Increasing Middle School Sports Practicing Suggestions}

Increasing Middle School Sports Practicing Suggestions

by

Wellington W

Ball handling Drill: Hot potato

Without a solid foundation of ball handling players will be easy prey to a solid defensive team. This drill is meant to help players control and develop their ball handling skills. In this drill players will be constantly moving or passing the ball from one hand to the other. The drill is simple and starts by having the player pass the ball around their head, torso, arms, knees, and even between their feet from one hand to another in constant motion.

In this drill the coaches responsibility is to observe the smoothness of the drill, and to also shout commands of body positions to move the ball around, and also to reverse the direction of the football. The reverse option is an important command as it will keep the players on their toes and focuses on concentration and ball handling.

We recommend that you end this drill by doing several football drops. This means that the player will drop the football and retrieve it again quickly. To further increase pickup skills have your players change up the hands that they are using so that both their strong and weak hands are developed.

Some fundamentals of ball security

One of the fundamental aspects of running with a football is ball security. Nothing is worse for your offensive team then turning it over carelessly to the other team in a fumble. A great way to teach tight ball security is with four points. First grab the football with your carrying hand with the tips of the football being covered with your fingers. Second, wrap your forearm completely around 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. Fourth, pull the football up and tight against your ribcage closing the gap on the football from all four sides. 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.

Forcing the Fumble

There is a golden rule in football defense, get the ball to the offensive team as quickly as possible. The fastest way to gain possession of the ball is to force an offensive player to fumble the football. This drill practices with two players. Have the defender move up on the offensive player, trust his arms back and then forward with his fists clenched. The point is to have the defensive player throw the fist into the football causing the offensive player to fumble 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.

Steps to effectively block driving

Simple drives are important for linemen to practice and perfect. The drive block is the most fundamental and should be practiced often. 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. Execute the drive by bolting off the line with your play side foot; again if the play is happening on the left side then you will use your left foot. Connect hard against your opponent, bring your other foot into play and continue to drive in the aligned direction.

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Increasing Middle School Sports Practicing Suggestions}