Developing High School Football Defensive Routines
The Proper Way to Catch a High Football
Because not all throws are perfect you will need to practice making catches that are high or low. Here are some simple steps when making a high catch: Make a diamond with their forefingers and thumbs. When you have your hands extended you are performing a proper catch, remember, and dont ever catch it with your body. Once you have your hands around the ball, dont take your eyes off the ball but follow it right into your tuck. Some receivers fear an oncoming tackle and want to check out the field as soon as possible, those receivers that follow the catch with their eyes are going to catch more and receive more playing time.
Ball handling Drill: Hot potato
Ball handling is one of the most vital skills that a player can have on the field, and this drills goal is to help players get a better feel and control for the football. In this drill players will be constantly moving or passing the ball from one hand to the other. The drill is simple and starts by having the player pass the ball around their head, torso, arms, knees, and even between their feet from one hand to another in constant motion.
In this drill the coaches responsibility is to observe the smoothness of the drill, and to also shout commands of body positions to move the ball around, and also to reverse the direction of the football. This change of motion will keep players from falling asleep, and ensure that you are developing handling skills and not just muscle memory.
We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. This means that the player will drop the football and retrieve it again quickly. To further increase pickup skills have your players change up the hands that they are using so that both their strong and weak hands are developed.
Running with the Ball: The Gauntlet Drill
Ball security has to be the most important aspect of a strong offensive team. This is especially true for a running back or wide receiver as they will carry the ball more often than others on the field, but it is a good idea for all positions to practice a little ball security. That is why the gauntlet drill was created, to test and practice effective ball security. The point to the gauntlet drill is to have a player run through several opponents that try to dislodge the football. The opponents can line up in any scenario, the most common being two lines and the ball carrier must run through them. Run each of the gauntlet drills slow and then speed them up as each player gets better at effective ball security.
Playbook Practicing
Learning a play is critical because when an individual learns a play and executes it properly, it benefits the whole team. Rule number one in starting out a new play is following your coach's instructions. As you start to practice the play make sure to slow it down, there is no sense in practicing errors. Practice is a great time to get some extra help, so if you are struggling with a certain play remember that your coaches are there to help you master the techniques. Always, always ask for the help that you need. Are you done with the play after practice? No wayt thing that you can do after practice is visualize your plays. Sleep on them, and you will learn them twice as fast.
Because not all throws are perfect you will need to practice making catches that are high or low. Here are some simple steps when making a high catch: Make a diamond with their forefingers and thumbs. When you have your hands extended you are performing a proper catch, remember, and dont ever catch it with your body. Once you have your hands around the ball, dont take your eyes off the ball but follow it right into your tuck. Some receivers fear an oncoming tackle and want to check out the field as soon as possible, those receivers that follow the catch with their eyes are going to catch more and receive more playing time.
Ball handling Drill: Hot potato
Ball handling is one of the most vital skills that a player can have on the field, and this drills goal is to help players get a better feel and control for the football. In this drill players will be constantly moving or passing the ball from one hand to the other. The drill is simple and starts by having the player pass the ball around their head, torso, arms, knees, and even between their feet from one hand to another in constant motion.
In this drill the coaches responsibility is to observe the smoothness of the drill, and to also shout commands of body positions to move the ball around, and also to reverse the direction of the football. This change of motion will keep players from falling asleep, and ensure that you are developing handling skills and not just muscle memory.
We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. This means that the player will drop the football and retrieve it again quickly. To further increase pickup skills have your players change up the hands that they are using so that both their strong and weak hands are developed.
Running with the Ball: The Gauntlet Drill
Ball security has to be the most important aspect of a strong offensive team. This is especially true for a running back or wide receiver as they will carry the ball more often than others on the field, but it is a good idea for all positions to practice a little ball security. That is why the gauntlet drill was created, to test and practice effective ball security. The point to the gauntlet drill is to have a player run through several opponents that try to dislodge the football. The opponents can line up in any scenario, the most common being two lines and the ball carrier must run through them. Run each of the gauntlet drills slow and then speed them up as each player gets better at effective ball security.
Playbook Practicing
Learning a play is critical because when an individual learns a play and executes it properly, it benefits the whole team. Rule number one in starting out a new play is following your coach's instructions. As you start to practice the play make sure to slow it down, there is no sense in practicing errors. Practice is a great time to get some extra help, so if you are struggling with a certain play remember that your coaches are there to help you master the techniques. Always, always ask for the help that you need. Are you done with the play after practice? No wayt thing that you can do after practice is visualize your plays. Sleep on them, and you will learn them twice as fast.