Core Drills for Football Practice

Successful football teams develop both in-season and offseason drills that add strength, quickness, stamina and agility to players. Effective team drills teach players technique and the importance of playing as a unit. The best teams wear the other team down in the second half, because they have been disciplined in practices running their drills, gaining stamina and strength in the process.

  1. Crunch Drills

    • Coaches from the professional level down to high school emphasize the importance of having a strong core region to play football well. The core region consists of the abdominal, side and back muscles. Strengthening these areas improves a player's agility, strength and speed on the football field. A football coach should lead the team in every practice in core exercise drills. Captains can lead the team in abdominal crunches, twist crunches, bicycle crunches and leg raises.

    Hustle Drill

    • Spot the football on the 40-yard line. Have the starting offense run a play. After the ball is handed off or thrown, everyone runs full-speed to the end zone, then huddles around the ball carrier and shouts a victory chant. Repeat from the end zone line to the 40-yard line. Coaches use this drill for conditioning and emphasizing the importance of hustle. Do the same drill with the defense, starting with one of the players intercepting a pass or recovering a fumble.

    High Knee Running over Bags

    • Use this conditioning drill for all players, but especially for running backs. Place five square bags about 2 yards apart. Hand the ball on the whistle to a runner, and have him run full-speed through the bags. He should run with his eyes facing down the field, with knees kicking up high as he steps over each bag. This drill improves agility and power when running through traffic, while always looking ahead.

    Super Bowl Drill

    • Measure out a mini field 7 by 15 yards. Divide players into teams of four. Each team gets three drives of four tries to score. Keep rotating teams in, and see which team wins the most games. Coaches watch for penalties and proper fundamentals of running, blocking and tackling. The drill gets teams ready for games through intense competition.

    Two-Minute Drill

    • Coaches use this drill to prepare teams for the final two minutes of both the first half and the end of the game. Use a real clock, or at least have a coach yelling out the time during the drill. The offense should focus on quick lineup, play calling and recognizing the defensive coverage. The defense should focus on protecting against the big play and recognizing the offensive lineup.

    Offseason Drills

    • Successful teams perform offseason drills on a regular basis to improve strength and speed for the upcoming season. Strength training with weights and core training with crunch exercises should happen on a daily basis, rotating focus on different body parts during lifting exercises. Players should practice warm-up and cool-down drills to protect muscles from injury. Athletes should also develop a regular running routine, balancing distance running for stamina with short sprint drills for quickness and agility training.