bread basket of the running back. The QB has to look where he is inserting the football.
• QB shouldn’t slam the ball in the bread basket, he should just insert it and the running back will come down on the ball.
• You want the QB to get the RB the football in the backfield. You don’t want the QB to give the running back the ball close to the line of scrimmage. This can be an issue because if there is penetration, the running back will have no time to adjust his path.
• It is the QB’s job to receive the snap and meet the running in the backfield and at the point of attack. QB has to move his feet.

Here are some “must do”-  Running Back Drills 

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• Attitude- Running backs must develop an “attitude” when they run the football. Attitude meaning running hard and aggressive. What I always tell my running backs is just because you are running the football doesn’t mean you cannot hit, deliver the blow to the defender. Run with confidence and an attitude that they cannot tackle you!
• The Handoff- The running backs must always have their inside arm up when taking a handoff. It is the QB’s job to get the running back the ball at the point of attack. The running back must never belly or come to the QB for the handoff. For example, say the play is attacking the 6 hole, it is the QB’s job to get some depth into the backfield and hand the football off to the RB at the 6 hole.  The QB needs to focus on inserting a clean handoff. The running back needs his eyes/head up so he can see which way he has to cut.

(See Also)  Proper Technique for taking a Handoff

• • Squaring the Shoulders- The ball carrier will have 11 players on the other side that will want to tackle and hit him. The running back needs to lower his shoulders and protect himself. Take the fight to the tacklers. Always play with head up and have two hands on the football when contact arrives.
  • Keep the Legs Pumping- Run through the contact! During my many years of watching youth football games I have noticed a common mistake in nearly every game- the running backs stop moving their feet after contact. We teach our running backs to lower their shoulder and keep their legs pumping. Run through the contact, do not stop- keep those legs pumping.
  • Ball Security- Keep two hands on the ball when contact arrives. High and tight, cover all the points of the football. You cannot be a running back if you fumble the football. Coaches have to practice ball security with their backs in practice.

Ball security is a main priority. We tell our kids that if they can’t secure the football they won’t be carrying it. #coachinglife #youthfootball #runningback #footballsdrills

A post shared by Youth_Football (@youth_football) on Oct 7, 2017 at 12:36pm PDT

It is no secret that the offensive line needs to block. If they do not block well, the running backs are in for a long day. But, running the football is all about attitude and desire. Running backs need to get down hill, protect themselves (lower shoulder), keep legs pumping and run with confidence.

Have tips? Share in the comments below!

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At least 90 % of football plays are running plays which require a running back-quarterback exchange. It is imperative that you practice this exchange often in practice. It is all about proper technique and timing.

Hand-offs

• Running back must have his inside arm up. If the play is going to the right, the ball carrier needs to have his left arm up. If the play is going  to the left, the ball carrier needs to have his right arm up. This will help deter fumbles and allow the QB to insert the ball into the running back’s belly. This is one of the most vital aspects of the running back-quarterback exchange.
• Running back must not belly towards the QB. The running back must run directly to the point of attack. Do not go to the QB for the hand-off.  It is the QB’s job to get the RB the ball.
• The RB needs to have his head up looking at the point of attack. The running back needs his head up so that he can see which way he needs to cut off the blocks.  Again, it is the quarterback’s job to get the running back the ball.
• The running back needs to be securing the ball through the line of scrimmage. The football needs to be held high and tight. Two hands need to cover the ball whenever contact arrives.
• Quarterback’s job is to get the running back the ball at the point of attack. The QB must use his eyes and feet to get to the RB. The QB must concentrate on putting the ball into the belly of the running back.
• The QB must not collide with the running. The QB needs to look where he is running.
• Quarterback must keep the ball against his chest with two hands on all fakes. This will secure the ball if the running back bumps into the quarterback, QB falls, or the defense gets penetration. The  snap and running back-quarterback exchange are the staring points of every play.

Pitch/Tosses

• The QB must secure the snap first!  Sometimes you will see young QBs try to take the snap and rush the pitch before they actually have a hold on the football. The first priority when teaching the running back-quarterback exchange is securing the snap.
• QBs needs to open their feet up to the target. If you are pitching/tossing the football to the right, the QB must square up to the target and his right foot needs to be pointed towards his target. This will allow the QB to have free motion on the pitch. If the QB is pitching left, his left foot needs to pointed towards the target and his chest & hips needs to be square to the target.
• The quarterback must follow through on all pitches. Pitches need to be crisp and directly to the ball carrier. No floating pitches!

Here is how we teach our rocket sweep toss:

Again it is crucial that the running back-quarterback exchange is smooth. You cannot afford to lose a play or a possession because of a botched snap, hand-off, or ugly pitch. Practice hand-off and pitches every single practice. You can even do it before practice when the kids are waiting to start practice.

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One of the biggest lies I hear young coaches tell players is that you can’t teach speed. To me, speed is like any other muscle, if you train it right, you can improve on it. For example, I have seen college football athletes come out of school and participate in CFL (Canadian Football League) tryouts that don’t know the basic techniques of running.

Just knowing and doing the basic techniques will make you a tenth of a second faster. This is not just technique used by track and field athletes but they can be used on the gridiron as well. This technique is now being taught at the collegiate level because of the number of athletes that do not know the basics of running.

The first thing to understand is that the shoulders move the legs. The faster you move the shoulders, the faster you will move the legs. Have your athletes start in a standing position with their arms in an “L” position where their elbows are at a 90 degree angle. First teach them the movements in a simulated stance. By swinging their arms back and forth and never breaking the 90 degree angle. The hands should swing from the chin to the waist in a very fluid manner with the elbows close to the body.

Coaching Note: Do not allow the athletes break the 90 degree angle with their arms or swing their arms away from their body. This will cause a wasted motion and will slow them down.

Once you feel that the athletes have this motion down while standing still, have them now put it together in a slow walk. As the front foot steps, the opposite arm should be up and the hand at their chin and back hand is at their waist. Walk 10-15 yards doing this so they can see what it looks and feels like while going slow.

Coaching Note: This is the most critical stage, if they don’t see how it is supposed to look and feel like, then they will never pick up the motion.

Finally, you speed things up. Have the athletes do high knees while swinging their arms in the correct manner for 5-10 yards, then do a burst and sprint for another 5-10 yards. You can also have them run in place then burst and sprint for 5-10 yards. The point is to get the athletes to work this drill as much as possible.

Coaching Note: This drill can be also used while teaching wide receivers the shuffle step then burst past the Defensive Backs. This drill also helps all Defensive players on their explosion drills.

Like I said before, this is the most basic concept for youth football speed training. If this drill is taught correctly, it could pay off huge dividends in the athlete’s future. It is said that if you practice something 1000 times, then it becomes a habit. At the youth level, if you teach this drill every day for 3-5 minutes, you will see a huge difference in the way the athletes play.

By Coach Andy Bryson

Coach Andy was an intern coach at LSU and was an assistant defensive line coach for SLU.

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