Pre Season Football Drills

The purpose of pre-season workout drills is to prepare for the season by honing a particular skill set before wins and losses matter. The types of drills vary by position, whether it is as a quarterback, defensive back, receiver or lineman. Each has their own specific position conditioning, or drills and routines that are designed to practice movements necessary for competency at a position. There is, however, an overall set of drills that can be beneficial to all players. These drills fall into three categories: combine drills, tackling drills and speed drills.

  1. Combine Drills

    • NFL.com, along with most other combine sources, has developed what it considers the ideal set of drills that define competency and skill necessary for football. Drilling these specific exercises can greatly enhance skills sets and conditioning for an upcoming season.

      Good combine drills include the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle drill. These drills are all commonly used in training college and professional-level athletes. The three-cone drill and the shuttle drill involve setting up cones on a field and utilizing lateral speed and quick turning, which will be necessary in play.

    Tackling Drills

    • Tackling drills are best done at the beginning of a practice and before players are tired, so as not to incur injuries. Preparing for contact before the season starts is among the most important drills a player can engage in. Without proper understanding of how to hit and to take a hit, players often come away with injuries.

      A popular tackling drill is called "bull in the ring," or the circle drill. Players form a circle and one by one stand at the center and wait for the coach to call out a number. The person whose number is called has to get to the other side of the circle, while player at the center of the ring attempts to tackle them. Other popular drills that can help in the off-season are one-on-one and two-on-one drills where players lay on their backs helmet to helmet and then pop up and tackle at the sound of the whistle.

    Speed Drills

    • Speed drills are useful as they build lower body strength necessary for football, as well as giving a player a competitive edge against peers. Beyond your basic running and weight-training, there are other ways to build lateral quickness and sprinting speed.

      Leapfrog, a drill that many familiar with football would recognize, is when three players on their hands and knees continuously change position by becoming the man in the middle. Popularized by movies and football camps, it builds explosive strength. Cone routine and drills that alternate between karaoke and sprinting help to hone changing direction and associated speed. Line drills where players run back and forth between marker lines performing a variety of exercises in-between can help prepare athletes for the fatigue of the fourth quarter.