Football Punishment Drills

Football is a sport that relies heavily on discipline and teamwork. Players must perform their assigned tasks to a high standard. Because of this, it is sometimes necessary to punish players who do not follow directions, or continually make critical mental or physical mistakes. The goal of this discipline is not to physically harm players, but to deliver the message that repeated errors cannot be tolerated. There are a variety of punishment drills that are used for this purpose.

  1. Running With Pads

    • Running in full pads is a punishing task.

      Forcing players to run is a common punishment drill in sports. In football, making players run with pads on adds another dimension to the punishment. Bulky shoulder pads, a helmet and other protective gear weigh about 13 pounds. A one-mile run or simple lap around the field in full pads is not a desirable activity for football players. This is a powerful punishment and coaches should not overdo it by making the players run excessively long distances. Be sure the athletes have access to water after the run.

    Up-downs

    • A common football drill is the up-down. In this drill, players run in place and, on command, drop flat to the ground on their stomachs. Without their knees touching the ground, players must then bounce back up quickly and resume running in place. This drill is used during football practices to improve endurance and agility. Because of the rigorous nature of this exercise, up-downs also serve as an effective punishment drill. No player enjoys performing up-downs. Ordering an athlete to perform multiple up-downs lets him know his actions were unacceptable.

    Sprints

    • With or without pads, sprints are an effective form of punishment. The yard markers on a football field provide an easy way to measure the distance of the sprints. Have a player start on one goal line, then sprint to the 20-yard line and back. Next, have him run to the 40-yard line and back. Continue increasing the distance in 20-yard increments until he runs the entire 100-yard football field and back. Increase the number of repetitions if you need to increase the severity of the punishment. As with all running drills, however, be sure the athletes are in no danger of severe health problems. Do not force players to overexert themselves in hot or humid conditions and ensure players are properly hydrated.

    Head-to-Head Drills

    • Sometimes a pair of players miss their assignments on a specific play or fail to work together on a play requiring cooperation. One way to punish them for these mistakes is to pit them against each other in a physical challenge. These drills have many names. The San Francisco 49ers called one of these drills "the Nutcracker." Players line up facing each other in their three-point stances. On the whistle, both players engage in a straightforward physical battle with each player trying to drive his opponent back. This is not the type of drill players look forward to at the end of a long, hard practice.