AFM RSS Feed Follow Us on Twitter       
AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY THE #1 RESOURCE FOR FOOTBALL COACHES
ABOUT |  CONTACT |  ADVERTISE |  HELP  



   User Name    Password 
      Password Help





Article Categories


AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


The Strength Report: Skill Development

by: Ron McKeefery
Asst. Athletic Director, Strength & Conditioning, University of South Florida
© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

These days a strength and conditioning coach has to be more than a weight lifting coach. They must be a mentor, counselor, nutritionist, etc. However, one area that must be well versed for a team to have great success on the field is skill development. Most seasons are between 3-4 months in length. This leaves 8-9 months of off-season time that position skills are often excluded. There must be a direct transfer from what is being done in those 8-9 months in the off-season to what will be done for the 3-4 months of the season.

Let’s face the fact that not every athlete loves the weight room. It is an uncomfortable feeling to push the body to the point where a neuromuscular adaptation occurs. What you do in the weight room needs to make sense to the athlete. Every exercise we do is explained to that athlete on how it will help them with their game.

Over that past couple of years we have introduced a fifteen-minute position specific program into our lifting session. The athletes are required to spend fifteen minutes doing drills in the weight room to improve their skills on the field. We have consulted our position coaches for their input on need areas for each group each year, and how we can take drills from the field and do them in the weight room according to NCAA rules and regulations. When I first began doing this I noticed how much our coaches loved having some input into the off season program, and both the coaches and the players saw how it helped develop skills they would use on the field. Additionally, it helped get our strength staff and football staff on the same page so that complete trust was given.

For this article I have included one example of a drill for each position. Please remember that these drills can be done anywhere, and altered to meet your needs. When we were in our old smaller facility we would do a lot of these drills in the hallway. One point I can’t stress enough is to use this time to teach the drills and proper body mechanics. Remember, as the strength and conditioning professional on your staff, you are the motor learning and biomechanics expert. Slow things down and make sure they are doing it correctly. This gives you 8-9 months to make it second nature to the athlete come fall camp. The main thing is to be creative and work the skill.

Defensive Line/Defensive Ends
• Tennis Ball Get Offs – Athlete begins five yards away from coach in a 3-point stance. Athlete reacts to the coach dropping a tennis ball. The athlete must catch the ball before it bounces a second time. The coach then backs up until the athlete cannot get to the ball by the second bounce. Coaching points: 1) No false steps. 2) Shoot hands. 3) Stay low. Variations: 1) Stand on right of coach and react to left hand drop, catch with left hand. 2) Stand on left of coach and react to a right hand drop, catch with right hand. 3) Coach holds two balls and athlete reacts to the first one dropped and has to catch it with that hand.

Offensive Line/Tight Ends
• Hand Punches – Athlete begins in a chair sit position. The target can be a pad or the back of another offensive lineman. On command, punch with both hands for a prescribed number of seconds. Coaching points: 1) Stay low. 2) Use the palm of your hand. 3) Sit back. Variations: 1) Punch specific quadrants (upper right and left, lower right and left). 2) Alternate hands on punch. 3) Punch off command.

Quarterbacks
• Med Ball Drops – Athlete begins with a 1kg med ball on the wall at stomach level. On his cadence he seats the ball to his stomach and opens his hip to drop 3 yards. As he is dropping he must abduct his hip and drive his elbow back away from the wall. On his third step he must plant off his back step and swing the med ball overhead with both hands and throw it at the wall. Athlete repeats drill for the prescribed number of repetitions. Coaching points: 1) No false steps. 2) Drive elbow. 3) Gain ground. Variations: 1) Five step drop. 2) Seven step. 3) Heavier med ball.

Running Backs
• Stab Drill – Set up 4 cones 2 yards apart and two finish cones 5 yards apart. Athlete begins by running to the first cone and then running in and out of the cones by planting off the outside foot. Athlete then sprints through the finish cone. Coaching points: 1) Don’t hop through cones. 2) Eyes up. 3) Make believe ball in outside hand or covered up. Variations: 1) Widen or lengthen the cones. 2) Wear a weighted vest. 3) Attach a bungee or theraband to the athlete.

Linebackers
• Lateral Step Overs – Set up three mini-hurdles, cones, or bags 2 yards apart. The athlete begins by standing with both feet on the outside of the right or left hurdle. On command the athlete laterally steps over the hurdles and finishes through the last hurdle. Coaching points: 1) No false steps. 2) Head up. 3) Eyes up. Variations: 1) Plant off outside foot on last hurdle and return to start. 2) Plant off outside foot and react to a coach’s point coming downhill toward ball carrier. 3) Give a number or a tennis ball as they go through.

Kickers
• Unstable Tennis Ball Kicks – Athlete stands on one leg on an airex pad or any unstable surface with the other leg in the air. A coach tosses the athlete a tennis ball and the athlete returns it back to the coach by kicking it with the other leg. Coaching points: 1) Stay balanced. 2) Follow leg through. 3) Use upper body for support. Variations: 1) Soccer ball 2) Different number of targets.

Wide Receivers
• Tennis Ball Reaction Catches – Athlete stands 3 yards away from a coach facing the opposite way. On command the athlete spins around and catches a tennis ball with both hands. He then gives the ball back to the coach and continues for the prescribed number of repetitions. Coaching points: 1) Catch with both hands. 2) Look tennis ball in. Variations: 1) Throw ball to different quadrants (high, low, right, left). 2) Hit them with an airex pad as they catch the ball. 3) Attach a cable with weight to their back and have them catch the ball with a backward resistance to simulate a player on their back.

Defensive Backs
• Figure 8’s – Set up two cones 3 yards apart. Athlete begins with both feet on the outside of the left cone. On command he begins a figure eight motion through the two cones. After a couple of revolutions, introduce a tennis ball. Coaching points: 1) Move their feet and not hop through cones. 2) Eyes up. 3) Chest over their toes. Variations: 1) Start moving forward. 2) Start moving backward. 3) Start on right cone.

Our goal is to make our programs as sport, player, and position specific as possible. The strength and conditioning coach will spend more time with the players than any other coach on staff, and must be well versed in all the need areas for each position. Every competitive edge must be pursued. John Wooden said, “Little things make big things happen.” For us, I believe the fifteen minutes every day we spend working position drills is our competitive edge.






NEW BOOK!

AFM Videos Streaming Memberships Now Available Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach



















HOME
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE COLUMNISTS COACHING VIDEOS


Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved