Practicing the Hand off

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. At the same time that the first player leaves player B leaves his line towards player A, as they pass each other in the middle player A hands off the football to player B. At the point of the hand off another player leaves line A and runs towards player B, who hands off the ball to the new player. This drill should perform in a seamless motion. It is an effective drill to teach handoff skills and help running backs achieve higher accuracy and consistency.

Protecting the football as you run

You can't run with the football until you have learned some basic ball security measures. Nothing is worse for your offensive team then turning it over carelessly to the other team in a fumble. There are four points to protecting the football. The claw position is the first point, meaning that you grab the football clawing at the point of the football with your fingers. Second, wrap your forearm completely around the football. Third, pull the football in close to your bicep to protect it from opponent's jabs and attempts to make you fumble. Fourth, pull the football up and tight against your ribcage closing the gap on the football from all four sides. Practice holding the football and having defensive players try and knock out the football by any means possible. In this way you can practice great defensive moves to force a fumble, and also focus on offensive ball protection.

Weightlifting

No practice regime would be complete without lifting weights. The benefits of lifting weights are found in added strength, but more importantly it will increase your maximum power. Maximum power should be the goal of your training, because it involves muscle strength and muscle excursion during play. This exertion will help you as a football player to execute your skills on the field with speed and force. As you continue in your weightlifting program, we highly recommend that you get a personal coach to push you in your goals, teach you proper techniques, and ensure that you are doing the right work for your position.

Strip Tackling

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. As the offender runs ahead of the defender, have the defender bring his clenched hands up quickly, and forcefully, as he aims his hand at offender's football. Practice these movements slowly to start muscle memory and to correct bad habits.