Aggressive Football Drills

Football is a sport based on aggression. While that is understood, many coaches complain that today's players lack the aggression that players past have exhibited. Sometimes specific drills can build that aggression in players and prepare them for a real-game scenario. Some of these drills are one on one while others are more team oriented. Aggressive football drills should mainly be executed during the preseason and reduced or eliminated during the regular season to avoid injuries.

  1. Oklahoma Drill

    • The Oklahoma Drill is a drill that is often a go-to move coaches use to toughen up their players. Besides adding toughness, it also improves a player's ability to shed a block and tackle the ball carrier. This drill is named for it's creator, Oklahoma Coach Bud Wilkinson. This drill involves two players in a three-point stance facing one another, a quaterback and a ball carrier. One of the players in the three-point stance is the defensive player, facing the quaterback. The other is blocker trying to protect the ball carrier. Two parallel blocking pads are placed along side the players to both define the space and prevent injury. On the sound of a whistle, the quarterback hands the ball to a ball carrier and the two blockers engage. The defensive player's job is to shed the blocker and tackle the ball carrier as he tries to pass through the area defined by the blocking pads.

    Skeleton Passing Drill

    • This drill is also referred to as seven-on-seven and involves a center (optional), the quarterback, and five or six receivers (running backs, full backs, tight ends or wide outs) on offense and seven defenders to match up with them. Often, the quarterback cannot be hit in this drill. He takes the snap from the center and attempts to complete a pass to one of his receivers. The defense tries to stop the pass from being completed or make a tackle if there is a completion. This works the receiver's ability to get off the line and improve their on-field vision. It improves the defensive secondary's ability to make tackles in the open field. During the season, this drill can be tailored to non-tackling to avoid injury.

    Ball Security Drill

    • A basic drill that can be performed even without pads, the Ball Security Drill is ideal for running backs who have to carry the ball through defenders who are trying to strip it away. This drill can have many different names and variations although the goals for the offensive and defensive players remain the same. The most basic variation is have one player hold the ball and another tries to knock or rip it out using only their hands. Adding motion to this drill simulates real game situations. A more intense variation is often called the Gauntlet in which a player tries to maintain possession of the ball while running through two hand-held shields, some staggered players slapping at the ball, and finally a tackling dummy.