The Other Side of the Ball

While most of the attention on our football team during the last few years has been focused on the offensive side of the ball and the great job of our former head coach Gary Crowton (now offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears) and the play of our quarterback Tim Rattay and record-setting wide receiver Troy Edwards, we've also had some success on defense. We have accomplished this success by working as a staff to discover new and innovative ways to maximize the time we have with our players and to make our practices as productive as possible. Regulations that have reduced our time with the players, and the reductions in the number of players on each squad, have made it imperative that we get the most out of our practice schedule while, at the same time, making certain that we take every precaution to minimize the risk of injury. We want to emphasize to our players that in order for them to attain success and be fully prepared to meet the challenges they face versus the ever-increasingly complicated offenses they must face each week, they must:

1. Create and convert turnovers into possessions;

2. Eliminate big plays with great hustle and all-out pursuit on every snap;

3. Be prepared to meet the unexpected sudden change by the offense; and

4. Win the battles on third downs and prevent conversions.

To develop these qualities, we knew that we needed to include them in practice every day. Our challenge was to find a way to emphasize these points in practice without taking away from individual and team periods. As a staff, we spent a lot of time dissecting practice schedules looking for specific times and areas where we could be more productive.

For example, we found that the stretching period to begin practice was potentially one of the most unproductive times of practice. During our analysis, we evaluated the stretching period and wanted to determine:

1. Are we accomplishing our goal of reducing injuries and muscle pulls?

2. Is the stretching period getting the players prepared to practice at full speed?

3. Are the players taking full advantage of the period?

4. Could the players stretch on their own before practice officially begins?

5. Are we, as a staff, making the best use of time with the stretching period (i.e. is it as efficient a possible, are we able to communicate with players during this period as they stretch)?

After much discussion and analysis, we came to the conclusion the stretching period was not effectively achieving the goals we had established for it. Therefore, we examined several different programs around the country (special thanks to the University of Kentucky) and developed a low-impact ten minute warm-up to replace our stretching period. This new period involves: 1) warming up and preparing the body for full-speed practice thereby reducing the potential for muscle pulls and injuries; 2) emphasizing the creation and conversion of turnovers; and 3) teaching all out pursuit to the football and elimination of big plays. These three things set the tempo for our defensive practices.

The 10 minute warm-up period is broken down into two specific periods: 1) a four station turnover circuit which lasts six minutes; and 2) a pursuit period for four minutes.

Four Station Turnover Circuit
(Six minutes)

1. Shuffle through bags-cover & cradle

2. Ball drills (interceptions)

3. Shuffle through bags- scoop & score

4. Strip drill

Shuffle through bags- cover and cradle

The set up: Four agile bags lined up in a straight line one yard apart. The first phase is to teach the player to shuffle through the bags. The players should be moving through the bags with his knees bent over the toes low to the ground. As the player exits the bags, a coach rolls a ball to simulate a fumble. The player slides in and, using the fetal position, covers and cradles the ball. (Diagram 1)

Coaching point: As a player slides in, he should cover both ends of the ball with his arms and knees. Make certain to keep players off of their stomachs and backs to both avoid injuries and to insure that the ball cannot be striped away from them during a pile up.Ball Drills (interceptions)

The set up: four footballs. Any number of different ball drills are used daily; these will allow the players to catch balls from many and varied angles: over the right shoulder, over the left shoulder, straight from the coach, right angle (45%), or left angle (45%).

Coaching point: At all times, stress to the players the importance of turnovers. Emphasize looking the ball in and making a big play.

Shuffle through bags- scoop and score

The set up: same as station one (Shuffle through bags-cover and cradle). The first phase is to teach the player to shuffle through the bags. The players should be moving through the bags with his knees bent over the toes low to the ground. As the player exits the bags, a coach rolls a ball to simulate a fumble. The players scoop up the ball and run to simulate a score. (Diagram 2)

Coaching point: As the players approach the ball, they need to be under control, bent at the knees, with pinkie fingers together. They should gather the ball in on the run, secure it, score with both hands on the ball, and run through the coach to simulate the score.

Strip Drill

The set up: Three footballs. Align players into two lines. One line of players will be the ball carriers and the other will be the tacklers/strippers. Players will rotate lines. The ball carrier jogs out with a ball in his right arm. The stripper will attack with his left arm over the left shoulder from a trail position. Once the tackle is secured, stripper will strip the ball with his right hand. The ball may be attacked from over the top or from underneath. Once the ball has been stripped, the stripper is to scoop it up and run it back to the coach. (Diagram 3)

Coaching point: Make certain that the tackle is secured before the strip occurs. Often, players will attempt the strip before the tackle is secured, thus leading to a big play or score for the offense.

The Circuit

The turnover circuit portion of the initial ten minute period should last six minutes. Each player should run through each station three times. Players should start the circuit about half speed. Players who need stretching, should do so while waiting in line for their respective turns at each station. The last rotation of stations should be performed at Ž speed. (Diagram 4)

Pursuit (Four minutes)

Players break from the turnover station to the pursuit period. Players align on the 50-yard line in three separate huddles. Each huddle will run three separate pursuits, with the last one being run at full speed. The completion of the pursuit period is intended to and should set the tempo for the entire practice. Therefore, we do all we can to make it enthusiastic and exciting (for example, the final pursuit may be run as an interception or fumble return for a touchdown).

During the pursuit period, players run to specific spots located on the field to simulate playside-play entry and backside pursuit entry. Once each player gets to his assigned position on the play, a coach blows a whistle and players sprint to the coach.

The following diagrams (5,6 and 7) indicate the proper set-up and procedure for the pursuit period. The diagrams show only pursuit to one side of the field. The field should be set up to allow pursuit to occur on both sides of the field.

We have been very pleased with the results of our defensive low-impact warm-up. our players have loved the period as preparation for full-speed practice. We have experienced a greatly reduced number of muscle pulls and strains. Our players have been ready to practice at a high intensity level and we have seen a decrease in overall soreness after practices. Plus, We are convinced that the warm-up period has resulted in an increase in creating turnovers and ball pursuit. Overall, the change from a stretching period to a planned warm-up has been a tremendous boost to our practice efficiency. Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Diagram 7