Here's a chance for coaches to share with each other their best drills. If you have a drill or play you'd like to share with your peers, please submit a drill!

By John Parker, Head Coach,Woodbridge High School, Bridgeville, Dela.

When coaching players through drills, remember these important coaching points.

• When drilling our players, we want to BE CONSISTENT AND DEMANDING .
• Insist that every drill be performed with maximum effort. 100% FULL SPEED!!
• NEVER OVERLOOK THE LITTLE THINGS. If something isn't done properly, repeat it. Do not let it slide.
• EVERYONE MUST PAY ATTENTION . All players doing the drill should concentrate on the explanation of the drill, the drill execution of their teammate, and be prepared to perform the drill properly on their rep.
• YOU BE PREPARED! It is your responsibility as a coach to make sure the drill area is prepared. The necessary bags, balls, and equipment are ready and in place for your players.
• BE ENTHUSIASTIC!! Push them hard. Coach them hard. Your players want to become the best they can become!
• THE GREAT COACH INSPIRES!!

Please click here to submit a drill

Perfect Pass Drill
"I began using a perfect pass drill with my receivers this year. We run all our routes with an imaginary ball so we can concentrate on steps, plants, cuts, and timing. Without the ball to worry about, the muscle memory of the routes can be more precise once a ball is included. This helps receiver routes as well as quarterback steps and timing since he doesn't have to rush to release a perfect pass."
-- Jason Evans, Grundy County High School, Coalmont, Tenn.

Triangle Drill
"The worst part of football practice happens when players are standing around. We try to stay in 10 minute fragments and no down time. We hope to keep our high school players intense for 10 minutes at a time.

The triangle drill is a quick, intense, full-speed drill that takes some personnel planning on the coaches’ part.

There are 3 drills ready to go off in rapid succession so we form a triangle. The offense is inside running out. All 3 drills only have the players who are going to be at the point of attack.

1. off-tackle play (tackle/ te/ qb/ fb/ tb) vs DE/ DT AND 2 INSIDE LBS
2. trap play (center/ qb/ fb) vs N/ DT/ 1 LB
3. counter play (c/qb/ rb/ 2 g's/ 2 t's) vs 2 LBS/ DE/ DT

In a meeting prior to practice, we designate where every player will be during this drill (db's and wr's go work 1 on 1). After we have players in the correct location we really move quickly. We start with all the coaches at the off-tackle play, on the snap it is a full speed play right at the defense. On the whistle, coaches move to the trap play, which is ready to go off 10 seconds after the blast. Again we run a trap right at the defense full speed and the whistle moves the coaches to the counter play. We normally go through this 3 times before switching players to a different play and then we go again. In 10 minutes we run 18 plays at the point-of-attack people.

Our staff loves this drill. Afterward, we follow with an individual period where we can correct mistakes."
-- Inman Sherman, South Sumter (Fla.) High School

"Handcuff" Drill
"You can buy old tire inner tubes very cheap at service stations, etc. I usually buy 2-3 every season. With tubes deflated, I cut 3 inch sections from outside in on the tubes so that I have about 10-12 circles or rings. I use these rings on my players' wrists to keep tight hands for most of our pass protection drills.

The player will take a ring and put both hands inside. He then will twist one hand around and around until the middle of the ring twists together and holds his hands like "handcuffs." The drills I use the cuffs for are as follows:

1. Marathon Punch: Line all O-Linemen shoulder-to-shoulder across the field on a yard line. All linemen already have their handcuffs on. Start at one end with the player at that end. He will face the next guy on the line in a 2-point stance with hands up and back ready to punch. Coach proper foot stagger, hip level and head back. The player will then kick-slide down the row of players pausing to punch each one until he gets to the other end. The players in line are to lunge forward, leading with their chests so the player may time his punch with tight hands (handcuffs). Once he gets to the third player, the next guy in line hops over and follows. You keep this cycle going until the last guy on the row finishes and then you start back the other way.
   
   Focus on cleats in the ground with a good base when punching, fast feet when moving from player-to-player down the line, tight hands punching in an upward motion while pulling the head back and staying down his hips for pad level and low center of gravity.
2. Mirror Drill: Set 2 cones approximately 5 yards apart on a yard line. Put the O-Lineman about 2 yards in front of this line aligned about the middle of the cones. He will have his handcuffs on and be in a 3-point stance (handcuffs may alter the placement of off hand but that's okay). A line of "rushers" will be on the next yard line facing the O-Lineman. On coaches whistle, one rusher will run at the O-Lineman as he pops out of his stance. The rusher will make one move to try and get by the O-Lineman and between the 2 cones. The O-Lineman's objective is to defeat the move and deflect the rusher past the cones. He cannot be pushed back over the line or retreat over it either. The rotation is that the rusher goes to the O-Line line and the O-Lineman goes to the rusher line. This drill can be done at a very fast pace.
   
   Focus on getting out of stance and into a good pass blocking position quickly. O-Line should stay inside-out on rusher with a good punch and good foot work. The shoulders should not turn sideways. Preach "finishing" to the O-Lineman."

-- Jon Luke, Round Rock (Texas) Westwood

Speed
"My favorite drills revolve around speed. One of the best is a 20-yard shuttle – five yards and back, 10 yards and back, and five yards and finish."
-- Jon Mack, St. Bonaventure, Ventura , Calif.

Make the Play Drill
"This is a drill to simulate a defender trying to catch up to a receiver that has beaten us deep.  We place the receiver 5 yards ahead of the defensive back. On the first sound the receiver will take off on a go route and the defensive back will chase him, playing the man, not the ball.  We will have a coach or QB throw the go route to the receiver. The coaching point here is that the defender does not look back but concentrates on running to catch up to the receiver. The defender reads the eyes and arms of the receiver and will rake as the ball arrives knocking the receiver's arms and making sure the ball is not caught.  We do not care at this point if they call interference or not, we just want to make sure that the receiver does not catch the ball because we are beat and cannot allow a score.  Most defensive backs will want to look back at the QB, but they must be taught to concentrate on catching the receiver and not look back unless they catch up to the receiver."
-- Dale Anderson, Southwestern High School, Somerset , Ky.

Open-field Tackling"The tackler starts at the 20-yard cone and sprints toward ball carrier, who tries to fake the tackler when tackler is 5-7 yards from him. The ball carrier must stay between the 10-yard cones."
-- Jon Mack, St. Bonaventure, Ventura , Calif.