Mar 11

Progressing Middle School Football Team – Suggestions

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Basics to football hand offs

Han doff skills can secure yardage on the field and increase your overall success. The hand off can take place in many ways, but most if not all hand offs occur between the quarterback and the running back. The running back starts the hand off running towards the quarterback with his arms open creating a pocket for the quarterback to slide the football right into the running backs chest. When the running back receives the football he clamps down both arms hard on the football to protect it. As the running back runs off with the football it is important to stay low to increase agility and speed.

Football tackling 101

Learning how to perform a proper tackle is fundamental to the game of football. If you, or your players don’t take tackling seriously you will not stop the offense and could also cause injuries. Some points to remember when tackling:

First is to cut off your opponent by placing yourself directly in front of them. An excellent technique is to plant your foot in the middle of your opponents. Also, and in coordination with your feet throw your arms back preparing to grab.

Second, push your other foot keeping your knees low and bent, and in sync with your feet throw your hands up hard around the offensive player. Now is the time that injuries can happen. Never, ever, ever tackle with the top of your head down, keep it up and square against your opponent. You need to literally imagine that the football is a big hamburger and you want to bite it and not slam your forehead against it.

Third, at this point you have successfully grabbed your opponent and all that’s left is to lunge your hips forward and bear all of your momentum against your opponent. The squarer you are in the first step the easier it will be to perform the third step.

Low Ball Catching Techniques

Good receivers and even running backs know how to make the great plays. Making the plays means that you have practiced the less than optimal situation and know how to react to them. One situation that most offensive players will face is the low catch. Here are some secrets to making this catch. First keep the pinkies together down low to make a shovel. First, keep your hands low and lock your pinkies. Second, keep low to the ground as a reference your knees should be level with your elbows, and if this means that you are down on all fours better a complete and no extra yards than an incomplete pass. Second, bend your knees and get low. Use your hands and not your body. Never use your body to catch a football. Catch it first and then worry about running it.

Conditioning Drill: Up Downs

Out of all of the football conditioning drills up downs is one of the most popular. This drill consists of having players run in place as fast and as hard as they can. From time to time the coach will signal to the players, by whistle or a command, to get down – meaning that they drop down do a push up and get back up as quickly as possible to run again. As up downs require endurance and strength, players are encouraged to start in slow short burst and work up to longer and more intense sessions.

Author: Wellington Wetwater
Source: ezinearticles.com

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Feb 12

Developing Professional American Football Defensive Strengths

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Practice can help turnovers

There is a golden rule in football defense, get the ball to the offensive team as quickly as possible. Win your games by training your defense to use a strong tackle that strips the ball from the opponent. A great way to practice is have two players line up, one as the defense, the other with the football as the offense. The defender will practice stripping the ball by bringing his hands up quickly with a clenched fist to grab the opponent and as he does so to aim to knock out the football. Start the drill slowly, and reward for a strong tackle that affectively tackles and makes an attack to dislodge the offensive players grip on the ball.

Catching the ball low

Good receivers and even running backs know how to make the great plays. This means that quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, etc have gone through the motions several times and know how to react to situations on the field. Perfect and not so perfect scenarios should constantly run at football practice. One not so perfect scenario is a low passed catch. Here are some basics to a great low catch. This technique stops the ball from bouncing away and also helps the player scoop up the ball quickly. Second, keep low to the ground as a reference your knees should be level with your elbows, and if this means that you are down on all fours better a complete and no extra yards than an incomplete pass. Second, bend your knees and get low. Use your hands and not your body. Always watch the ball through from the first time you see it in the air until it is in a secure ball carrying position. Last, concentrate on catching it first and then worry about the defense, and scoring some more yards.

Powerful Blocking Strategy: Double Teaming

Find a soft spot and push hard, that is what line strategies are all about. One such strategy or technique is the use of double teaming on the line of scrimmage. This play is simple, double up and push through. The strategy works for putting a hole in the line of scrimmage as two easily overpowers one. Here are some pointers for this strategy: First, players need to step together, and second lock hips. This forms an impenetrable line in the middle and as each lineman is on the edge of the opponent it will be very difficult to go around. The double team should focus on the shoulders, and arm pits of the opponent to control dominance. Also, this maneuver needs to happen quickly and efficiently.

Traditional Driving Block

Simple drives are important for linemen to practice and perfect. The most traditional or basic block is a drive block. When you want to remove an opponent effectively you will use the drive block again and again. If the Defensive lineman is aligned slightly to the right of the offensive linemen then the drive block with pus the defender to the right. When driving start with your play side foot. Connect hard against your opponent, bring your other foot into play and continue to drive in the aligned direction.

Author: Wellington Wetwater
Source: ezinearticles.com

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