Football season is here. All across the country men are more excited than Christmas morning and preparing for fantasy football drafts and Saturday tailgates with crazy enthusiasm. Their wives are simultaneously rolling their eyes and counting down the days until the season is over. One thing is obvious about football’s most exciting players – they are all in phenomenal shape. Football continues to remain a demanding, physical sport, and the training to get into elite shape is rigorous.
There are some football drills you can do on your own to get into awesome shape.
40-Yard Dash: It’s not just a measuring tool for scouts. If you spent time on a field working on improving your time in the 40-yard dash, you’d not only be more fit, you’d be able to beat all your friends in a race. Great for building speed and endurance. Try 10 dashes 3-4 times per week, and see if your time doesn’t improve in a month.
Squat Jumps: Football is all about explosive power. Squat jumps can be a a great football drill to get you fit. Begin by standing with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width. Squat down and swings your arms back behind you. Swing your arms forward and up as you power jump high into the air with your legs. Repeat 20-30 times.
Bear Crawls: If you really want to get fit, try crawling on your hands and feet for the full length of a football field a couple of times. A staple in two-a-days, the bear crawl gets you down into the grass and forces a full-body effort. As you crawl this way, try not to let your butt get too high into the air. Your butt will have to be up a little, but don’t get carried away.
Gassers: Another two-a-day regular football drill, the gasser is basically a sprint the width of the field. But wait, there’s more. A full gasser is actually a down-back-down-back run the full width of the field. Time yourself and try to get faster each time. This drill is a great endurance builder. 2-4 of these bad boys will be plenty.
Parachute Runs: If you have access to an attachable parachute, you’ll need one for this drill. This isn’t the same parachute you’d use to jump out of a plane, but it’s the same idea. This method of running with resistance will get you fit and make you feel extremely light and fast once it’s off. Try ten 20-yard sprints.
Quick Feet: To play any position in football, you need quick feet. Quarterbacks in particular need quick feet to avoid tacklers, to be able to get out of the pocket, or to get into position quickly to make an accurate throw. A quick feet drill can help you improve your agility and quickness. If you’re training on a grass field, get a rope ladder designed for drills. If indoors, you can put some tape on the floor in a similar pattern to that of a hopscotch game. Going forward first, alternate quick jumps into each square. Go left foot, right foot into the same square, then go right foot, left foot into the next. Try to be as light on your feet as possible. Once you get the feel for going forward, try going backwards or in a side-to-side motion.
