Football Preparation Routines

The Proper Way to Catch a High Football

High passes happen, and as a receiver you need to be ready for something unexpected. As such you need to practice the high passes so that you know to react, here are some basics: The first and most important is that you extend your arms and keep your hands together in a diamond type shape to catch that football. Never catch or try to catch a ball with your body, especially a high ball. Important to look the catch through and tuck it away.

Angle tackling

Because not every tackle is direct and head on, it is necessary to set up an angle tackling situations during practice. Set up a simple drill with two players, on as the offense with the ball running in a straight line, the other as the defender running towards him at some angle. As the opponent comes toward the defender he will need to adjust his body position and shorten the angle, put his foot in front of the opponent, and make sure that he put his head in front of the opponent. The defender follows through with the tackle by straightening his knees in a lunging type motion, wrapping his arms around the ball carrier to pull him down to the ground or push him off sides.

Low Ball Catching Techniques

Great plays are made through dedicated practice of the fundamentals. Making the plays means that you have practiced the non-optimal situation and know how to react to them. Perfect and not so perfect scenarios should constantly run at football practice. Here are some great techniques in coaching and learning the low catch. First, keep your hands down low in a scooping or shovel position; you can even cross your pinkies. This ensures that the ball will not slip through your fingers. Second, keep your knees bent low and in extreme cases you should be flat on the ground or diving. Third, once the ball touches your hands scoop it up into your chest and tuck it away into a secure position. Remember, the cardinal rule of catching is to use your hands and not your body. Keep your eyes right on the ball. And always see the ball through, meaning that you are watching it into the tuck.

Conditioning: Five dot jump

Strength and reaction time is what makes a great football athlete. The intent of this drill is to increase accuracy, timing, and speed. The drill set up is a mat or place on the field with 5 dots about a foot away from each other forming an X shape, exactly in the same shape as you would see diamonds arranged on a number five card in a poker deck.

The athlete starts at the edge of the mat placing their feet on two of the outer dots and proceeds to jump with feet together on the center spot and then out again quickly to the outer dots similar to a simple hop scotch motion. Next proceed around the dots one at a time jumping with one leg only, and then change to the other leg. After this, the player will touch all of the dots with both feet together. The end step is similar to the first jumping jack step except that this time the player will turn 180 degrees after jumping on the two dots. Remember that speed and accuracy are important on this drill so coaches should start players off slow and then proceed to full speed constantly watching accuracy.