Posts Tagged ‘Youth Football Drills’

Trevor Sumner asked:


When you have a passion for something, you want to pursue it at every available moment. Whether you’re a football coach looking for some practice strategies to assign to your players, a parent looking to give your kid a step up, or a player who loves the game and wants to improve, we’ve come up with some youth football drills that can be practiced alone. Every youth football player should learn to throw and catch the ball properly even if their position doesn’t require it on a regular basis.

Passing Drills That Can Be Practiced Alone

Practice throwing a spiral. Focus on your grip technique as well as your release. Practice at 50% of your throwing power and just concentrate on throwing perfect spirals. The football should roll off the fingers putting a spin on the ball.

Once you get the spiral down begin to develop accuracy. Again, keep your drills to half speed and focus on achieving the highest accuracy rating. Get a notebook to keep records in and try to improve each time out.

Once you can throw a perfect spiral at a target on a consistent basis you can begin to increase the power in your throws. Increase the velocity by 10% or so until you obtain the same accuracy rating you achieved at 50% capacity.

Now its time to throw while you’re moving to simulate game activity. Practice throwing from the pocket, rolling out, backpedaling to avoid the rush, throwing in the opposite direction…essentially, get ready for all game conditions.

Get plenty of rest for your arm. The problem with practicing repetitive activities is that they can cause ligament and muscle strain. Practicing football passing drills alone two or three alternate days a week is plenty.

Receiving Drills That Can Be Practiced Alone

Practice running your routes for each play. Drill these into your subconscious mind. Simulate game action and bring your hands up for the catch while forming a “pocket” with your fingers.

As a receiver it is important for you to practice “watching the ball into your hands” so that it becomes second nature. To practice this alone, lie on your back and spiral the ball a few feet into the air. Then “watch” the ball right into your hands. Be sure to form a pocket with your hands with your thumbs and index fingers almost touching. Catch the football away from your body and then tuck it in.

Of course, you can perform agility and conditioning drills alone as well. Every youth football player should be taught the self-discipline to exercise. Try these youth football drills whenever you can and watch your game improve.

You can also find many youth football drills on the Internet covering passing, receiving, rushing, defense and more Some drills are free and some require subscription or for you to order a DVD. Free football drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a variety and see what works best for you as the coach and your youth baseball team. Always remember that drills should be age appropriate. The right passing drill for a 14 year-old boy will not suit and 8-year old and vice versa.

There are many football coaching resources and communities like Weplay available to help with any questions you might have. Don’t underestimate the passion of the community around you. We are all here to help the kids.


Trevor Sumner asked:


To become an effective youth football quarterback takes hours of practice time. Learning passing fundamentals and practicing football drills on a daily basis will help the aspiring leader to take command on the youth football gridiron. Simulating football game situations when performing quarterback drills will assist the player in “thinking on their feet” when game time arrives. A quality quarterback will have a solid stance, good balance, confidence, and ball handling skills. In addition to the below examples, you can find more free youth football drills online at websites like Weplay.com.

Youth Quarterback Passing Drills

Knee Drill

The objective of these quarterback drills is to develop a proper wrist snap while releasing the football. A young quarterback must learn to throw with the body and the knee drill takes the legs out of the equation.

Position two quarterbacks on their knees about 5 yards apart. The first QB grasps the football with the correct grip supporting it with the opposite hand. The football is passed to the second QB and repeated. Extend the distance to 10 yards and repeat.

The quarterback coach should ensure that the players are following proper quarterback fundamentals such as grip, “cocking the arm” with the ball near the ear, release, and follow-through. The players should also focus on turning their hips through the pass to build core muscle strength.

Youth Quarterback “Clock Drill”

The objective of the “Clock Drill” for quarterbacks is to develop the proper stance, to practice drop-back maneuvers and to become comfortable working in all areas of the pocket.

Position the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. While a center snapping the ball isn’t necessary, it’s a good idea to practice the snap at the same time. As the QB drops back, the coach calls out directions to move by calling out “3 o’clock”, “6 o’clock”, or “12 o’clock”. At the end of each movement, the youth QB performs a pump fake to simulate passing.

An effective quarterback must play with confidence. To gain confidence, a quarterback must practice the fundamentals three to four days a week at minimum. Break the quarterback fundamentals down into a few related categories such as footwork, ball handling, and passing. You can then practice each category one day each week. Learning quarterback fundamentals and perfecting them is only part of the equation. Participating in football conditioning drills is an important component in producing successful youth quarterbacks as well.


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