Every coach wants his or her team to “play fast” – reacting, not thinking, running full speed to the ball and out of breaks.

Football is a sport of changing direction and playing downhill. NFL FLAG powered by USA Football is a fast game. With only 10 players on the field for every snap, room to run is abundant. While athletic ability is different for each player, quickness is a skill that can be taught to maximize speed. These drills will work for the tackle game as well.

I have found that drills designed to focus on form, burst, acceleration, deceleration and incorporating change of direction work best. I approach quickness the same as any other skill on the football field, slowing the drills down to a pace that allow my players to learn proper technique then adding tempo as they begin to master it. I stress proper form and body position at each phase.

Here are three drills I use to help develop player quickness. Allow each player to get at least three reps of each. You can easily incorporate them into your dynamic warmup before practice.

Straight run. Set your cones or discs in a straight line seven to 10 yards apart. Facing forward, players run at a jogger’s pace. Coach them to execute as many foot strikes on the ground as they can while maintaining good body lean and form. At the first cone, burst into a sprint to the next cone then decelerate and find proper form again.  

Lateral run. Start players in the breakdown position and have them move laterally through the cones. Continue to focus on form while accelerating and decelerating through the drill. At each transition, look for and coach your players to burst off their plant feet and find their form again while finishing with a sprint.

Backpedal. Incorporate backpedaling to teach proper form. Keep the head calm, weight centered and body balanced at a slow pace. I change my landmarks to 10 yards to have them plant, burst, open their hips and run while keeping their heads and eyes front. This is similar to the weave drill.   

Using these drills can help your players develop quickness by creating muscle memory and play fast in the game.

A veteran football coach on the youth and high school levels, Tom LaNeve has worked 15 years with the Baltimore Ravens as the club’s youth football consultant, coaching and helping develop Ravens Rookies Kid’s Club clinics and Women’s Fan Club clinics. A member of USA Football’s Flag Football Committee and a Heads Up Football Master Trainer, he also has worked with the NFL, NFL Europe, NFL China, American Youth Football and All Pro Dads.