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Emphasizing Ball Security – Mastering the five points of contact will help keep your runners from fumbling

by: Chad Miller
Running Backs Coach, Northwestern College (MN)
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Mastering the five points of contact will help keep your runners from fumbling dropping the ball.

When teaching ball carriers about ball security, we talk about the five points of contact. The first point relates to our nickname which is the Eagles, so I use the term “Eagle Claw” for the point of the football. The second point of contact is the forearm and the third is the bicep. Both are used to secure the outside part of the ball to the middle of the body which leads to the fourth  point of contact which is the chest. The fifth point is keeping the elbow down, which raises the tip of the football to the position “high and tight”. The wording of each of these points may change from person to person, but the basic idea is to make these terms simple and understandable for your own players.

Why keep the ball up high and tight? I present it to our players with a word picture - bicep curls. All of the players have done curls, so I explain to them that holding the ball in a bicep-curl position allows them to use more arm strength than holding the ball with their arm at a 90-degree angle. We reason that it is much easier to hold 100 lbs. up in a curl position than it is to hold that weight with their arms straight out. The same is true of the ball. Their muscles are naturally suited to securing the ball better in this position than with their arm at a 90-degree angle.

Another area of importance is “breastplating” the football. When a runner is in the middle of contact or is being tackled, bringing the football into the middle of the body is critical. Keeping it firmly in the hand that is carrying it, “breastplating” it, and then covering it up with the player’s other hand will secure it even more. We do a few different drills that emphasize this method. This is crucial because the more a player practices these principles, the more natural it will become for your players to actually use them in a game.

In addition, we have a few unique terms that we use in the Northwestern program. The first one is the “F” word – “fumble”. We believe that continually saying “don’t fumble” is just another negative that we would like to keep out of the players’ mind.  We may talk about taking care of the football or, when necessary, we may say “dropping the football”. But as much as we can, we try to stay away from using the “F” word because of all of the negative connotations that come with it. Secondly, during practice, whenever I see a player not carrying the football with the five points of contact, I yell “security”. Reminding all of the players that we are watching and that we will call them on something seemingly little and yet so vital helps keep their focus on this crucial part of the game.

Transferring the football from arm to arm is another important skill to work on with your players. We focus on teaching the players to “reach and pull”. When we transfer it between arms, we “breastplate” the football, reach across our body, “eagle claw” the football and then pull it to the other arm. Practicing this often is essential so that the players keep the ball secured if they change it to the other side of their body during a play. That being said, we talk to them about not doing this if they are in the open or are about to be hit, because those changes are often unnecessary and create opportunities to lose the football.

We would be doing a disservice to the entire team if we didn’t teach all of the defensive players the ball security routine. Defensively, we stress getting the ball and causing turnovers. As a result, if we don’t practice taking care of the football, the defense may lose the ball before the offense gets the opportunity to have it. In addition, there are many defensive players that are touching the football on special teams, so knowing how to keep the ball safe is of great importance to defensive players as well.
   
I use a few different drills for ball security that are easy and quick to set up. Our best drills are ones that are similar to what will actually happen in a game.  Here are a few different drills that we like to use:

Circle Weave
(Diagram 1)



1.  Six to nine players get into a circle, far enough apart so they cannot touch hands.

2.  One player takes the football and weaves in and out of the other players (not switching the ball for this drill).

3.  The other players will attempt to strip the football from the player who is weaving.

4.  After everyone has done it, do this again (in the opposite direction), carrying the football with the other hand. 

Reach and Pull Somersault Drill
(Diagram 2)



Ball carrier will work on switching between arms during contact, then breastplating the ball when falling down.

1.  Players pair up - each pair will need their own ball.

2.  The partner with the ball faces the other.

3.  The partner with the ball will practice reaching and pulling the football back and forth between arms while they are jogging in place.

4.  Partner without the ball will attempt to hit and punch the ball out.

5.  On the whistle, the ball carrier will sommersault forward and sprint out 10 yards.

6.  Partners will switch and repeat drill.

Strip Drill

 The ball carrier focuses on  balance and ball security while moving.

1.  Players will pair up - each pair needs their own ball.

2.  Ball carrier drives legs and runs securing the football.

3.  Partner without ball holds on to horse collar trying to punch out or strip ball from ball carrier. After about 5-10 yards, the player will begin to shove the ball carrier, working on ball carrier’s balance as well.

4.  Switch partners.

Note: You can also do the same drill with a partner on both sides of the ball-carrier to create even more chaos.

There are as many other drills for ball security as your creativity allows you to develop. One of the things that I do is ask the players what may be a good drill to simulate a game-like situation. They are playing, so using their experiences can be fun for them as well as presenting them with an opportunity to be a leader and help coach. If I would have known these little tips when I played, I believe it would have made me a much better player.
    So much of this game is about the ball and how we take care of it. If we equip our players with the skills they need to do this, they will have more success and gain the type of confidence we strive to develop in them. 

About the Author: Chad Miller has been on the staff of Northwestern College for 16 years. He now serves as both the running backs coach and passing game coordinator. A former quarterback and wide receiver for Northwestern, Miller also is a junior high school physical education teacher in the Burnsville School District.






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