Protecting the football as you run

A team that prevents fumbles is a team that wins. Nothing is worse for your offensive team then turning it over carelessly to the other team in a fumble. There are four points to protecting the football. The claw position is the first point, meaning that you grab the football clawing at the point of the football with your fingers. The second point is making sure that your forearm is wrapped tightly on the outer rim of the football. The third point is securing the other point of the football with your bicep making sure that it is right up against it. The final point is keeping the football high and tight against the ribcage. As a player, you will want to make sure that you are well practiced in this skill, and as a coach you should dedicate some time to ball carrying skills. By reducing the risk of a fumble you will increase the offensive strength in effectively driving across the field and scoring touchdowns.

A great Handoff Drill

Drills practicing fundamentals like an effective hand offs can make the difference between a mediocre team and an excellent one. This drill requires more than one player; it starts off with two lines, line A and line B, the front of each line facing each other a couple of yards apart. At the coaches signal player A leaves line A running with the football towards line B. At the same time that the first player leaves player B leaves his line towards player A, as they pass each other in the middle player A hands off the football to player B. At this moment another player leaves line A and accepts a handoff from player B. The motion should be constantly moving from one line to another in this drill, almost like a juggling pattern. Practice this drill every day to ensure that your running backs are effective on their hand offs.

Points on tackling safely and effectively

Learning how to perform a proper tackle is fundamental to the game of football. Tackling can be fun and exhilarating, but done improperly and it can be dangerous. Here are three important steps to practice:

First, you need to stop the opponent quickly so make sure to place yourself directly in front of the opponents path. An excellent technique is to plant your foot in the middle of your opponents. Also, at this time thrust your arms backward to prepare for the next step.

Second, thrust your other foot again squarely in front of your opponent and with all the momentum that you have brought to the tackle grab your opponent. 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. A great way to insure that you are in the right position is to practice touching your facemask to the football of the opposing player.

Third, at this point you have successfully grabbed your opponent and all thats 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.

Learning the Basics of Catching a Low Football Pass

Good receivers and even running backs know how to make the great plays. Making the plays means that you have practiced the non-optimal situation and know how to react to them. One situation that most offensive players will face is the low catch. One not so perfect scenario is a low passed catch. First, keep your hands down low in a scooping or shovel position; you can even cross your pinkies. 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. Third, once you have caught the ball, tuck it away as soon as possible. Never use your body to catch a football. Catch it first and then worry about running it.