Football Coaching Strengths

Staying Hydrated

Dehydration should never appear on the football field if both the players and coaches have good habits. Make sure that during the football practice players have their water bottles handy and are drinking often. Always remember that if you prevent, punish, or otherwise use water as a motivational tool it is very counterproductive, and there are many other motivating paths that you can take. Keeping everyone happy and hydrated will go a long way to a successful practice.

Tackling Fundamentals and Safety

Learning how to perform a proper tackle is fundamental to the game of football. If executed poorly not only will you not succeed in stopping the offensive team, but you could possibly injure yourself in the process. When you tackle your opponent remember three important steps:

First, plant yourself in front of your opponent. An excellent technique is to plant your foot in the middle of your opponents. 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. As your feet plants your head should be making its first contact. 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. A great way to insure that you are in the right position is to practice touching your facemask to the football of the opposing player.

Third, throw your hips up and hard as you drive the offensive player backwards. The squarer you are in the first step the easier it will be to perform the third step.

Proper Catching Leads to Great Ball Security

Catching the football properly and effectively is fundamental to a strong offense. There are three steps of a great catch: First, place your hands in front of you with your palms open and thumbs out forming an open triangle for the football. Second, follow the ball through with your eyes. Third, tuck the ball away security, keeping your eyes on the ball, so that it is in a high tight position. Bad habits can form easily as many receivers look away mid catch to scan the field for defenders. Taking your eye off the ball increases incomplete passes, fumbles, and turnovers. To prevent this, have two receivers throw to each other and as they catch it have them slow down the motion so that they pause at each catch, follow through and tuck.

A great Handoff Drill

Drills practicing fundamentals like an effective hand offs can make the difference between a mediocre team and an excellent one. One great hand off drill starts by having two separate lines of players facing each other: line A and line B. At the coaches signal player A leaves line A running with the football towards line B. In sync with that first player, a second player leaves line B, when they meet player A passes to player B. Now player B has the ball and will hand off the ball to the next person in Line A who will hand off to the next player in Line B. The motion should be constantly moving from one line to another in this drill, almost like a juggling pattern. It is an effective drill to teach handoff skills and help running backs achieve higher accuracy and consistency.