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. Never catch or try to catch a ball with your body, especially a high ball. Once you have your hands around the ball, dont take your eyes off the ball but follow it right into your tuck. If you are taking your eyes off for any reason you will lose focus and have a greater chance to miss the pass, or worse, fumble the football.
Conditioning: Cross jumping
Conditioning in football is meant to help you react quickly on the field moving in a variety of directions. The point to this drill is having players practice quick directional changes on the field. Start out by placing the player on any crossing lined area on the field, anything like a small for square area. Then the player will proceed to jump from on area or box to another, thus forcing the player to jump laterally, diagonally, frontwards, and backwards. Changes can be made so that the player will only use one foot and then the other while they run the drill.
Hand off drill
Because hand offs are such a vital part of a running offense, running backs should practice hand off skills every day. 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. This drill should perform in a seamless motion. Practice this drill every day to ensure that your running backs are effective on their hand offs.
Water on and off the field
Sufficient water intake on and off the field for athletes should be a concern for both the coaches and the players. Make sure that during the football practice players have their water bottles handy and are drinking often. Times have changed and coaches these days should be aware of hydration needs and not use water as a reward, or withhold it as a punishment. These safe practices will help keep players energized and healthy.
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. Never catch or try to catch a ball with your body, especially a high ball. Once you have your hands around the ball, dont take your eyes off the ball but follow it right into your tuck. If you are taking your eyes off for any reason you will lose focus and have a greater chance to miss the pass, or worse, fumble the football.
Conditioning: Cross jumping
Conditioning in football is meant to help you react quickly on the field moving in a variety of directions. The point to this drill is having players practice quick directional changes on the field. Start out by placing the player on any crossing lined area on the field, anything like a small for square area. Then the player will proceed to jump from on area or box to another, thus forcing the player to jump laterally, diagonally, frontwards, and backwards. Changes can be made so that the player will only use one foot and then the other while they run the drill.
Hand off drill
Because hand offs are such a vital part of a running offense, running backs should practice hand off skills every day. 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. This drill should perform in a seamless motion. Practice this drill every day to ensure that your running backs are effective on their hand offs.
Water on and off the field
Sufficient water intake on and off the field for athletes should be a concern for both the coaches and the players. Make sure that during the football practice players have their water bottles handy and are drinking often. Times have changed and coaches these days should be aware of hydration needs and not use water as a reward, or withhold it as a punishment. These safe practices will help keep players energized and healthy.