Football Maniacs

Learning the basics in a handoff is essential to a strong offense. Let’s look at a simple hand off between a quarterback and a running back to point out the fundamentals of this skill. A running back at the start of a hand off should give the quarterback a target by opening up his arms that are in front of his chest enough to allow about one and a half footballs in. When the running back receives the football he clamps down both arms hard on the football to protect it. As the running back runs off with the football it is important to stay low to increase agility and speed.

Practice can help turnovers

There is a golden rule in football defense, get the ball to the offensive team as quickly as possible. The fastest way to gain possession of the ball is to force an offensive player to fumble the football. A great way to practice is have two players line up, one as the defense, the other with the football as the offense. The defender will practice stripping the ball by bringing his hands up quickly with a clenched fist to grab the opponent and as he does so to aim to knock out the football. This drill is most effective if you start it slow focusing on the motions needed to be effective, and then speed up over time. [...]

Football may be the most popular team sport in America, but you don’t need a team to become good at it! Though passing needs to be done with a partner, almost all of the speed, endurance, and strength training can be done alone, at home or in a gym. The one drill that makes you training for football and not just any sport is catching the ball, so we’ll start with that.

Solo Catching Practice: Spiral the ball into the air. Pump your arms vigorously to simulate running without the ball. Look up as the ball begins to descend. Create a window out of your thumbs with arms extended above your head. When the ball is close, attack it. Receivers do not wait for the ball; they go get it! This way there is less of a chance for interception. The second your hands make contact rip the ball down and cradle it to your body. From here you can sprint to your “end zone” or just start over. [...]

Basics to football hand offs

Learning the basics in a handoff is essential to a strong offense. We will explain this in a common scenario between a quarterback and a running back. The running back starts the hand off running towards the quarterback with his arms open creating a pocket for the quarterback to slide the football right into the running back’s chest. When the quarterback slides the ball into the arms, or the pocket as it is called, the running back closes his arms around the ball to protect it. As the running back leaves from the handoff he needs to stay low to react quickly and again to protect the ball.

Points on tackling safely and effectively

It has been stated many times that a defensive teams win games, and the most fundamental part of a defensive team is performing a great tackle. If you, or your players don’t take tackling seriously you will not stop the offense and could also cause injuries. Some points to remember when tackling: [...]