Adult Football Drills

Adults who play football--whether on a recreational or competitive level--should do certain types of drills to improve their skills in the game. These drills vary based on position, but most focus on strength, speed and agility. They can be done with limited amounts of equipment on just about any type of football field.

  1. Bilateral Drill

    • Bilateral drills are a form of hip training that improve speed and core strength. This is done with a speed sled dragged along the ground behind each player as they run forward. Tie a rope to a sled's ring at the front of it and then tie a loop at the loose end of that rope. Then tie a second rope to that noose and insert a double-looped cord through the end of that noose. Then place a foot in each end of the second rope. Players can snap their legs forward, strengthening their thighs, or with a knee-high step, walk forward faster and faster. By doing a bear crawl, players can move on all fours, dragging the sled behind them. Players should do these drills regularly, making them much stronger.

    Receiver One-on-One Drill

    • Receivers should line up on the line of scrimmage and sprint off the line to a point, then throw a fake and continue their pattern, catching a pass. This teaches receivers to shed a defender off the line of scrimmage as they run a route in a set number of steps and count their steps as they run their pattern before turning to catch the ball. This also teaches quarterbacks to time their throws to their receivers, based on the number of steps they have run. The better in-sync the receivers and quarterback are, the more effective they will be in the game. Receivers should run this drill 10 times for each different pattern, so that they can become proficient at each route.

    Bull in the Ring

    • This is a drill for linebackers to become good at taking hits from blockers, warding them off and then being able to keep their feet and tackle the offensive player. Take six linebackers and blockers and have them circle up together. The coach will pick one linebacker to stand in the middle and then call the name of one of the people on the outside of the circle to hit the linebacker in the middle. The linebacker must stay on his feet and push the blocker off of him. Then the coach calls another name and another blocker attacks from the outside. The linebacker tries to stay on his feet as long as possible, before the coach puts another linebacker in the middle of the circle. This makes linebackers get used to being hit by blockers. Helmets and pads are required for this drill to prevent injury.