Conditioning: Five dot jump

Conditioning drills are effective in training and helping athletes be strong and reactive. For this reason, coaches like this drill for its focus on speed and accuracy. 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 player will start by placing a foot on the back two dots and then jumps together to the middle dot and then out separating his legs to the outer dots, much like you would see in hop scotch. The second phase is having the player touch each of the dots with only one foot, and then switch to the other foot. After this, the player will touch all of the dots with both feet together. The last phase is really returning to the original starting phase of jumping together and apart, however this time the athlete will change directions after they have jumped to the outer 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.

Conditioning: Cross jumping

Football is all about action and reaction, and those that practice reacting quickly in a variety of directions will dominate the field. The point to this drill is having players practice quick directional changes on the field. It starts by placing players in a small four square box. The drill starts by having a player stand in one area or box, and has them jump diagonally, laterally, frontwards, and backwards from one area to another. Changes can be made so that the player will only use one foot and then the other while they run the drill.

Playbook Practicing

Every football team will have certain plays. It will be essential to learn your part in that play to benefit yourself, and 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. The last helpful hint that we want you to learn is the power of visualization. Go over the plays in your mind, over and over again. Make your mind work them out and your muscles memorize them even when you sleep!

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 defender he will need to adjust his body to cover the shortest distance towards the ball carrier, and make the stop by placing his foot squarely in front, and remembers for safety to put his head in front of the ball carrier. A good tackle is now executed as the defender lunges at the opponent wrapping his arms around his opponent grabbing cloth and completing the tackle by pulling him down or pushing him off sides.