How to Become More Coordinated for Football

Coordination is a key element to success in just about every sport, but in football it may be the one thing that keeps a quarterback from being sacked or a wide receiver from missing the ball. A running back with no coordination would become more familiar with the ground than the end zone over time. Whether they stick to traditional training on the football field or experiment with unorthodox methods in a dance studio, football players have a wide variety of exercises at their disposal to improve coordination.

Things You'll Need

  • Training ladder
  • Cones
  • Soft ball
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Instructions

    • 1

      Perform ladder agility drills. These drills usually involve a piece of equipment similar to a rope ladder laid down on the ground. Drills like hopscotch and in-out drills are performed in and outside of the ladder. In-out drills involve alternately stepping into and out of squares progressively to the end of the ladder. These drills improve speed, agility and coordination.

    • 2

      Perform lateral feet drills. These ladder drills require greater concentration and coordination. Start outside the ladder to the left, make two steps inside of it and quickly make two steps outside of it to the right. Repeat up the rest of the ladder without touching it or breaking rhythm.

    • 3

      Perform cut drills. These are designed with wide receivers in mind. Start by running in place and run a designed route to a cone. Cut left or right and turn to catch the football.

    • 4

      Run steps or bleachers during conditioning. Although it may just seem like you're making conditioning harder, running stairs or bleachers works different muscle groups and improves coordination.

    • 5

      Work on hand-eye coordination with a partner. Start by standing in front of a makeshift goal or target and have the other person stand far away. When the other person throws a soft ball your way, swat it or catch it. As you improve have the thrower move closer and throw faster.

    • 6

      Take ballet. Ballet and dance training improve overall agility and players that have experimented with dance training, such as Super Bowl winner Willie Gault, claim it reduces injury and improves performance, according to the website Peak Performance.